Bela P. Zaboly (May 1910 – April 1985), a.k.a. Bill Zaboly, was an American cartoonist best known for his work on ''Thimble Theatre'' with ''
Popeye''. Zaboly's illustrated signature used the initials BZ with the "B" formed by the wings of a bee.
[Potrzebie]
/ref> In headings for ''Thimble Theatre'', his typeset credit line was given as Bill Zaboly rather than Bela Zaboly.
Biography
Born in Cleveland, Zaboly drew for his school paper in high school. After graduation, he was employed in the art department of the Cleveland-based syndicate, Newspaper Enterprise Association, where he started as an office boy and eventually was a staff cartoonist.
Early strips
As an illustrator, printmaker and painter, he exhibited in Cleveland and Chicago during the early 1930s, also creating the Sunday strip
The Sunday comics or Sunday strip is the comic strip section carried in most western newspapers, almost always in color. Many newspaper readers called this section the Sunday funnies, the funny papers or simply the funnies.
The first US newspap ...
''Otto Honk'' about moon-faced, dim-bulb Otto, who was variously employed as a private eye, movie stunt man and football player. Zaboly discontinued this strip in 1936. He was an assistant to Roy Crane on ''Wash Tubbs'', and from 1936 to 1938 he drew '' Our Boarding House'' after Gene Ahern left NEA to do ''Room and Board
Room and board is a phrase describing a situation in which, in exchange for money, Manual labour, labor or other considerations, a person is provided with a place to live as well as meals on a comprehensive basis. It commonly occurs as a fee at h ...
'' for King Features Syndicate
King Features Syndicate, Inc. is a American content distribution and animation studio, consumer product licensing and print syndication company owned by Hearst Communications that distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editoria ...
.[Zaboly entry]
Lambiek's ''Comiclopedia''. Accessed Dec. 13, 2018.[Grandinetti, Fred M. ''Popeye: An Illustrated Cultural History'', McFarland, 2004.]
/ref> Zaboly, his wife Irene and their son lived at 13609 Drexmore Road in
Cleveland.
Popeye
After ''Popeye'' creator E. C. Segar
Elzie Crisler Segar (; December 8, 1894 – October 13, 1938), known by the pen name E. C. Segar, was an American cartoonist best known as the creator of Popeye, a pop culture character who first appeared in 1929 in Segar's comic strip ''Thimbl ...
died in 1938, ''Thimble Theatre'' was scripted by Tom Sims. Doc Winner (1884–1956), who worked in the King Features bullpen, illustrated the strip until Zaboly took over in 1939. Zaboly and Sims produced the daily strip until 1954, and they worked on the Sunday strip until 1959. Ralph Stein began writing the daily in December 1954 with Zaboly as artist. Bud Sagendorf took control of both the daily and Sunday in 1958, although his work was not published until August (daily) and September (Sunday) of 1959. Zaboly also continued Segar's ''Sappo'' topper strip.[
Zaboly made certain changes in the strip, notably replacing Swee'pea's nightgown with a small sailor suit, by the request of King Features. This change allowed Swee'pea to walk during the years 1957 to 1959. Sagendorf returned the character to his original appearance.][
Zaboly's art was featured in several ''Popeye'' coloring books from the late 1950s through 1964 and in other licensed items during this period. These items included ''Popeye's Presto Paints'' (Kenner, 1961) and ''Popeye's Color and Re-Color Book'' (Jack Built-Toys, 1957) which used all of Zaboly's art.
The last ''Thimble Theatre'' daily by Zaboly was published August 8, 1959, with his Sunday strips continuing for a few months after that. With his ''Thimble Theater'' run ending, Zaboly returned to Cleveland, went back to work for NEA and also was an art salesman for the Alan Junkins Studio in Cleveland's Caxton building. He later attempted to launch his own syndicate without success.][
]
Death
He died in 1985, aged 75.
Reprints
Much of Zaboly's work was reprinted in ''Four Color'', ''Magic Comics'', "Dagwood" and ''King Comics''.
References
External links
Art of the Print: Bela Zaboly
{{DEFAULTSORT:Zaboly, Bela
American cartoonists
American comics artists
Popeye
1910 births
1985 deaths
Artists from Cleveland