Julian W. BlakeSocial Security Death Index
listing for Blake, Julian W., Social Security Number 111-12-0357 (February 13, 1918 – December 26, 2005) was an American cartoonist who created the popular, long-running comic strip ''

Tiger The tiger (''Panthera tigris'') is the largest living cat species and a member of the genus ''Panthera''. It is most recognisable for its dark vertical stripes on orange fur with a white underside. An apex predator, it primarily preys on ...

'', about a group of suburban boyhood pals. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, ''Tiger'' began May 3, 1965. At its peak, it was published internationally in some 400

newspapers A newspaper is a periodical publication containing written information about current events and is often typed in black ink with a white or gray background. Newspapers can cover a wide variety of fields such as politics, business, sports ...

Biography

Blake was born and raised in Nutley,

New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...

. His father, George Blake, was art director of the Batten Co., a forerunner of

Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn BBDO is a worldwide advertising agency network, with its headquarters in New York City. The agency originated in 1891 with the George Batten Company, and in 1928, through a merger with Barton, Durstine & Osborn (BDO), the agency became Batten, B ...

. Bud's sister became an illustrator for children's books. Dropping out of high school before his graduation, Blake worked as a demonstrator for a pen-knife company, carving portraits from

balsa wood ''Ochroma pyramidale'', commonly known as the balsa tree, is a large, fast-growing tree native to the Americas. It is the sole member of the genus ''Ochroma''. The tree is famous for its wide usage in woodworking, with the name ''balsa'' bei ...

. After selling

cartoons A cartoon is a type of visual art that is typically drawn, frequently animated, in an unrealistic or semi-realistic style. The specific meaning has evolved over time, but the modern usage usually refers to either: an image or series of images ...

to '' Judge'' magazine, Blake enrolled in New York's

National Academy of Design The National Academy of Design is an honorary association of American artists, founded in New York City in 1825 by Samuel Morse, Asher Durand, Thomas Cole, Martin E. Thompson, Charles Cushing Wright, Ithiel Town, and others "to promote the f ...

, supporting himself with odd jobs until 1937, when he landed a paste-up position with the Kudner Advertising Agency. He stayed there until 1954, except for his

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...

military service Military service is service by an individual or group in an army or other militia, air forces, and naval forces, whether as a chosen job ( volunteer) or as a result of an involuntary draft (conscription). Some nations (e.g., Mexico) require ...

with the

U.S. Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cl ...

infantry Infantry is a military specialization which engages in ground combat on foot. Infantry generally consists of light infantry, mountain infantry, motorized infantry & mechanized infantry, airborne infantry, air assault infantry, and mar ...

. After his return, he eventually rose to become an executive art director with Kudner. Tired of the traveling and heavy responsibility that his job entailed, Blake left advertising to pursue cartooning. He told an interviewer, "Kudner was very good to me. I wasn’t mad at them. They couldn’t believe that I was quitting. I can’t give you the details, but they offered me a hell of a lot of money." King Features was looking for a cartoonist to do a cartoon similar to H. T. Webster's panel series, as Webster had recently died. Blake was hired to draw this series, which ran from 1954 to 1965 under a variety of titles ("Home Sweet Home," "Growing Pains," "Ever Happen to You?'"). Bud Blake and his family spent three months living in

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, where he drew his new feature, but the international mails proved so unreliable that he eventually returned to the States. Many of his originals had gotten lost in the mail. Blake's clients would eventually include advertising firms and such magazines as '' Business Week'' and ''

Family Circle ''Family Circle'' was an American magazine that covered such topics as homemaking, recipes, and health. It was published from 1932 until the end of 2019. Originally distributed at supermarkets, it was one of the " Seven Sisters," a group of sev ...

''. He drew "Ever Happen to You?" until 1964. He was approached by King Features to create a comic strip that would rival ''

Peanuts ''Peanuts'' is a syndicated daily and Sunday American comic strip written and illustrated by Charles M. Schulz. The strip's original run extended from 1950 to 2000, continuing in reruns afterward. ''Peanuts'' is among the most popular and infl ...

'', and ''Tiger'' was born on May 3, 1965. Blake drew the strip until he was 85, two years before his death. After Blake retired, the strip continued to appear as reprints, and as of December 2005, according to the syndicate, ''Tiger'' was running in more than 100 newspapers in 11 countries. Widowed in 1988, Blake spent his final years at Damariscotta,

Maine Maine () is a state in the New England and Northeastern regions of the United States. It borders New Hampshire to the west, the Gulf of Maine to the southeast, and the Canadian provinces of New Brunswick and Quebec to the northeast and ...

. He died at the

Maine Medical Center Maine Medical Center (commonly abbreviated to ''MMC'' or contracted to ''Maine Med'') is a 700-licensed-bed teaching hospital in Portland, Maine, United States. Affiliated with Tufts University School of Medicine, it is located in the Western ...

Portland, Maine Portland is the largest city in the U.S. state of Maine and the seat of Cumberland County. Portland's population was 68,408 in April 2020. The Greater Portland metropolitan area is home to over half a million people, the 104th-largest metropo ...

Awards

The National Cartoonists Society named ''Tiger'' the Best Humor Strip in 1970 and 1978. It won the society's Best Newspaper Strip award in 2000, receiving another nomination in 1998.

References

External links

''Tiger''
at Don Markstein's Toonopedia
Archived
from the original December 4, 2011.
Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum: Bud Blake Collection guide
{{DEFAULTSORT:Blake, Bud 1918 births 2005 deaths American comic strip cartoonists People from Nutley, New Jersey United States Army soldiers People from Damariscotta, Maine United States Army personnel of World War II

Biography

Awards

References

Further reading

External links