John Stanley (March 22, 1914 – November 11, 1993) was an American cartoonist and comic book writer, best known for writing
Little Lulu
''Little Lulu'' is a comic strip created in 1935 by American author Marge (cartoonist), Marjorie Henderson Buell. The character, Lulu Moppet, debuted in ''The Saturday Evening Post'' on February 23, 1935, in a single panel, appearing as a flower ...
comic book stories from 1945 to 1959. While mostly known for scripting, Stanley also drew many of his stories, including the earliest issues of ''Little Lulu'' and its ''Tubby'' spinoff series. His specialty was humorous stories, both with licensed characters and those of his own creation. His writing style has been described as employing "colorful,
S. J. Perelman-ish language and a decidedly bizarre, macabre wit (reminiscent of writer
Roald Dahl
Roald Dahl (13 September 1916 – 23 November 1990) was a British novelist, short-story writer, poet, screenwriter, and wartime fighter ace of Norwegian descent. His books have sold more than 250 million copies worldwide. Dahl has be ...
)",
[Welcome to Stanley Stories--The Blog!]
/ref> with storylines that "were cohesive and tightly constructed, with nary a loose thread in the plot".["John Stanley" by Don Phelps in the 1976 New Con Program Book] He has been compared to Carl Barks
Carl Barks (March 27, 1901 – August 25, 2000) was an American cartoonist, author, and painter. He is best known for his work in Disney comic books, as the writer and artist of the first Donald Duck stories and as the creator of Scrooge McDuck ...
,Seth
Seth,; el, Σήθ ''Sḗth''; ; "placed", "appointed") in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Mandaeism, and Sethianism, was the third son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain and Abel, their only other child mentioned by name in the Hebrew Bible. A ...
(2009) "John Stanley's Teen Trilogy", in Ben Schwartz, ed., ''The Best American Comics Criticism'', Fantagraphic Press, Seattle, Washington. This is an updated version of an article in ''Comics Journal'' #238 (2001). and cartoonist Fred Hembeck
Fred Hembeck (born January 30, 1953) is an American cartoonist best known for his parodies of characters from major American comic book publishers. His work has frequently been published by the firms whose characters he spoofs. His characters are ...
has dubbed him "the most consistently funny cartoonist to work in the comic book medium". Captain Marvel co-creator C. C. Beck remarked, "The only comic books I ever read and enjoyed were ''Little Lulu'' and ''Donald Duck''".
Biography
John Stanley was born March 22, 1914. Details about Stanley's early years are unclear. He had an older sister Marion, two younger brothers, Thomas and James and a younger sister, Marguerite. He received a scholarship to attend art classes at Textile High School
The Bayard Rustin Educational Complex – also known as the Humanities Educational Complex – at 18th Street (Manhattan), West 18th Street between Eighth Avenue (Manhattan), Eighth and Ninth Avenue (Manhattan), Ninth Avenues in the Chels ...
in Chelsea, Manhattan
Chelsea is a neighborhood on the West Side of the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The area's boundaries are roughly 14th Street to the south, the Hudson River and West Street to the west, and Sixth Avenue to the east, with its northern b ...
. Fellow student and future comic book artist Gill Fox
Gilbert Theodore Fox (November 29, 1915 – May 15, 2004) was an American political cartoonist, comic book artist and editing, editor, and animator.
Biography
Fox began his career in animation at Max Fleischer's studio, but left due to labor unr ...
when interviewed by ''Alter Ego
An alter ego (Latin for "other I", " doppelgänger") means an alternate self, which is believed to be distinct from a person's normal or true original personality. Finding one's alter ego will require finding one's other self, one with a differen ...
'' magazine reminisced about Stanley "You wouldn't believe how good his work was at 16—as good as most professionals today." There are also references to his attending an institution known variously as the New York School of Design or School of Art. Afterward he began working at Fleischer Studios
Fleischer Studios () is an American animation studio founded in 1929 by brothers Max and Dave Fleischer, who ran the pioneering company from its inception until its acquisition by Paramount Pictures, the parent company and the distributor of i ...
as an opaquer and eventually in-betweening
Inbetweening, also known as tweening, is a process in animation that involves creating intermediate frames, called inbetweens, between two keyframes. The intended result is to create the illusion of movement by smoothly transitioning one image int ...
.
Stanley left Fleischer's studio in 1935 to work for Hal Horne, contributing artwork to the then just starting ''Mickey Mouse Magazine
''Mickey Mouse Magazine'' is an American Disney comics publication that preceded the popular 1940 anthology comic book ''Walt Disney's Comics and Stories''. There were three versions of the title – two promotional giveaway magazines published f ...
'' (3rd series). From there he went to work on Disney merchandise art for Kay Kamen, while selling gag cartoons to various magazines (including ''The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
''). In this period (1935–37) Don Phelps in his piece for the 1976 New Con program book notes that Stanley attended classes in lithography at the Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New York is an art school at 215 West 57th Street in Manhattan, New York City, New York. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists.
Although artists may stu ...
. Stanley then started working as a freelancer out of the east coast office of Western Publishing
Western Publishing, also known as Western Printing and Lithographing Company, was a Racine, Wisconsin, firm responsible for publishing the Little Golden Books. Its Golden Books Family Entertainment division also produced children's books and ...
under editor Oskar Lebeck
Oskar Lebeck (August 30, 1903 – December 20, 1966) was a stage designer and an illustrator, writer and editor (mostly of children's literature) who is best known for his role in establishing Dell Comics during the 1930s and 1940s period known a ...
in 1943. Stanley during this time did stories for a range of characters, including Bugs Bunny
Bugs Bunny is an animated cartoon character created in the late 1930s by Leon Schlesinger Productions (later Warner Bros. Cartoons) and voiced originally by Mel Blanc. Bugs is best known for his starring roles in the '' Looney Tunes'' and '' ...
, Raggedy Ann and Andy
Raggedy Ann is a character created by American writer Johnny Gruelle (1880–1938) that appeared in a series of books he wrote and illustrated for young children. Raggedy Ann is a rag doll with red yarn for hair and a triangle nose. Gruelle re ...
, Woody Woodpecker
Woody Woodpecker is an animated character that appeared in theatrical short films produced by the Walter Lantz Studio and distributed by Universal Studios between 1940 and 1972.
Woody, an anthropomorphic woodpecker, was created in 1940 by Lan ...
and Andy Panda
Andy Panda is a cartoon character who starred in his own series of animated cartoon short subjects produced by Walter Lantz. These "cartunes" were released by Universal Pictures from 1939 to 1947, and United Artists from 1948 to 1949. The title ...
, along with his own creations such as Peterkin Pottle and Jigg & Mooch. His scripting was done much like a storyboard
A storyboard is a graphic organizer that consists of illustrations or images displayed in sequence for the purpose of pre-visualizing a motion picture, animation, motion graphic or interactive media sequence. The storyboarding process, i ...
in animation, with rough drawings to guide the artists and the dialogue in balloons.
Stanley was respected by his peers. Artist Dan Noonan who was a contemporary at Western Publishing during the 1940s in an interview stated that Stanley was, “one of the few truly capable and funny writers in the business. His stuff, the ideas he sent to ''The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
'', for example, I would say had as high a sales percentage as anything from anyone in their history... And an omnivorous reader, always. He reads everything he can lay his hands on. I’d say he’s an authority on writers like Samuel Pepys
Samuel Pepys (; 23 February 1633 – 26 May 1703) was an English diarist and naval administrator. He served as administrator of the Royal Navy and Member of Parliament and is most famous for the diary he kept for a decade. Pepys had no mariti ...
and Boswell. He has a very strange, wonderful feel for words.” Walt Kelly
Walter Crawford Kelly Jr. (August 25, 1913 – October 18, 1973), commonly known as Walt Kelly, was an American animator and cartoonist, best known for the comic strip ''Pogo (comic strip), Pogo''. He began his animation career in 1936 at The Walt ...
as an in-joke
An in-joke, also known as an inside joke or a private joke, is a joke whose humour is understandable only to members of an ingroup; that is, people who are ''in'' a particular social group, occupation, or other community of shared interest. It i ...
in an Oswald the Rabbit
Oswald the Lucky Rabbit (also known as Oswald the Rabbit or Oswald Rabbit) is a cartoon character created in 1927 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks for Universal Pictures. He starred in several animated short films released to theaters from 1927 to 19 ...
one-shot (''Four Color
''Four Color'', also known as ''Four Color Comics'' and ''Dell Four Color'', was an American comic book anthology series published by Dell Comics between 1939 and 1962. The title is a reference to the four basic colors used when printing comic ...
'' #102, 1946) has a pirate refer to a cannon that "in 1927 wouldn't say anything but 'John Stanley'—she's fickle"
Calling his story for ''Raggedy Ann and Andy'' #38 (July 1949) a classic, Maggie Thompson
Maggie Thompson (born Margaret Curtis; November 29, 1942), is an American longtime editor of the now-defunct comic book industry news magazine ''Comics Buyer's Guide'', science fiction fan, and collector of comics.
Early life
Margaret (nicknam ...
opined "Until John Stanley took over the Raggedys, they were a cheery duo whose adventures demonstrated that loving kindness was the attitude of choice. Suddenly, their world is a dark, unsettling place that is the equal of any nightmare: in this case, a castle that is an
endless maze of despair. Yikes!"
Stanley and his wife Barbara had two children, Lynda, and James (born in 1962).
Little Lulu
Modest about his talent, Stanley claimed it was utter chance that he was selected to bring panel cartoon character Little Lulu to comics: "Oscar ebeckhanded me the assignment, but I'm sure it was due to no special form of brilliance that he thought I'd lend to it. It could have been handed to Dan Noonan, alt
Alt or ALT may refer to:
Abbreviations for words
* Alt account, an alternative online identity also known as a sock puppet account
* Alternate character, in online gaming
* Alternate route, type of highway designation
* Alternating group, mathema ...
Kelly, or anyone else. I just happened to be available at the time". Stanley had one meeting with Lulu creator Marjorie Henderson Buell
Marjorie Henderson Buell (née Marjorie Lyman Henderson, December 11, 1904 – May 30, 1993) was an American cartoonist who worked under the pen name Marge. She was best known as the creator of ''Little Lulu''.
Early life
Marjorie Lyman Henderso ...
(known professionally as Marge) before doing the first issue to discuss the background of the character. While Marge continued to exercise oversight of the comics this was the sole time she directly gave input regarding the depiction of her creation in comic books. Stanley drew the initial Lulu ''Four Color
''Four Color'', also known as ''Four Color Comics'' and ''Dell Four Color'', was an American comic book anthology series published by Dell Comics between 1939 and 1962. The title is a reference to the four basic colors used when printing comic ...
'' one shots but once a regular series began in 1948 (for the first year bi-monthly then thereafter monthly) Irving Tripp
Irving Rose Tripp (June 5, 1921 – November 27, 2009), was an American comic book artist, best known as the illustrator of ''Little Lulu'' comics.
Irving was born in 1921 in Poughkeepsie, New York. He began working in comics in 1941 when h ...
and Charles Hedinger (Tripp inking Hedinger before eventually assuming both duties) assumed the job of translating Stanley's sketch scripts into finished art. But Stanley continued to do the covers (and perhaps due to deadlines drew the majority of ''Little Lulu'' #31 951
Year 951 ( CMLI) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar.
Events
By place
Europe
* King Berengar II of Italy seizes Liguria, with help from the feudal lord Oberto I. He re ...
. The only time Stanley received credit was ''Little Lulu'' #49 (July 1952) where a box at the bottom of the inside front cover listed him as being among the staff writers and illustrators who worked on the issue; it also gives Stanley a separate credit for the front cover.
Whereas the old ''Saturday Evening Post
''The Saturday Evening Post'' is an American magazine, currently published six times a year. It was issued weekly under this title from 1897 until 1963, then every two weeks until 1969. From the 1920s to the 1960s, it was one of the most widely c ...
'' panels depicted the humorous antics of a mischievous tomboy, Stanley quickly expanded the cast of characters in Lulu's universe to an entire neighborhood of children while sketching out rich characterizations that captured as Don Phelps noted "the mannerisms and slang" of kids. Many stories revolved around the competition between the boys and girls, often involving the club Tubby, Iggy and the other boys formed whose clubhouse bore the iconic sign "No Girls Allowed". Lulu and her friend Annie would often scheme to "teach the fellers a lesson", much to the shock of the boys who were firm in the belief of the superiority of their gender. This battle of the sexes was highlighted by the boys' club celebrating the first Monday of each month as "mumday", when members were forbidden to speak to any of the girls (or even their own mothers). Shaenon Garrity notes "When not plotting against the girls, Tubby and his gang ould Ould is an English surname and an Arabic name ( ar, ولد). In some Arabic dialects, particularly Hassaniya Arabic, ولد (the patronymic, meaning "son of") is transliterated as Ould. Most Mauritanians have patronymic surnames.
Notable p ...
mix it up with the much tougher West Side Gang".["All the Comics #12: Little Lulu" by Shaenon Garrity]
Other stories related Tubby's exploits as The Spider, a detective who invariably accused Lulu's father as being the culprit of whatever he was investigating (and nearly invariably Mr. Moppet proved to be guilty). On occasion Lulu would be forced to avoid recurrent foil Truant Officer McNabbem, by means of "straight-up slapstick chases". And in flights of imagination Lulu would tell stories to a vexing young neighbor boy named Alvin, many of which involved an unnamed poor little girl (who looked just like Lulu) and her scary encounters with Witch Hazel and Hazel's niece Little Itch.
Stanley also wrote between 1952 and 1959 the four ''Four Color
''Four Color'', also known as ''Four Color Comics'' and ''Dell Four Color'', was an American comic book anthology series published by Dell Comics between 1939 and 1962. The title is a reference to the four basic colors used when printing comic ...
'' tryout issues (nos. 381, 430, 444 and 461) of the companion series ''Tubby'' plus the stories in the subsequent series through #35. Stanley scholar Frank Young notes Stanley's only sustained run doing artwork during the 1950s was for #2-9 of Tubby. The main artist on Tubby was Lloyd White, and per Young besides Tubby White also "pinch-hit" on the Lulu title, for example drawing some of the solo Tubby stories that appeared there.
post-Lulu career
''Little Lulu'' #135, in early 1959, was Stanley's last, whereupon he began writing '' Nancy and Sluggo'' (titled ''Nancy'' for issues #146-173) starting with issue #162 and through at least #185, as well as several Dell Giant's (#34 & 45, and Nancy & Sluggo Traveltime). For this title he created the character Oona Goosepimple, who lived in a haunted house inhabited by weird relatives and mysterious little people known as Yoyos who hid behind the fireplace. While she only appeared in twenty issues(#162,166-178, 190-192 plus some Summer Camp Specials - Four Color #1034, Dell Giants #34 and #45) Oona has since attained something of a cult status. He also created Mr. McOnion, Sluggo's crabby neighbor. He also probably did the Nancy and Sluggo stories in Dell's ''Tip Top Comics'' #218-220, 222.
In the 1960s Stanley created a number of humorous titles for Dell Comics. These include:
*''Kookie'' #1-2 1961-1962, drawn by Bill Williams. Kookie is a 20-something single girl living in a Greenwich Village
Greenwich Village ( , , ) is a neighborhood on the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, bounded by 14th Street to the north, Broadway to the east, Houston Street to the south, and the Hudson River to the west. Greenwich Village ...
-like environment with roommate Clara and working in a hip coffee shop. Supporting characters include Momma Poppa, the brash, overweight owner of the coffee shop, and Bongo and Bop and other beatnik
Beatniks were members of a social movement in the 1950s that subscribed to an anti-materialistic lifestyle.
History
In 1948, Jack Kerouac introduced the phrase "Beat Generation", generalizing from his social circle to characterize the undergr ...
s. The subjects of their own back-of-the-book story, Bongo and Bop never interacted directly with Kookie.
*''Around the Block with Dunc & Loo'' #1-8 1961-1963, humor with urban teens drawn by Bill Williams
*''Thirteen (Going on Eighteen)'' #1-25 1961-1967, humor with suburban pre-teens drawn by Stanley starting with #3 26-29 reprints of #1-4*'' Melvin Monster'' #1-9 1965-1969, humorous horror drawn by Stanley 10 reprints #1
In a change of pace he also did the melodramatic medical/romance ''Linda Lark'' (#1-8 1961-1963) and two forays into straight horror:
*''Tales From the Tomb'', 1962 one-shot giant edited by L. B. Cole
*''Ghost Stories'' #1, September.-November 1962 (Stanley wrote only the first issue)
Stanley also continued doing stories for licensed characters including ''Clyde Crashcup
Clyde Crashcup is a fictional character from the early 1960s animated television series ''The Alvin Show''. He is a scientist in a white coat who tends to "invent" things that had already been invented; his experiments invariably fail. He usuall ...
'' (#1-5, 1963–64) and ''Nellie the Nurse
Nelly (born 1974) is an American rapper, singer, actor and entrepreneur.
Nelly or Nellie may also refer to:
Places
* Nellie, Ohio, an American village
* Nellie, Assam, a town in Nagaon district
* Nelly Island, Antarctica
* Nelly Island, Bermud ...
'' (''Four Color
''Four Color'', also known as ''Four Color Comics'' and ''Dell Four Color'', was an American comic book anthology series published by Dell Comics between 1939 and 1962. The title is a reference to the four basic colors used when printing comic ...
'' #1304, 1962).
All of the foregoing were done for Dell Comics
Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1974. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark"Wh ...
; when it and Western Publishing
Western Publishing, also known as Western Printing and Lithographing Company, was a Racine, Wisconsin, firm responsible for publishing the Little Golden Books. Its Golden Books Family Entertainment division also produced children's books and ...
parted ways in 1962 Stanley was among the few creators who chose to stick with Dell.
Stanley did a one-page strip "Bridget and Her Little Brother Newton the Nuisance" for the unusual ''Wham-O
Wham-O Inc. is an American toy company based in Carson, California, United States. It is known for creating and marketing many popular toys for nearly 70 years, including the Hula hoop, Frisbee, Slip 'N Slide, Super Ball, Trac-Ball, Silly Stri ...
Giant Comic Book'' (published in 1967).
During the 1950s and 1960s, Stanley also drew cartoon storyboards for various New York-based animation studios.[ First paragraph only; link to full article dead.]
In 1965, his sole children's book was published by Rand McNally
Rand McNally is an American technology and publishing company that provides mapping, software and hardware for consumer electronics, commercial transportation and education markets. The company is headquartered in Chicago, with a distribution c ...
, ''It's Nice to be Little'', with illustrations by Jean Tamburine. It sold well enough to warrant a second printing the following year.
Stanley's last works in comics were done for Gold Key: a 1969 one shot starring the Good & Plenty
Good & Plenty is a brand of licorice candy. The candy is a narrow cylinder of sweet black licorice, coated in a hard candy shell to form a capsule shape. The pieces are colored bright pink and white and presented in a purple box or bag.
History
G ...
mascot Choo Choo Charlie, and in 1971 ''O.G. Whiz'' #1, featuring the adventures of a boy owning his own toy company. Both were scripted and drawn by Stanley.
Later years
After leaving comic books, Stanley worked as the head of a silk screen
Screen printing is a printing technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink (or dye) onto a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the open me ...
company in upstate New York and in advertising for many years, and did cartoon illustration work for David C. Cook, a publisher of Christian-oriented books. In this period his marriage foundered and he moved out for an extended period.
Fans including Don Phelps and Robert Overstreet
''The Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide'' (or ''Official Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide'') is an annually published comic book price guide widely considered the primary authority on the subject of American comic book grading and pricing in the ...
tracked Stanley down and began to publicize him in comics fandom. His first and only appearance at a fan gathering was at the 1976 New Con in Boston. Stanley was invited to be a guest at the 1977 Comic Art Convention
The Comic Art Convention was an American comic book fan convention held annually New York City, New York, over Independence Day weekend from 1968 through 1983, except for 1977, when it was held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and 1978 to 1979, w ...
but did not attend. Despite some advance publicity listing him as a guest he didn't attend the 1980 San Diego Comic Book convention.
Later in life, Stanley did commissions of painted re-creations of classic ''Little Lulu'' and ''Tubby'' cover-gags. One of the last published pieces of artwork by him was a sketch that appeared in ''The Art of Mickey Mouse'' (1991).
Stanley died November 11, 1993 of esophageal cancer. His wife had died in 1990. His daughter Lynda is a photographic retoucher who has worked for numerous magazines and advertising agencies. His son James was an environmental consultant who later worked in computer graphic design and IT.
Legacy
Stanley's work on ''Little Lulu'' was #59 on ''Comics Journals list of 100 top comics
Four of Stanley's Little Lulu stories were included in the 1981 collection ''A Smithsonian Book of Comic-Book Comics'' edited by Martin Williams and Michael Barrier
Michael J. Barrier (born June 15, 1940) is an American animation historian.
Work
Barrier was the founder and editor of ''Funnyworld'', the first magazine exclusively devoted to comics and animation. It began as a contribution to the CAPA-Alpha a ...
. New York: Smithsonian Institution Press and Harry N. Abrams, 1981.
Stanley fandom eventually coalesced around John Merrill's fanzine ''The Stanley Steamer'' (1982–1992).
The current outlet for Stanley fans is the infrequently issued fanzine the ''HoLLywood Eclectern'' edited by Ed Buchman. There is also a gathering commemorating Lulu and Stanley at the annual Comic-Con International
San Diego Comic-Con International is a comic book convention and nonprofit multi-genre entertainment event held annually in San Diego, California since 1970. The name, as given on its website, is Comic-Con International: San Diego; but it is c ...
organized by Buchman and Joan Appleton. This includes fans performing a radio-play style recreation of a classic Stanley Lulu story.
Author-comics scholar Frank M. Young is researching Stanley's authorship of stories published by Dell in various comics during the 1940s and 1950s, posting the results on a Stanley Stories blog he started in 2008 (from 2001 to 2005 he compiled a Stanley Stories website with a similar aim that ceased displaying in 2009 but whose content is slowly being incorporated into the blog).
Most of the segments on Cinar
Cookie Jar Entertainment Inc. (also known as Cookie Jar Group and originally known as CINAR; renamed as DHX Cookie Jar Inc. from 2012 until 2014, or simply just Cookie Jar) was a Canadian media production and distribution company owned by DHX M ...
's ''The Little Lulu Show
''The Little Lulu Show'' is an animated series based on Marjorie Henderson Buell's comic book character ''Little Lulu''. The series first aired in 1995 after the cartoonist's death in 1993.
The series was produced by the CINAR Corporation, in as ...
'' (broadcast on HBO from 1995 to 1999) were adaptations of Stanley's stories (without crediting him beyond stating the series was done "in association with Western Publishing
Western Publishing, also known as Western Printing and Lithographing Company, was a Racine, Wisconsin, firm responsible for publishing the Little Golden Books. Its Golden Books Family Entertainment division also produced children's books and ...
".) Famous Studios
Famous Studios (renamed Paramount Cartoon Studios in 1956) was the first animation division of the film studio Paramount Pictures from 1942 to 1967. Famous was founded as a successor company to Fleischer Studios, after Paramount seized contro ...
in the early 1960s did two theatrical cartoons based on Stanley stories, reviving their Lulu series of the 1940s.
Comic book creator Pete Von Sholly has done a computer generated version of the Stanley story "The Monster of Dread End" and with permission of the Stanley family a new issue of Melvin Monster posted online.
The 2008 anthology ''The Mammoth Book of Best Horror Comics'' reprints Dread End, the original and Von Sholly's retelling.
"Hester's Little Pearl" is an adaptation of ''The Scarlet Letter
''The Scarlet Letter: A Romance'' is a work of historical fiction
Historical fiction is a literary genre in which the plot takes place in a setting related to the past events, but is fictional. Although the term is commonly used as a synonym ...
'' with the novel's characters and the overall look drawn in the style of Lulu by Robert Sikoryak
Robert Sikoryak (born 1964) is an American artist whose work is usually signed R. Sikoryak. He specializes in making comic adaptations of literature classics. Under the series title ''Masterpiece Comics'', these include ''Crime and Punishment'' re ...
and published in ''Drawn & Quarterly
Drawn & Quarterly is a publishing company based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, specializing in comics. It publishes primarily comic books, graphic novels and comic strip collections. The books it publishes are noted for their artistic content, ...
'' Vol. 4 (2001). It was reprinted in the collection ''Masterprice Comics'' in late 2009.
The graphic novel ''Wimbledon Green'' by Seth
Seth,; el, Σήθ ''Sḗth''; ; "placed", "appointed") in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Mandaeism, and Sethianism, was the third son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain and Abel, their only other child mentioned by name in the Hebrew Bible. A ...
contains an extended homage to Stanley.
A Stanley painting recreating a Lulu cover was featured as one of two covers offered for the 35th edition of the ''Overstreet Comic Book Price Guide'' (2005). The hard cover of the Lulu version sold out on the day the Guide was released. The soft cover version sold out two days later.
Another Rainbow's Little Lulu Library issued between 1985 and 1992 brought the Lulu stories to a new generation of readers. Among other things it published the landmark article, in its definitive form, by Brad Tenan that—based on clues in the stories—laid out the case for Lulu's hometown being modeled on Peekskill, New York
Peekskill is a city in northwestern Westchester County, New York, United States, from New York City. Established as a village in 1816, it was incorporated as a city in 1940. It lies on a bay along the east side of the Hudson River, across fro ...
, where Stanley lived for some years.
And in the current decade a successful series of Lulu trade paperbacks published by Dark Horse reprinting Stanley's stories are a testament to their timeless appeal.
Free Comic Book Day 2009 (May 2, 2009) included a John Stanley collection that included Nancy and Melvin Monster in a flipbook style. Free Comic Book Day 2010 (May 1, 2010) included a John Stanley collection that included Nancy, Tubby, Melvin Monster, Judy Junior, and Choo Choo Charlie - all of them spunky cartoon kids written (sometimes also drawn) by John Stanley.
Bill Schelly's John Stanley, Giving Life to Little Lulu published in May 2017 is the first book-length biography of Stanley, including never before known information about his family of origin, and quotes from the only known extensive interview ever given by the cartoonist (at the 1976 Boston Newcon), which had never been fully transcribed before.
Awards
* Inkpot Award in 1980 from the San Diego Comic Con Comic-Con :: The Inkpot Awards
* Inducted in 2004 into the
Will Eisner Hall of Fame
* 2015
Bill Finger Award
The Bill Finger Award for Excellence in Comic Book Writing is an American award for excellence in comic book writing. The awards committee, chaired by Mark Evanier, is charged each year with selecting two recipients, one living and one deceased. ...
Online comics
links to scans of the legendary “The Monster Of Dread End”, from Ghost Stories #1*
ttps://web.archive.org/web/20080515092153/http://www.chancefiveash.com/last_of_the_spinner_rack_junkies.htm Last of the Spinner Rack JunkiesHas links to several Stanley stories from ''Dunc and Loo'', ''Thirteen (Going on Eighteen)'' and ''Kookie'' #1.
I'm Learning to Share!scans of selected pages from ''Kookie'' #2.
Reprint collections
*
Little Lulu Library
The ''Little Lulu Library'' is an 18-volume deluxe hardcover series of books reprinting a long run of ''Little Lulu'' comics from the period when John Stanley was writing the stories. Most of the stories collected were drawn by either Stanley or ...
info Six sets containing 18 hardbound volumes published between 1985 and 1992 by
Another Rainbow Another Rainbow Publishing is a company dedicated to the re-publication and greater recognition of the work of Carl Barks that was created in 1981 by Bruce Hamilton and Russ Cochran. Its name references Barks's saying that there would be "always ano ...
; reprints in black and white the stories in ''Little Lulu'' (including one-shots) through #87 plus articles and historical background to the series.
Dark Horse Little Lulu softcover collections18 trade paperbacks published between 2004 and 2008 reprints in black and white the stories published in the Another Rainbow Little Lulu Library, sans articles and covers. One color special was also published. New volumes in color continuing the series (and now including the covers of the original comics) began appearing in 2009. In all Dark Horse issued twenty nine volumes collecting Stanley's entire run on the series, including Dell Giant specials. In addition four volumes collecting issues 1-24 of the companion ''Tubby'' title were published in 2010-2011 as ''Little Lulu's Pal Tubby''.
John Stanley LibraryNine volumes from
Drawn & Quarterly
Drawn & Quarterly is a publishing company based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, specializing in comics. It publishes primarily comic books, graphic novels and comic strip collections. The books it publishes are noted for their artistic content, ...
(2009-2013) collecting a sample of Stanley's non-Lulu series, including the entirety of ''Melvin Monster'', the first nine issues of ''Thirteen (Going on Eighteen)'', ''Nancy''/''Nancy and Sluggo'' (#146-150, #167-177 plus ''Summer Camp''
Four Color
''Four Color'', also known as ''Four Color Comics'' and ''Dell Four Color'', was an American comic book anthology series published by Dell Comics between 1939 and 1962. The title is a reference to the four basic colors used when printing comic ...
#1034) and one volume of ''Tubby'' (containing issues #9-12); volumes designed by longtime Stanley devotee
Seth
Seth,; el, Σήθ ''Sḗth''; ; "placed", "appointed") in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Mandaeism, and Sethianism, was the third son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain and Abel, their only other child mentioned by name in the Hebrew Bible. A ...
.
**''Melvin Monster'', 3 volumes (v1 ; v2 ; v3 )
**''Nancy'', 4 volumes (v1 ; v2 ; v3 ; v4 )
**''Thirteen going on Eighteen'', (v1 )
**''Tubby'', (v1 )
Marge's Little LuluA five volume hardcover series published by
Drawn & Quarterly
Drawn & Quarterly is a publishing company based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, specializing in comics. It publishes primarily comic books, graphic novels and comic strip collections. The books it publishes are noted for their artistic content, ...
reprinting the classic Lulu stories written by Stanley in color, restored with historical background by co-editors D+Q Executive Editor Tom Devlin and Stanley scholar Frank M. Young.
**v.1 ''Little Lulu: Working Girl''
ov. 2019(reprints the initial five ''
Four Color
''Four Color'', also known as ''Four Color Comics'' and ''Dell Four Color'', was an American comic book anthology series published by Dell Comics between 1939 and 1962. The title is a reference to the four basic colors used when printing comic ...
'' appearances of Lulu in comic books from 1945-1946 (#74, 97, 110, 115 and 120), the first three of which were written AND drawn by Stanley).
**v.2 ''Little Lulu: The Fuzzythingus Poopi''
ep. 2020
**v.3 ''Little Lulu: The Little Girl Who Could Talk to Trees''
ec. 2021''The TOON Treasury of Classic Children's Comics''Collection of classic comic book stories for young children edited by
Art Spiegelman
Art Spiegelman (; born Itzhak Avraham ben Zeev Spiegelman on February 15, 1948) is an American cartoonist, editor, and comics advocate best known for his graphic novel ''Maus''. His work as co-editor on the comics magazines ''Arcade (comics maga ...
and his wife,
Françoise Mouly
Françoise Mouly (; born 24 October 1955) is a Paris-born New York-based designer, editor, and publisher. She is best known as co-founder, co-editor, and publisher of the comics and graphics magazine ''Raw'' (1980–1991), as the publisher of ...
. Includes selections by Stanley,
Carl Barks
Carl Barks (March 27, 1901 – August 25, 2000) was an American cartoonist, author, and painter. He is best known for his work in Disney comic books, as the writer and artist of the first Donald Duck stories and as the creator of Scrooge McDuck ...
and
Walt Kelly
Walter Crawford Kelly Jr. (August 25, 1913 – October 18, 1973), commonly known as Walt Kelly, was an American animator and cartoonist, best known for the comic strip ''Pogo (comic strip), Pogo''. He began his animation career in 1936 at The Walt ...
. ()
''Golden Collection of Krazy Kool Klassic Kids' Komics''A kids comic book story collection (exclusively
public domain
The public domain (PD) consists of all the creative work
A creative work is a manifestation of creative effort including fine artwork (sculpture, paintings, drawing, sketching, performance art), dance, writing (literature), filmmaking, ...
) edited by
Craig Yoe
Craig Yoe (born February 23, 1951) is an author, editor, art director, graphic designer, cartoonist and comics historian, best known for his Yoe! Studio creations and his line of Yoe! Books.
Early life
Craig Yoe was born in Des Moines, Iowa. He ...
. Includes selections by Stanley, Barks, Kelly,
Jack Kirby
Jack Kirby (born Jacob Kurtzberg; August 28, 1917 – February 6, 1994) was an American comic book artist, writer and editor, widely regarded as one of the medium's major innovators and one of its most prolific and influential creators. He gr ...
,
Wally Wood
Wallace Allan Wood (June 17, 1927 – November 2, 1981) was an American comic book writer, artist and independent publisher, widely known for his work on EC Comics's titles such as ''Weird Science (comic), Weird Science'', ''Weird Fantasy'', an ...
and others. ()
*''The Great Treasury of Christmas Comic Book Stories'' edited by
Craig Yoe
Craig Yoe (born February 23, 1951) is an author, editor, art director, graphic designer, cartoonist and comics historian, best known for his Yoe! Studio creations and his line of Yoe! Books.
Early life
Craig Yoe was born in Des Moines, Iowa. He ...
. Includes selections by Stanley, Kelly,
Richard Scarry
Richard McClure Scarry (June 5, 1919 – April 30, 1994) was an American children's author and illustrator who published over 300 books with total sales of over 100 million worldwide. He is best known for his ''Best Ever'' book series that take ...
and others. ()
References
Further reading
*
Margaret Atwood
Margaret Eleanor Atwood (born November 18, 1939) is a Canadian poet, novelist, literary critic, essayist, teacher, environmental activist, and inventor. Since 1961, she has published 18 books of poetry, 18 novels, 11 books of non-fiction, nin ...
"The Life Lessons of 'Little Lulu'"The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issues ...
November 29, 2019.
*
Michael Barrier
Michael J. Barrier (born June 15, 1940) is an American animation historian.
Work
Barrier was the founder and editor of ''Funnyworld'', the first magazine exclusively devoted to comics and animation. It began as a contribution to the CAPA-Alpha a ...
. ''Funnybooks: The Improbable Glories of the Best American Comic Books''. Oakland : University of California Press, 2014.
*Hamilton, Bruce, "Carl Barks and John Stanley" / transcribed by Milo George. ''
Comics Journal
''The Comics Journal'', often abbreviated ''TCJ'', is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels. Known for its lengthy interviews with comic creators, pointed editorials and scathing re ...
'' No. 250 (February 2003) p. 159-162. Barks & Stanley are interviewed together by Bruce Hamilton in 1976 during a joint panel at New Con.
*Krumeich, Dorothy. "Stanley Comics Help Quell Furor" in ''Peeksill Evening Star'' August 11, 1965 (reprinted in ''Alter Ego'' No. 54).
*Merrill, Jon editor ''The Stanley Steamer'' Nos. 1-60 (1982–1992).
*
Seth
Seth,; el, Σήθ ''Sḗth''; ; "placed", "appointed") in Judaism, Christianity, Islam, Mandaeism, and Sethianism, was the third son of Adam and Eve and brother of Cain and Abel, their only other child mentioned by name in the Hebrew Bible. A ...
, "John Stanley's Teen Trilogy" in ''
Comics Journal
''The Comics Journal'', often abbreviated ''TCJ'', is an American magazine of news and criticism pertaining to comic books, comic strips and graphic novels. Known for its lengthy interviews with comic creators, pointed editorials and scathing re ...
'' No. 238 (October 2001), pp. 39–51. Article on Stanley's teen humor comics ''Thirteen (Going on Eighteen)'', ''Dunc and Loo'', and ''Kookie''.
*Shutt, Craig, "Little Lulu, Big Media Star" in ''Hogan's Alley'' No.15 (2007), pp. 32–36, 38-43.
*
Bill Schelly
William Carl Schelly (November 2, 1951 – September 12, 2019) was an Eisner Award-winning author who chronicled the history of comic books and comic book fandom, and wrote biographies of comic book creators, including Otto Binder, L.B. Cole, J ...
. ''John Stanley: Giving Life to Little Lulu''. Seattle : Fantagraphics Books, 2017 (published in May 2017).
*
Maggie Thompson
Maggie Thompson (born Margaret Curtis; November 29, 1942), is an American longtime editor of the now-defunct comic book industry news magazine ''Comics Buyer's Guide'', science fiction fan, and collector of comics.
Early life
Margaret (nicknam ...
, "The Almost-Anonymous Mr. Stanley" in ''Funnyworld'' No. 16 (Winter 1974-75), p. 34.
*
Maggie Thompson
Maggie Thompson (born Margaret Curtis; November 29, 1942), is an American longtime editor of the now-defunct comic book industry news magazine ''Comics Buyer's Guide'', science fiction fan, and collector of comics.
Early life
Margaret (nicknam ...
, "Little Miss Moppet" in ''Comics Collector'' No. 2 (Winter 1984), pp. 67–72 and No. 3 (Spring 1984), pp. 67–71.
External links
Scott Shaw on ''Tales From The Tomb'' #1Stories'' #1''Nellie the Nurse''''Choo-Choo Charlie'' #1''Melvin Monster'' #1an
''Melvin Monster'' #4
External links
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stanley, John
1914 births
1993 deaths
People from Harlem
American cartoonists
American comics artists
Will Eisner Award Hall of Fame inductees
Bill Finger Award winners
Little Lulu
Fleischer Studios people