Kenneth Frederic Ernst (1918 – August 6, 1985) was a US
comic book
A comic book, also called comicbook, comic magazine or (in the United Kingdom and Ireland) simply comic, is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. ...
and
comic strip artist. He is most notable for his work on the popular and long-running comic strip ''
Mary Worth
''Mary Worth'' is an American newspaper comic strip that has had an eight-decade run from 1938. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, this soap opera-style strip influenced several that followed. It was created by writer Allen Saunders and a ...
'' from 1942 to 1985.
[''Contemporary Graphic Artists'' By Gale Research Company, Published by Gale Research Co., 1986 Item notes: v.1, , ] With his realistic style, uncommon in those early years, Ernst paved the way for soap opera strips that followed.
Biography
Early years
Ken Ernst was born in 1918 in Illinois.
[''Contemporary Graphic Artists''
By Gale Research Company, Published by Gale Research Co., 1986 Item notes: v.1, , ] At the age of 12, he was elected president of the Chicago Chapter of the
International Brotherhood of Magicians
International Brotherhood of Magicians (I.B.M.) is an organization for both professional and amateur close-up and stage magicians, with approximately 15,000 members worldwide. The headquarters is in St. Charles, Missouri. There are over 300 ...
. Ernst began his working life as a stage magician, but he aimed for a career in art. Using money made performing magic to finance his education, he studied at the
Art Institute of Chicago
The Art Institute of Chicago in Chicago's Grant Park, founded in 1879, is one of the oldest and largest art museums in the world. Recognized for its curatorial efforts and popularity among visitors, the museum hosts approximately 1.5 mil ...
and the
Chicago Academy of Fine Arts
The School of the Art Institute of Chicago (SAIC) is a private art school associated with the Art Institute of Chicago (AIC) in Chicago, Illinois. Tracing its history to an art students' cooperative founded in 1866, which grew into the museum an ...
.
[
]
Comic books
In 1936, Ernst began his art career during the burgeoning Golden Age of Comic Books
The Golden Age of Comic Books describes an era of American comic books from 1938 to 1956. During this time, modern comic books were first published and rapidly increased in popularity. The superhero archetype was created and many well-known cha ...
. He joined the comic book production shop, where he contributed to ''Star Comics'' and ''Funny Pages'' until 1943. He took assignments on numerous titles from Centaur in the late 1930s.[Grand Comics Database http://www.comics.org/search.lasso?type=penciller&query=ken+ernst&sort=alpha&Submit=Search] Ernst also worked for National Periodical Publications
National Comics Publications, Inc. (also known as NCP or simply National) was an American comic book publishing company, and the direct predecessor of modern-day DC Comics.
History
The corporation was originally two companies: National Allied P ...
on ''Larry Steele'' and at 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 ...
on ''Buck Jones'', ''Tom Mix'' and ''Clyde Beatty''.[Lambiek Entry http://lambiek.net/artists/e/ernst_ken.htm] He is credited with the art on back-up stories in the DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with their f ...
flagship title ''Detective Comics
''Detective Comics'' is an American comic book series published by Detective Comics, later shortened to DC Comics. The first volume, published from 1937 to 2011 (and later continued in 2016), is best known for introducing the superhero Batman ...
'', issues 31–33, 38, and most issues between 39 and 49.
Ernst's artwork appeared in comic books again in the late 1940s and early 1950s in ''The Green Hornet
The Green Hornet is a superhero created in 1936 by George W. Trendle and Fran Striker, with input from radio director James Jewell. Since his 1930s radio debut, the character has appeared in numerous serialized dramas in a wide variety of me ...
'' from Harvey Comics
Harvey Comics (also known as Harvey World Famous Comics, Harvey Publications, Harvey Comics Entertainment, Harvey Hits, Harvey Illustrated Humor, and Harvey Picture Magazines) was an American comic book publisher, founded in New York City by Alf ...
, but the panels were reprints of his ''Mary Worth''.[
]
Comic strips
It was in the field of newspaper comics, however, that Ken Ernst became famous. Between 1940 and 1942, he assisted on the daily ''Don Winslow of the Navy
''Don Winslow of the Navy'' is a 1942 Universal Pictures Serial film based on the comic strip '' Don Winslow of the Navy'' by Commander Frank V. Martinek. It was theatrically released in January 1942.
Plot
Commander Don Winslow is returned to t ...
'' strip.[ (Another source reports that he "ghosted" that strip).][Goulart, Ron. ''St. James Encyclopedia of Pop Culture'']
/ref>
In 1942, Ernst took over as artist on the 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 ...
comic strip ''Mary Worth
''Mary Worth'' is an American newspaper comic strip that has had an eight-decade run from 1938. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, this soap opera-style strip influenced several that followed. It was created by writer Allen Saunders and a ...
'', and that strip became his life's work. According to Ernst in a comic-style segment from the January 8, 1949 issue of Collier's
''Collier's'' was an American general interest magazine founded in 1888 by Peter F. Collier, Peter Fenelon Collier. It was launched as ''Collier's Once a Week'', then renamed in 1895 as ''Collier's Weekly: An Illustrated Journal'', shortened i ...
("Mary Worth and Us" by Ken Ernst and Allen Saunders, p. 45), he and writer Allen Saunders
Allen Saunders (April 24, 1899 – January 28, 1986) was an American writer, journalist and cartoonist who wrote the comic strips ''Steve Roper and Mike Nomad'', ''Mary Worth'' and ''Kerry Drake''.
He is credited with being the originator of the ...
replaced the "tear-stained melodrama" of '' Apple Mary'', the strip's previous incarnation, with more "modern material-- stuff that might appear in slick paper fiction." The new approach brought success, as well as a succession of Ernst's gorgeously drawn, but often troubled females into range of Mary's meddling and advice. "I have to grind out a new honey every few weeks, instead of drawing the same face every day for 20 years," Ernst remarked.
Ernst rendered the strip in a realistic style "inspired by that of his mentors Milton Caniff
Milton Arthur Paul Caniff (; February 28, 1907 – April 3, 1988) was an People of the United States, American cartoonist famous for the ''Terry and the Pirates (comic strip), Terry and the Pirates'' and ''Steve Canyon'' comic strips.
Biography
...
and Noel Sickles
Noel Douglas Sickles (January 24, 1910 – October 3, 1982) was an American commercial illustrator and cartoonist, best known for the comic strip ''Scorchy Smith''.
Sickles was born in Chillicothe, Ohio. Largely self-taught, his career beg ...
." His ''Mary Worth
''Mary Worth'' is an American newspaper comic strip that has had an eight-decade run from 1938. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, this soap opera-style strip influenced several that followed. It was created by writer Allen Saunders and a ...
'' became a prototype for the "gentle and sophisticated" soap opera strip.[
Eminent comic strip historian ]Coulton Waugh
Frederick Coulton Waugh (; 10 March 1896 – 23 May 1973) was a cartoonist, painter, teacher and author, best known for his illustration work on the comic strip ''Dickie Dare'' and his book ''The Comics'' (1947), the first major study of the f ...
made note of Ernst's "smooth, smart, dressy, modern style." Waugh also admired Ernst's device of drawing a group of characters in a panel without any background and—through clever use of shadow—making the figures appear to leap out of the panel.
Legacy
In terms of style, later strips such as ''Rex Morgan, M.D.
''Rex Morgan, M.D.'' is an American soap opera comic strip, created May 10, 1948 by psychiatrist Dr. Nicholas P. Dallis under the pseudonym Dal Curtis.
History
The name for the strip was inspired by the real life Rex S. Morgan Sr., the U.S. Arm ...
'', ''Judge Parker
''Judge Parker'' is an American soap opera-style comic strip created by Nicholas P. Dallis that first appeared on November 24, 1952. The strip's look and content were influenced by the work of Allen Saunders and Ken Ernst on ''Mary Worth''.
Ch ...
'', ''The Heart of Juliet Jones
''The Heart of Juliet Jones'' is an American comic strip series created by Elliott Caplin and drawn by Stan Drake, beginning on March 9, 1953.Brian Walker, "The Times Are A'Changin'", in Dean Mullaney, Bruce Canwell and Brian Walker, ''King of th ...
'' and ''Apartment 3-G
''Apartment 3-G'' is an American newspaper soap opera comic strip about a trio of career women who share an apartment in Manhattan. Created by Nicholas P. Dallis with art by Alex Kotzky, the strip began May 8, 1961, initially distributed by the ...
'' among others are said to have followed Ernst's lead.
The Wisconsin Historical Society
The Wisconsin Historical Society (officially the State Historical Society of Wisconsin) is simultaneously a state agency and a private membership organization whose purpose is to maintain, promote and spread knowledge relating to the history of ...
possesses some black and white photographs of Ernst sketching co-eds at the University of Wisconsin
A university () is an institution of higher (or tertiary) education and research which awards academic degrees in several academic disciplines. ''University'' is derived from the Latin phrase ''universitas magistrorum et scholarium'', which ...
on February 5, 1947. Ernst is said to have chosen one of the young women to serve as the model for a new character in ''Mary Worth''. Seven related images were published in the ''Wisconsin State Journal
The ''Wisconsin State Journal'' is a daily newspaper published in Madison, Wisconsin by Lee Enterprises. The newspaper, the second largest in Wisconsin, is primarily distributed in a 19 county region in south-central Wisconsin. As of September ...
'' on February 9, 1947.Wisconsin Historical Images, Cartoonists.
/ref>
Ken Ernst illustrated the ''Mary Worth
''Mary Worth'' is an American newspaper comic strip that has had an eight-decade run from 1938. Distributed by King Features Syndicate, this soap opera-style strip influenced several that followed. It was created by writer Allen Saunders and a ...
'' strip until the time of his death. He died August 6, 1985, of a heart attack, while visiting his son in Salem, Oregon.[
]
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Ernst, Ken
1985 deaths
American comic strip cartoonists
1918 births