Ogden Whitney
by Frank Santoro
Sunday, February 24, 2008
From Big Shot number 67, July 1946.
The text reads: Welcome home, Ogden Whitney! HELLO, FANS! Big Shot Comics is happy to announce the return of OGDEN WHITNEY to its fine art staff. After drawing SKYMAN for four years, Ogden enlisted in the U.S. Army. Now, back from the Pacific War Zone with a chestful of campaign ribbons and an honorable discharge, Ogden has settled down to the task of offering our readers the finest quality in comic strip entertainment. We are sure all of you will join us in saying, “WELCOME HOME, OGDEN WHITNEY.”
I bought this issue of Big Shot at one of those Big Apple Cons that are across the street from Madison Square Garden a couple years ago. I think the whole Comics Comics staff was there. That was the show where this one dealer had all these old, ratty, retarded comics –the kind we really love here at Comics Comics. This guy had a small table way in the back and no customers really. He had the greatest stuff. Old Archies, a lot of beat Wally Wood comics, weird Western comics, Romances, etc. Anyways, Tim, Dan and I cleaned him out as best we could. And of course, we never saw him again.
So it was a good thing that I picked up this Big Shot then for four bucks. Anyways, I completely forgot that I had this issue and was leafing through it and found the above splash page for the Skyman story. I’m not big on war heroes, but I am big on Ogden Whitney. He might really be my favorite comics artist. And this splash is just crazy. Whitney, Kirby, and many others made it back from the war. Seeing this just made me think, “What if he’d been killed?” Would I even know his work today? Probably not. Without getting too weepy about the whole thing, I simply found this splash too good to not share with all of the Whitney fans out there. Or at least Bill, Jim, Dan, and Tim, ha.
Labels: Jack Kirby, Ogden Whitney
Hey fellas! Howzabout using your influence with the publishing houses of the world to get together a nice oversize Ogden Whitney book…TO HAVE! Herbie sang me to sleep last night but the lollipop weren’t too tasty.
I blame that Dan Nadel for this
new obsession.
Frank, could you write something about why Mr. Whitney is you favorite comic artist? Dan Nadel has written quite a bit as to why he likes Whitney, and I get liking him (he is a workhorse cartoonist in the best way, he told good stories without a lot of fuss, etc.) but only to an extent. My favorite cartoonists make my heart pump and my head spin, they make me want to draw right away. I don’t get that feeling when I look at Whitney. I confess that the only Whitney comic that I have read in its entirety was the story collected in “Art out of Time” so maybe I haven’t seen enough of his work, but I’d really like you to hear more of your thoughts.
Sure. Might be a few weeks though. I’m really busy these days.
I’d say look for his work with ACG comics in the 50s and 60s.
But, beware, I don’t really feel the need to convince people of his ability or skill. To me, he’s like an unsung player on a sports team that does everything “wrong” yet somehow makes play after play that helps his team win. Somehow without him the team would lose. Weird analogy I know, but I’m listening to a podcast of a hockey game as I write this. And the Pittsburgh Penguins have a lot of players like that…
Hey, Frankie — which Penguin makes you think of Ogden Whitney the most?
Hey Jim
That would have to be the one and only….
Jarkko Ruutu!
He might not score a lot of goals but he never quits and will kick your fuckin ass.
No, wait, Ogden Whitney is like Ron Francis.