This is the second day of our Funky Funnies theme week. Today we light our internal fires with Torchy.
Torchy, who may be the sexiest female character to come out of the golden age of comics, began her career as a filler in Quality Comics’
Doll Man, then earned her own book in 1949. Gill Fox, a master cartoonist who could work in a variety of styles, did a terrific job interpreting Bill Ward’s original vision of the statuesque blonde, and today I’m showing you the first story from
Torchy #1 (1949), drawn by Fox.
Putting aside the obvious sexism represented by Torchy (who was drawn to attract young male readers, including servicemen), who do you think drew a sexier Torchy, Bill Ward, or was Fox’s Torchy “foxier”? (One female reader told me Ward’s Torchy “looked like a hooker.” That’s one opinion.) I have a love comic story by Ward coming up soon where we see again Ward's very sexy, slinky women. Should you need evidence, if you’ve never seen Ward’s work, if you have seen it and need reminding, or if you just want to ogle Ward’s beauties, click on the picture below for Pussycat.
From the Hairy Green Eyeball blog,
Pussycat #1 in its entirety!
My sis Deb has a like postar of that Torchy cover w/tha sailor in her loft in Dumbo yo LOL Torchy is like 1 of her heros 4 reelz
ReplyDeleteWhen John Severin died a while back, you and others said his art was the only reason to read Cracked magazine. I beg to differ. There was another reason. Bill Ward worked there in the 1970s. The leggy, buxom, mini-skirted (even after they'd gone out of style)investigative reporter Nancy Dickering, drawn by Ward, was a sexy mainstay of Cracked back then.
ReplyDeleteI also remember Ward having a lot of Will Elder-like gags in the background.
Hey, Kirk, point well taken. Nanny Dickering was never the same under other artists, even Severin.
ReplyDeleteAlicia, I am always happy to provide a role model like Torchy for young women.
ReplyDeleteIf Bill Ward has a sketch book, you'd think you stumbled upon a shoe catalog!
ReplyDeleteHey, Pappy, you've probably posted some of these somewhere, but here's a suggestion: another well known headlight/good girl artist of the time was Al Feldstein, who obviously really proved his worth well beyond his art. I'd be interested in seeing some of his good girl art (which, as I read, was Gaines original reason for hiring him, though he obviously proved more useful in other regards.)
Brian, I have at least one of Feldstein's teenage strips, Homer Cobb, in a post featuring Boody Rogers' and Feldstein's Archie imitations.
ReplyDelete