Number 1747: Young Bob Lubbers

Bob Lubbers had a long career in comics, both in comic books and comic strips. He was still a teenager when he did this 1940 story for Centaur’s The Arrow #2. After Centaur folded in 1942 he went on to Fiction House, where he became art director, then went into the military during World War II. He came back to Fiction House after the war and did various features, including Captain Wings (see the link below). Lubbers worked on the Tarzan daily strip. He worked for and with Al Capp on L’il Abner, and drew the Capp-written strip, Long Sam.

Lubbers specialized in pretty girls. Robin Malone, subject of an article in Hogans Alley #19, is a good example. Having whetted your appetite I am sorry for leading you on, but there are no pretty girls in this Arrow strip.

As promised, links to more Lubbers. “Romance In a Trance” is one of the most visited Pappy’s Golden Age posts.

Number 1315: Romance in a trance

Admit it, guys. You looked at those ads in old comics for books on how to hypnotize, or thought of sending for the Hypno Coin, hoping that you could put a hot girl into a state where she would go out with you. I know you did, because I did, too. Hypnosis would make it easy, wouldn’t it? As I recall from my dating days, nothing about dating was easy, even if I’d had the powers of the great stage mage, Manfred. In this mesmerizing memoir he hypnotizes rich girl Francine Van Rhys into being his love slave. Luckily for Francine, she also has romantic Raymond Keenan who loves her, and is mighty Manfred’s rival. The power of love overcomes the power of Manfred’s hypnosis.

Here’s a Valentine’s Day treat for tomorrow from ACG’s Romantic Adventures #7 (1950). Artwork is credited to Bob Lubbers by Golden Age art expert Jim Vadeboncoeur Jr.

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Here’s a Valentine for those among you Pappy’s readers who like paper dolls. It’s a shorty from Katy Keene #16 (1954), and includes a page of fashions for you to cut out. Just remember to print them off first; don't attack your monitor with scissors.

Number 1201: Captain Wings: “Heap hep dream beam”

Love comes to Captain Wings, hero of Wings Comics, in the form of a young girl who has a mad crush on the dashing flyboy war hero. Bitsy looks to be jailbait. Hard to tell with girls...they can be sixteen but look older, and a man has to be careful. “Sixteen will get you twenty,” as the old saying goes.

This is the first Captain Wings story I've shown, because I've never cared that much for aviation comics. But then, I've never given them much of a look. I admit this particular one intrigued me. I will be looking at other Captain Wings stories, as well as other stories from Wings Comics. It was published by Fiction House, famous for its female pulchritude, aimed at boys and young men who like that sort of thing. And old men who like it, too (heh-heh).

Bob Lubbers is credited by Grand Comics Database as the artist. Lubbers had a long comic art career, both in comic books and comic strips, as well as assisting on other strips. You can read more about Lubbers and his career here. Like the best of the Fiction House artists, Lubbers had a knack for drawing pretty girls. In my opinion Bitsy is too young for Captain Wings, but give her a couple of years and Captain Wings will hope she's still interested in an older man.

From Wings Comics #82 (1947):