Nobody did it better !!! Jack Davis... still missing this guy.
THE LEGENDARY CARTOONIST
Jack who? Some may have been saying when they read the headlines this morning (July-2017)-Jack Davis at 91 had made the final stroke of his brush- is now in another realm. One where other dreamers have traveled before him …
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QhbCKIvVHek
As I’m am writing this homage to Jack, listening to my muse-my inspiration is music…I was tuned to my Hugo Montenegro station on Pandora. Guess what popped on? but the title song from The Spy Who Loved Me. It was “Nobody Does It Better”. I thought how appropriate for the title of this article. Jack was my friend …although I never met him personally. Yet I grew up with Jack Davis and so did the rest of world ….
Jack born in 1924(Atlanta, Georgia) …only twelve years later had drawn his first published piece of art for Tip Top Comics- a cartoon for the readers page .From there he would draw for his high school paper and even while enrolled in the Navy(40’s) he worked for the Navy News ..after the Navy Jack would go on to creating his own cartoon strip Beauregard ..which he had penchant for drawing civil war stories with gags and this would bring him into the 50’s and it was not easy even with all of Jack’s talent-still trying to find a place where his work would be most appreciated. Almost ready to give up, possibly returning home to Georgia- maybe to be a farmer(can you imagine what we would have missed out on … you will all realize little later after seeing the scope of Jack Davis’ work) which at this point Jack was living in New York City. A fateful day brought him to EC (Entertaining Comics) where Al Feldstein and Bill Gaines fell in love with his “horrible work” and hired him. He would freelance for EC working on such titles as Tales From The Crypt and giving the Crypt Keeper a notable makeover craggier with warts and no shoes, a big nose-all distinct trademarks of Jack’s characters. This would lead to Jack working on Harvey Kurtzman’s Frontline war comics. Just a few years later Kurtzman would launch an American icon MAD MAGAZINE and one of Kurtzman’s first choices for artists was Jack ….
THE PARTY(1968)-no else could capture the zaniness of Blake Edwards masterpiece comedy like Jack!
I am at this part in the article where I’m going to explain to you how know Jack Davis. It is because of his incredible contributions. His body of work has graced covers of Time magazine, Famous Monsters of Filmland, Famous Westerns of Filmland, Rawhide(comic book),TV Guide, record /album covers, movie posters, Mechcanix Illustrated (magazine)..advertising ..Rankin / Bass (Mad Monster Party/KING KONG ..The Animated Series 1966) the list is endless…
Rankin/Bass 1966 King Kong animated series on ABC Saturday Mornings
Below: one of Jacks’ contributions to grace the cover of a movie fanzine
above CREEPY No 1 only 35 cents (back in the day, by the time I was making my first purchase of Creepy it was $1.00 those were the days )
Even Joe Namath was a not immune Jack’s brush
Mad Monster Party (1968)
A LOBBY CARD FOR ONE OF MY FAVORITE MOVIES AND ONE THAT ALWAYS TAKES ME BACK TO MY CHILDHOOD thanks to RANKIN/BASS ANIMAGIC.
So join me in tribute to one of our friends who is truly to be missed. And yet not forgotten. Jack Davis will be a part of lives thru an infinite body of work. This something that for him was a joy and a passion. To see some of his most recent works of art visit Miser Bros Press/ Rick Goldschmidt (RANKIN/BASS Historian/Biographer).
so for now this “Doc” for Reviews
saying good night Jack where ever you are!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
