JIM GARY

Comic Artists’ Hall of Fame No. 4

JIM GARY

James Stevens Gary nasce il 2 maggio 1905 a Chicago dall’ingegnere meccanico Harry Gary e da sua moglie Grace. Jim e la sorella maggiore (di nome Grace come sua madre) crescono ad Oak Park, nell’Illinois, dove Jim inizia a disegnare per il giornalino del liceo che frequenta. Jim scopre ben presto il gusto per l’avventura. Dopo il diploma fa una gita in canoa con due compagni di scuola, poi è pescatore di perle nel Colorado per qualche mese. Negli anni successivi, Gary trascorre lunghi periodi a bordo di navi da carico, e visita tra l’altro Gran Bretagna, Francia e Sud America. Dal 1923 al 1925 è in Arizona a fare il cowboy, poi torna in mare sulla City of Honolulu, che tre giorni dopo essere salpata dalla California prende fuoco e affonda. Indomito, Gary riprende il mare su una chiatta e si ritrova in Australia, dove è ricoverato per appendicite. In ospedale impara a prendere al lazo i passeri e conosce un pilota che più tardi gli darà lezioni di volo. Tornato a Chicago, prende il brevetto e con un Travelair di seconda mano mostra le bellezze della “città ventosa” ai turisti, oltre a fare l’istruttore di volo. Nel 1935 Gary decide di mettere a profitto il suo talento artistico. Viene assunto come illustratore dalla Whitman Publishing Company di Racine, Wisconsin. Tre anni dopo comincia a disegnare anche fumetti per le testate che la Whitman (alias Western Printing) produce con etichetta Dell: su Crackajack Funnies disegna alcune avventure Western di Buck Jones (1938) e quelle poliziesche di Ed Tracer G-Man (1939); per The Funnies illustra i primi episodi del fantascientifico John Carter of Mars (1938); per Popular Comics tratteggia Gang Busters (1938) e ritrae il detective cinese Mr. Wong (1939). Per la Whitman illustra inoltre i volumetti G-Man Breaking the Gambling Ring (1938), Tom Swift and His Giant Telescope (1939) e Tom Mix and His Circus on the Barbary Coast (1940). Del 1941 è invece il volume What’s New in the Air Corps, illustrato per Grosset & Dunlap. Tra la fine del 1938 e la metà del 1940 disegna anonimamente Red Ryder per Fred Harman, ma a partire dal 6/3/1939 (strisce) e 2/4/1939 (tavole) è il nuovo disegnatore di King of the Royal Mounted (Audax), inizialmente su testi di Robert Turner e Gaylord DuBois e poi, dal 1940, su sceneggiature proprie.

Nei primi anni di produzione, Gary usa uno stile decisamente realistico, ancorché vagamente ispirato a quello della “scuola del chiaroscuro” di Noel Sickles e Milton Caniff. A partire dai primi anni Quaranta sceglie invece di adottare uno stile che vira sempre più verso il semi-caricaturale, soprattutto nella raffigurazione dei personaggi secondari. Gary si avvale talvolta di assistenti e ghosts quali John Wade Hampton (matite dal 30/10/1939 al 30/3/1940) e Rodlow Willard (matite e chine dall’8/10 al 3/11/1945). Nel 1950-51, Gary realizza anche copertine e illustrazioni per i numeri dell’albo Four Color Comics che ritampano le strisce di Audax. Nell’ultimo anno di produzione, Gary si disinteressa progressivamente della strip, facendosi sostituire nuovamente per i disegni da Willard e poi da Bill Lignante finché il King Features decide di sospendere la striscia quotidiana l’8 febbraio 1954 e la tavola settimanale il successivo 14 febbraio. Dopo Audax, Gary non disegnerà più fumetti. Si dedicherà invece alla pittura fino alla sua scomparsa, avvenuta il 22 luglio 1975 ad Altaloma, presso San Bernardino, in California.

James Stevens Gary was born May 2 1905 in Chicago, Illinois, to mechanical engineer Harry Gary and his wife Grace. Jim and elder sister (named Grace like her mother) grew up in Oak Park, Illinois, where Jim started drawing for his high school paper. Jim soon developed a taste for adventure. After finishing school he went canoeing with two schoolmates, then he went pearl fishing in Colorado for a few months. During the following years Gary spent long periods of time aboard freighters, visiting Great Britain, France, and South America among others. From 1923-25 he was a cowhand in Arizona, then he went back to sailing on the City of Honolulu, which caught fire and sank three days after leaving California. Untamed, Gary was on the sea again on a barge and got to Australia, where he was hospitalized because of appendicitis. In hospital he learned how to lasso sparrows and met a pilot who would later give him flying lessons. Back in Chicago, he got a flying license and showed the beauties of the windy city to tourists piloting a second-hand Travelair, besides working as a flying instructor. In 1935 Gary decided to exploit his talent for art. He was hired by Whitman Publishing Company of Racine, Wisconsin as an illustrator. Three years later he started drawing comics for the titles that Whitman (aka Western Printing) produced for Dell: in Crackajack Funnies he drew some western adventures starring Buck Jones (1938) as well as Ed Tracer G-Man (1939); in The Funnies he drew the first few episodes of John Carter of Mars (1938); in Popular Comics he drew Gang Busters (1938) and Chinese detective Mr. Wong (1939). For Whitman he illustrated such books as G-Man Breaking the Gambling Ring (1938), Tom Swift and His Giant Telescope (1939), and Tom Mix and His Circus on the Barbary Coast (1940). In 1941 he embellished What’s New in the Air Corps, published by Grosset & Dunlap. Between late 1938 and mid-1940 he ghosted the artwork on Red Ryder for Fred Harman, but as of March 6,1939 (dailies) and April 2, 1939 (Sundays) he was the new artist on King of the Royal Mounted, initially on scripts by Robert Turner and Gaylord DuBois and then, from 1940 onwards, on his own.

During King’s early years, Gary employed a style which was definitely realistic, although inspired by “chiaroscuro” masters Noel Sickles and Milton Caniff . As of the early Forties, he  turned to a semi-caricature approach, especially as regards the depiction of secondary characters. Gary would occasionally use assistants and ghosts such as John Wade Hampton (pencil art, 10/30/1939-03/30/1940) and Rodlow Willard (art, 10/8-11/3/1945). During 1950-51, Gary also drew covers and interior illustrations for the issues of Dell’s Four Color Comics which featured color reprints of King’s strips. During the strip’s last year, Gary seemed to have lost interest in it, letting Willard and Bill Lignante draw it until King Features decided to discontinue the dailies on February 8, 1954 , and Sundays on February 14, 1954. After King of the Royal Mounted, Gary left the comics field for good, devoting himself to painting until he passed away July 22, 1975 in Altaloma, near San Bernardino, California.

FUMETTOGRAFIA / COMICOGRAPHY

COMIC BOOKS

Editore/Publisher: DELL/WESTERN PRINTING

Buck Jones – Crackajack Funnies #9-11 (1938-39).

Copertine / Cover art – Four Color #265, 283, 310, 340, 363 (1950-51).

Ed Tracer G-Man X 32 – Crackajack Funnies #10, 11 (1939).

G-Men – Popular Comics #31 (1938).

How Mounties Cope with Winter – Four Color #310 (1951).

John Carter of Mars – The Funnies #33 (1939).

“The Mountie is the most diversified law enforcement officer in the world” – Four Color #283 (1950).

The Mounties at Work – Four Color #207 (1948).

The Mounties Don’t Just Get Their Man! – Four Color #207 (1948).

Mr. Wong, Detective – Popular Comics #41-44 (1939).

Royal Canadian Mounted Police – Four Color #265 (1950).

Ted Starr Racket Buster – Popular Comics #31 (1938).

Tim McCoy as Tim Carson – Popular Comics #31 (1938).

Tom Mix – Crackajack Funnies #9, 10 (1939).

Editore/Publisher: HAWLEY

Jim Gary’s War Pictures – Red Ryder Comics #3 (1941).
 

FUMETTI PER QUOTIDIANI / NEWSPAPER COMIC STRIPS

Editore/Publisher: KING FEATURES SYNDICATE, INC.

King of the Royal Mounted – Strisce quotidiane / Daily strip Mar 6 1939-Oct 28 1939; Oct 10 1939-Mar 30 1940 [solo chine / inks only]; Apr 1 1940-Oct 6 1945; Nov 5 1945-Feb 14 1954.

King of the Royal Mounted – Tavole settimanali / Sunday page Apr 2 1939-Feb 14 1954.

Editore/Publisher: NEA SERVICE, INC.

Red Ryder – Tavole settimanali / Sunday page Nov 6 1938-Dec 31 1939.

Red Ryder – Strisce quotidiane / Daily strip Mar 27 1939-July 1940.

ILLUSTRAZIONI PER LIBRI  / BOOK ILLUSTRATIONS

Editore/Publisher: DELL

A Fast-Action Story – John Carter of Mars [R The Funnies].

Editore/Publisher: GROSSET & DUNLAP

What’s New in the Air Corps (1941).

Editore/Publisher: WHITMAN

The Better Little Book – G-Man Breaking the Gambling Ring #1493 (1938); Tom Mix and His Circus on the Barbary Coast #1482 (1940); Tom Swift and His Giant Telescope #1485 (1939).