JOHN MAYO
Obscure Comic Artists No. 2
JOHN MAYO
Pochissimo si sa di John W. Mayo. Nasce probabilmente il 20 ottobre 1913 presso Washington DC.
Si trasferisce poi a New York, dove nei primi anni Quaranta fa parte dello staff artistico del King Features Syndicate. Dall’inizio del 1943 viene incaricato di coadiuvare Alex Raymond nell’inchiostrazione e forse anche di eseguire il lettering delle tavole settimanali di Flash Gordon e Jungle Jim. Dall’inizio del 1944 rifinisce a china anche le strisce quotidiane di Flash Gordon, disegnate a matita da Austin Briggs. Quando a Briggs viene assegnata la tavola settimanale, Mayo continua ad assisterlo per circa un mese, portando poi avanti da solo la striscia fino alla sua conclusione nel maggio 1944.
Ancora nel 1944, disegna la sequenza Tarawa, basata sulle cronache di Robert Sherrod, per la serie illustrata con didascalie del King Features Book-of-the-Month.
Nell’aprile 1945 assume il disegno della tavola dedicata a Jungle Jim, portandola avanti fino all’agosto 1948. In realtà si limita a riciclare personaggi e sfondi dalle tavole di Raymond, apportandovi le minime modifiche necessarie.
Lasciato il King Features, si accasa con il New York Post Syndicate, per il quale nell’ottobre 1949 subentra a Tom Fanning nel disegno della curiosa strip Tex Austin, che fonde western e pugilato, su testi di Sam Robins. La strip viene tuttavia sospesa nel 1950.
Mayo lavora dunque per l’editrice Ziff-Davis. Illustra tra l’altro delle tavole di argomento sportivo per l’albo Football Thrills (1951), ma non è escluso che collabori anche ai pulp magazines pubblicati dall’editrice.
Nel 1953, insieme con Jerry Siegel (co-creatore di Superman), cerca di vendere al McClure Newspaper Syndicate la strip di informazione scientifica Future Eye, che tuttavia non verrà mai messa in produzione.
Il resto della carriera di Mayo è ammantato nel mistero, anche se è presumibile che si dedichi al disegno pubblicitario e agli editorial cartoons.
Secondo alcune fonti, Mayo scompare il 14 ottobre 1990 a Far Rockaway, Queens, New York.
Very little is known of John W. Mayo. He was probably born on October 20, 1913 near Washington DC.
Having moved to New York, he joined the art staff of King Features Syndicate in the early forties. In early 1943 he was entrusted with helping Alex Raymond with inking and possibly lettering on the Flash Gordon and Jungle Jim Sunday pages. From early 1944 onwards he also inked the Flash Gordon daily strip, which was penciled by Austin Briggs. When Briggs was given the Sunday page, Mayo continued assisting him for another month, at the same time drawing the daily strip himself until its conclusion in May 1944.
Still in 1944, Mayo drew the Tarawa sequence, based on Robert Sherrod’s chronicles, for the King Features series, Book-of-the-Month.
In April 1945 he took over the art chores on the Jungle Jim Sunday page, continuing to draw it until August, 1948. Actually, he was mostly recycling characters and backgrounds from Alex Raymond’s pages.
After leaving King Features, he went to work for the New York Post Syndicate, where in October 1949 he took over from Tom Fanning on the curious Tex Austin strip, a mix of western and boxing themes, on scripts by Sam Robins. The strip was cancelled in 1950.
Mayo then worked for Ziff-Davis Publications. He illustrated sports pages in the Football Thrills comic book (1951), but he may also have contributed to Ziff-Davis’ pulp magazine line.
In 1953, together with Superman’s co-creator Jerry Siegel, Mayo tried to sell McClure Newspaper Syndicate a science strip named Future Eye, which was never released.
The rest of Mayo’s career is shrouded in mystery, even though it is likely that he devoted himself to advertising and to editorial cartoons.
According to some sources, Mayo passed away on October 14, 1990 in Far Rockaway, Queens, New York.
FUMETTI PER QUOTIDIANI / NEWSPAPER COMIC STRIPS
Editore/Publisher: KING FEATURES SYNDICATE, INC.
Book-of-the Month: Tarawa – Strisce quotidiane / Daily strip: Matite e chine / Pencils and inks 1944.
French version of Tarawa - Book-of-the-Month
Flash Gordon – Strisce quotidiane / Daily strip: Chine / Inks Apr 17 1944-May 13 1944; Matite e chine / Pencils and inks May 15 1944-May 29 1944.
Flash Gordon – Tavole settimanali / Sunday page: Assistente chine / Assistant inks Apr 11 1943-May 28 1944.
Jungle Jim – Tavole settimanali / Sunday page: Assistente chine / Assistant inks Apr 11 1943-May 28 1944; Matite e chine / Pencils and inks Apr 1 1945-Aug 15 1948.
Original art for March 2, 1947 Jungle Jim Sunday page - Signed by Mayo in lower right corner
Editore/Publisher: McCLURE NEWSPAPER SYNDICATE
Future Eye – Strisce quotidiane e Tavole settimanali / Daily strip & Sunday page 1953 [Inedite / Unpublished; Sceneggiate da / Written by Jerry Siegel].
Editore/Publisher: NEW YORK POST SYNDICATE/POST-HALL SYNDICATE
Tex Austin – Strisce quotidiane e Tavole settimanali / Daily strip & Sunday page Oct 10 1949-1950.
COMIC BOOKS
Editore/Publisher: ZIFF-DAVIS COMICS
Jim Thorpe – Greatest Indian Athlete of All Time! – Football Thrills #1 (1951).
Grid Standouts – Football Thrills #1 (1951).
