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MEL GRAFF

18.05.2014 17:25

The Sickles-Caniff School No. 2

MEL GRAFF

Melvin Jerry Graff nasce a Cleveland, Ohio, il 9 agosto 1907. È figlio del costruttore edile John Graff e di Bertha Kosthal.

Frequenta la West Technical High School e debutta come disegnatore sul giornalino della scuola, The Tatler. Intorno al 1930 trova impiego presso la sede di Cleveland della Associated Press, ma viene presto trasferito alla sede principale di New York. Per la AP, Graff realizza illustrazioni, tra l'altro, per serial narrativi pubblicati sui quotidiani, come Buying Barbara (1932-33), per la rubrica Washington Off the Record (1934-35) e per il processo ai rapitori del figlio dell'aviatore Charles Lindbergh (1935). Nei primi anni Trenta esegue anche illustrazioni per pulp magazines quali The Phantom Detective.

Nell'ambito dei comics, disegna la vignetta Puffy Pig (1933-35) e l'11 marzo 1935 inaugura la striscia quotidiana Adventures of Patsy, che porta avanti (talvolta con l'aiuto di Noel Sickles) fino al 15 giugno 1940.

Nel 1939 Graff sposa Genevieve, che l'anno successivo gli dà una figlia, Patricia. Intanto i Graff si sono trasferiti ad Upper Nyack, Clarkstown Town, New York.

Lasciata la AP, Graff è assunto dal King Features Syndicate per disegnare Secret Agent X-9. La sua prima striscia appare già il 13 maggio 1940, e dal 4 febbraio 1946 Graff ne scrive anche i testi. Nel 1948-49 realizza anche tavole pubblicitarie a fumetti per la Dr. Lyon's Tooth Powder. Cronicamente afflitto da problemi di consegna che lo costringono spesso ad affidare il disegno di X-9 ad altri, Graff abbandona la strip il 12 marzo 1960 per trasferirsi in Florida e lavorare con Leslie Turner a Captain Easy. Graff ne disegna e spesso sceneggia la tavola settimanale fino all'inizio del 1970, co-firmandola soltanto negli ultimi anni, in una grande casa-studio presso il lago Sacandaga. Scompare il 1°novembre 1975 presso Orlando, in Florida.

Melvin Jerry Graff was born August 9, 1907 in Cleveland, Ohio. He was the son of builder John Graff and of Bertha Kosthal.

He attended West Technical High School and made his debut as an artist on the school paper, The Tatler. Around 1930 he found employment at Associated Press Cleveland office, but was soon assigned to the main office in New York. For AP, Graff did illustrations for such newspaper serials as Buying Barbara (1932-33), for the Washington Off the Record (1934-35) column and for the trial to Charles Lindbergh's son's kidnappers (1935). In the early 1930s he also did illustrations for such pulp magazines as The Phantom Detective.

Regarding comics, he drew the daily panel Puffy Pig (1933-35), and on March 11, 1935 he started the daily strip Adventures of Patsy, which he continued (sometimes helped by Noel Sickles) until June 15, 1940.

In 1939 Graff married Genevieve, and the following year a daughter, Patricia, was born. By then, the Graffs were living in Upper Nyack, Clarkstown Town, New York.

After leaving AP, Graff was hired by King Features Syndicate to draw Secret Agent X-9. His first strip appeared on May 13, 1940, and as of February 4,
1946 Graff was also writing it. In 1948-49 he also drew several advertising comic pages for Dr. Lyon's Tooth Powder. Continuously suffering from deadline problems which often forced him to make use of ghost artists on X-9, Graff finally left the strip on March 12, 1960 moving to Florida and starting work on Captain Easy with Leslie Turner. Graff drew and often wrote the Sunday page until early 1970, being given a co-credit only during the last few years, in a large studio-house near Lake Sacandaga. Graff died November 1, 1975 in Orlando, Florida.

FUMETTOGRAFIA / COMICOGRAPHY

FUMETTI PER QUOTIDIANI / NEWSPAPER COMIC STRIPS

Editore/Publisher: ASSOCIATED PRESS (aka AP)

ADVENTURES OF PATSY - Strisce quotidiane / Daily strip 11 Mar 1935-15 June 1940 [anche testi / also scripts].

A CHRISTMAS IN OTHER LANDS - THE ADVENTURES OF BILL AND BETTY - Strisce quotidiane / Daily strip 10-24 Dec 1934 [anche testi / also scripts].

CONFUCIUS REALLY SAID - TWENTY-FIVE HUNDRED YEARS AGO - Vignette quotidiane / Daily panel 1940.

PUFFY THE PIG - Vignette quotidiane / Daily panel 1933 (?)-4 Feb 1935; 1935-20 Feb 1937 [anche testi / also scripts].

Editore/Publisher: KING FEATURES SYNDICATE

SECRET AGENT X-9 - Strisce quotidiane / Daily strip 13 May 1940-Feb. 2, 1946; Feb. 4 1946-12 Mar 1960 [anche testi / also scripts. Eccezioni / Exceptions: EVERETT E. HIBBARD 9 Nov-26 Dec 1942; PAUL NORRIS 21 June-25 Sept 1943; JOE MUSIAL 16 Apr-26 May 1945; PAUL NORRIS 21 May-6 June 1951; PAUL NORRIS 25 Feb-5 Apr 1952; LEW SAYRE SCHWARTZ 31 May-10 July 1954; PAUL NORRIS 18 Oct-27 Nov 1954; PAUL NORRIS 11 Feb-6 Apr 1957; PAUL NORRIS 22 Dec 1958-14 Mar 1959].