Martines, Richard :: Frank King Gasoline Alley

Sept. 20, 1939.

Artist: Frank King (All)

8 Comments - 1,062 Views - 1 Like

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Gasoline Alley daily January 27, 1938

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Gasoline Alley daily. May 28, 1938.

Artwork Details

Title:	Sept. 20, 1939.
Artist:	Frank King (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Comic Strip
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	1,062
Likes on CAF:	1 2
Comments:	8
Added to Site:	1/12/2011
Comic Art Archive:

Description

It's the late 1930s and Skeezix is in love, but doesn't quite know what to do about it. Does anyone ever? In this daily he's out on a date with another girl while thinking about his long time girl, Nina. I'm always surprised at how I am often motivated to add another Gasoline Alley strip to my collection. This latest addition acquired in December 2010 is the ninth GA daily for my collection. Gasoline Alley speaks to me in a charming nature through Frank King's gentle story and his oddly appealing art. This daily features lovely pacing, loose figures, flowing garments, and an awesome jalopy. This daily does have a few condition problems that only slightly bother me. 1) Someone has had "restoration" to remove the line that runs across the parallel about an inch above the bottom of the daily. You can see it on all of the other dailies in my gallery, but not in this. I am sure that along the way someone had this removed. 2) The strip is stiff. I can't tell quite what was done to make it so; it does not seem thicker than the others in my collection, nonetheless, the result is a stiffness unique among my other dailies. 3) The strip has been trimmed like the 1922 daily almost to the panel boarders. I know Frank King or someone on his staff trimmed the 1922 daily to fit the mailing tube it was gifted in. Maybe this was similarly a gift to someone and trimmed to fit a mailing tube. The bad thing about this is that Frank King gave titles for each daily and penciled them in the margins. When the margins were trimmed, the title was lost. Sad.

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About the Owner

	Richard Martines
Joined:	May 2004
Last Login:	September 2022
Country:	UNITED STATES
On CAF:	Richard's Want List Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF

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Comments on this Artwork

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J L
Member Since 2005

Posted on 1/12/2011

I always enjoy your description Richard. Condition, or rather the issue of restoration work (what was done/who did it/etc) has made me back off on buying some great art work of late. It seems that despite the restoration done here that you obviously still enjoy the art. So that is great!!!!

Lars Teglbjaerg
Member Since 2005

Posted on 1/12/2011

In spite of the condition problems it's still a lovely strip.

Max C
Member Since 2004

Posted on 1/12/2011

Love the strip. Love the description, as usual. Congratz.

Rob Stolzer
Member Since 2004

Posted on 1/12/2011

Ah, so now I know who the lucky winner of this fantastic daily was. Congrats Richard! What a beautifully atmospheric piece. The line restoration doesn't bother me, as it looks as if it were well done. I hate that all the Chicago Tribune/NY Daily News strips of this period have that line, right through the artwork. I wish they would have simply cropped photostats for the newspapers. In any event, I ramble. This is simply terrific!

Will K
Member Since 2006

Posted on 1/12/2011

Lots of great textures. For it's age, better that this art still exists, restoration or not.

Ruben DaCollector
Member Since 2008

Posted on 5/5/2012

Wow, I never used to look twice at Gasoline Alley because the art just wasn't technically sophisticated enough for my taste. But after seeing one in Jeff Singh's gallery and now this one, I've been rendered speechless and with my mouth agape tonight! I now have to find a top notch example for my collection. Congrats Richard.

C E
Member Since 2006

Posted on 10/9/2015

Hi Richard, I was thinking that you had commented about something in connection with my Gasoline Alley strip from the day before this one of your own, but since that wasn't correct, I might as well comment myself and hopefully help you with your second condition concern. Of course, you may very well know this, but I guess it doesn't hurt even if you do. The strips from much of 1939 are on scratchboard, which is heavier than the illustration paper used by King in earlier and later years. King would cover most of the surface with heavy black ink, leaving only those large areas which he wished to remain white uninked, and then would scratch away details of white in the blackened areas, working in reverse from black to white highlights or even fairly large ares of white -- a technique similar to that used by engravers in creating prints but with Cont.

C E
Member Since 2006

Posted on 10/9/2015

...opposite results. And it seems that when black ink is laid over the surface of scratchboard it causes the board to warp slightly as the ink dries, as well as leaving all remaining black areas rather shiny. So what you have described is not damage at all, just the different appearance resulting from King's use of a different support than what you are used to from your other Gasoline Alley strips.

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