Brian Coppola :: Golden Age thru the 50s (Western, Crime & Super-Heroes)

Poison Ivy – The Mighty Mite in “Feature Comics #47” (Aug 1941) p Gill Fox

Artist: Gill Fox (All)

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Poison Ivy – The Mighty Mite in “Feature Comics #47” (Aug 1941) p Gill Fox Comic Art

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Artwork Details

Title:	Poison Ivy – The Mighty Mite in “Feature Comics #47” (Aug 1941) p Gill Fox
Artist:	Gill Fox (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Interior Page
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	969
Likes on CAF:	0 1
Comments:	2
Added to Site:	6/20/2020
Comic Art Archive:

Description

Poison Ivy – The Mighty Mite in “Feature Comics #47” (Aug 1941) p 11
by Gilbert Theodore (Gill) Fox (1915-2004)
13 x 18 in, ink on board

Second page from the 2-page story “The 100-Mile Water Race,” written, penciled and inked by Gill Fox.

Fox began his career in animation at Max Fleischer's studio, but left due to labor unrest. He entered the comic book industry, working for a number of studios and companies, including DC Comics. During 1940-43, he was an editor and a cover artist for Quality Comics, with his work gracing the covers of such titles as Torchy and Plastic Man. In 1941, he wrote several weeks of continuity for the Spirit daily newspaper strip.

This page is from August 1941, which is a noteworthy time in Fox’s comic book history. A few months later, in November, a comic written by Gill Fox, describing a German attack on Pearl Harbor, was published one month before the real-life Japanese attack on that U.S. naval base.

He left his editorial position at Quality in 1943 to serve in World War II, where he worked for Stars and Stripes. Once discharged from military service, Fox freelanced for Quality Comics until the early 1950s.

Quality published “Feature Comics” for 144 issues (1937-1950), featuring Doll Man as its lead superhero. Fox’s Poison Ivy – The Mighty Mite, appeared through issue 132, and was also a daily strip. In an interview with Jim Amash (Alter Ego 3(12)):

FOX: Crandall, of course, was one of our top artists, but he kept to himself as far as I could see. His work was just terrific, and he helped make Blackhawk one of our best books.

JA: When did Quality move back to New York?

FOX: I was drafted while in Stamford and helped set the New York office up before I left. I commuted from Stamford. I started doing a two-page filler called "Poison Ivy." It began to get hot. I remember Henry Martin [an associate of Busy Arnold] leaning on a doorjamb and saying to me, "Can you do some dailies so we can syndicate it?" It was a dream! But then I was classified 1-A for military service and had to give it up. We'd even talked about it being a comic book. The breaks in this business are very strange.

Because comics weren't considered an "essential" job, like some others were, I knew I was going to go when a national "Work or Fight" order was announced. I didn't want to go. I quit being editor in the middle of 1943 and started working on farms in Connecticut. I did that for about six months and got in great shape. But it didn't make any difference. I went into the Army anyway.

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	Brian Coppola Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	March 2009
Last Login:	September 2025
Country:	UNITED STATES
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Aidan (Re-Legion ) Lacy
Member Since 2005

Posted on 6/21/2020

Tight story-telling, lovely inks and it puts a smile on my face

Brian Coppola
Member Since 2009

Posted on 6/21/2020

Aidan (Re-Legion ) Lacy wrote:

Tight story-telling, lovely inks and it puts a smile on my face

I love, love, love the inks on this. You can see just how clean those lines are in the couple of detailed views. That's some experience showing there.

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