Howland, Mark :: Jack Berrill

Buster Crabbe 4, page 5 by Jack Berrill

Artist: Jack Berrill (All)

2 Comments - 464 Views - 2 Likes

Buster Crabbe 4, page 5 by Jack Berrill Comic Art

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Additional Images:

Buster Crabbe 4 Cover by Frazetta

Artwork Details

Title:	Buster Crabbe 4, page 5 by Jack Berrill
Artist:	Jack Berrill (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Interior Page
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views:	464
Likes on CAF:	2 3
Comments:	2
Added to Site:	12/30/2020
Comic Art Archive:

Description

To my knowledge, Jack Berrill is not a household name. However, his claim to fame is the comic strip Gil Thorp which he created in 1958 and drew until he was forced to stop in 1994 due to a severe case of glaucoma. I can�t imagine drawing a daily for thirty-six years; I also can�t imagine being an artist and losing my sight.

In the strip, Berrill�s title character is a high school football, basketball, and baseball coach; and Berrill named him after the legendary baseball player Gil Hodges and the equally legendary Olympic athlete Jim Thorpe. Coach Thorp works at Milford High, a school Berrill named after his real-life neighboring town of New Milford, CT.

When Berrill couldn�t draw Gil Thorp anymore, the penciling and inking duties fell to Warren Satler, Frank Bolle, Ray Burns, Frank McLaughlin, and, most recently, Rod Whigham. The strip runs to this day. Although it was relatively tame early on, Berrill pushed the strip�s boundaries in its later years by dealing with serious teen issues such as sexual harassment, pregnancy, and steroids. Bravo for Berrill!

As for this Buster Crabbe page from 1952, I love how much time Berrill took with the clothing and background details. His inking reminds me of Williamson. And there�s an energy to the body language that reminds me a little of Krenkel and to a lesser degree of Frazetta. Also a cartoony nature to some of the faces which echoes Frazetta. Buster Crabbe was, after all, a Famous Funnies Publication, and Frazetta drew the cover to this very issue. Williamson also did some work on the title.

While it is not the work of Williamson or Frazetta, this page demonstrates dynamic composition, perspective, and storytelling - in my opinion, anyway. Berrill put a lot of work into it. And for literary types, there�s an allusion to Fagan on the last page of the story.

So, Berrill has become a name in our household. Thanks to Bechara at Nostalgic Investments!

P.S. Check out the mouse hole in the lower right corner of panel one. Who thinks of such details?

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About the Owner

	Mark Howland Premium Gallery Owner
Joined:	December 2004
Last Login:	September 2025
Ebay Id:	howmark
Website:	http://www.comicartfans.com
Country:	UNITED STATES
On CAF:	Premium Member Q&A Mark's Classifieds Mark's Want List Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF

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Comments on this Artwork

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Lee Benaka
Member Since 2004

1 - Posted on 1/11/2021

The details on this page are very nice indeed. Lots of great cross-hatching, and I love the textures on the clothing. Nice action page from an artist who is new to me. Congrats Mark!

Bill J
Member Since 2009

Posted on 9/3/2025

Fun to see this page from 1952. The pacing and compostion of comic art pages has changed a bit, but it's good to see strong composition, great storytelling and crisp inking haven't. Thanks for sharing!

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