William Stout - Carl Macek's Film Noir Funnies

I picked this up off Ebay from an estate sale of the late Carl Macek. It was purchased directly from his widow, Svea. Carl Macek is best known for bringing Robotech to the US and is regarded as an anime pioneer.

I asked William Stout about this piece and he said:

"Carl and I were really close friends for decades...long before his anime career. He was an expert on the Film Noir movie genre, hence, the subject matter of this piece. I probably drew it for him as a birthday present (it's definitely unpublished as far as I know). From top to bottom that's film noir actors Richard Widmark, John Garfield and Dick Powell."

Drawn on thick bristol paper, measuring approx 11 1/2" x14 1/2" . Image area of approx. 8 1/4" x 12".