Gray, Harold

Harold Gray (1894-1968) was pure genius. While I did not always agree with Gray's politics as conveyed in his brilliant Little Orphan Annie, I count the comic strip as one of my all-time favorites, right up there with Krazy Kat, Wash Tubbs, and Terry and the Pirates. Gray's Little Orphan Annie was one of the grittiest, best written, and most wonderfully drawn strips in comic strip history.

Gray was a master at using space, conveying a strong sense of presence where none was physically visible, which led to his ability to create tension. His drawing, a subtle expressionism, was the perfect vehicle for Annie and Sandy, and conveyed a sense of atmosphere unlike any other strip.

In terms of characters, Daddy Warbacks came off as somewhat one-dimensional, and a lousy parent to boot. It was Annie, Sandy, and the secondary (and sometimes tertiary) characters that really added depth to the strip.

Most of the Little Orphan Annie originals are housed at Boston University, making them pretty scarce on the marketplace. Later ones show up with some regularity, but examples from the 20s, 30s, and 40s are quite hard to find.