Hamlin, V.T.

V.T. (Vincent Trout) Hamlin (1900-1993) was the creator of the classic comic strip caveman, Alley Oop. Oop first appeared in the newspapers at the end of 1932, beginning with a small syndicate that later collapsed. NEA picked up the strip in 1933, and Hamlin enjoyed a long run on the strip, ending his work on it in 1971. Along the way, Alley Oop went from prehistoric times to time travel, wildly expanding the scope of the strip. V.T. Hamlin will forever be remembered as one of the great figural artists in comic strip history, moving his characters around like an animator. Hamlin employed a wonderful thick-to-thin contour line, combined with lovely textural cross-hatching, all of which allowed for the action to be seen in a crystal clear fashion.