Return to Stolzer, Rob

Johnson, Ferd

Ferdinand "Ferd" Johnson (1905-1996) is most well remembered as Frank Willard's longtime assistant on Moon Mullins, starting on the strip a mere two months after Willard started in 1923. Johnson was all of 17 years old at the time. Johnson continued with the strip until its demise in 1991, signing it on his own beginning in 1958, after Willard's passing, though Johnson had been drawing the feature for sometime.

While I enjoy Johnson's work on Moon Mullins, it is his own feature, Texas Slim, that I truly love. Let me qualify that: there were three incarnations of Texas Slim, a full Sunday page that ran from 1925 to 1928; a shorter-lived version that ran as a topper to Johnson's Lovey Dovey from 1931 to 1932; and the longest-running version that ran as a partial Sunday from 1940 to 1958. It is the first version, when Johnson was really showing off his best cartooning chops (IMMHO), that I love most of all. Strips from that run are also the scarcest. The two that I have in this gallery are the only two 1920s Texas Slim Sunday page originals that I've ever seen.

Texas Slim began because the owner of the Chicago Tribune wanted a western strip. Johnson, who knew little about the "cowboy way", was touted as the youngest nationally syndicated cartoonist in the country, drawing the strip at 19 years of age. He was able to give up the strip for a spell when Garrett Price's White Boy was syndicated by the Trip. Johnson was able to give up Slim for good in 1958, with Stan Lynde taking over the western fare with Rick O'Shay.

Comics historian and author Rick Marschall stated it more succinctly: "Col. McCormick of the Chicago Tribune always wanted a Western strip in his pages. Hence Texas Slim, "urging" Ferd Johnson to moonlight from Moon Mullins (where he assisted from Frank Willard's second month on the feature). Only when Garrett Price came along with White Boy was Ferd free to retire from Texas Slim. Then when the Tribune Comic Book was taking shape... (see a pattern?) Yep, Texas Slim was resurrected.)

Ferd told me that Willard's death... and his succession to Moon Mullins, signing the strip he was almost 100 per cent drawing by then... led to the last "end" of Texas Slim. BUT not the end of Western strips at the Chic Trib / NY News. That's when, and why, Stan Lynde's "Rick O'Shay" submission was accepted."

There are 4 Pieces of Art In This Gallery.    

+

Ferd Johnson - Texas Slim - 1925 - The 12th Sunday Page

Art Details

Artist:	Ferd Johnson (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Comic Strip
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views	649
Comments:	9
Added to Site:	2/1/2019

About the Owner

Rob Stolzer
Member Since:	September 2004

Ferd Johnson - Texas Slim - 1925 - The 12th Sunday Page
Artist: Ferd Johnson (All)
649 Views, 9 Comments

+

Ferd Johnson - Texas Slim - Sunday Page - 1926

Art Details

Artist:	Ferd Johnson (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Comic Strip
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views	1177
Comments:	2
Added to Site:	11/19/2013

About the Owner

Rob Stolzer
Member Since:	September 2004

Ferd Johnson - Texas Slim - Sunday Page - 1926
Artist: Ferd Johnson (All)
1177 Views, 2 Comments

+

Ferd Johnson - Texas Slim - Circa 1926

Art Details

Artist:	Ferd Johnson (All)
Media Type:	Mixed Media
Art Type:	Other
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views	863
Comments:	0
Added to Site:	10/15/2009

About the Owner

Rob Stolzer
Member Since:	September 2004

Ferd Johnson - Texas Slim - Circa 1926
Artist: Ferd Johnson (All)
863 Views

+

Ferd Johnson - Texas Slim - 1927

Art Details

Artist:	Ferd Johnson (All)
Media Type:	Pen and Ink
Art Type:	Other
For Sale Status:	NFS
Views	772
Comments:	0
Added to Site:	7/27/2010

About the Owner

Rob Stolzer
Member Since:	September 2004

Ferd Johnson - Texas Slim - 1927
Artist: Ferd Johnson (All)
772 Views

There are 4 Pieces of Art In This Gallery.    

About the Owner Rob Stolzer Premium Gallery Owner Joined: September 2004 Last Login: September 2025 Ebay Id: robart Website: https://freeassociationfunnies.com/ Country: UNITED STATES On CAF: Rob's Classifieds Artworks Commented On Liked Art Site Activity on CAF Read More About RobStolzer

Contact the Owner Use can use a contact form to send an email to this gallery owner, but, you must be logged in to use this feature. Click Here to Login Click Here to Register