32 - Eisner / Kubert: Variations on a Visual Theme

The Front Cover on the recent December issue of PS Magazine (PS 709, December 2011, shown above) represented a daring change-up pitched by the publication’s staff and Joe Kubert, the current creative artist and production services contractor! For the first time in its 60-plus years as an international pace-setter in the use of sequential art for communicating technical and motivational information, the U.S. Army’s Preventive Maintenance Monthly has chosen to underscore the constancy of the medium’s effectiveness by utilizing Kubert’s adroit reprise of a seasonal scene set 56 years earlier by Will Eisner for the Front Cover of PS 39 in December of 1955 (shown below)

Joe Dope’s 1955 appearance (in this instance) as a paragon of sartorial propriety drips with Eisnerian irony, foreshadowing Joe’s quiet departure a few months later from the ranks of the U.S. Army and the pages of PS during 1956 “in the best interests of the military service,” and “in furtherance of good order and discipline.”

Both covers are presented (below) for your side-by-side analysis. The varying approaches to the detailing in the wreaths and styling of the street-light fixtures have evoked comments by some observers.

It’s a safe bet that my awareness of the tensions of the times in 1955 has an overarching influence on my comparative reaction to the Eisner version. His four characters seem to me to be static, staid, and constrained. A bit more movement is sensed with Joe’s group, especially with the hoe-down fiddle stance that Kubert gave to Half-Mast, as compared to the concert hall pose that Will provided for him.

—p.e.f.

Taking on Will's 1955 cover was a challenge I had no choice but to accept. The PS editorial staff at Redstone Arsenal gave an order, and that was that.

I set out not to copy Will's drawing style, but to get the sense of warmth (despite the wintry snow) and animation that he achieved. The humanness of the characters. The life-like qualities that master cartoonist could convey.

I borrowed the layout and the composition and went to work. The result only made me appreciate all the more the abilities of the guy who did it all, over fifty years ago.

—j.k.

UPCOMING POSTINGS:

¶ Video: Joe Kubert at PS 60th Anniversary Celebration

¶ Video: Colonel ‘Pat’ Sullivan, Head of PS’s Home Command

¶ Video: Lieutenant General Via Salutes PS Program

¶ Video: Fitz Tells About Early PS, ‘Back in the Day’

¶ Best of PS by Perspective Instructional Communications

¶ Joe Dope Meets Beetle Bailey in PS

¶ A Covey of Connies—World War II to Today

¶ Wrap-Up: A Wonderful Year of Celebration

We initiated this blog, The Best of PS Magazine 1951-2011, in February of 2011, promising you a “year-long salute” to PS during its Sixtieth Anniversary Year. We hope to fulfill that pledge by completing presentation of the projected postings listed above, prior to the end of March 2012.

30 - Backes Group’s Runner-Up PS Continuity

You’ll find background information regarding Backes Graphic Productions and their artists in our BlogPost 11, back in April, with their four best Front Covers as selected by the New Millennium staff of PS. Their “best” Continuity was displayed in our BlogPost 29, immediately preceding this posting.

The staff at PS picked the cowboy-western themed continuity from PS 527 (October 1996) as their runner-up. The related Front Cover is presented above, and the Continuity pages, in sequence, are displayed below.

The lead artist here probably was Scott Madsen. Scott was a graduate of the Joe Kubert School of Cartoon and Graphic Arts. When I interviewed him for Will Eisner and PS Magazine, Scott had moved away from his art career, but still had strong feelings about the effectiveness of PS and its importance to America’s warriors. “You’re part of something that’s a lot bigger than yourself,” Scott remarked. “PS provided opportunities to surprise yourself,” he said.

Madsen expressed a preference for drawing Half-Mast, from the PS cast of characters, saying that he found the grizzled, old sergeant “more flexible than Connie or Bonnie.”

—p.e.f.

UPCOMING POSTINGS:

¶ Video: U.S. Army’s Salute to PS

¶ Best by Perspective Instructional Communications

¶ Video: Joe Kubert at PS 60th Anniversary Celebration

¶ Video: Colonel ‘Pat’ Sullivan, Head of PS’s Home Command

¶ Video: Lieutenant General Via Salutes PS Program

¶ Video: Fitz Tells About Early PS, ‘Back in the Day’

¶ Joe Dope Meets Beetle Bailey in PS (Permission in process.)

¶ A Covey of Connies—World War II to Today

¶ Wrap-Up: A Wonderful Year of Celebration

29 - Backes Group’s Best PS Continuity

In our BlogPost 11, back in April, we introduced you to the work of Backes Graphic Productions, in Princeton, New Jersey, as the contractor for PS Magazine creative art, design, and pre-press services, by presenting their four best Front Covers as selected by the New Millennium staff of PS.

The Backes Group produced 151 issues of PS Magazine, from PS 428 (July 1988) through PS 578 (January 2001). Their contract-run, at this point in time, is second only to Will Eisner's 21 years and 227 issues. Joe Kubert, the current PS artist, is closing the gap, though, being well into his eleventh year, which will be completed with PS 711 in February of 2012.

Jack and Diane Backes were the owners, with Diane also working on page layouts. Their production manager was Mark "Sparky" Dobrowolski and the lead artist for most of those years was Scott Madsen. Other artists were Augie Scotto (who had worked with Murphy Anderson), Vic Scarpelli, and Brian Orlowski. Staff members were Saronda Stevens, Karen Mamo, and Allison Backes.

The staff at PS picked the continuity from PS 525 (August 1996), “Nothing More Important Than…,” as the best by Backes. The centerspread mini-poster is displayed above. The other six pages of the continuity are displayed in sequence, below.

We will present the Backes runner-up in our next BlogPost.

—p.e.f.

UPCOMING POSTINGS:

¶ Runner-Up PS Continuity by Backes Group.

¶ U.S. Army's Video Salute to PS Magazine

¶ Best of Perspective Instructional Communications in PS

¶ Video: Joe Kubert at PS 60th Birthday Party

¶ A Covey of Connies: World War II to Today

28 - Zeke Zekely's Best in PS Magazine

Zeke Zekely’s Sponsored Comics in Beverly Hills, California, held the PS contract for only six issues, PS 309 (August 1978) through PS 314 (January 1979). Zeke had obtained the contract by under-bidding Murphy Anderson, and Murphy was brought back in after Zekely’s default, resuming with PS 315 in February 1979 and continuing through PS 368 in July of 1983.

Under Zekely, the continuities were done by Dan Spiegle, who drew movie and television adaptations for Gold Key comics. “Think of titles such as Lassie,Fury, and The Misadventures of Merlin Jones,” PS Production Manager Stuart Henderson says.

The covers and two-color pages were done by Alfredo Alcala, who also drew a lot of the Conan comics for Marvel.

The New Millennium PS staff’s pick as Zekely’s Best Front Cover was on PS 309 (August 1978) showing Thor—reclining against a tree and being questioned by Connie and a soldier, and their choice as his Best Continuity was in the same issue: Famous FOD'ers [Foreign Objects Damage] of History.

The Front Cover is displayed above, the Centerspread Mini-Poster is shown below, and the Continuity follows, in order.

—p.e.f.

UPCOMING POSTINGS:

¶ A Covey of Connies: World War II to Today

¶ Best PS Continuity by Backes Group

¶ Runner-Up PS Continuity by Backes Group.

¶ Best of Perspective Instructional Communications in PS

27 – Early Covers Plopped Eisner and PS in Hot Water

Despite the six-year sabbatical that had been in play since the end of World War II in 1945, when Will Eisner shuffled through his memories of Connie Rodd and Joe Dope in the spring of 1951 it seemed like business as usual at the same old stand—except that the name of the stand had been changed fromArmy Motors to PS Magazine. It turned out to be an illusion, though.

The peacetime interval preceding the Korean War had seen a mass exodus of victorious, battle-hardened warriors. In the world of military logistics, where PSwas based, many management-level functions had been filled, to an increasing degree, by civilians. It took some time for the light to dawn on Eisner and the initial PS staff, but a heightened presence of socio-political sensitivities had replaced the successful raw instincts that had worked so well during the Big One.

The criticism focused on Connie and Joe, plus Joe’s foil—Fosgnoff.

There were four general hoo-ha categories: feminine attire/dimensions; unmilitary appearance; unmilitary actions; and, Poor Taste. Will batted 1.000 after PS 1 (June 1951) and continuing through PS 13 (July 1953) drawing fire from one or more directions with every one. He pleased everybody with an anthropomorphic M-41 Walker Bulldog tank on the Front Cover of PS 14 (August 1953), but fell back into his outrage streak with PS 15 (July 1953) andPS 16 (January 1954), followed by PS 20 (May 1954) and PS 26 (November 1954) registering high on the thunder-and-lightning meter.

We’re going to present sixteen Front Covers here, in numeric/chronological order, beginning above, with PS 2 (July 1951) and picking up with PS 3 (August 1951), below, leaving it to you to assign the fault category (or categories) involved. There was a lot of overlap, especially when Connie and Joe appeared on the same Front Cover.

PS 4 (September 1951), above, with Connie washing garments in a stream was a favorite with the troops, but not with the Brass.

PS 5 (October 1951), above, with dueling fantasies of Connie and Joe in a hurtling Jeep was something of a rework or an Army Motors Front Cover with Joe alone in a similar situation.

PS 6 (November 1951), above, with Connie and Joe in a close-up, under a vehicle, speaks for itself.

PS 7 (July 1952) finds Connie, Joe, and an outdoors bulletin board in the rain. Eisenshpritz, yet.

PS 8 (September 1952) positions Connie on a mountaintop, with hovering helicopters.

PS 9 (November 1952) has Joe and a buddy out of uniform amidst what might be construed as evidence of excessive firing to hit a target. The elevation of the gun reflects the issue’s (it turned out) extremely controversial article about addressing “high angle cant.” The weapons-design boys howled that “there ain’t no such thing” and the red-legged cannon-cockers firing the guns responded: “The hell you say!”

PS 10 (January 1953) insinuates the “crime” of “cannibalizing parts).

PS 11 (March 1953) calibrates the vicissitudes of Korean winters as related to alloy simian statuary.

PS 12 (May 1953) plays off the fact that there really was a segment of mountainous Korean terrain that the troops called “Jane Russell.” Donald K. Hubbard always said that this was his favorite PS Front Cover. Hubbard came on board PS as a writer in July of 1954, became managing editor in October of 1963, and succeeded James R. Kidd as Editor in January of 1983. He retired in November of 1991.

PS 13 (July 1953) is something of a sophomoric reach combining a weak pun with a common vulgarity regarding extremely dire circumstances and a missing means of propulsion.

PS 15 (October 1953) reflects a shorthand vulgarism for constructive criticism resulting from a meeting with a displeased supervisor.

PS 16 (January 1954) was a little late, but it’s the thought that counts. Merry Christmas!

PS 20 (May 1954) really offended Joe Dope’s dedicated critics. Joe was the subject of a major rehabilitation campaign that lasted several decades and included a weapons mishap (due to poor preventive maintenance) that required extensive cosmetic facial surgery. His jacket was too heavy, though, and eventually he was eased back into civilian life.

PS 26 (November 1954) had one of the better first-glance, purely graphic Front Covers. The fact that it became a classic with Safety Officers (both civilian and military) did not deter the Pecksniffian Connie critics from complaining about the ratio of attire-to-exposure.

—p.e.f.

"Oh my lord, how the world has changed!"

Time was when funny was funny. And Will was the master of the genre.

Reviewing those old covers described as "questionable"; A) feminine attire, B) unmilitary appearance or action and C) poor taste is like saying guys in the Armed Forces were never interested in Betty Grable, Lana Turner, or (you name her). Three cheers for Will and four cheers for getting by the blue-nosed censors!

—j.k.

UPCOMING POSTINGS:

¶ Best of Zeke Zekely in PS

¶ A Covey of Connies: World War II to Today

¶ Best PS Continuity by Backes Group

¶ Runner-Up PS Continuity by Backes Group.

¶ Best of Perspective Instructional Communications in PS