Tuesday, November 6, 2012

Ken Shannon and the Aquaman Artist

Private eye Ken Shannon took over Plastic Man's lead slot in Police Comics at the end of 1950 and within the year received his own title as well. I index Ken Shannon in this post; I haven't seen a complete run of the post-Plas Police.

Shannon's main penciller was Reed Crandall. Sam Burlockoff has said he inked Crandall on the feature; Burlockoff's major credit that I know of is early war stuff at DC, but I'm not familiar enough with his style to credit him with particular stories here. Chuck Cuidera has been linked to Crandall here in much the way George Klein was once credited with inking every Superman story Curt Swan ever pencilled, be they inked by Kaye, Moldoff, or Forte if not Klein. I'll just put aside the question of Ken Shannon inkers altogether on this list.

I believe two stories are pencilled by W.G. Hargis, who got to sign a number of his Inspector Denver stories in Police. One story's penciller I can't figure at all.

The penciller just behind Crandall in terms of quantity (counting the appearances of the strip in both Police and KS) has been a mystery. The inking obscured his style as seen earlier at other companies.

Ken Shannon 10, story 2, panels

I see the work of John Daly. The young man shaking Shannon's hand is the best example of Daly's style in faces, showing through the inking; Ken Shannon himself is inked heavily to match Crandall's face for the character. The next panel's rather stodgy staging of the figures comes closest to the staging on the Aquaman page, the staging that typefies Daly to me.

Adventure 151 Aquaman panels

All ten covers were pencilled, if not inked as well, by Crandall.

The William Woolfolk credits are a sneak preview into his script records for 1951-52. In brief: Woolfolk and Joe Millard share use of the scream "Eeeahhh," but Millard uses his standby "Owoooff" that Woolfolk never does. "Q," a Quality writer of the Fifties I can't yet name, opts for variations of "Urghh" and "Iiieee." UPDATE: "Q" is Robert Bernstein

Ken Shannon 1-10 Writers and Pencillers

Oct/51#1 The Evil Eye of Count Ducriew: Joe Millard p: Reed Crandall
The Playful Pickpocketw: Millard  p: Crandall
The Carrier Pigeon Casew: Robert Bernstein  p: W.G. Hargis?
Dec/    #2 Cut-Rate Corpsesw: Millard  p: Crandall
Invitation to a Murderw: Millard  p: Crandall

Front Man for Murderw: Millard  p: Crandall
Feb/52 #3 The Corpse That Wouldn't Sleepw: Millard  p: Crandall
The Case of the Butchered Butcherw: Millard  p: Crandall
One Day I'll Kill Youw: Millard  p: Crandall
Apr/     #4 Stone Hatchet Murderw: Millard  p: Crandall
Stand-In for Murderw: William Woolfolk p: Crandall
The Case of the All-Seeing Eyew: Millard  p: Hargis?
June/    #5 The Case of the Carny KiIlerw: Millard  p: Crandall
The Man from Nowherew: Woolfolk  p: ?
Doctor of Deathw: Woolfolk  p: John Daly
Aug/    #6 The Vampire Mobw: Millard  p: Crandall
Dead Man's Alleyw: Millard  p: Daly
Dee Dee Can't Be Deadw: Bernstein  p: Daly
Oct/    #7 The Ugliest Man in the Worldw: Bernstein  p: Daly
Murder on Accountw: Bernstein p: Daly
Too Many Killersw: Bernstein p: Daly
Dec/    #8 Mansion of Mangled Menw: Woolfolk  p: Daly

The Chinatown Murdersw: Bernstein  p: Daly
The Doom Expressw: Bernstein  p: Daly
Feb/53#9 The Flame of Doomw: Millard  p: Daly
Necklace of Bloodw: Woolfolk  p: Daly
Day It Rained Moneyw: Millard  p: Daly
Apr/    #10 In the Shadow of the Chairw: Millard  p: Daly
Your Money or Your Bloodw: Millard  p: Daly
[untitled]w: Bernstein  p: Daly

The back-up feature in 1-9 is Angles O'Day (Not-So-Special Investigator), not only wriiten and drawn but lettered by Jack Cole, and 10 presents a Flatfoot Burns by Al Stahl, the last of that series from Police and The Spirit.

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