Ragged Claws Network

Here’s Alex Toth, circa 1975, writing about his own career; as usual, click the image to view a larger (and in this case, readable) file:

1. Genius, Isolated: The Life & Art Of Alex Toth
By Dean Mullaney and Bruce Canwell
IDW Publishing
Release Date: Fall 2010

In an interview at Westfield Comics Blog, Bruce Canwell says:

Almost exactly a year from now, we’re presenting Genius, Isolated: The Life & Art Of Alex Toth. Dean Mullaney and I are writing this together — Dean knew Alex, and back in the days of Eclipse Comics, he reprinted Toth’s much-beloved Zorro comics from the late 1950s/early ’60s. Most folks know about Toth from his work for Hanna-Barbera, where he created the look of Space Ghost, The Herculoids, and many other Saturday morning heroes. We’re working with Alex’s estate, as well as his many friends and fans, to create an in-depth biography that will be accompanied by plenty of rare images, plus a section that will reprint several complete Toth stories. Big companies are being very generous in allowing us to reprint Alex’s stories from their backlist, while individual collectors are giving us total access to their many Tothian treasures. Our goal is to make Genius, Isolated a fitting bookend to our 2008 Scorchy Smith and the Art of Noel Sickles (currently nominated for two Harvey Awards). Since Toth was the biggest Sickles fan ever, we like to think Alex would approve of that goal!

Even if Alex wouldn’t approve, I certainly do!

[Cover Unavailable]

2. Setting the Standard: Alex Toth at Standard Comics 1952-54
Edited by Greg Sadowski
Fantagraphics Books
Release Date: Fall 2010

“It’s hard to overstate the influence of Alex Toth on the art of comic books,” says Sadowski. “Toth was from that first generation who grew up reading comic books, and he came to the medium armed with enough discipline, talent, and sheer love and respect for the medium to create a technique free of condescension, artifice, or shortcuts. His work at Standard first established him as the ‘comic book artist’s artist.’” Learning his craft at Eastern and DC, Alex Toth arrived at Standard Comics in late 1951 with a fully formed, graphically impeccable technique perfectly suited to the comic book medium – honest, uncompromising, and free of condescension and artifice. Includes a biographical sketch and an essay on Toth’s approach to comic book storytelling, based heavily on his interviews and written correspondence.

Woo-hoo! Just in time for Christmas… next year…

BONUS LINKS:

Black and White Wednesday: Gerry Boudreau and Alex Toth’s “The Phantom of Pleasure Island”

Opinions by Alex Toth

Here are the links, listed in order of first publication of the stories themselves:

“Toreador from Texas,” Danger Trail #2 (DC, September-October 1950).

“Too Many Suspects,” Green Lantern vol. 1, # 37 (National Comics Publications: March-April 1949), as reprinted in Detective Comics #440 (DC, April-May 1974).

“The Bandidos,” Zorro #9 (Dell, March-May 1960).

“Dangerous Competition,” The Frogmen #5 (Dell, May-July 1963).

“Vision of Evil,” Eerie #2 (Warren, March 1966).

“Eternal Hour,” The Witching Hour #1 (DC, February-March 1969).

“ComputERR,” The Witching Hour #8 (DC, May 1970).

“Mask of the Red Fox,” House of Mystery #187 (DC, July-August 1970).

“The Mark of the Witch,” The Witching Hour #11 (DC, October-November 1970).

“Bride of the Falcon,” The Sinister House of Secret Love # 3 (National Periodical Publications, March 1972).

“Black Canary,” Adventure Comics #418 (DC: April 1972) & #419 (DC, May 1972).

“Death Flies the Haunted Sky,” Detective Comics #442 (DC, August-September 1974).

“Daddy and the Pie,” Eerie #64 (Warren, March 1975), as reprinted in UFO and Alien Comix (Warren, January 1978). And if you don’t like that scan, try this one.

“Chennault Must Die!” Savage Combat Tales #2 (Atlas, April 1975).

“The Question,” The Charlton Bullseye #5 (CPL/Gang Publications, March-April 1976).

“39/74,” Witzend #10 (Bill Pearson, 1976).

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Click here for another short list of links to “Comics Stories with Art by Alex Toth” available on the Web.