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Mr. Monster’s Comic Crypt!
Introduction by Michael T. Gilbert I first discovered Al Walker’s art over thirty years ago in Movie Comics, a short-lived Fiction House title from the late ’40s. Hidden inside was “Flicker Funnies,” a funny-animal feature boasting some of the most amazingly detailed art I’d ever seen. The artist had signed the splash inside with a tiny crest below the logo. “Al Walker”? Who was this guy? I saw the name again a few years later, inside an old issue of Wings Comics. A striking “Greasemonkey Griffin” splash page featured a pair of eerie eyes peering from a Frankenstein-like face. The logo, forged from chains and smoke, resembled a Will Eisner Spirit splash, while the interior art was crammed with puns and sight gags. This, too, was signed “Al Walker.” Who was this guy? I looked in all the standard comic reference books, but no one seemed to know. And that’s how things stood for decades until February 2007, when I posted some of Al’s work on my new website. Days later, to my great delight, I received separate e-mails from Alfred M. Walker and Stephen V. Walker, respectively the artist’s son and nephew. So began a lively exchange that led eventually to this three-part article, the very first biography of this remarkable cartoonist. Installments in the two preceding issues of Alter Ego focused on Al Walker’s childhood, his Fiction House work, and his war experiences. This time we conclude our biography with Alfred John Walker’s post-comics career. Take it away, Steve!
The Biography Of Alfred J. Walker by Stephen V. Walker (with—oh, yes—Michael T. Gilbert)
Part 3: Back Home! After World War II ended, Al returned to Fiction House. His old company was happy to have him back, but many of the strips he’d drawn in the early ’40s had vanished by 1945. “Norge Benson”had rocketed away to parts unknown, having flown his last mission in Planet Comics #32 (Sept. 1944). I wouldn’t be surprised if his pals Frosting the Polar Bear and Slug the Penguin were stowaways on that final trip!
A Grease(monkey)d Pole Slug the Penguin from Planet Comics poses for Al, while Hatrack the Reindeer and Frosting the Polar Bear look on. This illustration, drawn in the 1960s for a feature on Al appearing in Chemical Bank’s in-house magazine, shows how Slug became the 66th Pursuit Squadron’s mascot during World War II. Steve added the Greasemonkey Griffin sketch in 1999 (taking it from Al’s hand-drawn postcards seen on the opposite page) for a show at the Oyster Bay Historical Society. [Characters TM & ©2008 the respective copyright holders.]
“Elmer Pippin” was gone, too, having taken a furlough from Rangers Comics in August 1944 with #18. Poor ol’ “Jeep Milarkey” went AWOL even earlier, disappearing from Rangers Comics after issue #4 (April 1942). “Simba, King of the Beasts” still roamed through Jungle Comics, but Al had left the strip in the early ’40s, never to return. His last “Simba” appeared in issue #35 (Nov. 1942). Luckily, good ol’ “Greasemonkey Griffin” was waiting in the wings for his favorite artist’s return. With Al back at the helm, the high-flying goofball flew to even greater heights. Al Walker was flying high, too. Earlier in 1945, his brother Dan had married Mary Moore of Millbrook, New York. Then Al met Katherine Moore, Mary’s sister—and it was love at first sight! They were married on January 25, 1947, and soon began raising three sons—Alfred, Perry, and Paul—at their home in Huntington Station, NY.
Shielding Art From Commerce
Alfred And His Art Alfred J. Walker, November 1956.
“Al Walker set up his own art studio business in the 1950s, but never made much money at it,” says Steve of this 1956 pic. “He wasn’t much of a businessman, and gave so much beautiful artwork to friends and civic groups for free.” I love Al’s coat of arms, Steve! [©2008 Estate of Alfred J. Walker.]