60
An Interview With Mrs. Eileen Mortimer
connected with the Guggenheim. His father was a Methodist minister. John even did some writing on the strip. He died about fifteen years back. EZ: What came after David Crane? MORTIMER: Win had a long relationship with the Toronto Star. He had written poetry for the paper years before. For each poem they paid him $10 if they used it, so he always kept up with the Star. When Win finally got his own strip in 1960, that was his dream come true. It was published by the Keep ’Em Flying, Canada! Toronto Star and was called Two World War II-vintage cartoons by WM. (Left:) A Larry Brannon, about an poster done for the Canadian war effort. (Above:) The investigator. Win was writing, punchline (and precise venue) of this Mortimer gag inking and lettering it. He put cartoon is unknown—but that seems to be Adolf Hitler his heart, soul, and everything warming his backside on the left. So maybe that’s into that strip. He was doing so Benito Mussolini on the right? Thanks to Sean Menard much, he eventually got tired EZ: When did your husband stop illustrating the Superman for both illos. [©2009 Estate of Winslow Mortimer.] of it and it finally petered out. daily newspaper strip? It had no appeal down here [in MORTIMER: In 1956, when he got the David Crane strip. I have a photo the US as opposed to Canada] and was more like illustration than here from Newsweek, the March 12 issue; they were going to run David comedy. That was not his thing as much as comic art. Crane. They sent a professional photographer to take a lot of pictures. EZ: What other things did Win do? EZ: Did it actually run in the magazine? MORTIMER: Win drew “Full Steam Foley” [for World’s Finest Comics], MORTIMER: I don’t know, but [the strip] ran in about 600 papers. David The Hulk, The Honeymooners. He also helped Al Capp with Li’l Abner. Crane was a small-town minister. Win had a good Biblical background; he He drew Fat Albert. He did Obadiah Fry in the local Putnam [Country could quote anything. Anyway, the Hall Syndicate had to meet me before Courier] paper. He did Big Bird for Little Golden Books and Barbie for they’d approve Win as the artist on the strip. I clinched it for him. After Western Printing; this was in the ’60s and ’70s or later. Marvel wanted that, when the syndicate would have dinners, Bob Hall [President of Hall him, too. Win did “Spider-Man” with Stan Lee [Spidey Super Stories], and Syndicate] would always like for me to sit beside him and his wife. he did Ms. Marvel. He drew editorials of Governor Pataki and other local [laughter] But Win was getting restless. He wanted to have his own strip. politicians. Hartzell Spence took over David Crane. Other things he did— [Earlier, around 1954,] Win had proposed a newspaper strip called Win worked for Neal Professor Tipp. Tipp was based on an actual person, whose real name was Adams’ Continuity John Rice. He was a teacher at Rollins College in Florida. He was Associates for 11 or 12
Superman And Sparks (Above:) The Superman daily strip for June 9, 1951. Special thanks to Bruce Mason. Though Win Mortimer drew it, the byline says “Wayne Boring.” (Right:) Win was drew numerous Golden Age comic book stories starring Superman and/or Batman and Robin—and on World’s Finest Comics covers. On the cover for WFC #49 (Dec. 1950-Jan. 1951), he drew that trio of titans, plus new hero Tom Sparks, Boy Inventor, whose adventures he illustrated. Of course, Win also illustrated the Boy Scouts public service ad whose Superman, Batman, and Robin figures are reproduced on the cover of this issue of Alter Ego. [©2009 DC Comics.]