Tenth Letter of the Alphabet: Comics: Bob Laughlin, Letterer and Artist

Monday, September 19, 2016

Comics: Bob Laughlin, Letterer and Artist

Robert Gordon Laughlin
Birth: September 18, 1925, Englewood, New Jersey

1930 United States Census
Name / Age
William H Laughlin, 32 [Advertising Writer/Subway Card Advertising]
Gwendolyn Laughlin, 31
Virginia J Laughlin, 7
Robert G Laughlin, 4
317 Westview Avenue, Leonia, Bergen, New Jersey

1940 United States Census
Name / Age
William H Laughlin, 43 [Advertising/Railways]
Gwendolyn Laughlin, 41
Virginia Laughlin, 17
Robert Laughlin, 14
317 Westview Avenue, Leonia, Bergen, New Jersey

Leonia High School
1942 Leonia Lore (Yearbook)
The Leonian, Art Editor
Junior Class

Leonia High School
1943 Leonia Lore (Yearbook)
The Leonian, Art Editor
Senior Class

World War II Army Enlistment
Enlistment Date: December 3, 1943
Enlistment Location: Newark, New Jersey

Heritage Auctions
Harvey Comics correspondence from Robert Laughlin (circa 1947).

Fawcett Companion: The Best of FCA, Fawcett Collectors of America

P. C. Hamerlinck

TwoMorrows Publishing, 2001
page 29: Photograph of Fawcett artists
page 104–105: Laughlin interview

Alter Ego
Vol. 3, #65, February 2007
Laughlin mentioned

Alter Ego
Vol. 3, #118, July 2014
Laughlin mentioned

American Newspaper Comics
Allan Holtz
University of Michigan Press, 2012
Cuffy comic strip syndicated by Select Features Syndicate and published from 1963 to 1964.

Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third Series, Volume 18, Part 1, Number 1, Books and Pamphlets, January-June 1964
page 496: Laughlin, Robert G.
Cuffy. By Bob Laughlin. © Robert G. Laughlin. v.1, no. 1. © 11May64; A699646.

Catalog of Copyright Entries: Third Series, Volume 21, Parts 7–11A, Number 2, Works of Art, July–December 1967
page 238: Laughlin, Robert G.
World series baseball cards. [1903 Pirates vs. Red Sox & 64 others] Prints on 7 sheets. © Robert G. Laughlin; 17Oct67; K81036.

Kitz ‘n’ Katz

Cartoonews
No. 10, 1976
pages 11–14

Legacy.com

Robert G. “Bob” Laughlin
Death: May 14, 2006, Southbury, Connecticut
The Record (Woodland Park, New Jersey), May 17 to May 20, 2006
Laughlin – Robert ‘Bob’ G., cartoonist, of Southbury, CT, formerly of Westfield, NJ, passed away peacefully Sunday, May 14 at age 80. Mr. Laughlin was born on September 18, 1925, in Leonia, NJ, the son of Gwendolyn D. and William H. Laughlin. After graduating from Leonia High School where he was a star pitcher on the baseball team, Bob served in the U.S. Army during WW II at Fort Bragg, NC from 1943 to1945.

For several years Bob was the final preparation artist for George Gately, creator of the comic strip Heathcliff. He was also a brilliantly talented cartoonist himself, creating and publishing several original comic strips. Included in his portfolio were “Freddie Fumbles”, carried by Mechanix Illustrated, “Cuffy” the cat, carried by Cat Fancy Magazine, and “Rufus” the dog, carried by Dog Fancy Magazine.

In the 1980’s Bob created “Kitz and Katz Komiks,” about a whimsical pair of cats, one black and one white, who just could never seem to solve the dilemma of “who’s who?” as they cavorted about their world among a cast of supportive characters, “Nootin” the squirrel, “Kozy” the cat and “Wowbow” the backwards barking dog, just to name few.

Bob also created several collector series baseball cards for the Fleer Gum Corporation. His artistic talents also ranged to watercolor and wood working. Bob was a lover of crossword puzzles, games, music, and played the piano. Mr. Laughlin was “a loving husband, father and grandfather.” His soft spoken ways and sense of humor were appreciated by all who met him. He loved his craft and was a devoted fan and collector of Krazy Kat by the comic artist George Herrimann. Bob was also an avid New York Yankees fan.

He was the husband of Florence Laughlin (formerly Florence MacDowell) of Southbury, CT, formerly of Westfield, NJ. Florence and Bob were married in 1978 and resided in Westfield, NJ until 2004. In addition to his wife, Mr. Laughlin is survived by his daughter Holly Bardes and son-in-law George of Dumont, NJ, his late daughter Wendy Deserio of Palisades Park, NJ, Nancy MacDowell - Kaye of Redding, CT, Tom MacDowell of Littleton, MA, his grandsons Jim Bardes, George Bardes, Christopher Deserio, granddaughters Jamie Deserio, and the late Christine Bardes.

Memorial services will be held Friday, May 19 at 2 PM at Munson-Lovetere Funeral Home located at 235 Main Street North, Southbury, CT.