• N E W Y O R K C I T Y •
Sunset Park, 7th Avenue near 42nd Street, Brooklyn
Monday, July 30, 2018
Monday, July 23, 2018
Anatomy of a Logo: Toy Boy
In 1979 Neal Adams’ New Heroes Portfolio featured six characters, Toy Boy, Crazy Man, Titan, Ms. Mystic, Shaman, and King Tut. Neal also drew the logos.
A few months later Neal planned to launch a number projects. He asked me to produce the Toy Boy logo. Below is my rough sketch, dated October 6, 1979, of the logo with Toy Boy. The basic design was approved.
Below is sketch of the logo as stenciled letters. Underneath that is a tight pencil drawing of the logo.
The finished lettering was done with ink on vellum and touched up with white paint. It may have been completed the same day or the day after. Photostats were made of the finished art and filed away at Continuity Associates.
The logo became one word when the comic book was published in 1986. Someone at Continuity Associates connected the two words and added the boy’s name, Jason Kriter. The series ran for seven issues.
(Next post on Monday: Sunset Play Center)
Monday, July 16, 2018
Studio J at Continuity Associates
In the late 1970s I rented a table at Continuity Associates, 9 East 48th Street, New York City. Several months later a room was offered to me and I took it. The elevator stopped at the third floor and the door opened to the reception desk. To the right were rooms for Neal Adams and his assistants, the photostat camera and copier, an Art-O-Graph and the library.
To the left were several rooms. The first room was usually occupied by three people which included, over time, Jack Abel, James Sherman, Jean Izzo and others. The coffee machine was to the left of the door. Cary Bates occupied the next room, followed by Carl Potts. Next was my room which measured 6 by 13 feet (1.8 by 4 meters) and, I was told, was once occupied by Greg Theakston and served, for a while, as a library. Larry Hama’s room was next, and the last space was used by Mike Hinge. Across from Hama’s room was a five-foot or more vertical light box built by Hinge.
Before I moved in I glued cork panels to south wall. Hinge told me where to purchase the panels. The shelving was four metal posts and twelve brackets, spray-painted black, that were from my father’s supermarket. My uncle showed me how to laminate the shelves. The red and yellow crates were used to store various projects. The white cabinet and drawers came a Danish furniture store in Sunnyside.
The blue light, in the photo below, is from a fluorescent light on top of the air duct which was painted black.
My drawing board was a piece of frosted plexiglass on top of an adjustable stand. The light unit was removable. I could place it under the plexiglass to make a “light box”.
The lamp was found on the street. I cleaned it up and painted it black. The shelf has a number of graphics and objects.
Most of the time the regular overhead light was off and I used the blue fluorescent light.
Filing cabinet was found on the street, cleaned up and painted black. On top of the cabinet are large envelopes with artwork, prints and other things for various assignments. Next to the cabinet is a Metro-Wire shelf unit with my library.
On the back of the door was my red jacket and umbrella, and a black-wire grid with some of my drawing equipment. The front of the door was painted red.
Continuity Associates (incomplete list)
To the left were several rooms. The first room was usually occupied by three people which included, over time, Jack Abel, James Sherman, Jean Izzo and others. The coffee machine was to the left of the door. Cary Bates occupied the next room, followed by Carl Potts. Next was my room which measured 6 by 13 feet (1.8 by 4 meters) and, I was told, was once occupied by Greg Theakston and served, for a while, as a library. Larry Hama’s room was next, and the last space was used by Mike Hinge. Across from Hama’s room was a five-foot or more vertical light box built by Hinge.
Before I moved in I glued cork panels to south wall. Hinge told me where to purchase the panels. The shelving was four metal posts and twelve brackets, spray-painted black, that were from my father’s supermarket. My uncle showed me how to laminate the shelves. The red and yellow crates were used to store various projects. The white cabinet and drawers came a Danish furniture store in Sunnyside.
The blue light, in the photo below, is from a fluorescent light on top of the air duct which was painted black.
My drawing board was a piece of frosted plexiglass on top of an adjustable stand. The light unit was removable. I could place it under the plexiglass to make a “light box”.
The lamp was found on the street. I cleaned it up and painted it black. The shelf has a number of graphics and objects.
Most of the time the regular overhead light was off and I used the blue fluorescent light.
Filing cabinet was found on the street, cleaned up and painted black. On top of the cabinet are large envelopes with artwork, prints and other things for various assignments. Next to the cabinet is a Metro-Wire shelf unit with my library.
On the back of the door was my red jacket and umbrella, and a black-wire grid with some of my drawing equipment. The front of the door was painted red.
Continuity Associates (incomplete list)
Jack Abel, Vicente Alcazar, Sal Amendola, Brent Anderson, Sergio Aragones, Terry Austin, Joe Barney, Cary Bates, Pat Broderick, Howard Chaykin, Frank Cirocco, David Coulson, Denys Cowan, Ed Davis, Joe D’Esposito, Bill Draut, Jose Luis Garcia-Lopez, Michael Golden, Al Gordon, Larry Hama, Russ Heath, Mike Hinge, Klaus Janson, Alex Jay, Will Jungkuntz, Stan Kelly, Alan Kupperberg, Polly Law, Steve Leialoha, Bobby London, Bob MacLeod, Frank McLaughlin, Frank Miller, Steve Mitchell, Gray Morrow, Ben Oda, Jay Scott Pike, Carl Potts, Ralph Reese, Mark Rice, Trina Robbins, Marshall Rogers, Joe Rubinstein, Jim Sherman, Arlen Schumer, Bill Sienkiewicz, Jean Simek, Walt Simonson, Bob Smith, Greg Theakston, Lynn Varley, Trevor von Eden, Alan Weiss, Bob Wiacek, Gary Winnick, Wally Wood, John Workman, Bernie Wrightson and others.
(Next post on Monday: Toy Boy)
(Next post on Monday: Toy Boy)
Monday, July 9, 2018
Lettering: Trademarks, September 10, 1935
Official Gazette of the United States Patent Office
(Next post on Monday: Studio J at Continuity Associates)
(Next post on Monday: Studio J at Continuity Associates)
Monday, July 2, 2018
Comics: Harvey Kurtzman, 4th of July Barbecue
Address and phone numbers removed for privacy reasons.
(Next post on Monday: Trademarks, September 10, 1935)