Monday, October 28, 2024

Typography: The Forbidden Planet Halloween Ads, 1982–1989


Village Voice, October 6, 1982

Village Voice, October 6, 1982
 
Village Voice, October 11, 1983

Village Voice, October 18, 1983

 Show Business, October 31, 1983
 
 Village Voice, November 1, 1983


Village Voice, October 9, 1984

Village Voice, October 16, 1984

Village Voice, October 23, 1984

Village Voice, October 30, 1984

Village Voice, October 22, 1985

The New York Times Magazine, October 19, 1986

Village Voice, October 28, 1986

Village Voice, October 27, 1987

Village Voice, October 12, 1988

Village Voice, October 19, 1988

Village Voice, October 25, 1988

New York Magazine, October 31, 1988

Village Voice, November 1, 1988

Paper Magazine, October 1989

Village Voice, October 31, 1989

Village Voice, October 31, 1989

Advertisements by Alex Jay/Studio J
for Michael Luckman/Forbidden Planet



 

Monday, October 21, 2024

Comics: A Few Details About Les Zakarin, Inker

Les Zakarin was born Lester Sam Zakarin on March 17, 1929, in Brooklyn, New York. The birth information is from the New York, New York Birth Index, at Ancestry.com, and Army draft card. Zakarin’s full name was on his Social Security application. 

In the 1930 United States Census, Zakarin was the only child of Alex, a Russian immigrant, and Mollie. They lived in Brooklyn at 334 Bradford Street. 

Lines 64–66

The 1940 census said Zakarin was the oldest of three boys. The Zakarins were Brooklyn residents at the same address. 

Lines 25–29

Zakarin attended the School of Industrial Art in Manhattan and graduated in 1947. His classmates included Jon D’Agostino, Hal Fromm, John Romita and Herbert Tauss

The Palette yearbook

On March 24, 1947, Zakarin signed his draft card. His Brooklyn address was 1398 East 49th Street. He was employed at the Pyramid Belt Co. in Manhattan. Zakarin’s description was five feet seven inches, 130 pounds, with brown eyes and hair.


In Alter Ego, #9 July 2001, Roy Thomas interviewed John Romita who explained how he got into comics. 
RT: You mentioned at the 1995 Stan Lee Roast in Chicago how in ’49 you started out penciling for a guy who was really an inker, but who pretended to Stan that he was penciling material which you ghosted for him. Don’t you think it's time you finally told us who that artist was?

ROMITA: The reason I never gave his name was, I didn’t want to embarrass him. His name was Lester Zakarin. I met him for the first time in forty years in 1999, at a convention in New York, and he told me he wasn’t offended by any of the interviews I’d given. I’d always say that this artist I was ghosting for would tell Stan he could pencil, but actually I’d do the penciling for him, and he just inked my pencils.

But Stan was one of the few editors who’d ask guys to make changes. And when he asked Lester Zakarin to change something, he would panic. So I would go into the city with him and I’d wait at the New York Public Library, which was very close to where Timely was, at the Empire State Building. Zakarin would get the corrections from Stan and tell him, “I can’t draw in front of people. It has to be absolutely quiet. I’m going to a friend’s office. I’ll do these corrections and bring them back in the afternoon.” Then he’d meet me at the library, and I’d do the corrections, and then he’d go back to Stan. [laughs]
Zakarin’s comics credits are at the Grand Comics Database and Who’s Who of American Comic Books 1928–1999

According to the 1950 census, Zakarin was a cartoonist at a magazine publisher. He earned $2,000 in 1949. Zakarin lived with his parents in Brooklyn at 1398 East 48th Street.

Lines 1–4; Zakarin’s father was on the previous sheet

Zakarin, a registered voter, was a Democrat. 

In 1952 Zakarin and Iris F. Schulman obtained marriage license number 16084 in Manhattan.

During the Korean War, Zakarin was listed in the 1953 Augusta, Georgia city directory. 


Art Director & Studio News, September 1954, said Zakarin was a winner in the Annual June Exhibition of the Cartoonists and Illustrators School. 

The 1954 Brooklyn telephone directory listed Zakarin and his wife at 642 East 92 Street. 

According to the Board of Elections in the City of New York, List of Enrolled Voters for the Year 1956–1957, Borough of Brooklyn, Zakarin and his wife were Democrats who resided at 446 Kingston Avenue. The 1962 Brooklyn directory had the same address. 

A 1969 issue of the University of the State of New York Bulletin listed Zakarin in the category of Registered Professional Engineers and Land Surveyors. 
Zakarin, Lester Samuel (PE), 1841 Central Park Ave, Yonkers
Zakarin, Lester S. (62, A.M. 62) Proj Engr, Malcolm Pirnie Inc, 226 Westchester Ave, White Plains NY, 10604, (1853 Central Park Ave, Yonkers NY) (28) CO SM
The photograph below is from an event in the early 1970s. (Visit the Tripod site of Yosi Jeff Zakarin: click Zakarins Unite!!! A Family History Site; click Photographs; click Historical Photographs From 1941 to 1980, automatic download.)


In 1994 Zakarin was a member of the American Society of Civil Engineers

Zakarin passed away on January 30, 2003, in New York. He was laid to rest at Mount Ararat Cemetery



Related Post


Further Reading
Alter Ego #27, August 2003, preview has first two pages of Zakarin’s interview


 
 

Monday, October 14, 2024

Monday, October 7, 2024

Comics: Bernie Zuber, Artist, Writer, Letterer, Editor, Publisher and Fan

Bernard Anthony “Bernie” Zuber was born on March 4, 1933, in Asnières, Seine, France, according to an American Consular Service report at Ancestry.com and the National Archives. His parents were Anthony F. Zuber, of Brooklyn, New York, and Marie Josephine Giulio Tonolo of Chambery, France. Zuber’s father was a clerk at the American Embassy, Office of Commercial Attaché.


On May 22, 1942, the family sailed aboard the steamship Drottningholm from Lisbon, Portugal. They arrived in the port of New York City on June 1, 1942. Their destination was 62 Hemlock Street in Brooklyn. Presumably Zuber’s education was in Brooklyn. 



Seven years later on August 5, 1949, Zuber and his father departed on the steamship Queen Elizabeth from New York bound to Cherbourg, France. 


Two years later Zuber and his father sailed on September 24, 1951 from Le Havre, France. The steamship America arrived in New York City on October 1, 1951. Their final destination was 62 Hemlock Street in Brooklyn.



A little less than four months had gone by when they were aboard the same steamship headed for Le Havre, France


On March 26, 1953, Zuber was a Pan American flight from Paris to New York. 


It’s not known where Zuber served during the Korean War and the dates of his enlistment and discharge. On March 4, 1954, Private Zuber, serial number 51237501, was on a flight from Chicopee, Massachusetts to Frankfurt, Germany.


Twenty-two days later, Zuber was on a TWA flight for New York.


The Social Security Death Index said Zuber obtained his number in 1955 in Maryland. His employer is unknown. 

The California Voter Registration at Ancestry.com said Zuber, in 1956, was a democrat who lived at 1776 North Las Palmas Street in Los Angeles, California. 

Who’s Who of American Comic Books 1928–1999 estimated Zuber’s comics career from 1950 to around 1981. He started work at Western Publishing. Hey Kids Comics Wiki said “... Bernie Zuber was an editorial artist, a position similar to that of a production artist, from 1957 until 1982.” Information about his art training has not been found. Three of his lettering credits are Wonderworld #9, August 1973, Bernard Prince; Yogi Bear #4, May 1978; and The Flintstones #5, June 1978. 

Samples of Zuber’s fan artwork are here, here, and here (see April). 

On May 27, 1972, Zuber and Ida C. Rule married in Los Angeles, according to the California Marriage Index at Ancestry.com. 

Mark Evanier wrote about Zuber’s personal struggles. 

Zuber passed away on October 14, 2005 in Los Angeles, California. He was laid to rest at Riverside National Cemetery


Further Reading
Tolkien Gateway, Bernie Zuber
Internet Science Fiction Database, Chronological Bibliography: Bernie Zuber
The Internet Archive has many publications that mentioned Zuber here, here and here


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(Next post on Monday: Scotch & Soda)