Posted in: Comics, Heritage Sponsored, Vintage Paper | Tagged: golden age, lou fine, quality comics
Lou Fine’s iconic 1940 cover for Hit Comics #5 from Quality Comics is based on a scene from the interior story in that issue.
Despite working on and co-creating numerous characters now considered obscure, Lou Fine was considered one of the best artists of the Golden Age. He was an artist that even other comic book greats admired, and his cover work for publishers Fox Feature Syndicate, Fiction House, and Quality Comics is still highly regarded by collectors to this day. Will Eisner would once say about Fine, “I had respect for his towering kind of draftsmanship. He was the epitome of the honest draftsman. No fakery, no razzle-dazzle — very direct, very honest in his approach,” while Joe Simon recalled, “My favorite artist was Lou Fine. He was also Jack Kirby‘s favorite artist. I know that Jack was a fan of and greatly influenced by Fine’s work.” Fine is credited with roughly 56 covers during the Golden Age by GCD, with countless of them considered iconic by modern collectors. The covers of comics like Planet Comics #1 and Fantastic Comics #3 are now the stuff of legend. The cover of Hit Comics #5 featuring the Red Bee is another highly-regarded classic, and there’s a Hit Comics #5 (Quality, 1940) CGC VG+ 4.5 Off-white pages up for auction in the 2023 June 22 – 25 Comics & Comic Art Signature® Auction #7340 at Heritage Auctions.
The Red Bee was the creation of Toni Blum (probably) and Charles Nicholas Wojtkoski for his debut in Hit Comics #1. The character was an Oregon-based assistant district attorney who got his name from his usage of trained bees that could be deployed from his belt buckle. Despite this strange beginning, or perhaps because of it, the character has not quite been forgotten. The Red Bee was alluded to in the 2014 comedy film She’s Funny That Way. and also mentioned in the recent DCEU series Stargirl. DC Comics acquired the character in 1956 with the rest of the Quality Comics IP, although he has since entered the public domain.
Toni Blum (born Audrey Blum, January 11 1918 – 1973) began working for Eisner-Iger Studio around 1938, likely around the same time as her father, artist Alex Blum, joined the studio as well. Blum worked in comics for Eisner-Iger Studio (and later Iger Studio) through about 1943, though exact dates and credits are somewhat difficult to determine due to the number of pseudonyms she used. It’s also known that she still had a hand in comics as late as 1956 at Gilberton. In addition to the Red Bee, her known contributions include Zero, the Ghost Detective in Quality’s Feature Comics, Sally O’Neil Policewoman in National Comics, and Wonder Boy, also in National Comics. Blum married fellow Iger Studio artist William T. Bossert in 1942.
Charles Nicholas Wojtkoski (December 6, 1921 – June 21, 1985) is best remembered as the creator of the Blue Beetle. Wojtkoski worked for virtually every major publisher during his extensive career which lasted 1935-1984, during which he contributed to a staggering 3000+ comic books. His career includes a 23-year stint at Charlton, working with inker Vince Alascia and writer Joe Gill.
Interestingly, Fine’s legendary cover on Hit Comics #5 is based on a scene from the interior story by Blum and Wojtkoski this issue. Red Bee had been captured by criminals who were using a boat as a based of operations, and who dumped his bound, unconscious body into the waters of a nearby underwater aquarium. Contrary to what Fine implied on the cover, Red Bee is able to use the passing swordfish to cut through his bonds and escape the predicament.
The Red Bee is an obscure character elevated to collecting immortality by the artistry of Lou Fine, and there’s a Hit Comics #5 (Quality, 1940) CGC VG+ 4.5 Off-white pages up for auction in the 2023 June 22 – 25 Comics & Comic Art Signature® Auction #7340 at Heritage Auctions. If you’ve never bid at Heritage Auctions before, you can get further information, you can check out their FAQ on the bidding process and related matters.
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