Table of Contents
Scope and Contents of the Collection
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Overview of the Collection |
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| Creator: | Prentice, John Franklin, 1920- |
| Title: | John Prentice Cartoons |
| Inclusive Dates: | 1956-1968 |
| Bulk Dates: | 1956-1965 |
| Quantity: | 18.25 linear ft. |
| Abstract: | Over 2,000 original daily comic strips for Rip Kirby, one piece of original artwork for Brenda Starr, sketches and promotional material |
| Language: | English |
| Repository: | Special Collections Research Center, Syracuse University Libraries 222 Waverly Avenue Syracuse, NY 13244-2010 https://library.syracuse.edu/special-collections-research-center |
Biographical History
John Franklin Prentice (1920-1999) was an American illustrator and comic strip artist.
Born Oct 17, 1920 in Whitney, Texas, John Prentice enlisted and served with the U.S. Navy for six years, including at Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941. After his military service, Prentice attended the Art Institute of Pittsburgh and moved to New York City where he did freelance work in the form of advertising art, magazine covers, comic books and editorial illustrations. Prentice’s comic book work included penciling and inking for Hillman, DC and Features Comics.
In 1956, Rip Kirby comic strip creator Alex Raymond died suddenly following a car accident. Prentice joined King Features Syndicate as Raymond’s replacement while the strip continued to be written by Fred Dickenson. In the 1980s, Prentice took over writing duties for Rip Kirby as well, continuing the strip until its conclusion in the 1990s.
Prentice drew the strip for 43 years, receiving the National Cartoonist Society's (NCS) Story Newspaper Strip Award in 1966, 1967, and 1986. He was a member of the Society of Illustratiors and NCS.
John Prentice died on May 23, 1999 in Connecticut.
Scope and Contents of the Collection
The John Prentice Cartoons are divided into three series. The main series, Comic Strips (1956-1966) consists of approximately 2,227 original daily Rip Kirby comic strips and also one original comic strip for Brenda Starr drawn by Dale Messick and dated December 18, 1957. Rip Kirby storylines include "Armored Car", "Mother Fagin", "Dr. Pretty Petal", "Dr. Lee's Formula" and "His Majesty, Sheik of Alibar" (all from 1964).
Original artwork for Rip Kirby measures approximately 6 1/4" x 20" to 6 3/4" x 23". Prentice worked with brush, pen and ink on illustration board. The artwork also contains traces of pencil, blue pencil and zipatone dot screening. Notations appear in the borders in ballpoint pen and pencil; engraver's stamps appear on the back. Several cartoons from January 1965 have copyright stickers from 1964 as do several pieces from January 1966 with stickers from 1965.
Sketches contains undated ink and pencil sketches on parchment paper. Some sketches are on loose paper and there is also a sketchbook.
Promotional Material (1968) is comprised of one item promoting Rip Kirby from King Features Syndicate.
Restrictions
Access Restrictions
The majority of our archival and manuscript collections are housed offsite and require advanced notice for retrieval. Researchers are encouraged to contact us in advance concerning the collection material they wish to access for their research.
Use Restrictions
Written permission must be obtained from SCRC and all relevant rights holders before publishing quotations, excerpts or images from any materials in this collection.
Related Material
Special Collections Research Center has collections of over one hundred cartoonists. Please refer to the SCRC Subject Index for a complete listing.
Subject Headings
Persons
Corporate Bodies
Associated Titles
Subjects
Genres and Forms
Occupations
Administrative Information
Preferred Citation
Preferred citation for this material is as follows:
John Prentice Cartoons
Special Collections Research Center,
Syracuse University Libraries
Acquisition Information
Gift of John Prentice, 1967-1971.
Finding Aid Information
Created by: RT
Date: Dec 1968
Revision history: 2 Apr 2008 - converted to EAD (MRC);
29 Jun 2010 - added detailed bio, scope and inventory (SK)
Inventory
| Comic Strips | |||||||||||
| Rip Kirby (2,227 items) | |||||||||||
| Click here for a detailed inventory. | |||||||||||
| Oversize 1 | 1956 Jan, 1956 Oct-Dec, 1957 Jan-Apr | ||||||||||
| Oversize 2 | 1957 May-Oct | ||||||||||
| Oversize 3 | 1957 Nov-1958 Jul | ||||||||||
| Oversize 4 | 1958 Jun-Dec | ||||||||||
| Oversize 5 | 1959 Jan-Jun | ||||||||||
| Oversize 6 | 1959 Jul-Dec | ||||||||||
| Oversize 7 | 1960 Jan-Jul | ||||||||||
| Oversize 8 | 1960 Aug-1961 Feb | ||||||||||
| Oversize 9 | 1961 Mar-Dec | ||||||||||
| Oversize 10 | 1962 | ||||||||||
| Oversize 11 | 1963 Jan-Jun | ||||||||||
| Oversize 12 | 1963 Jul-Dec | ||||||||||
| Oversize 13 | 1964 Jan-Jun | ||||||||||
| Oversize 14 | 1964 Jul-Dec | ||||||||||
| Oversize 15 | 1965 Jan-Jun | ||||||||||
| Oversize 16 | 1965 Jul-Dec | ||||||||||
| Oversize 17 | 1966 Jan-Mar, 1966 Oct | ||||||||||
| Brenda Starr by Dale Messick (1 item) | |||||||||||
| Map-Case 1, Drawer 100 | Dec 18 1957 - original comic strip artwork 7" x 22" | ||||||||||
| Sketches 9"x12" | |||||||||||
| Box 1 | Sketchbook before 1968 | ||||||||||
| Box 1 | Loose sketches undated | ||||||||||
| Promotional Material | |||||||||||
| Box 1 | King Features promotional material for Rip Kirby 1968 (1 item) | ||||||||||