{"id":790,"date":"2009-06-17T08:36:52","date_gmt":"2009-06-17T13:36:52","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/goldenagecomics.org\/wordpress\/?p=790"},"modified":"2009-06-18T15:24:35","modified_gmt":"2009-06-18T20:24:35","slug":"comics-then-5-comics-first-great-african-american-artist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/goldenagecomics.org\/wordpress\/2009\/06\/17\/comics-then-5-comics-first-great-african-american-artist\/","title":{"rendered":"Comics Then #5 – Comics’ First Great African American Artist"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here’s my final “Comics Then” column that was prepared for the now defunct Comics Now!<\/em> magazine.\u00a0 This column was to have been in an issue celebrating Black History Month, and I chose to write about the great Matt Baker.\u00a0 Enjoy!<\/p>\n

Comics\u2019 First Great African American Artist<\/strong><\/p>\n

In my last \u201cComics Then\u201d column<\/a>, I focused on some of the events leading to comic book censorship and the creation of the Comic Code Authority.\u00a0 Indeed, when most comic book fans hear the name \u201cFredric Wertham\u201d they immediately have sour thoughts of comic book censorship because they are aware of Wertham\u2019s attack on the comic book industry and his infamous book, The Seduction of the Innocent<\/em> (Rinehart, 1954).\u00a0 But did you know that there is a connection between Wertham\u2019s book and the first African American to draw comics during the Golden Age of Comic Books?<\/p>\n

While Wertham attacked many aspects of late 1940\u2019s and early 1950\u2019s crime and horror comics, he spent an entire chapter in Seduction of the Innocent<\/em> (Chapter 7, \u201cBumps and Bulges\u201d) discussing the portrayal of women in comics.\u00a0 One of his pictured examples of \u201cbad comic books\u201d has become the most recognized Golden Age comic book cover featuring \u201cgood girl art\u201d (the depiction of a strikingly beautiful woman, with emphasis on her female form and features), Phantom Lady<\/em> #17 (April, 1948).\u00a0\u00a0 This cover, and many like it, was drawn by the great African American comic book artist, Matt Baker.<\/p>\n

\"Phantom<\/a>

Phantom Lady #17<\/p><\/div>\n

\u00a0Phantom Lady<\/a> was a creation of the Iger Studio for Quality Comics, and was originally drawn by Allen Peddy and others in a manner that today would hardly be described as \u201cgood girl art\u201d.\u00a0\u00a0 She first appeared in Police Comics<\/em> #1 (August, 1941) and was a regular in that title until her series ended in issue #23 in August, 1943.\u00a0 After a 4 year hiatus, the character was repackaged by Iger for the Fox Feature Syndicate, where she made her debut in Phantom Lady<\/em> #13 (August, 1947) (this title had been Watalife Comics<\/em> up to that point).\u00a0 It is in this issue where the great Matt Baker took over the character and worked his magic.\u00a0 Not only did Baker make the character a much more voluptuous super hero, he also changed her costume from a yellow and green one piece outfit, to a skimpy blue and red costume with a plunging neckline.\u00a0 The character\u2019s popularity soared under Baker\u2019s hand, and continued until 1949 when Fox ceased operations.\u00a0 In 1956, DC Comics acquired the rights to the Fox characters and has published several incarnations of Phantom Lady since reintroducing her in the pages of Justice League of America<\/em> #107 (October, 1973).<\/p>\n

\"phantomlady\"<\/a><\/p>\n

While records from the Golden Age of comic books are not very detailed, it is believed by some that Baker was the first African American to draw comic books.\u00a0 Baker was born in 1921 in North Carolina, and began drawing comics in the 1940\u2019s.\u00a0 He was educated at Cooper Union in New York and did his first comic book work for the Iger studio.\u00a0 Because the studio packaged comics for various publishers, Baker\u2019s work appeared in the titles published by Quality, Fox, Fiction House and others.\u00a0 He even drew Lorna Doone<\/em> for Classics Illustrated<\/em> in 1947, his only work on that title.\u00a0 In addition to Phantom Lady (also appearing in All Top Comics<\/em>), Baker\u2019s \u201cgood girl art\u201d can be found in such titles as Jumbo Comics<\/em>, Sheena, Queen of the Jungle<\/em>, Jo-Jo<\/em>, Rulah-Jungle Goddess<\/em> and others.\u00a0 He is credited with such characters as Sky Girl, Flamingo, South Sea Girl, Glory Forbes, Tiger Girl, Mysto of the Moon, Mitzi in Hollywood and others.\u00a0 Notably, Baker is also credited with creating the first graphic novel in comics for St. John with It Rhymes with Lust<\/a><\/em>, published in 1950.\u00a0 St. John called the title a \u201cpicture novel\u201d and the entire issue by Baker was devoted to one story (This graphic novel was reprinted in its entirety by Dark Horse in March, 2007).<\/p>\n

\"It<\/a>

It Rhymes with Lust (1950)<\/p><\/div>\n

Fans of Baker\u2019s work don\u2019t just associate him with Phantom Lady and other work out of the Iger studio.\u00a0 Indeed, Baker\u2019s greatest volume of work probably resulted from his tenure at St. John where he was art director for a couple of years in the early 1950\u2019s.\u00a0 While at St. John, Baker produced well over 200 covers, and stories for many romance titles such as, Teen-Age Romances<\/em>, Pictorial Romances<\/em>, Wartime Romances<\/em> and Diary Secrets<\/em>.\u00a0 While at St. John, he also worked on another of his memorable characters, Canteen Kate, who appeared in many humorous adventures in Fightin\u2019 Marines<\/em>, Canteen Kate<\/em> and Anchors Andrew<\/em>.\u00a0\u00a0 Kate was both sexy and funny, wearing a USMC uniform more suitable for pin ups than for military duty!<\/p>\n

\"Teen-Age<\/a>

Teen-Age Romances #18<\/p><\/div>\n

Later in the 1950\u2019s, Baker left St. John and is credited with a large volume of work on Atlas\u2019 romance comics, Love Romance<\/em>, My Own Romance<\/em> and others.\u00a0 He also worked on several western comics for Atlas such as Gunsmoke Western<\/em>, Western Outlaws<\/em>, Quick Trigger Action<\/em>, Frontier Western<\/em> and Wild Western<\/em>.\u00a0 Baker also did a couple of stories for the \u201cpre-hero\u201d Atlas titles, Strange Tales<\/em> (#58, May, 1957) and Tales to Astonish<\/em> (#2, March, 1959).<\/p>\n

\"Canteen<\/a>

Canteen Kate #1 (1952)<\/p><\/div>\n

His \u201cgood girl art\u201d was prominent throughout all of his work, and his covers from the 1940\u2019s and 1950\u2019s are striking, stressing the beauty of the women depicted, regardless of the situation they were in at the time.\u00a0\u00a0 Issues of Phantom Lady<\/em>, All-Top<\/em>, Seven Seas<\/em>, and others with Baker covers are highly sought after by collectors.<\/p>\n

\"Seven<\/a>

Seven Seas Comics #4<\/p><\/div>\n

Baker died of heart failure in 1959 (he had suffered from a heart condition most of his life), and with his passing one of the truly great comic book artists to come out of the Golden Age was lost.\u00a0 As an African American in an industry that at the time was almost exclusively dominated by white males, Baker was a trend setter, being accepted in the industry among his peers because of his great skill as an artist.<\/p>\n

Some great resources about Matt Baker went into the creation of this column.\u00a0 First, Alberto Becattini\u2019s and John Benson\u2019s articles in Alter Ego<\/em> #47 (April, 2005) provide invaluable information on Baker\u2019s life and career, including a complete index of Baker\u2019s work by Becattini.\u00a0 In the same issue of Alter Ego<\/em>, Jim Amash interviews Baker\u2019s nephew and half-brother to provide a rare glimpse into Baker\u2019s personal life.\u00a0 I also had fun perusing Benson\u2019s book, Confessions, Romances, Secrets, and Temptations \u2013 Archer St. John and the St. John Romance Comics<\/em> (Fantagraphics, 2007).\u00a0 Benson is truly the expert on all things related to St. John\u2019s romance comics.\u00a0 Last, and certainly not least, Michelle Nolan\u2019s, Love on the Racks<\/em> (McFarland & Company, 2008) is the ultimate guide to the history of American romance comics, and contains information about Baker and his work in the romance comics of various publishers.\u00a0 I would highly recommend all of these resources to anyone interested in Baker and romance comics<\/a>, generally.<\/p>\n