"Help from the Sky!" - Tailspin Tommy (original comic strip)

 

Harry "Hal" Forrest

 

1936  

ink on cardstock 

6 7/8 x 26 3/16" image size 

ink signed in final panel, lower right 

comic number 2673 

pencil titled along top of sheet edge; pencil dated on verso; ink numbered in first panel, lower right; old publication label on verso with measurements 

 

cream cardstock 

published 

Bell Syndicate, Inc., NY 

SARY104 

$350.00 

Though the signature on this comic strip paste-up credits the original artist of Tailspin Tommy, Hal Forrest, it is likely the work of his studio assistant, Reynold Brown. Employed by Forrest from 1935 to 1942, Brown was a high school student with a passion for drawing and aviation when he was recommended to Forrest by his art teacher. Soon after he began working at Forrest's studio, his artistry surpassed that of Forrest, notably improving the look of the comic. Forrest never credited him for his work and in 1942 Brown quit the studio, ultimately ending the comic.

Tailspin Tommy is known as the first successful aviation comic strip and Forrest as the first comic artist to tackle aviation. In part, it was his timing: World War I had created burgeoning tansportation markets after military industry ramped up the need for faster planes, cars, and trains. Forrest, who'd made a name for himself as the creator of Artie the Ace, a comic for military magazines, was approached by the owner of Bell Syndicate to ink a comic about the adventures of a pilot, and Tailspin Tommy was born. The comic was hugely popular for several years, adapted into comic books and radio shows. But by the 1940s the storyline was seen as dated and out of touch; additionally, some sources say that he was too detailed in his explanation of fighter pilot tactics and, with the Second World War in full swing, his storylines were censored, hampering his output.

Either way, the style of this particular strip, which was to be titled "Help from the Sky!" according to the penciled annotation on the top of the paper, remains a classic rendering of 1930s style in both artistry and dialogue.