Warren Bernard's Willard Mullin collection (pre-Columbia U donation)

 Warren Bernard spent years collecting sports cartoonist Willard Mullin artwork and ephemera. Before he donated it to Columbia University this month, he had a showing of material at his house. With his permission, here are photos of the material that went to NYC (with a few ringers that stayed home with him).  

Prof. Joseph Witek sent me a note about this post. "In one of the random projects that came my way back in the helter-skelter pioneer days of comics studies, I wrote the Dictionary of American Biography entry for Willard Mullin (who I had never previously heard of). Mullin was just an excellent cartoonist / caricaturist from back in the day when sports cartoons were the sports-page counterpart of editorial cartoons, during an era when boxing (Joe Louis), thoroughbred racing, and East Coast college football were the premier sports in US culture (the Army-Navy game was once a huge deal).  But Mullin covered a bit of everything."

And the ringers, Winsor McCay, Gluyas Williams, and Bringing up Father posters.

Rube Goldberg says, "Beat It!"

As part of our 'Secret History of Comics,' here's a Mutt and Jeff Series Sweet Caporal cigarettes card that I picked up last weekend at a flea market. Although the back of the card says over 250 designs of "Original Pictures Illustrating Popular Phrases by 'Bud' Fisher, T.E. Powers, R.L. Goldberg, 'Tad', Gus Mager, etc., etc., Warman's Tobacco Collectibles: An Identification and Price Guide by Mark Moran, says that there's 100 cards. 

I don't see myself getting into collecting these, but I'd like to hear about other examples that people have.

 
Oddly enough, Goldberg's crazy designs for machines are making a comeback and you can buy toys with his name on in Target right now.

Hulk and Bush in NY Times

These two articles were flanking each other on the business page. Remember, cigars kill people, not children's books.

"Physicians’ Group Furious at Cigars in ‘Hulk’ Movie," By BROOKS BARNES, New York Times June 16, 2008

"The Secret to Success in Publishing: Bash Bush, With Nods to a Classic," By JOANNE KAUFMAN, New York Times June 16, 2008.