Richard Gagnon

Kenneth Smith’s Singular Warren Visions « Quodo seemed to be a paradise. It was a lush green planet of peace and solitude. Then the pilot met the blonde… » — Nicola Cuti, “Weird World” Kenneth Smith (1943-), the f…

A fine piece of Kenneth Smith cover art, I'd wager. Here's some more of his work, for comparison: whosoutthere.ca/2019/03/08/k...

All Men Are Brothers: Henri Dunant’s Croix-Rouge and the Geneva Convention « When a naked man is chasing a woman through an alley with a butcher knife and a hard-on, I figure he isn’t out collecting for the Red Cross. » — Clint Eastwood in Dirty Harry (1971) A…

Today's the birthday of the legendary Reed Crandall (1917-1982). From 1960, here's a lesser-known -- but magnificent -- piece he illustrated for the pages of Treasure Chest, a biography of Red Cross founder Henri Dunant.
whosoutthere.ca/2021/05/08/a...

Joe Maneely, Atlas of Versatility « The cemeteries are full of irreplaceable people who were all replaced. » — Georges Clemenceau Commercially and creatively, the 1950s held some of the best and the worst years for the Americ…

On the centenary of his birth, we remember, with a bunch of his finest covers, the prodigiously talented, but cruelly ill-fated Joe Maneely (1926-1958). 🎂

whosoutthere.ca/2021/05/22/j...

Wow, they sure don't have faith in their audience's ability to read even the most basic of Roman numerals... and that hand-holding 'Act 4' is just a slap in the face. :(

An Alarming Kirby Double-Header! « I am fond of pigs. Dogs look up to us. Cats look down on us. Pigs treat us as equals. » — Winston Churchill Recently, I’d been drawing a blank as to the topic of my next post. So I di…

Shining a spotlight on a couple of little-seen Jack Kirby stories, one of them a Planet of the Apes precursor, the other a sobering -- but still funny -- warning about the hazards of reckless cloning. 🐕

whosoutthere.ca/2026/02/12/a...

Behold… the Great Shnozzola! « That’s the conditions that prevail! » — Jimmy Durante Today, we salute noted vaudevillian, piano player, comedian, singer, film and radio star, raconteur and unlikely comics legend Ja…

Durante was master of all media! 👃
whosoutthere.ca/2021/02/10/b...

Here I am last Fall in Ostende, Belgium, sporting a favourite t-shirt...

... and another (both featuring, to varying degrees, Harry Dean Stanton). Both glorious.

Here's one...

Swiped from Russ Heath's classic cover for Spellbound no. 3 (May 1953, Atlas). See? 🐛

The first cover is by the mighty Samm Schwartz! 👑

Joe Gravel’s Pop Culture Rampage « Go to your bosom; Knock there, and ask your heart what it doth know » — William Shakespeare Joe Gravel’s work came my way when, if memory serves, eBay suggested one his cartoons. As a…

Here's my interview with cartoonist Joe Gravel, with plenty of saucy samples of his work!

« Have Gun, Will Travel ». I swear!

I have a weakness for this oddball, underrated 1968 gem with a great soundtrack:

Anatomy of a Swipe « Taking something from one man and making it worse is plagiarism. » — George Augustus Moore (1852-1933) A fortnight or so ago, I came across an image that looked… familiar. It wasn’t s…

I did some digging to unearth the source(s) of a pedestrian, but widely circulated, swipe. Here are the intriguing results.

whosoutthere.ca/2026/01/24/a...

Rowland Emett’s Ramshackle Poesy in Motion « The whistle of the old steam trains … could conjure up visions of bleak distances with one solitary wail. » — M.C. Beaton A couple of years back, I gave our readers an introductory sample o…

Can't get enough of the astounding Mr. Emett! whosoutthere.ca/2023/02/12/r...

Featuring a remarkably brazen swipe (by one Walter Johnson) of a classic Wings Comics cover by Bob Lubbers. See?

Featuring a lovely guest appearance by Beach Boy Carl Wilson!

At Eight o’clock in the Morning… They Live! « “Obey the government”, said one croak. “We are the government”, said another. » — Ray Faraday Nelson I’ve been juggling several ideas for posts, most of them l…

Here's a look at the comics adaptation of Ray Nelson's classic (very) short -- but very effective -- story "Eight o'Clock in the Morning". Said graphic adaptation is what caught John Carpenter's eye, and, as an imdb wag astutely put it: « Unfortunately this film has aged very well. »

Hallowe’en Countdown VIII, Day 19 « Dick’s Monster was something to behold. Whatever possessed him to put the creature’s nose up on the forehead is beyond us — but it worked, making it possibly the weirdest Franke…

On what would have been his one hundred and tenth birthday, here's a look at Dick Briefer's gorgeous pitch -- failed, sadly -- for a 'Frankenstein' newspaper strip. ⚡
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Just a Humble Boy From Tupelo, Mississippi « When I was a boy, I always saw myself as a hero in comic books and in movies. I grew up believing this dream. » – Elvis Aaron Presley (1935 — ?) Today, somewhere, the King of Rock &#8…

Somewhere, Elvis is quietly celebrating his ninetieth birthday. Glory to the King of Rock 'n' Roll! 👑 🍔
whosoutthere.ca/2019/01/08/j...

Treasured Stories: New Year’s Revolutions (1954) « New Year’s Resolution: To tolerate fools more gladly, provided this does not encourage them to take up more of my time. » — James Agate And another one gone… another one bites the dus…

Enjoy a classic Carl Barks ten-pager to see out -- in style -- this rather... dismal year. 🐈‍⬛ 🍾🦆🎿
whosoutthere.ca/2025/12/31/t...

Radio Days! 📻

1970 Bobby Sherman - Goin’ Home (Sing A Song Of Christmas Cheer) (stereo) YouTube video by The45Prof

It's a favourite round ours (as they say), with just the right balance between good originals, standards and a surprisingly hilarious skit. But for some reason, Bobby's great Christmas single -- of the same vintage -- was left out... so here it is! www.youtube.com/watch?v=mhdk...

Treasured Stories: “Where Is the Paradise of Space?” (1962) « Competition brings out the best in products and the worst in people. » — David Sarnoff The other day, my partner was trying out a video game whose soundscape seemed exceptionally judicious …

Here, to mark the occasion, is one of my very favourite Gardner Fox stories, featuring The Star Rovers! whosoutthere.ca/2021/08/20/t...

Christmases, Both Sour and Sweet « In the bleak midwinter, frosty wind made moan,Earth stood hard as iron, water like a stone;Snow had fallen, snow on snow, snow on snow,In the bleak midwinter, long ago. » — Christina Rosset…

Here's a potent double header of short Christmas-themed tales... not quite trading in the usual sentimental slop, so do thread lightly. 🎄💀 whosoutthere.ca/2025/12/20/c...

« I’m going door to door to make you this incredible offer! » Surprise! Happy birthday to Lois Lane artist supreme Kurt Schaffenberger (December 15, 1920 – January 24, 2002), here working under the alias of Lou Wahl, (he was also Jay Kafka, which would have b…

Happy b-day to Kurt Schaffenberger, whose storied career took him from Captain Marvel (the real one!) to Superman, Lois Lane and ACG... and brief, unlikely flirtations with horror... and Archie comics! 🪰 whosoutthere.ca/2017/12/15/i...

The Unforgettable Jack Cole « What are you mumbling about? » « Oh, nuthin’! … just that  my false teeth get loose  an’ make a lot of noise! » Today marks the one hundred and third anniversary of the enigmatic Jack Cole …

On his birth anniversary, we recall the hypertalented -- but tragically woebegone -- creator of Plastic Man and early Playboy Magazine star cartooning (among other achievements), Jack Cole (1914-1958). 🎂

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