Stan Drake
| Stan Drake | |
|---|---|
Stan Drake inking a strip
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| Born |
November 9, 1921 Brooklyn, New York, New York |
| Died | March 10, 1997 (aged 75) |
| Occupation | Cartoonist |
Stanley Albert Drake (November 9, 1921 – March 10, 1997) was an American cartoonist best known as the founding artist of the comic strip The Heart of Juliet Jones.
Born in Brooklyn, Drake worked in the back of a Dugan's Donut truck for a dollar-a-day salary while he was in high school. At the age of 17, he contributed art to Popular Detective, Popular Sports and other pulps. Entering the comic book field as artist, letterer and writer, he became friends with cartoonist Bob Lubbers, who later suggested he draw newspaper comics.
He studied for two years at New York's Art Students League. In the Pacific during World War II, he did PR work for Stars and Stripes. Returning to civilian life, he went into advertising, eventually heading a studio of 12 illustrators. Drake was a passenger during the September 1956 automobile accident that killed his fellow cartoonist Alex Raymond.
Juliet Jones, created in 1953 by Drake and writer Elliot Caplin, was a dramatic comic drawn by Drake in a naturalistic style. Drake, whose assistants included Tex Blaisdell and Frank McLaughlin, stayed on the strip until 1989, when he was succeeded by Frank Bolle.
In 1984, Drake replaced Mike Gersher as the artist on Blondie (written by Dean Young), and he continued drawing the strip until his death. His assistant on Blondie was Denis Lebrun.
He was a prolific painter and created portraits of more than 40 cartoonists, work displayed at the Comic Artist's Museum in Sarasota, Florida.
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