Not to be confused with the many other various illustrated publications using the exact same title, "Movie Comics", published by Fiction House from 1946 to 1947 lasted a mere 4 issues before calling it quits, --and it's a shame too because it's full of fun stories and truly incredible art. Each issue depicted real life movie stars and starlettes in actual films of the time era (via Paramount, Universal, and MGM --ie Dan Duryea and Ella Raines in "White Tie and Tails" and Mickey Rooney and Bonita Granville in "Love Laughs at Andy Hardy", just to name a few.) Each issue also squeezed in filler page bios on screen legends such as Joan Crawford, Ann Blythe, Douglas Fairbanks Jr., Clark Gable etc. But for this AEET post, we're going to double feature it up with a pair of marvelous Matt Baker tales starring fresh faced, fictionally frisky, "Mitzi of the Movies!" Mitzi Mason, aspiring midwestern girl lured to the bright lights of Hollywood, CA, --instead finding her lowly, lonely self schleppin' along in menial jobs while getting equally caught up in one suspense-filled shenanigan scrape after another! It's great stuff, and the beautiful Baker art deserves a non-stop barrage of all over chef kissery. So let's take off to the movie sets of a pirate picture, as well as a good 'ol wild wild western, and see just how our magnificent lil minx is makin' out, shall we? From the February 1947 issue of Movie Comics #2, and the June 1947 issue of #4. I've also rounded out the post with some cute vintage ads as well, --enjoy!
11 comments:
Yup, chef kissery on this art. It's good girl / pin-up central, and Baker never misses a moment to drop some cheesecake. Not sure if the first page has some patented edits, but that's pretty risque for late 40s.
This exist for the very reason of the good girl art but Baker also turns in a lot of great action, some interesting camera angles, and does a good job with talking heads sections (page 4 on the first story, how it goes from full figure, to shadowed, to heads, to full figure again to keep the art interesting.)
Great ships, horses, cameras ... this is all high quality art.
Second story, page 5, last panel -- those are some impossible clothes right there!
"Mitzi of the Movies", much like her artist Matt Baker, were in this world for too brief of a time. I can only wonder how her adventures might have played out, and what images Matt Baker would have graced the world with, had fate not taken such a talented artist.
Matt Baker was one of the greats of good girl art, and it shows in these comics.
Thanks for highlighting one of the greats in the realm of comics and illustration, Karswell.
No other comments? Is everyone on summer vacation?
Anyway, this is still a great post on a great blog, even if most followers seemed to slip posting comments today.
It took me two whole days to come up for air and comment on this one, because I’ve been too busy swanning about in the glorious time capsule that is this post! What a heavenly little treasure trove of Hollywood glamour, comic book charm, and Matt Baker magic. I’d go on any adventure with Mitzi, but especially if it comes with more fabulous fashion and incredible vintage ads. Thank you for unearthing this gem — I may never quite make it back to the present!
I think the worst thing that any of us can do is try to be modern. What an awful time era we currently live in!
lol! It is possible that everyone’s on vacation… I know I sure could use one like ASAP!
Yep, just flawless all around… I feel like I should just post the other two Mitzi stories here at some point —I guess there’s only 4, as far as I can tell.
Gorgeous art as always from Matt Baker. I would have loved to see him work on Wonder Woman in that era.
"I'll never go to the movies again!"
Don't they have shows in prison?
Okay, will someone please eat that blonde "left-over" sitting on the giant plate already!
Matt Baker's a wonder. Every time I see his stuff again I'm convinced it's the best examples yet. Both of these stories look stupendously good. Even though the lettering is quite good, I find the fate narration awkward and so the stories feel a little choppy to me. But even so I am delighted at the oddball fantasy/reality juxtapositions in the first two pages of story one. Each frame is a like a single-panel gag cartoon strip. It's like reading a whole week of Family Circus or whatever. I'm not sure I've ever seen that in a narrative sequence.
Looking forward to seeing the last two!
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