Everyone knows what constitutes a great example of Johnny Comet. Collectors want a nice shot of Johnny and some sexy shots of Jean Fargo or Raven Rocket or Trixie. However, the art in that strip contains so much more than the routine types of excellence that collectors search for. Consider this example: It has no close-ups of Johnny and, alas, no sexy women. What it does have is sensational art featuring that wonderful idiosyncratic Frazetta action that he does so well, so effortlessly. I have enlarged the center panel. Look at that drawing! Pure genius! Flawless execution! That striped suit is simply amazing in its visual impact. The gestures of the body are so perfect in their expression. Note the tire in the third panel. Look at the energy that is felt as the tire spins furiously off the car and into the air. This daily must have been pure fun for Frank. What a sheer joy of drawing emerges from this “mundane” example with no Johnny and no Frazetta babes. All this extraordinary linework in a simple daily that will never showcase its qualities with the confines of a newspaper publication on subpar paper.Dr. Dave Winiewicz ©2008
