Tuesday, April 7, 2020

Rip Kirby

There was a time when I used to read all the comic books that I could lay my hands on. Rip Kirby was one of the books that impressed me, mainly for its perfect line work and of course the interesting stories. 




After WW-II, Alex Raymond returned to making cartoon strips and created ex-marine Rip Kirby as a private detective. I think the wonderful line work was the skill of John Prentice.

The comic strip used to come in pocket book size (A5 size)


His butler, Desmond, was an important character in all the books and managed to give a twist to the stories.



I was so impressed by the drawings, that I tried to draw Kirby from a comic book. I did it by putting in grid lines with pencil and did the final drawing with black felt pen. I drew this in the early seventies, so this is about five decades old. 


I have placed a pen there to give you an idea of the actual size. The enlargement is to the scale of 1:5 
When this turned out well, I tried my hand at one more character from the same comic book. 


Now that I have all the time in the world, I think I should try some more enlargements. Maybe Lord Greystoke's son (Tarzan) 

31 comments:

  1. Replies
    1. Let's bring back Rip Kirby to comic strips and newspapers in June 2025.

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  2. Wow. I definitely think you should keep drawing.

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    1. Rip Kirby 70 years of epic adventures created by Alex Raymond debuted in 1946 to 1999 & possible return to comic strips and newspapers in June 2025.

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  3. Wow.... I didn't know there was an artist in you - Mercy George

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    Replies
    1. Rip Kirby meets Steve Canyon crossover story.

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  4. Impressed with the artwork - Anand Rao

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    1. Rip Kirby meets Jungle Jim adventures in Africa crossover story.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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  5. You're a talented artist! I haven't heard of this character, but your drawing matched the original.

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    1. Rip Kirby meets Popeye the Sailor crossover story.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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  6. Joe, maybe you should start sketching again - Nandini Ramchandra

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    Replies
    1. Rip Kirby meets Mandrake the Magician crossover story.🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈🌈⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐☀☀☀☀☀☀☀☀🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

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  7. Thanks Joe for bringing back old memories. I think we used to read Rip Kirby in the Free Press Bulletin along with Modesty Blaze.
    Your drawings are cool. Now is as good a time as any to pursue your hobby... keep it up - Wilfred Matos

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  8. I still call that type of glasses Rip Kirby glasses :))

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    1. Rip Kirby meets Flash Gordon in outer space destination Planet Mongo/State of Mongovia crossover story.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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  9. Oh great Joe, you have a steady hand. - Vilas Bhalerao

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    1. Rip Kirby The Movie classic action adventure detective espionage melodrama film released in 1983 filmed entirely in Belgrade Serbia/former Yugoslavia became a compilation film & cult favorite based from the story by Alex Raymond.

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  10. I used to read comics when I was younger too. This series looks really cool :)

    Perla Lifestyle Blog

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    1. Popeye the Sailor he is my favorite cartoon character and superhero eats can of spinach and saves the world.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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  11. You've certainly have an artistic gene in your body!

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    Replies
    1. Rip Kirby literary character and comic strip hero.

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  12. Nice sketches Joe, you can try now also - Pravin Dhande

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    Replies
    1. Rip Kirby returns to comicbooks and newspapers in June 2025 after 26 years of absence.

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  13. Replies
    1. Rip Kirby meets James Bond 007 in London England crossover story.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

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  14. So true. I remember him. We used to read any comic book that came our way, favourite was Phantom, Tarzan and Mandrake. Then Kirby Flash Gordon etc. Later it was Mad, Tintin, Asterix..... the good old days.
    Your drawing is impressive. You should give your talent a go now..... seriously. - Daisy Thomas.

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  15. Those look really good!
    I wish I could draw... the only thing I can draw is a raccoon :D

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  16. Well done you! Your versions look excellent. Your attention to the detail is great!

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  17. Good job. You should keep doing, make a collection - Liza Tom

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  18. I hadn't visited your blog for a while, Haddock and had a catch up - your artwork/cartooning is really good - think you should get some published if you have the opportunity.

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