- Rip Kirby
"Rip Kirby" was a
comic strip featuring aneponymous character, created byAlex Raymond in 1946.Publication history
After
World War II , Raymond did not return to work on any of his previous successful comic strips ("Flash Gordon ", "Jungle Jim ", "Secret Agent X-9 ") but instead began work on a new strip starring an ex-marine private detective named Rip Kirby, based on the suggestion by Ward Greene that Raymond try a "detective-type" strip. Thedaily strip was first published on March 4, 1946.cite web | last =Don Markstein's Toonopedia | title =Rip Kirby| url =http://www.toonopedia.com/ripkirby.htm ] The strip enjoyed enormous success and Raymond received theReuben Award in 1949.cite web | last =Lambiek Comiclopedia | title =Alex Raymond| url =http://lambiek.net/artists/r/raymond.htm ]During Raymond’s years on the strip, the stories were written by first
King Features editor Ward Greene and later following Greene's death, by Fred Dickenson. Some sequences were also written by Raymond himself.In 1956, Alex Raymond was killed in a car crash. The
syndicate quickly needed a replacement and found it in John Prentice. Dickenson continued to write the series until the mid-1980s when he was forced to retire for health reasons. Prentice then took over the writing along with others. Prentice kept the strip going until his own death in 1999. The strip ended with Rip’s retirement onJune 26 ,1999 . Prentice received theNational Cartoonist Society Story Comic Strip Award for 1966, 1967, and 1986 for his work on the strip.Over the years of publication, the strip was ghosted and assisted by many artists and writers, including
Frank Bolle (who completed the last episode),Al Williamson ,Gray Morrow , andNeal Adams .References
* [http://www.reuben.org/ncs/awards2.asp National Cartoonist Society Awards] FootnotesExternal links
* [http://www.thrillingdetective.com/kirby.html Remington "Rip" Kirby] on The Thrilling Detective
* [http://www.toonopedia.com/ripkirby.htm Rip Kirby entry] on Don Markstein's Toonopedia
* [http://www.keefestudios.com/studio/prentice/prentice.htm Tribute: John Prentice]
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