Bud Blake

Julian "Bud" Blake (February 13, 1918, Nutley, New Jersey, United States - December 26, 2005, Maine Medical Center, Portland, Maine) was an American cartoonist best known for his comic strip "Tiger", about a group of suburban boyhood pals. Launched May 3, 1965, it was distributed by King Features Syndicate to, at its peak, about 400 newspapers worldwide.

Biography

Early life and career

Bud Blake grew up in Nutley, New Jersey. [via Associated Press. [http://www.nytimes.com/2005/12/30/arts/30blake.html "Julian Blake, 87, Comic Strip Artist, Dies"] , "The New York Times", December 30, 2005. Accessed November 26, 2007] His father, George Blake, was art director of the Batten Co., a forerunner of Batten, Barton, Durstine & Osborn. His sister grew up to illustrate children's books.

Blake left high school before graduating, in order to work such jobs as, according to his syndicate biography, a demonstrator for a pen-knife company, carving portraits out of balsa wood. After selling some cartoons to "Judge" magazine, Blake enrolled in the National Academy of Design in New York City, supporting himself with odd jobs until 1937, when he landed a position as a paste-up boy with the Kudner Advertising Agency. He stayed with the company until 1954, except for his World War II military service with the U.S. Army infantry, and on his return eventually rose to become executive art director.Blake tired of the traveling and heavy responsibility that his job entailed, so he left advertising to pursue cartooning. King Features Syndicate was looking for a cartoonist to do a panel cartoon similar to H.T. Webster's, as Webster had recently passed away. Blake was hired to draw "Ever Happen to You?" Bud Blake and his family spent three months living in Spain, where he drew his new feature, but the international mails proved so unreliable that he eventually returned to the States. Many of his originals had gotten lost in the mail. Blake's clients would eventually include advertising firms and such magazines as "Business Week" and "Family Circle". Bud Blake drew "Ever Happen to You?" until 1964. He was approached by the syndicate to create a comic strip that would rival Peanuts and "Tiger" was born in 1965.

Later life and career

Blake drew the strip until he was 85, two years before his death. After Blake retired, the strip continued to appear as reprints, and as of December 2005, according to the syndicate, "Tiger" was running in more than 100 newspapers in 11 countries.

Blake, widowed in 1988, spent his final years at Damariscotta, Maine. He was survived by his son Jay, a physicist, and daughter Marianna, an artist.

Awards

The National Cartoonists Society named "Tiger" best humor strip in 1970, 1978 and 2000, with another nomination in 1998.

Quotes

Joe Kubert, commenting after Blake's death [http://www.nj.com/obituaries/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1135921437198481.xml&coll=1] : "I know his work and I've always enjoyed it. He was a wonderful artist and a wonderful cartoonist."

Footnotes

References

*Strickler, Dave. "Syndicated Comic Strips and Artists, 1924-1995: The Complete Index." Cambria, CA: Comics Access, 1995. ISBN 0-9700077-0-1.
* [http://www.kingfeatures.com/features/comics/tiger/about.htm King Features biography]
* [http://lambiek.net/artists/b/blake_bud.htm Lambiek.net Comicpedia entry]
* [http://www.toonopedia.com/tiger.htm Don Markstein's Toonopedia: "Tiger"]
* [http://www.reuben.org/ncs/members/biogs/blake.asp National Cartoonists Society: Bud Blake biography]
* [http://www.cnn.com/2005/SHOWBIZ/books/12/30/obit.blake.ap/index.html Associated Press article on CNN.com about Blake's death]
* [http://www.nj.com/obituaries/ledger/index.ssf?/base/news-12/1135921437198481.xml&coll=1 "The Star-Ledger", Dec. 30, 2005: "Nutley's Bud Blake, drew 'Tiger' comic"]
* [http://www.newsfromme.com/archives/2005_12_30.html#010765 News from Me: "Bud Blake, R.I.P."]
* [http://216.239.51.104/search?q=cache:ew2urfgRw6kJ:www.reuben.org/NewEngland/news.html+%22bud+blake%22+%22retired%22+%22tiger%22&hl=en Cached site of 2004 article from reuben.org]
* "Hogan's Alley" #13 (July 2005): Interview with Bud Blake