If you asked me who my favorite black comedy cartoonist is, I'd have to say Gahan Wilson. But I have to admit that Charles Addams was a true pioneer in that area. And a very funny one.
One thing I hadn't know is that he lived and created up until 1988. Some of his works―largely single panels and covers for The New Yorker―came while I was in high school. Changes your perspective.
It's also kind of funny that he looked an odd bit like Gomez Addams but with a bigger wardrobe.
2 comments:
I hadn't thought about Charles Addams in years but you're absolutely correct that he deserved all the fame he earned. I found a site called Lambiek - Comiclopedia that featured a much longer story about his life, his illustrations, and all the affairs he had with a number of well-known women.
He owned a Gothic mansion called 'The Swamp' that was filled with eerie collectibles, had a pet cemetary on his land where he and his wife used to picnic and where his ashes were buried.
I'm very fond of Gahan Wilson too and I'm not sure if Edward Gorey counts officially as a black comedy cartoonist but he'd get my vote.
Nice cartoon you chose as an illustration.
I think I actually downloaded the cartoon I used for this blog post from his Lambiek page. That doesn't mean I read it thoroughly. It feels right that he was friends with both Ray Bradbury and Alfred Hitchcock, with Burgess Meredith not being that far out either. The details on his romantic life are certainly something. It says he dated "former first lady Jacqueline Kennedy", although my educated guess is that they mean "future first lady Jacqueline Bouvier." If they'd had a relationship between Dallas and Ari Onassis more people would know about it.
In the photo I've seen of the Swamp it looks like a nice suburban house, albeit a very big one. Aptly enough the man bore a slight resemblance to Bela Lugosi.
Who could forget Edward Gorey? I think the reason I didn't count him is because I think of him as a short story writer/occasional poet who illustrates his own stuff.
The idea of tiny men making music in Muzak speakers certainly amused me.
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