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Baker Romance
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13,509 posts in this topic

5 hours ago, Yorick said:

I think this is not ENTIRELY Baker.  Definitely the woman's face, but other elements might be Doolin.   All these collaborative efforts by Baker are what makes the debate!!

It was pointed out to me that a helpful way to identify uncredited Golden Age comic art is by looking at the ears, because the ear is a relatively detailed part of the body that’s usually visible, assuming the character isn’t wearing anything like a hat or doesn’t have long hair covering it. I’ve found that many artists had their own way of drawing the ear, specifically the antihelix, which is often distinct like a sort of signature in of itself, and while even the same artist doesn’t draw the ear in exactly the same way every time, it’s usually consistent enough to provide a reasonably and confidently-made identification.

Matt Baker’s signed covers from 1946-1949:

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Going by these, Baker seems to approach drawing the ears in a sort of “?” shaped pattern without the period, which at times also resembles a little more like an “S” or “7”, depending on how far away the ear is and what angle it’s being viewed from:

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In comparing the images to Jumbo Comics #85 (1946), I am now seeing more of a resemblance that’s consistent, along with how the entire faces of the women are drawn in general:

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So upon further examination, Baker may have done far more covers than I previously realized, if only in part.

Edited by Electricmastro
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4 hours ago, Yorick said:

I think this is not ENTIRELY Baker.  Definitely the woman's face, but other elements might be Doolin.   All these collaborative efforts by Baker are what makes the debate!!

Baker came in and changed faces,  and that's an example. OSPG will never call it a Baker cover.

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6 hours ago, Yorick said:

I think this is not ENTIRELY Baker.  Definitely the woman's face, but other elements might be Doolin.   All these collaborative efforts by Baker are what makes the debate!!

Joe Doolin would also be a likely candidate in regards to the majority of the cover. To differentiate him from Baker, I’ve noticed that Doolin tended to draw shaded faces with wide-eyed/bulging eyes and ears having a black circle in the middle with a line curving around it in the shape of a “C”. He also went as so far as to draw the iris in the eye, whereas Baker basically tended to have a black circle with a white dot in the middle to represent the eye.

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Edited by Electricmastro
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5 hours ago, Electricmastro said:

looking at the ears

I like to look at those gams!!!  Look at your edited face-set of eight.  All the eyes and lips are his "style" as well.

When we're dealing with other hands on the artwork, it is the proportions of the figures that give me something to work with in identifying underlying Baker pencils.

I also think it's different for different artists.  If you see a hallmark with the ears, great!

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6 hours ago, Yorick said:

I like to look at those gams!!!  Look at your edited face-set of eight.  All the eyes and lips are his "style" as well.

When we're dealing with other hands on the artwork, it is the proportions of the figures that give me something to work with in identifying underlying Baker pencils.

I also think it's different for different artists.  If you see a hallmark with the ears, great!

Baker very much drew mouths, at least on the women, as a rounded square with no teeth lines, and doesn’t heavily shade hair if it’s long and wavy. He also draws noses as two dots, unless they’re looked at from certain angles.

This all in mind, and just having looked at Jerry Bails’ Who’s Who which now makes it known to me that Baker did indeed draw covers for Fiction House from around 1947-1951, I’m willing to suggest that Baker at least drew Sheena’s face on these Jumbo covers I’ve just looked at for starters:

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Edited by Electricmastro
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16 hours ago, Electricmastro said:

I’m willing to suggest that Baker at least drew Sheena’s face on these Jumbo covers I’ve just looked at for starters:

 

TutuunU.jpg

 

106 is an interesting example as you have another woman's face on the cover bottom center.  The two look nothing alike to my eyes.  Only Sheena gets a Baker face??

Another problem is that these might just be swiped faces rather than Baker actually doing the pencil work.  If I was Doolin, I'd probably swipe Baker too.  :smirk:

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14 hours ago, szav said:

Courtesy of a boardie...not as hard to find in decent shape as it seemed a few years ago, the price run up on this has really flushed some nice copies out.  It wasn't 2 or 3 years ago that I found and hoarded I think 6 copies of this in the VG range all for between 25-100$...fast forward a few flips later and those all have essentially paid for this now.  Happy days.

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Your list of keepers is becoming more and more stellar (if that's possible).

Congrats! A stunner for sure :applause:

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