Friday, June 26, 2009

Cover Art for SCREW #1412, featuring cover artist Natpink (?)

Earlier this week, I received an email from a reader of this blog, asking if I could help him track down an issue of SCREW that featured a Li'l Abner parody, (as listed in some Denis Kitchen publication). I immediately remembered the issue, mainly because the Li'l Abner cover and accompanying interior strip had been so well drawn. However, I couldn't recall the artist's name, nor did I believe that I had the issue in my archives.

After a quick rummage through my stack, I was pleased to discover that I do indeed have the cover, (although tragically, I failed to save the strip). I now post that cover in the hope that it will at least partially satisfy the reader's quest. Not only don't I have the accompanying strip, but I can't issue a firm ruling on whether or not the signature "Natpink" indicates a pseudonym, (which I suspect is the case) or the talented artist's real name. What I can say for sure is that the issue dates from March 25th, 1996.

While Issue #1412's cover is fairly tame in the titillation department, it more than makes up for this shortfall with dazzling drawing chops, as well as dead-on stylistic mimicry of well-known syndicated cartoon characters. "Natpink" also makes skillful use of SCREW's classic limited palette, (two colors plus black would be the norm for SCREW until the Fall of 1996, when the paper went full color). Apart from one or two murky spots, (an inevitability when working with newsprint) the colors are varied and well-chosen.

It's a nice one. I just wish I knew who drew it.

(ADDENDUM on 7/16/09: the same reader who initially asked about this cover has done some research, and now tells me that the drawing is most likely the work of cartoonist Pat McKeown. I'm not familiar with Pat McKeown's work, but if he drew this cover, he's damned talented).

10 comments:

  1. It's not NATPINK. It's signed "ПАТРИК" in the Cyrillic alphabet (used in Russian) and the name is pronounced "Patrick".

    The П is actually a P. The Р is actually an R. The И is actually an I. Hope this helps.

    I'm a fan of your art from way back.

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  2. Thanks for the compliment, and thanks for the Cyrillic tip, Mark! Okay, so we know the guy's Russian, his first name is probably Patrick, he digs classic syndicated strips, and he draws like a motherfucker. I'd say we're a little further along on the trail than we were yesterday.

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  3. Probably Russian, but maybe Serbian, Bulgarian, Ukrainian...Or maybe just a poseur.

    I wish I knew who it was. That picture of gay Popeye is superb.

    Who's the big guy behind Sluggo?

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  4. Nice cover. And nice blog too, Danny.

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  5. I believe the big guy behind Sluggo is a Bazooka Joe on steroids. yeah i like this artist!

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  6. There's a Lil' Abner parody strip reprinted in SCREW COMIX #4 that features the characters in the cover above. It's credited to a "Pat McEown," so this may very well be the guy. A brief bio appears on the inside cover: "Patrick McEown: Current whereabouts unknown. Rumored to be roaming the White Russian hills of the former Soviet Union selling counterfeit Mark Kostabi paintings (According to our former art editor, who's a known Ny-Quil abuser, so consider the source.)"
    I tried posting a page from the comic here, but it won't take the html. I can email the scans if you need them, but you probably already have the issue seeing as your work appears on the back cover!
    Hugo

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  7. this is canadian Pat McEown? it doesn't look like his usual style, though it rocks all the same.

    Post the comic!

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  8. Holy shit! I wrote that blurb in SCREW Comix #4! I remember that strip well... but truth be told, I have no fucking clue how we came about the identity of the strip's creator as Pat McEown, so the story of me relying on Kevin Hein's muddled crazy-person brain is most likely sadly true.

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  9. hey guys:
    its hard to tell cause its a mimic but sluggos nose looks like patrick and the naked girl in the top right sorta looks like him, when hes left to his style. patrick did live in brooklyn for a year. why arent you asking bob fingerman?
    www.cartoongal.com

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