Creator
Alex Raymond (Alexander Gillespie Raymond, 1909–1956) and Dashiell Hammett (1894–1961).
Title
Secret Agent X-9.
Date
June 29, 1934.
Description
Original pen and ink drawing for a daily comic strip published on June 29, 1934, 5½ x 25 in.
I have been interested in American comic strips since my childhood in France, when I read them (in French translation), and dreamt of becoming a cartoonist myself. When I came to America, I started clipping and collecting comic strips from New York newspapers and it is by reading these that I learned English. I eventually began collecting the original art of my favorite strips.
This item is the original art for an early example of the comic strip Secret Agent X-9, which was launched by King Features Syndicate in January 1934. It was scripted by Dashiell Hammett and illustrated by my favorite comic strip artist, Alex Raymond, one of the most influential forces in this medium and creator of the more celebrated Flash Gordon. Numerous artists have named Alex Raymond as an inspiration for their work, and the director George Lucas has cited Raymond’s Flash Gordon as a major influence on his Star Wars films.
I have been interested in American comic strips since my childhood in France, when I read them (in French translation), and dreamt of becoming a cartoonist myself. When I came to America, I started clipping and collecting comic strips from New York newspapers and it is by reading these that I learned English. I eventually began collecting the original art of my favorite strips.
This item is the original art for an early example of the comic strip Secret Agent X-9, which was launched by King Features Syndicate in January 1934. It was scripted by Dashiell Hammett and illustrated by my favorite comic strip artist, Alex Raymond, one of the most influential forces in this medium and creator of the more celebrated Flash Gordon. Numerous artists have named Alex Raymond as an inspiration for their work, and the director George Lucas has cited Raymond’s Flash Gordon as a major influence on his Star Wars films.
Source
Fred Schreiber