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Featured Blog Posts – November 2010 Archive (11)

The Birth of Mickey Free

November 30, 2010

Woke up early and got out to the studio at seven to attack a long list of images I want for the next Graphic Cinema on the Birth of Mickey Free. Finished up a couple hanging illustrations like this one:

This is of the Coyoteros escaping towards the San Pedro with 20 head of John Ward's cattle and his step-son.…

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Added by Bob Boze Bell on November 30, 2010 at 2:55pm — No Comments

Vaquero Joe vs. Tom Horn

November 18, 2010

Last night at the Buffalo Chip, Vaquero Joe Freedman rode a bull. Yes, a real sized-rodeo bull. The Chip has been having these bull riding sessions out back of the saloon and Joe told me he was going to ride. Now I had mixed feelings about this because, yesterday was Joe's best day ever at True West. He sold a ton of ad space, more than he has ever sold, IN ONE DAY! I thought to myself, finally, after a year, Joe gets untracked and… Continue

Added by Bob Boze Bell on November 18, 2010 at 5:59pm — 4 Comments

George Warren: The Man Who Thought He Could Outrun A Horse

November 17, 2010

Worked most of the day on our January cover. Or, I should say, our art director, Dan The Man Harshberger, worked on it and then we picked it to pieces and started over. More than once. Had a group of classic cowgirl photos from our vast collection and hit a dead end with the first one. The cowgirl's funky smile and the hand tinted color clashed, ending up with not quite right effects, or, as one staffer commented, "She looks like… Continue

Added by Bob Boze Bell on November 17, 2010 at 5:29pm — 2 Comments

Hog Ridin' Fools & Blakely Tumblers

November 15, 2010

In the S. Clay Wilson classic biker tale that ran in the first Zap Comic (1968), the Checkered Demon gets into it at the end of the first (and apparently last) installment of "Hog Ridin' Fools" over a set of tumblers at a gas station.

In real life, the best example of gas station tumblers (a free glass with every fill-up!) was Blakely's Arizona Cactus Tumbler set. And this was when gas was 19 cents a gallon!…

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Added by Bob Boze Bell on November 15, 2010 at 5:31pm — 5 Comments

The Bascom Affair From Afar

November 12, 2010

Had an interesting encounter in Googleland. Wanted to do a drawing of Tom Horn, and rather than find it in one of my many books at home, I Googled Tom Horn and hit "images" and, of course a million images came up, but three of them were drawings I have done of Mr. Horn and published on this blog. They weren't too bad, either.

Meanwhile, worked today on a timeline for the so-called Bascom Affair at Apache Pass. Utilizing… Continue

Added by Bob Boze Bell on November 12, 2010 at 5:08pm — 1 Comment

Geronimo's Cadillac Was Actually A Locomobile?

November 10, 2010

With the Source Book at the printer in Kansas City, I had a chance to work on a couple new True West Moments this morning. Abby sent via dropsend, the "Ay Chihuahua!" TWMoment this morning, and then after lunch I whipped out a drawing of Geronimo, the tycoon, behind the wheel of a roadster:

This is taken from a…

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Added by Bob Boze Bell on November 10, 2010 at 4:28pm — 1 Comment

Source Book Goes to Press, Finally

November 9, 2010

We were up against it this time. Two people leaving, one in the hospital, a new board and our giant, record breaking ninth annual Best of the West Source Book clogging up every bit of computer space we could find. Thanks to herculean effort by the sales crew, Sheri, Sue and Joe, and Abby in production and Meghan and Lauren in editorial, we were able to upload our final files about an hour ago.

Whew! Now on to our January… Continue

Added by Bob Boze Bell on November 9, 2010 at 5:18pm — 4 Comments

Seine River Dance

November 4, 2010

In meetings all day. Ken Amorosano is in town. Board meeting tomorrow. John Langellier, the director at Sharlott Hall Museum came by at three and we went over several new articles he is doing, including a big package on the Cochise vs. Bascom at Apache Pass conflict, which, of course, was a direct result of the kidnapping of this guy:…

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Added by Bob Boze Bell on November 4, 2010 at 4:58pm — 1 Comment

French Humor Regret?

November 3, 2010

Another series of cartoons I found in the garage this morning were about visiting Europe, specifically France. Evidently thre was some concern, even back in 1986, about violence (I can't remember why, can you?):

In this same series (which ran in the Phoenix New Times) from…

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Added by Bob Boze Bell on November 3, 2010 at 2:37pm — 3 Comments

Geronimo For Mayor of Phoenix

November 3, 2010

I was cleaning up in the garage this morning and stumbled upon a pile of layouts for old editorial cartoons I did for the Phoenix New Times back in the 1980s.

Now that we're all election-weary, I think it's time for a little levity, Apache style:

Here is a part of…

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Added by Bob Boze Bell on November 3, 2010 at 11:23am — 2 Comments

French Connections

November 1, 2010

Had a number of insights and inspirations from our trip to Paris in early October. Among them:

• The most ubiquitous American brand I saw in Paris was the New York Yankees logo on baseball caps. All kinds of colors of caps, all over the place. Never seen red before (isn't that illegal since it's Boston's color?)

• Having been in Mexico and South and Central America where the Coca-Cola logo looms everywhere, like… Continue

Added by Bob Boze Bell on November 1, 2010 at 10:09am — 2 Comments