Friday, February 26, 2016

Scoopie by Jerry Stewart

Many years ago, I found a website called Pioneering Cartoonists of Color by cartoonist Tim Jackson. That's where I learned that Jerry Stewart of the Fort Wayne News-Sentinel was also the creator of a comic strip in one of the nation's leading black newspapers, the Pittsburgh Courier. In recognition of Jerry Stewart's pioneering efforts as a black cartoonist and newspaperman in Indiana, I would like to show a sampling of his comic strip Scoopie, from 1948-1950. 

Born in Arkansas, Gerald W. "Jerry" Stewart (1923-1995) came to Indiana in 1946 to work for the News-Sentinel, first as an office boy but very soon after that as a cartoonist. His character Scoopie is also a newspaperman, though not always up to snuff. As you can see in the strips below, Jerry inserted himself into his comic strips from time to time. As you can see, too, Scoopie was a good strip, well drawn and with some very funny gags. So here's Scoopie.

Oct. 9, 1948
Oct. 23, 1948
Oct. 30, 1948
Nov. 6, 1948
Nov. 27, 1948
Dec. 11, 1948
Dec. 18, 1948
Dec. 25, 1948
Jan. 1, 1949
Jan. 8, 1949
Jan. 15, 1949
Jan. 28, 1950
Mar. 4, 1950

Text copyright 2016 Terence E. Hanley

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