INTELLECTUAL AMOS was a cute but supposedly somewhat autobiographical strip that ran in comics but also, as here, in Will Eisner's SPIRIT Section. The creator was Andre LeBlanc, a talented cartoonist who assisted Eisner and much later became recognized for an illustrated version of the Bible that stayed in print for many years (and may in fact still be available).
Hi, I discovered Intellectual Amos in The Toon Treasury of Classis Children's Comics, a really great book. The 1946 "Ants" story especially stuck with me, and I started doing a little research and I am wondering if the 4 pages you have posted are a complete story?
ReplyDeleteAnd one good thing just seems to lead to another so I am very, very pleased to have come across this great blog.
BTW a Google search of "Intellectual Amos" has a nice but short entry at the Comics Journal by Shaenon Garrity (also a response to the Toon Treasury) with a comment by LeBlanc's daughter.
Thanks again for your work here.
I am Andres daughter, and I am just so happy to see the recognition that Amos is getting lately. It would tickle my dad to no end, because Amos and Wilbur were secretly his cherished creation, the inspiration of a difficult childhood, and for too many years forgotten and overlooked by flashier super heroes.
ReplyDeleteI remember him sending me birthday cards with Amos and Wilbur on them
Let me see if I can find some unpublished sketches he made of Wilbur and Amos in the decade before he died, when he began to resurrect the characters for his own memories.
I remember him sending me birthday cards with Amos and Wilbur on them
ReplyDeleteI am Andres daughter, and I am so happy at all the recognition Amos has been getting recently. I know my dad would be tickled at the attention, because Amos and Wilbur were secretly his favorite characters, the inspiration of a difficult childhood, and yes, his alterego
Over time, Amos was forgotten and overlooked as the fashion moved onto flashier super heroes (which he was always glad to draw, after all Alex Raymond was one of his idols) Nevertheless he had a sizeable soft spot for Amos, and in the last decade of his life he often sketched Amos and Wilbur. I still have birthday cards pop made with Wilbur and Amos on them
I'll see if I can find some of those unpublished sketches in his studio which I still have in my storage.
Thank you again for your affection for Amos and friends :)
Vivienne: I've been reading a lot of the old Spirit backup strips and enjoyed Intellectual Amos as well as the stuff like Lady Luck, Mr. Mystic, Flatfoot Burns, and Jonesy. I've always taken it as a given that Andre of the Blackhawks was named after your dad, and I recall an old villain from the Teen Titans called Andre Le Blanc. Was he also the artist on Tullus?
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