FOUR COLOR No. 423, September 1952

"Rhubarb" is Dell's Four Color adaptation of the 1951 screwball comedy of the same name; directed by Arthur Lubin and starring Ray Miland and Jan Sterling. This striking (and slightly unsettling) cover will have to go uncredited. Download THIS POST!

The story art is all Don Gunn, an assistant animator with Disney in the 1930s and 1940s. Like so many of his generation, Gunn turned to comics when big studio animation dried up and blew away in the late 1940s. Most of his work was for Western Publishing, and most of that Disney characters. Mr. Gunn passed away in 1972.

I like this story a great deal because it shows Gunn not having to work within the round softness of the Disney style. Gunn certainly isn't a household name and that's what I love about him. Lovely stuff upcoming.

FOUR COLOR No. 573, July 1954

Both cover and interior art for this issue of Four Color is the work of Don Gunn, whose years as a Disney animator (late 1930s and early 1940s) are certainly put to lovely use here.

According to the inducks.org entry, Gunn worked for many comics companies, including Fawcett, American Comics Group, and Standard Comics; but his longest affiliation was with Western Publishing and Dell (1945 -1957) where he drew mainly Disney and Warner Brothers characters. Mr. Gunn passed away in 1972.

These last two pages are from the inside covers, both front and back. Dell often did black & white pages like these. They were done without color to save money, I imagine; but the fringe benefit for us fans is that we get a clear look at an artist's brushwork. Again - Gunn's Disney background is evident.