Zeke Zekley
Encyclopedia
Emil Samuel Zekley better known as Zeke Zekley, was an American cartoonist who worked on several comic strip
s, notably George McManus
' Bringing Up Father
.
Born in Chicago, Zekley grew up in Detroit
. His first work as a cartoonist was at age 18 for the Detroit Mirror
, which ceased publication in August 1932. He then freelanced, and a ginger ale client kept his cartoons in newspapers, buses and streetcars and on billboards. He moved to California
in 1935 and began work with Disney
, but after two weeks he was unemployed when the studio closed down for the summer.
:
In the 1930s, Zekley was initially paid $50 a week, doing lettering and inking but soon collaborating on both scripts and the penciled art. During World War II
, he was in the Army and drew cartoons for the military. Since he was stationed near McManus, he continued to work on Bringing Up Father throughout the WWII years. During his two decades with McManus, Zekley thought highly of the cartoonist, calling him "my closest pal, mentor, confidant, even surrogate father." After McManus' death in 1954, King Features replaced McManus and Zekley with Vernon Greene
.
Zekley worked on other comic strips—Dud Dudley, Paps Younger, Peachy Keen and Popsie—but none of them were particularly successful. He also contributed to the comic book
First Love, published by Harvey Comics
.
. For ten years, he drew special comics for the Squirrel Club. He also worked on PS, The Preventive Maintenance Monthly
, a US Army
publication created by Will Eisner
.
Zekley spent his spare time playing golf and collecting fine art. He died in 2005 and was buried in Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary in Los Angeles, California
.
Comic strip
A comic strip is a sequence of drawings arranged in interrelated panels to display brief humor or form a narrative, often serialized, with text in balloons and captions....
s, notably George McManus
George McManus
George McManus was an American cartoonist best known as the creator of Irish immigrant Jiggs and his wife Maggie, the central characters in his syndicated comic strip, Bringing Up Father....
' Bringing Up Father
Bringing up Father
Bringing Up Father was an influential American comic strip created by cartoonist George McManus . Distributed by King Features Syndicate, it ran for 87 years, from January 12, 1913 to May 28, 2000....
.
Born in Chicago, Zekley grew up in Detroit
Detroit, Michigan
Detroit is the major city among the primary cultural, financial, and transportation centers in the Metro Detroit area, a region of 5.2 million people. As the seat of Wayne County, the city of Detroit is the largest city in the U.S. state of Michigan and serves as a major port on the Detroit River...
. His first work as a cartoonist was at age 18 for the Detroit Mirror
Detroit Mirror
The Detroit Mirror was a daily morning tabloid newspaper published in Detroit, Michigan. Itceased publication in August 1932 without warning, only giving a week of severance pay to its shocked employees.At that time it had a circulation of 170,000...
, which ceased publication in August 1932. He then freelanced, and a ginger ale client kept his cartoons in newspapers, buses and streetcars and on billboards. He moved to California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
in 1935 and began work with Disney
The Walt Disney Company
The Walt Disney Company is the largest media conglomerate in the world in terms of revenue. Founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt and Roy Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio, Walt Disney Productions established itself as a leader in the American animation industry before diversifying into...
, but after two weeks he was unemployed when the studio closed down for the summer.
Comic strips
Zekley was broke and in dire straits in 1935 when Charles McManus, the brother of George McManus, saw him drawing on a restaurant tablecloth, liked what he saw and decided to introduce Zekley to his brother, kicking off a series of events described by TV writer-producer Mark EvanierMark Evanier
Mark Stephen Evanier is an American comic book and television writer, particularly known for his humor work. He is also known for his columns and blogs, and for his work as a historian and biographer of the comics industry, in particular his award-winning Jack Kirby biography, Kirby: King of...
:
- McManus was one of America's most widely-read cartoonists with his newspaper strip, Bringing Up Father, and he was in desperate need of an assistant. Zeke was quickly hired, and the two men became close friends, with Zeke eventually drawing and even writing more of Jiggs and Maggie than McManus. (Well into his eighties, Zeke was still able to draw those characters in a manner most would find indistinguishable from their maker.) Zeke worked with McManus for years, and it was assumed that when McManus died or retired, Zeke would take complete control of the strip. This did not happen. In 1954, McManus died and King Features SyndicateKing Features SyndicateKing Features Syndicate, a print syndication company owned by The Hearst Corporation, distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editorial cartoons, puzzles and games to nearly 5000 newspapers worldwide...
elected to give the job to an outsider—a move that was unpopular with other strip cartoonists and which caused some of them to make contractual demands about who would take over their strips after they passed away.
In the 1930s, Zekley was initially paid $50 a week, doing lettering and inking but soon collaborating on both scripts and the penciled art. During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, he was in the Army and drew cartoons for the military. Since he was stationed near McManus, he continued to work on Bringing Up Father throughout the WWII years. During his two decades with McManus, Zekley thought highly of the cartoonist, calling him "my closest pal, mentor, confidant, even surrogate father." After McManus' death in 1954, King Features replaced McManus and Zekley with Vernon Greene
Vernon Greene
Vernon Van Atta Greene was a prolific cartoonist and illustrator who worked on several comic strips and was best known for his artwork on Bringing Up Father....
.
Zekley worked on other comic strips—Dud Dudley, Paps Younger, Peachy Keen and Popsie—but none of them were particularly successful. He also contributed to the comic book
Comic book
A comic book or comicbook is a magazine made up of comics, narrative artwork in the form of separate panels that represent individual scenes, often accompanied by dialog as well as including...
First Love, published by Harvey Comics
Harvey Comics
Harvey Comics was an American comic book publisher, founded in New York City by Alfred Harvey in 1941, after buying out the small publisher Brookwood Publications. His brothers Robert B...
.
Promotional comic books
Zekley started his own company, Sponsored Comics, which created promotional comic books for businesses, including McDonald'sMcDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is the world's largest chain of hamburger fast food restaurants, serving around 64 million customers daily in 119 countries. Headquartered in the United States, the company began in 1940 as a barbecue restaurant operated by the eponymous Richard and Maurice McDonald; in 1948...
. For ten years, he drew special comics for the Squirrel Club. He also worked on PS, The Preventive Maintenance Monthly
PS, The Preventive Maintenance Monthly
PS, The Preventive Maintenance Monthly is a monthly United States Army magazine published since June 1951 to illustrate proper preventive maintenance methods with comic book-style art...
, a US Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
publication created by Will Eisner
Will Eisner
William Erwin "Will" Eisner was an American comics writer, artist and entrepreneur. He is considered one of the most important contributors to the development of the medium and is known for the cartooning studio he founded; for his highly influential series The Spirit; for his use of comics as an...
.
Zekley spent his spare time playing golf and collecting fine art. He died in 2005 and was buried in Hillside Memorial Park and Mortuary in Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
.