MORRISON MONDAYS!
By BILL MORRISON
On May 8, 1943, Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer released director Tex Avery’s classic animated cartoon, Red Hot Riding Hood. The feature film it was released with, an entry in the Dr. Kildare series titled Dr. Gillespie’s Criminal Case, is not likely to appear on anyone’s Top 13 films list, but Red Hot Riding Hood was voted the seventh greatest cartoon of all time!
You can fact check that bit of trivia by referencing the 1994 book The 50 Greatest Cartoons: As Selected by 1,000 Animation Professionals by my pal, animation historian Jerry Beck. The animated short, a somewhat adult update of the classic Red Riding Hood fairy tale, has stood the test of time, largely due to the chemistry between Tex’s libidinous Wolf character (in his third appearance,) and his ultra-sexy showgirl, Red, who makes her stunning debut in this film. If you’re a Who Framed Roger Rabbit fan, you probably know that Jessica Rabbit was directly inspired by Red.
If you want a copy of this irreverent short, do yourself a favor and pick up the Warner Archive Collection Blu-ray Tex Avery Screwball Classics Volume 1. This volume also includes the funniest cartoon ever made (IMHO) Bad Luck Blackie!
So, in celebration of the 83rd anniversary of Red Hot Riding Hood’s release, which was this past Friday, I present my cover painting for Tex Avery’s Wolf & Red #1:
In 1995, Dark Horse Comics held the license for comic books based on the creations of Tex Avery, and they commissioned me to draw nine covers across three mini-series: Wolf & Red, Screwball Squirrel, and Droopy. Wolf & Red #1 was the first, and I painted it traditionally with acrylic and gouache.
My frantic Bongo schedule didn’t permit enough spare time for me to airbrush the remaining eight covers, so I decided to enlist the aid of Nathan Kane to add digital color to my inks. Nathan had been working as a colorist at Malibu Comics, and I think it was this partnership that lead to him jumping ship and joining Bongo, where he remained for over 20 years.
Naturally, Red and the Wolf appeared on all three Wolf & Red covers, but I also featured them on the Christmas-themed cover of Droopy #3.
As a Tex Avery fanatic, I had a blast creating these covers. The comics were well written, well drawn, and well received by fans, and I’ve wondered for years why they didn’t continue. One might argue that Tex’s style only works in animation, but I think the writers and artists who worked on the comics, including Bob Fingerman, Stephanie Gladden, Henry Gilroy, and Scott Shaw!, among several other talented and funny creators, did a great job of capturing Avery’s comedic energy on paper.
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Want more MORRISON MONDAYS? Come back next week! Want a commission? See below!
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MORE
— ‘To the BATMO… I Mean the RADIOACTIVE-MOBILE!’ Click here.
— INSANE HEADLINES FROM 1989: BATMAN-CRAZY Hubby Forces His Wife to Dress Like ROBIN. Click here.
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Eisner winner BILL MORRISON has been working in comics and publishing since 1993 when he co-founded Bongo Entertainment with Matt Groening, Cindy Vance and Steve Vance. At Bongo, and later as Executive Editor of Mad Magazine, he parodied the comics images he loved as a kid every chance he got. Not much has changed.
Bill is on Instagram (@atomicbattery) and Facebook (Bill Morrison/Atomic Battery Studios), and regularly takes commissions and sells published art through 4C Comics.
