Stan Drake, Al Williamson, Gray Morrow, Lou Fine and MORE…
By PETER BOSCH
As mentioned in my birthday tribute to Lou Fine, Neal Adams ghosted a few weeks of Peter Scratch dailies and Sundays for a short time. Here are two more weeks of dailies (July 11 to July 23, 1966) and two Sundays, all written by Elliot Caplin, Al Capp’s brother.
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August 14, 1966
August 28, 1966
Adams began his career as an assistant to Howard Nostrand on the Bat Masterson newspaper strip, which was based on the popular TV series of the time. During his few months in that position, he ghosted for Nostrand on several occasions, including (it is believed) the following daily:
Original art for Bat Masterson, October 14, 1959. Neal Adams ghosting. Written by Ed Herron.
Of course, Adams rose to prominence drawing the Ben Casey strip from 1962 to 1966.
Ben Casey original art for January 30, 1963. Written by Caplin.
Here are some more examples of Adams helping other regular artists during times of pressing deadlines or when they went on vacation:
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In 1967, he drew a week of strips for Al Williamson on Secret Agent Corrigan:
Original art by Adams for the Secret Agent Corrigan newspaper strip, August 14 to 19, 1967.
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Also, in 1967, Adams was an assistant penciller on Stan Drake’s The Heart of Juliet Jones (the image of the woman in the first panel below has the distinctive Adams touch).
The Heart of Juliet Jones, September 30, 1967.
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In 1981, Adams ghosted several weeks of Buck Rogers in the 25th Century for Gray Morrow:
May 3, 1981
May 10, 1981
May 17, 1981
May 24, 1981
May 31, 1981
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Other strips reported to include Adams’ work over the years were Big Ben Bolt, Rip Kirby, Mary Perkins On Stage, and Sally Forth.
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MORE
— 13 Great NEAL ADAMS ‘BEN CASEY’ STRIPS: A 60th Anniversary Celebration. Click here.
— The Fine Comic Art of LOU FINE: A Birthday Retrospective. Click here.
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13th Dimension contributor-at-large PETER BOSCH’s first book, American TV Comic Books: 1940s-1980s – From the Small Screen to the Printed Page, was published by TwoMorrows. (You can buy it here.) A sequel, American Movie Comic Books: 1930s-1970s — From the Silver Screen to the Printed Page, is out now. (Buy it here.) Peter has written articles and conducted celebrity interviews for various magazines and newspapers. He lives in Hollywood.
November 26, 2025
Meanwhile, we’re still waiting for the collected Ben Casey strips which were promised 20 years ago.
November 26, 2025
That’s some fine artwork. Wait, it’s not Fine artwork, it’s Adams artwork!