Charles Voight
Encyclopedia
Charles A. Voight was an American cartoonist, best known for his comic strip
Betty.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Voight was 14 when he dropped out of school and became an art staffer at the New York World
. During this period, he also did advertising art.
. When it moved to the New York Herald
it became simply Petey (sometimes titled Poor Little Petey). He also drew for the New York World
, and for Life
, he created a series titled The Optimist.
His popular glamor girl strip Betty Sunday page
began April 4, 1920 in the New York Herald. There was no daily strip
. Comics historian Don Markstein
described the strip and characters:
Betty was an influential strip, notably on the illustrator and comic book artist Bernard Krigstein
. Jerry Robinson
, in his book The Comics: An Illustrated History of the Comic Strip, commented:
Voight continued to do artwork for advertising agencies, such as his 1932 Rinso Soap
ads.
Voight lived in Pelham, New York
. When Fontaine Fox
first came to visit his friend Voight, he rode the Pelham trolley that inspired him to create the Toonerville Trolley for his long-running cartoon panel, Toonerville Folks
.
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....
Betty.
Born in Brooklyn, New York, Voight was 14 when he dropped out of school and became an art staffer at the New York World
New York World
The New York World was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers...
. During this period, he also did advertising art.
Comic strips
In 1908, he drew his first comic strip, Petey Dink, for the Boston TravelerBoston Herald
The Boston Herald is a daily newspaper that serves Boston, Massachusetts, United States, and its surrounding area. It was started in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States...
. When it moved to the New York Herald
New York Herald Tribune
The New York Herald Tribune was a daily newspaper created in 1924 when the New York Tribune acquired the New York Herald.Other predecessors, which had earlier merged into the New York Tribune, included the original The New Yorker newsweekly , and the Whig Party's Log Cabin.The paper was home to...
it became simply Petey (sometimes titled Poor Little Petey). He also drew for the New York World
New York World
The New York World was a newspaper published in New York City from 1860 until 1931. The paper played a major role in the history of American newspapers...
, and for Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
, he created a series titled The Optimist.
His popular glamor girl strip Betty Sunday page
Sunday strip
A Sunday strip is a newspaper comic strip format, where comic strips are printed in the Sunday newspaper, usually in a special section called the Sunday comics, and virtually always in color. Some readers called these sections the Sunday funnies...
began April 4, 1920 in the New York Herald. There was no daily strip
Daily strip
A daily strip is a newspaper comic strip format, appearing on weekdays, Monday through Saturday, as contrasted with a Sunday strip, which typically only appears on Sundays....
. Comics historian Don Markstein
Don Markstein's Toonopedia
Don Markstein's Toonopedia was a web encyclopedia of print cartoons, comic strips and animation. Don D...
described the strip and characters:
- Betty Thompson's life was filled with cocktail parties, cotillions and affairs of that nature. She wore all the latest high-class fashions, amply displayed by Voight's lush, stylish and highly individual illustration. While Tillie the ToilerTillie the ToilerTillie the Toiler was a newspaper comic strip created by cartoonist Russ Westover who initially worked on his concept of a flapper character in a strip he titled Rose of the Office...
, very much a working girl, may seem to have little in common with Betty, they had one strong point of similarity. Both went through handsome, dashing men by the carload, but through the years stuck with one short, dumpy, seemingly uninteresting guy. Betty's equivalent of Tillie's Mac was Lester DePester, who had little going for him besides loyalty... During the 1930s, heyday of the adventure comic (lesser ones including Dan DunnDan DunnDan Dunn was the first fictional character to make his debut in an American comic magazine, making him the forerunner of many comic book heroes. Created by Norman Marsh, he first appeared in Detective Dan, Secret Operative No...
and Red Barry), Voight experimented with storylines about crime and sci-fi. But this didn't stop the page from looking like a 1920s period piece. Its datedness may have had something to do with the fact that despite the obvious quality of the work, Betty never moved out into other media, such as movies and radio shows. Or it may have been more attributable to the times, in which stories about rich people didn't speak to the American public.
Betty was an influential strip, notably on the illustrator and comic book artist Bernard Krigstein
Bernard Krigstein
Bernard Krigstein , was an American illustrator and gallery artist who received acclaim for his innovative and influential approach to comic book art, notably in EC Comics. He was known as Bernie Krigstein, and his artwork usually displayed the signature B...
. Jerry Robinson
Jerry Robinson
Jerry Robinson is an American comic book artist best known for his work on DC Comics' Batman line of comics during the 1940s.He was inducted into the Comic Book Hall of Fame in 2004.-Career:...
, in his book The Comics: An Illustrated History of the Comic Strip, commented:
- The classic beauty was seen in Betty. Charles Voight employed an exquisite pen style in defining the visual delights of the long-legged, cool sophisticate in the extreme fashion of the day, including beachwear that revealed areas not previously shown in the comic pages.
Voight continued to do artwork for advertising agencies, such as his 1932 Rinso Soap
Rinso
Rinso is the brand name of a laundry soap most commonly used in Australia, Indonesia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom and the United States. The brand was created by Hudson's Soap which was sold to Lever Brothers of Port Sunlight, England, in 1908...
ads.
Comic books
In 1943, he began drawing for comic books, including "He-Man" in Tally-Ho Comics (1944) and work for Prize Comics (1945). In 1946, he drew "Impossible Man" for Captain Wizard and the superhero satire "Captain Milksop" for Atomic Bomb Comics #1.Voight lived in Pelham, New York
Pelham, New York
Pelham, New York is the name of two locations in Westchester County, New York:*Pelham , New York, the Town of Pelham*Pelham Manor , New York, the Village of Pelham Manor*Pelham , New York, the Village of Pelham...
. When Fontaine Fox
Fontaine Fox
Fontaine Talbot Fox Jr. was an American cartoonist and illustrator born near Louisville, Kentucky.Fox is best known for writing and illustrating his Toonerville Folks comic panel. It ran from 1913 to 1955 in 250 to 300 newspapers across North America.The cartoons are set in the small town of...
first came to visit his friend Voight, he rode the Pelham trolley that inspired him to create the Toonerville Trolley for his long-running cartoon panel, Toonerville Folks
Toonerville Folks
Toonerville Folks was a popular newspaper cartoon feature by Fontaine Fox, which ran from 1908 to 1955. It began in 1908 in the Chicago Post, and by 1913, it was syndicated nationally by the Wheeler Syndicate...
.