Ray Osrin
Encyclopedia
Raymond Harold Osrin was an American cartoonist
. He was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1928, and studied at the High School of Industrial Arts and the Art Students League
. He was a staff inker
at Jerry Iger
's comics shop from 1945 to 1949. In the 1940s, his work appeared at Fiction House
and Fox
.
In 1950 Osrin worked as an inker on It Rhymes with Lust
, which is considered one of the most notable precursors of the graphic novel
. Called a "picture novel" on the cover and published by the comic book
and magazine
company St. John Publications
, it was written by Arnold Drake
and Leslie Waller
(together using the pseudonym Drake Waller), with black-and-white art by Matt Baker.
In the mid 1950s, he drew for Archie Comics
(Pat the Brat), Charlton Comics
(Blue Beetle
, Crime and Justice, romance and suspense stories) and Dell/Gold Key
(Snuffy Smith and Barney Google
, Supercar). In the 1960s he was also a ghost artist on the Morty Meekle daily. In 1957 Osrin moved from New York City
to Pittsburgh, where he was involved in television
animation
and industrial film making. He was a staff cartoonist of the Pittsburgh Press
from 1958 to 1963.
In 1963, he "blindly applied for a job in the art department" of The Plain Dealer and was hired to replace editorial cartoonist Ed Kuekes. Osrin moved to Cleveland
to work as a cartoonist and "wait for his predecessor to retire." He became the editorial cartoonist
of The Plain Dealer in 1966, and remained there until retiring on April 2, 1993.
Osrin won the National Headliners Club's award for editorial cartooning in 1971. In a 1972 interview, Osrin said "I'm influenced by Oliphant
and Mauldin
and Herblock
, (and) a fellow named Wright on a Miami newspaper." Other influences include Paul Conrad
, Milt Caniff, Frank Robbins
, and Matt Baker.
Upon retirement, he moved to Boca Raton, Florida
. He donated collections of his cartoons to Cleveland State University
and the Cartoon Research Library at Ohio State University
in the hopes that his work would "mean something later on and somebody can enjoy it." He died from complications due to heart disease
and diabetes on April 3, 2001, in Delray Beach, Florida
.
Cartoonist
A cartoonist is a person who specializes in drawing cartoons. This work is usually humorous, mainly created for entertainment, political commentary or advertising...
. He was born in Brooklyn, New York in 1928, and studied at the High School of Industrial Arts and the Art Students League
Art Students League of New York
The Art Students League of New York is an art school located on West 57th Street in New York City. The League has historically been known for its broad appeal to both amateurs and professional artists, and has maintained for over 130 years a tradition of offering reasonably priced classes on a...
. He was a staff inker
Inker
The inker is one of the two line artists in a traditional comic book or graphic novel. After a pencilled drawing is given to the inker, the inker uses black ink to produce refined outlines over the pencil lines...
at Jerry Iger
Jerry Iger
Samuel Maxwell "Jerry" Iger was an American cartoonist. With business partner Will Eisner he co-founder of Eisner & Iger, a comic book packager that produced comics on demand for new publishers during the late-1930s and 1940s period known to fans and historians as the Golden Age of Comic...
's comics shop from 1945 to 1949. In the 1940s, his work appeared at Fiction House
Fiction House
Fiction House is an American publisher of pulp magazines and comic books that existed from the 1920s to the 1950s. Its comics division was best known for its pinup-style good girl art, as epitomized by the company's most popular character, Sheena, Queen of the Jungle.-History:-Jumbo and Jack...
and Fox
Fox Feature Syndicate
Fox Feature Syndicate was a comic book publisher from early in the period known to fans and historians as the Golden Age of Comic Books. Founded by entrepreneur Victor S...
.
In 1950 Osrin worked as an inker on It Rhymes with Lust
It Rhymes with Lust
It Rhymes with Lust is a book, originally published in 1950, considered one of the most notable precursors of the graphic novel. Called a "picture novel" on the cover and published by the comic book and magazine company St...
, which is considered one of the most notable precursors of the graphic novel
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
. Called a "picture novel" on the cover and published by 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...
and magazine
Magazine
Magazines, periodicals, glossies or serials are publications, generally published on a regular schedule, containing a variety of articles. They are generally financed by advertising, by a purchase price, by pre-paid magazine subscriptions, or all three...
company St. John Publications
St. John Publications
St. John Publications was an American publisher of magazines and comic books. During its short existence , St. John's comic books established several industry firsts. Founded by Archer St. John , the firm was located in Manhattan at 545 Fifth Avenue. After the St...
, it was written by Arnold Drake
Arnold Drake
Arnold Drake was an American comic book writer and screenwriter best known for co-creating the DC Comics characters Deadman and the Doom Patrol, and the Marvel Comics characters the Guardians of the Galaxy, among others....
and Leslie Waller
Leslie Waller
-Biography:He is a son of Ukrainian immigrants and was born in Chicago, Illinois. He suffered from amblyopia and poliomyelitis as a child, but graduated from Hyde Park High School by the age of 16...
(together using the pseudonym Drake Waller), with black-and-white art by Matt Baker.
In the mid 1950s, he drew for Archie Comics
Archie Comics
Archie Comics is an American comic book publisher headquartered in the Village of Mamaroneck, Town of Mamaroneck, New York, known for its many series featuring the fictional teenagers Archie Andrews, Betty Cooper, Veronica Lodge, Reggie Mantle and Jughead Jones. The characters were created by...
(Pat the Brat), Charlton Comics
Charlton Comics
Charlton Comics was an American comic book publishing company that existed from 1946 to 1985, having begun under a different name in 1944. It was based in Derby, Connecticut...
(Blue Beetle
Blue Beetle
Blue Beetle is the name of three fictional superheroes that appear in American comic books published by a variety of companies since 1939.-Publication history:...
, Crime and Justice, romance and suspense stories) and Dell/Gold Key
Dell Comics
Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1973. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium...
(Snuffy Smith and Barney Google
Barney Google
Barney Google and Snuffy Smith, originally Barney Google, is a long-running American comic strip created by cartoonist Billy DeBeck . Since its debut on June 17, 1919, the strip has gained a huge international readership, appearing in 900 newspapers in 21 countries...
, Supercar). In the 1960s he was also a ghost artist on the Morty Meekle daily. In 1957 Osrin moved from New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to Pittsburgh, where he was involved in television
Television
Television is a telecommunication medium for transmitting and receiving moving images that can be monochrome or colored, with accompanying sound...
animation
Animation
Animation is the rapid display of a sequence of images of 2-D or 3-D artwork or model positions in order to create an illusion of movement. The effect is an optical illusion of motion due to the phenomenon of persistence of vision, and can be created and demonstrated in several ways...
and industrial film making. He was a staff cartoonist of the Pittsburgh Press
Pittsburgh Press
The Pittsburgh Press is an online newspaper in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA, currently owned and operated by the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Historically, it was a major afternoon paper...
from 1958 to 1963.
In 1963, he "blindly applied for a job in the art department" of The Plain Dealer and was hired to replace editorial cartoonist Ed Kuekes. Osrin moved to Cleveland
Cleveland, Ohio
Cleveland is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and is the county seat of Cuyahoga County, the most populous county in the state. The city is located in northeastern Ohio on the southern shore of Lake Erie, approximately west of the Pennsylvania border...
to work as a cartoonist and "wait for his predecessor to retire." He became the editorial cartoonist
Editorial cartoonist
An editorial cartoonist, also known as a political cartoonist, is an artist who draws editorial cartoons that contain some level of political or social commentary....
of The Plain Dealer in 1966, and remained there until retiring on April 2, 1993.
Osrin won the National Headliners Club's award for editorial cartooning in 1971. In a 1972 interview, Osrin said "I'm influenced by Oliphant
Pat Oliphant
Patrick Bruce "Pat" Oliphant is the most widely syndicated political cartoonist in the world, described by the New York Times as "the most influential cartoonist now working"...
and Mauldin
Bill Mauldin
William Henry "Bill" Mauldin was a two-time Pulitzer Prize-winning editorial cartoonist from the United States...
and Herblock
Herblock
Herbert Lawrence Block, commonly known as Herblock , was an American editorial cartoonist and author best known for his commentary on national domestic and foreign policy from a liberal perspective.-Career:...
, (and) a fellow named Wright on a Miami newspaper." Other influences include Paul Conrad
Paul Conrad
Paul Francis Conrad was an American political cartoonist from Cedar Rapids, Iowa. During college, Conrad started cartooning at the University of Iowa for the Daily Iowan. While serving with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, during World War II, Conrad received a B.A. in art in 1950...
, Milt Caniff, Frank Robbins
Frank Robbins
Franklin "Frank" Robbins was a notable American comic book and comic strip artist and writer, as well as a prominent painter whose work appeared in museums including the Whitney Museum of American Art, where one of his paintings was featured in the 1955 Whitney Annual Exhibition of American...
, and Matt Baker.
Upon retirement, he moved to Boca Raton, Florida
Boca Raton, Florida
Boca Raton is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA, incorporated in May 1925. In the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 74,764; the 2006 population recorded by the U.S. Census Bureau was 86,396. However, the majority of the people under the postal address of Boca Raton, about...
. He donated collections of his cartoons to Cleveland State University
Cleveland State University
Cleveland State University is a public university located in downtown Cleveland, Ohio. It was established in 1964 when the state of Ohio assumed control of Fenn College, and it absorbed the Cleveland-Marshall College of Law in 1969...
and the Cartoon Research Library at Ohio State University
Ohio State University
The Ohio State University, commonly referred to as Ohio State, is a public research university located in Columbus, Ohio. It was originally founded in 1870 as a land-grant university and is currently the third largest university campus in the United States...
in the hopes that his work would "mean something later on and somebody can enjoy it." He died from complications due to heart disease
Heart disease
Heart disease, cardiac disease or cardiopathy is an umbrella term for a variety of diseases affecting the heart. , it is the leading cause of death in the United States, England, Canada and Wales, accounting for 25.4% of the total deaths in the United States.-Types:-Coronary heart disease:Coronary...
and diabetes on April 3, 2001, in Delray Beach, Florida
Delray Beach, Florida
Delray Beach is a city in Palm Beach County, Florida, USA. As of the 2000 census, the city had a total population of 60,020. As of 2004, the population estimated by the U.S...
.