THE HEART OF JULIET JONES STAN DRAKE Stanley Albert Drake (November 9, 1921 – March 10, 1997) was born in Brooklyn. Drake worked in the back of a Dugan's Donut truck for a dollar-a-day salary while he was in high school. At the age of 17, he contributed art to Popular Detective, Popular Sports and other pulps. Entering the comic book field as artist, letterer and writer, he became friends with cartoonist Bob Lubbers, who later suggested him to draw newspaper comics. Drake studied for two years at New York's Art Students League. In the Pacific during World War II, he did PR work for Stars and Stripes. Returning to civilian life, he went into advertising, eventually heading a studio of 12 illustrators. Drake was a passenger during the September 1956 automobile accident that killed his fellow cartoonist Alex Raymond. The Heart of Juliet Jones, created in 1953 by Drake and writer Elliot Caplin, was a dramatic comic drawn by Drake in a naturalistic style. Drake, whose assistants included Tex Blaisdell and Frank McLaughlin, stayed on the strip until 1989, when he was succeeded by Frank Bolle. In 1984, Drake replaced Mike Gersher as the artist on Blondie written by Dean Young, and he continued drawing the strip until his death. His assistant on Blondie was Denis Lebrun. |