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Al Hartley 1925-2003



"Cartoons, creativity, and Christ! What a tremendous combination for communicating. Comics are a graphic medium and in an age of busy lives that allow little time for reading, pictures seem to get priority. TV demands attention and then mesmerizes. Comics present just as much action and because of their compact, streamlined format they truly entertain. Those of us who have been involved in creating Christian comics realize that the average reader wants to be entertained. They buy a comic for fun and excitement. And we provide that -- but it's only a book. We want the reader to pick up our books, be anxious to turn the page and to become totally involved in the story line. So, yes, our job is to entertain, but our goal is to offer something far more important than slapstick and suspense. Folks by the thousands are seeking all kinds of thrills and kicks to escape the reality of life. Our great motivation is to take a slice of life that the reader can identify with, and then show precisely how God wants to be involved in that life experience. In short, to illustrate in a very practical way the tremendous difference that having a personal relationship with Jesus Christ can have, day in and day out in the very nitty-gritty of our lives. Jesus wants us to enjoy the wonder of life's adventure, and to enjoy it abundantly, positively, and fruitfully. All of us involved in Christian comics are thankful to God for the talent He gave us. It's a privilege to give it back to Him. He is our Creator. Through Him we draw and have our being."

- Al Hartley, from the foreword of Proverbs and Parables.



It's funny how these things happen. Just last night I was talking to J. about Archie comics (not an unusual event), and considering making the next installment of the blog all about Archie. This morning, via Journalista, I wake up to find out that Archie artist Al Hartley has passed away. There's also an entry in Mark Evanier's blog on the veteran cartoonist. Both blogs have links to an Associated Press piece with more information.

Al Hartley, son of Senator Fred A. Hartley, had been drawing all his life. After a stint as a pilot in World War II, Hartley made his way to New York to pursue his dream. Like most cartoonists of those days, Hartley was a professional, working on any assignment his editor would give him, even if he was ill-suited for the role (see his depiction of Thor in Marvel's Journey Into Mystery #90). For his work on Archie, Hartley would often try to stay on top of teenage trends by watching the behaviour of his children and their friends. It's unclear if his kids were really that square. "I just loved my work. My wife would hear me in my studio just breaking up over the antics that the characters were going through that day."

Hartley is probably best known for his line of Christian comics, published by the Spire group. Many of these comics featured Archie and the rest of the Riverdale gang, characters Hartley was obviously very familiar with. John Goldwater, publisher of Archie comics, gave Hartley permission to use the characters despite his own conflicting faith, citing that the sentiments presented in the Spire comics were in keeping with his wholesome family message. These very effective pieces of propaganda, most of which with titles and covers that looked practically identical to standard Archie fare, infiltrated the comic collections of generations of unwitting Archie fans. Full issues of these comics can be found here in pdf form. There is also this comic on Jesus available.



Al Hartley's faith came in large part from seeing his father find God late in his life. In the last months of his life, Al's father lay paralyzed, unable to do anything for himself and knowing the end was near, yet he said to his son "I am very happy." With a loving wife, large family, and a lifetime's worth of wholesome and sometimes passionate comics behind him, I'm sure that Al Hartley was happy in the end as well.
posted by Steven at 2:26 PM