Spotlight on Fred Fredericks - Interest in History
As mentioned in the Hector Heathcote (Gold Key 01) page, Fred Fredericks appears to have a specific interest on history, especially about the American Civil War period (April 1861 – May 1865). That obvious interest is expressed by his own created comics strips and in some of the comic-books written and/or drawn by him. It is interesting to note that both humor strips (like "Hector Heathcote") and realistic strips (like "The Blue Phantom") could be concerned by these historical subjects.
The American Revolutionary War (1775 – 1783)
- About historic events, see "[1]" (Wikipedia detailed article)
"The American Revolutionary War (April 19, 1775 – September 3, 1783), also known as the Revolutionary War or American War of Independence, secured a United States of America independent from Great Britain. Fighting began on April 19, 1775, followed by the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. The American Patriots were supported by France and Spain, conflict taking place in North America, the Caribbean, and Atlantic Ocean. It ended on September 3, 1783 when Britain accepted American independence in the Treaty of Paris, while the Treaties of Versailles resolved separate conflicts with France and Spain." (Wikipedia)
Fred Fredericks' own created newspaper strips
| Year (s) | Title | pen/ink/writer | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1959 | New Jersey Patriots | pen/ink/wr | 194 strips - 49 weeks |
Samples
"New Jersey Patriots" / first daily strip, January 19, 1959
"New Jersey Patriots" / August 27, 1959 daily strip
"New Jersey Patriots" / September 16, 1959 daily strip
"New Jersey Patriots" / September 17, 1959 daily strip.
Other samples concerning the period
Cover by Fred Fredericks / "Leatherneck" magazine / November, 1960
Cover by Fred Fredericks / "Leatherneck" magazine / April 1961
Painted work by Fred Fredericks / Revolutionary War scene
Painted work by Fred Fredericks / Revolutionary War scene.
During the 19th century...
Western Publishing (Gold Key)
| Year (s) | Title | pen/ink/writer | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1965 | "Daniel Boone" | pen/ink/wr |
- Daniel Boone (1734-1820) was an American pioneer and frontiersman whose exploits made him one of the first folk heroes of the United States. He became famous for his exploration and settlement of what is now Kentucky, which was then beyond the western borders of the Thirteen Colonies and served as a militia officer during the Revolutionary War (1775–1783), Several series of comics-books have been devoted to Daniel Boone fictional adventures thanks to to different publishers such as "DC Comics", "Ace Magazines", "Quality Comics", "Gold Key".
- The Western Publishing series is inspired by the NBC action-adventure television series beginning in 1964 for 165 episodes until 1970 and starring the actor
Fess Parker as Daniel Boone. The actor name is also cited on the covers of the comic-books and, inside, in the title of the Daniel Boone stories.
- About the Daniel Boone tv series, see "[2]" (Wikipedia article)
"Daniel Boone" / Details of stories written and drawn by Fred Fredericks (in 3 of 15 issues published):
- "Daniel Boone" # 1 (January 1965) / stories: The Hidden Guns (16 pages), The Rescuers (8 pages), Official Handbook Trail Blazers Club (10 pages).
- "Daniel Boone" # 2 (May 1965) / stories: The Staghead Warriors (20 pages), The Murderers' Cave (12 pages).
- "Daniel Boone" # 3 (November 1965) / story: The Hostile Hunting Grounds (20 pages).
Samples
The Hidden Guns / "Daniel Boone" # 1, 1965 Gold Key comic book (inside story)
The Rescuers / "Daniel Boone" # 1, 1965 Gold Key comic book (inside story)
Official Handbook Trail Blazers Club / "Daniel Boone" # 1, 1965 Gold Key comic book (inside story)
The Staghead Warriors / "Daniel Boone" # 2, 1965 Gold Key comic book (inside story)
The Murderers / "Daniel Boone" # 2, 1965 Gold Key comic book (inside story)
The Hostile Hunting Grounds / "Daniel Boone" # 3, 1965 Gold Key comic book (inside story).
The American Civil War period (1861-1865)
The American Civil War (1861 – 1865) was a civil war in United States between the Union (states that remained loyal to the federal union or "the North") and the Confederacy (states that voted to secede, or "the South") The central cause of the war was the status of slavery, especially the expansion of slavery into territories acquired as a result of the Louisiana Purchase (1803) and the Mexican–American War (1846 to 1848). (from Wikipedia article: "[3]").
It appears that Fred Fredericks has done considerable research on the Civil War in having consulting more than 1,000 source books about those events (see the following Mandrakewiki page: "[4]").
Fred Fredericks' created newspaper strips
| Year (s) | Title | pen/ink/writer | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1960 | The Late, Late War | pen/ink/wr | 60 strips - 10 weeks (or 72 strips - 12 weeks ?) |
| 1960-1962 | Under the Stars and Bars | pen/ink/wr | 366 strips - 61 weeks |
- Note (from Spotlight on Fred Fredericks - Other Comics page): After "New Jersey Patriots" Fredericks said[1] that his newest projects include a panel strip, "True Tales of the Civil War", which has been accepted by a syndicate for sale to Sunday newspapers, and a sketchbook of old silent screen heroes and villians, titled "Old Cowhands".
Samples
"The Late, Late War" / June 6, 1960 (first daily strip)
"The Late, Late War" / 1960 daily strip
"The Late, Late War" / Tryout Sunday page
"Under the Stars and Bars" / 1961 daily strip'.
Other comics strips
Dell Publications
| Year (s) | Title | pen/ink/writer | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1962 | "The Blue Phantom" | pen/ink/wr | uncredited / see: "The Blue Phantom". |
"The Blue Phantom" is a fictional story written and drawn by Fred Fredericks and published, as an one-shot comic-book, in 1962 by Dell Comics. It tells the story of the son of a Virginia plantation owner caught despite him in the Civil War,
Samples
"The Blue Phantom" / 1962 Dell comic book, page 1
"The Blue Phantom" / inside biographical story
"The Blue Phantom" / inside biographical story.
Western Publishing (Gold Key)
| Year (s) | Title | pen/ink/writer | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | "Hector Heathcote" | pen/ink | uncredited / see: "Hector Heathcote (Gold Key 01)". |
- "Hector Heathcote" is a humor comic-book inspired by "The Hector Heathcote Show", a cartoon series aired on NBC Saturday mornings between September 1963 and September 1965, being one of the early Saturday morning cartoons.
See "[5]" (Wikipedia detailed article).
Samples
"HectorHeathcote", "Pick and Guard" / 1964 Gold Key comic book (inside story)
"HectorHeathcote", "Boom Service" / 1964 Gold Key comic book (inside story)
"HectorHeathcote", "Model Tea" / 1964 Gold Key comic book (inside story).
Other historic periods
Gold Key Publications
| Year (s) | Title | pen/ink/writer | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 | "The Fall of the Roman Empire" | pen/ink | uncredited |
This comic-book was released in link with the 1964 American epic film "The Fall of the Roman Empire". In fact, the film's name refers not exactly to the final fall of the Roman empire (which did in fact survive for centuries after the period depicted in the film ) but rather to the onset of corruption and decadence which led to Rome's demise. It focus mainly on the fights led by the ailing Roman emperor Marcus Aurelius to keep Germanic tribes from invading his northern territories on the Danube frontier (180 AD). (see: Wikipedia article: "[6]").
"The Fall of the Roman Empire" / Details of stories drawn by Fred Fredericks:
- "The Fall of the Roman Empire" (July 1964) / stories: The Fall of the Roman Empire (32 pages), Fall of the Roman Empire: Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180) (1 page).
Samples
The Fall of the Roman Empire/ "The Fall of the Roman Empire", 1964 Gold Key comic book (inside story)
Fall of the Roman Empire: Marcus Aurelius Antoninus (121-180)/ "The Fall of the Roman Empire", 1964 Gold Key comic book (inside story).
Various views
Article retaken in "The Menomonee Falls Gazette 17"
1964 First day cover envelope / on famous Civil War battle / later illustrated by Fred Fredericks (see below note).
- Note: about the "Battle of the Wilderness" see : "[7]" (Wikipedia), and about 1964 stamp see : "[8]" (National Postal Museum)
See also
- ↑ "Jersey Patriots" Artist Moves to Gillette" The Courier News (Bridgewater, New Jersey) 22 December 1959, p 15.