Spotlight on newspaper strip layout: Difference between revisions

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== The pre WWII Years ==
In the early years [[Phil Davis]] drew the daily strips on large Bristol board ''(22.5 x 28.5 inches - about 572 x 724 mm)'', where the art for one strip covered about 20.5 x 4.5 inches ''(521 x 114 mm)''.


The daily strip were printed in newspapers with 8 columns a page, and with the Mandrake strip spanning 5 or 6<ref group="footnotes">The strips spanning 6 columns are identical to those spanning 5 columns</ref> columns. Newspapers were printed in different sizes and the columns therefore had different widths. But, a five columns wide newspaper strip was roughly 10 and <small>1/4</small> x 3 inches ''(260 x 762 mm)''. - Roughly half of the original art by Phil Davis, and about the width of a standard modern comic book ''(10 and 1/8 inches)''.
==Note==
<references group="footnotes" />


In addition the strips were printed with the title<ref group="footnotes">MANDRAKE THE MAGICIAN</ref> was typeset ''(in all upper case letters)'' and positioned to the right in the white space area above that strip, with the byline<ref group="footnotes">By LEE FALK and PHIL DAVIS</ref> on the right. An episode subtitle<ref group="footnotes">a small text related to the strip</ref> ''(in upper and lower case)'' was centered between the title and the byline.
==Sources==
[[Image:Layout-d-01.png‎|thumb|left|300px|''original vs 6 and 5 colomns'']]
*information for the size and years of the Mandrake strips from "Editor and Publisher", ''Annual directory og features'': years 1934-1942 and 1945-1976.
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== The WWII Years==
In 1942 newspapers began cutting back on the number of comics they printed due to shortages of materials ''(including newsprint and ink)''. [[King Features Syndicate|KFS]] responded by offering comics in reduced sized. Phil Davis started to draw the Mandrake strip in about 17 x 4.5 inches ''(433 x 114)'' so the strips could fit a 4-column width. To accommodate the newspapers who continued to print the strip spanning 5 columns as well, the Mandrake strip was from October 12 available in two different variants: 4 and 5 columns width.
As seen in the fifth week of [[Baron Kord]] the original panels in the strip were enlarged on the sides with extra ink to make a 5 columns strip. From the sixth week this was done by cutting away the lower part of the strip. 
[[Image:Layout-42-10-12.jpg|thumb|left|300px|October 12, 1942 ''extra ink'']]
[[Image:Layout-42-10-19.jpg|thumb|right|300px|October 19, 1942 ''cut away'']]
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==Note==
<references group="footnotes" />


[[Category: Spotlight on|Daily strip layout]]
[[Category: Spotlight on|Daily strip layout]]

Revision as of 15:10, 4 February 2023

Newspapers - layout

In 1934 the size of newspapers in the United States were about 381 × 578 mm. And where each page was divided into eight[footnotes 1] columns. Ihe first Mandrake story was offered by KFS to the newspapers in a format spanning 6 columbs.

By 1935 the strips were offered in two variants, spanning 5 or 6 columbs, and by 1942 a 4 columbs variant was added. In 1946 the Mandrake stripes were reduced in size, now spanning 3, 4 or 5 columns, From 1954 KFS only offered the 4 columns variant.

Newspaper page
column 1 column 2 column 3 column 4 column 5 column 6 column 7 column 8
Mandrake the Magician column 7 column 8
Mandrake the Magician column 6 column 7 column 8
Mandrake the Magician column 5 column 6 column 7 column 8
Mandrake the Magician column 4 column 5 column 6 column 7 column 8

Comparing the size ratio between the 6 column strip and original art by Phil Davis, one find that the strips printed in the newspapers are slightly higher then the original art (6 column vs original). Comparing 5 and 6 column variants of the Mandrake strip in 1935, one find that the 5 column variant is closest to the original art drawn by Phil Davis. The 6-column variant is stretched in height, as seen in the illustration below (6 vs 5 columbs).

By the end of 1938 it looks like the 5 and 6 columns strips size ratio are identically, but compared to the original they seem significantly stretched in height (1938: original vs 5 and 6 columns).

By the end of 1942 the 4 and 5 columns variant are identically with the the original art, but the 4 columns are is slightly stretched in height, while the 5 columns variant are compressed in height (1942: original vs 4 and 5 columns).

In 1946 the 4 columns are slightly stretched in height compared with the original art. The 5 columns variant now are reduced in height by cutting away the lower parts of the original art (1946: same width original vs 4 and 5 columns).

  • 1934: 6 column vs original

  • 1935:6 vs 5 columns

  • 1938: same hight
    original vs 5 and 6 columns

  • 1942: same hight
    original vs 4 and 5 columns

  • 1946: same width
    original vs 4 and 5 columns

KFS proof sheets

KFS distributed the strips in a form of proofs, with one week (Monday to Saturday) of run on each sheet. Each strip the same size as how it appeared in the newspapers.


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Note

  1. ↑ 9 columns at pages with small ads
  2. ↑ *picture from PhantomRayMoore

Sources

  • information for the size and years of the Mandrake strips from "Editor and Publisher", Annual directory og features: years 1934-1942 and 1945-1976.
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