Published: May 11, 2007 10:03 pm      

OCC receives new artwork at Toy & Action Figure Museum

The Toy and Action Figure Museum in Pauls Valley, Oklahoma has received another large gift of over 1,000 comics related materials for the Oklahoma Cartoonists Collection that it houses.

Most of these materials were donated by Doctor Jon Suter, a former librarian at East Central University in Ada,and from Oklahoma writer Michael Vance.Born in Holdenville, Dr. Suter was among the earliest major collectors of comic books and strips in Oklahoma, and Vance is a Tulsa writer who has written for comic strips and books.

The Oklahoma Cartoonists Collection (OCC) features the work of more than 50 Oklahoma cartoonists and their associates. The Toy and Action Figure Museum currently showcases over 7,000 toys, 400 pieces of original comics art, and a now even larger selection of published comics written and drawn by Oklahomans.

“We continue to expand,” said Vance who procures original art and published works for the OCC. “The addition of these donations means that it would take many trips to the museum to enjoy the original art and the magazines, books, comic books and comic strips already collected.”

New collections include the works of Oklahoma writer Kate Worley (Roger Rabbit, Wonder Woman), Sam Cobean (New Yorker cartoons), Doug Marlette (Tulsa World editorial cartoonist), Al McWilliams (Blazing Combat), John Romita (Spider-Man), and Al Capp (Lil Abner comic strip parody of Dick Tracy).

Hundreds of issues of Mad magazines featuring the work of Oklahoma writer E. Nelson Bridwell and dozens of Oklahoma associates have also been added, as well as a huge volume of Buck Rogers comic strips, and Vance’s published work. Oklahoma artist Zack Mosley was an assistant on Buck Rogers, the first science-fiction comic strip in the history of the genre.

The collections of work from Bill Mauldin (Pulitzer-prize winning editorial cartoonist), Gray Morrow (Tarzan comic strip), Dan Piraro (Bizarro comic strip), Archie Goodwin (Batman, The Hulk), Jack and Carole Bender (Alley Oop comic strip), and associate artist Wayne Truman (Holiday Out comic strip) were also expanded significantly.

Of special interest is a unique, large “presentation piece” by associate and Hall of Fame member Ric Estrada. This original art was produced to sell the then popular trading card series featuring the “Garbage Pail Kids” as a television show, and has only been seen by a handful of television executives.

The Toy and Action Figure Museum is located at 111 S. Chickasaw in Pauls Valley. For more details about the museum, and for group and school tour information, go to www.actionfiguremuseum.com, www.fourcolorcommentary.blogspot.com/, or call 405-238-6300.