Tijuana Bible - Artists

Artists

Little is known about the anonymous artists who produced the Tijuana bibles. Wesley Morse (who later went on to draw Bazooka Joe) is believed to have drawn many of those appearing shortly before WWII, most notably several titles inspired by the 1939 World's Fair. A number of books have alleged that the freelance cartoonist Doc Rankin may have been the creator of numerous Tijuana bibles in the 1930s, although this remains unproven.

Collectors have assigned names to several anonymous artists with recognizable styles: "Mr. Prolific" (the creator of the "Adventures of a Fuller Brush Man" series, sometimes said to have been Rankin), "Mr. Dyslexic" (a clumsy, semi-literate artist who produced a number of titles in the postwar period, some with political content), "Blackjack", whose work featured large black areas and often resembled linoleum block prints, and "Artist No. 4" (also known as "Elmer Zilch"), an early and witty creator of the 1930s who rivaled Mr. Prolific in talent, popularity and productivity.

Commentators have claimed to discern the styles of from a dozen to twenty different artists who produced 10 or more bibles during their heyday, with the most productive artists, Mr. Prolific and Elmer Zilch, each drawing from 100 to 150 titles; followed by the output of Wesley Morse, Blackjack and Mr. Dyslexic who each produced about half that many. These five artists between them may have drawn half of all the Tijuana bibles ever done. Two anonymous artists in the 1950s each drew about 40 to 60 cheaply-produced titles that sold for a dime each to a clientele which allegedly consisted largely of high school boys, including titles like "Bellhop Kicks Dog" and a number of "Archie"-themed comics.

A few observers believe that Mr. Prolific and No. 4 were in fact the same artist working in two different styles to vary his output. The byline "Elmer Zilch" which appears on a number of early Tijuana bibles appears to have been the alias of Artist No. 4, although other artists may have employed it as well. The name "Elmer Zilch" referred to a fictional character who was the mascot of the humor magazine Ballyhoo.

Joe Shuster illustrated a Tijuana-bible-styled erotic work called Nights of Horror in the early 1950s; his male characters are strongly reminiscent of Superman and some of his female characters resemble Lois Lane.

The total number of distinct stories produced is unknown but has been estimated by Art Spiegelman to be between 700 and 1000. These were endlessly reprinted, redrawn, and pirated, with nearly illegible nth-generation copies circulating decades after the originals were first issued.

In addition to the eight-pagers there were also the more expensive "16-pagers", printed in a larger page size with more pages, and usually more carefully drawn and better printed. These were high-priced and less common than the 8-pagers but showcased the artists' best work.