artistic balloons

[SRoweCanoe@aol.com]

In a message dated 4/5/2005 4:03:48 PM Eastern Daylight Time,  
hjort at isds.duke.edu writes:
<<This is something I'd like to know, since  I'm a cartoonist myself, and 
at least in Finland, it's been more than  customary that artist make 
his/hers own speech balloons. I believe MARVEL  (tm) has used similar 
kind of approach through the years. All the way  starting from 1940's. 
Stan made his own dialog after the art work was  finished. :-)  >>

Actually here in the USA, it is the Letterer  was makes the speech balloons.  
While most artists indicate where the  balloon should go, some leave no room.

And while Stan Lee and Marvel are  credited for the art before words method 
of comics writing, and it is true that  he did indeed  popularized it  - Harry 
Shorten was  using  this method at MLJ before Lee became an editor - and 
apparently decades before  Lee used it himself (circa 1958 - he used words first  
in the 40s and early  50s)
 
hows that for comics trivia?
 
steven rowe