je suis un éditeur de bd français et ma société va éditer une quarantaine d’albums des oeuvre de Matt Baker,
j’ espère ainsi faire découvrir au public francophone l’immense talent de Matt Baker.

Hello

I am a publisher(editor) of French boulevard and my company(society) is going to publish(edit) about forty albums of Matt Baker’s work,
J ‘ so hopes to make discover to the public French speaker Matt Baker’s immense talent.

Definitely see some Dave Stevens in some of those St Johns covers…I´ll assume he was an influence?

Btw, Matt Baker was not the first African-American to work in comics: Elmer Stoner was before him, and he may have been the first. There were others in the 1940s also, including Alphonso Greene, John Baker, and A.C. Hollingsworth.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/steveduin/

Look for the “Matt Baker Monday” and “Fiction House Friday” posts.

Also, I played a role in setting up that interview with Matt Baker’s family members in AE #47. It was the coolest thing that happened to me that year. It started when Matt’s nephew and namesake, Matt D. Baker, inherited some of his uncle’s stuff and went online to see if he could find any information about Matt’s comic art career. When he started he had no idea if anyone remembered that his uncle existed, much less that he drew comics. Matt D. found a website devoted to romance comics and emailed the site’s owner, who then posted to CBR looking for Matt Baker experts. I saw the post there and knew where to go – I posted to the Timely-Atlas list, and within 24 hours I had emails from Roy Thomas, Jim Amash, Jerry Bails, Roger Hill, Doc Vassallo, Ken Quattro, and other comics historians. I forwarded their messages to Matt D., and the AE interview was the result. It was quite a thrill to be in a position to explain to Matt D. that his uncle was not just remembered but revered.

I finally found a website with a pic of Matt Baker – I think it’s the same photo from that issue of Alter Ego, as the column discussed that mag.

http://www.comictreadmill.com/CTMBlogarchives/2008/2008_Individual/2008_02/001663.php

I believe Dark Horse reprinted It Rhymes With Lust – and I’d love to get a copy of that.

I think the Fantagraphics book ‘Romance Without Tears’ from a few years back would also have some Baker art, but I’ve never seen it.

I also think some of his Fiction House work has been reprinted here and there, but I can’t say for sure.

Maybe I should ask my friend Chris Marshall at Collected Comics Library to do a Matt Baker episode of his podcast!

Thanks, Scott, for throwing a much-deserved spotlight on Baker’s brilliant oeuvre.

Picture’s of MB are scarce online. This Fiction House website draws (!) a reasonably accurate portrait of the man http://terrororstralis.com/sheena/comics/FH-comics.htm. Yes, his pic is in that Alter Ego #47. If I knew how to scan it in your blog I would. The mag’s sitting right beside me. Thanks!

Great artist.

I think there was at least one photo in that Alter Ego issue (#47?), I’d have to check – but my mags are all in a box somewhere.

As far as I can remember – he was a slim, good looking guy – kind of like Duane Jones in Night of the Living Dead.

Dub – glad you liked the variety. I was trying to show that this man could draw anything. I’ve got that issue of The Hawk – and it’s really gorgeous in person.