Lot 5490: [ Comics ] A.C. Hollingsworth and George Shedd - Marlin Keel Sunday Comic Strip Original Art (circa 1954). Fantastic undersea action- adventure is showcased in this spectacular Sunday drawn by A.C. Hollingsworth. George Shedd's early interest in

[ Comics ] A.C. Hollingsworth and George Shedd - Marlin Keel Sunday Comic Strip Original Art (circa 1954). Fantastic undersea action- adventure is showcased in this spectacular Sunday drawn by A.C. Hollingsworth. George Shedd's early interest in comic strips lead him to an apprenticeship with Al Capp on L'il Abner, and then to his own adventure strip Marlin Keel, which was syndicated nationally. Soon, other artists such as Bob Bolling and A.C. Hollingsworth were assisting Shedd on his feature. Alvin Carl Hollingsworth was a fascinating figure in the comics field. He was a high school classmate of Joe Kubert's at the High School of Music and Art and he was one of the few African-Americans to work in comic books and strips. Hollingsworth was born in New York City and began drawing at the age of four. By the age of twelve, he was working as an assistant at Holyoke Publishing Company and helped on Catman Comics. A year later he began doing illustrations for crime comics. Hollingsworth left the comic strip field to pursue a career in the world of fine art. NBC hired Hollingsworth to tour the East Coast, lecture, demonstrate painting, and host a ten-part series, "You're Part of Art. His paintings dealt with themes of contemporary social issues such as the Civil Rights movement, women's struggles, spiritual concepts, jazz, city life, and dance. He was also a mural designer, author, poet, and lecturer. From 1980 until his retirement in 1998, Hollingsworth was a full Professor of Art at Hostos Community College of the City University of New York. He passed away in 2000. The image area of this strip measures 16in x 21in, and aside from some minor wear and paper aging, the art is in Excellent condition.