Gordon C. Bess (January 12, 1929 – November 24, 1989) was an American cartoonist, best known for the comic strip ''

Redeye Red eye, red-eye, redeye or variants may refer to: Related to the eye * Red-eye effect, in photographs * Red eye (medicine), an eye that appears red due to illness or injury * Red, an extremely rare eye color due to albinism * Red eyeshin ...

''. Born in

Richfield, Utah Richfield is a city in and the county seat of Sevier County, Utah, United States, and is the largest city in southern-central Utah. Description As of the 2010 census, the city population was 7,551. It lies in the Mormon Corridor, just off I ...

, Bess grew up attending schools in Nevada, Oregon and Utah, finishing high school in

Hailey, Idaho Hailey is a city in and the county seat of Blaine County, in the Wood River Valley of the central part of the U.S. state of Idaho. The population was 7,960 at the 2010 census, up from 6,200 in 2000.Marines Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (ref ...

and was sent to boot camp in San Diego. He created illustrations, posters and charts for the Corps Training Aids Section in San Diego. After a year of service in Korea, clearing minefields, he arrived back in San Francisco on the day the war ended. In 1954, he was sent to Washington, D.C., where he became a staff cartoonist and the cartoon editor for ''

Leatherneck Magazine ''Leatherneck Magazine of the Marines'' (or simply ''Leatherneck'') is a magazine for United States Marines. History and profile ''The Quantico Leatherneck'' was started by off-duty US Marines, and in large part by the post printer, Sgt. Smith, ...

'', where Joanne Vaught was an administrative assistant. The two married in 1955, living in

Arlington, Virginia Arlington County is a county in the Commonwealth of Virginia. The county is situated in Northern Virginia on the southwestern bank of the Potomac River directly across from the District of Columbia, of which it was once a part. The county i ...

. Continuing with ''Leatherneck'' until 1956, he left the Corps with the rank of Staff Sergeant.BdOubliées: ''Tintin''
/ref> In 1957, he moved to New Jersey. After a year as a commercial artist in Philadelphia, he took a job as the art director for a greeting card company in

Cincinnati, Ohio Cincinnati ( ) is a city in the U.S. state of Ohio and the county seat of Hamilton County. Settled in 1788, the city is located at the northern side of the confluence of the Licking and Ohio rivers, the latter of which marks the state lin ...

. In his spare time, he freelanced cartoons to magazines.Cloverdale Funeral Home
/ref>

''Redeye''

On September 11, 1967,

King Features Syndicate King Features Syndicate, Inc. is a American content distribution and animation studio, consumer product licensing and print syndication company owned by Hearst Communications that distributes about 150 comic strips, newspaper columns, editoria ...

launched his comic strip ''

'', about a wacky Indian tribe. With ''Redeye'' in 400 American newspapers and translations into 15 languages, the success of the strip enabled him to move in 1970 to 310 Balmoral Road in

Boise, Idaho Boise (, , ) is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Idaho and is the county seat of Ada County. On the Boise River in southwestern Idaho, it is east of the Oregon border and north of the Nevada border. The downtown ...

, where he enjoyed hunting, fishing, dirt bike riding, skiing and playing blackjack in Nevada. His ''Redeye'' routine involved waking at 7am and descending to his basement office, sometimes for ten-hour sessions and on weekends, working six months in advance. During summers, he drew the strip while staying at his cabin in

Lowman, Idaho Lowman is a small unincorporated rural census-designated place in the western United States, located in Boise County, Idaho. It is nestled along the north bank of the South Fork of the Payette River in the central part of the state, at an elevat ...

. Bess and his wife had three children—Suzie (born 1956), Richard (born 1960) and Debbie (born 1963). He continued writing and drawing ''Redeye'' until 1988, when he fell ill and drew his last for May 21, 1988. He died November 24, 1989. Born February 22, 1930, Joanne Vaught Bess died June 8, 2012.

Awards

''Redeye'' was especially popular in Europe, where it appeared in '' Tintin'' magazine between 1969 and 1990. Bess received the 1976 Best Foreign Comical Work Award at the

Angoulême International Comics Festival The Angoulême International Comics Festival (french: Festival international de la bande dessinée d'Angoulême) is the second largest comics festival in Europe after the Lucca Comics & Games in Italy, and the third biggest in the world after L ...

.National Cartoonists Society: Gordon Bess
/ref>

References

External links

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bess, Gordon 1929 births 1989 deaths American comic strip cartoonists American comics artists United States Marine Corps personnel of the Korean War People from Boise, Idaho People from Richfield, Utah