'Dan Flagg'.
Don Sherwood was an American cartoonist whose career spanned six decades. A former Marine, he most notably created the newspaper comic 'Dan Flagg' (1963-1967), about the adventures of a heroic marine soldier. The series was praised for its accurate and well-researched portrayal of marine life. Sherwood also worked on various celebrity comics based on popular radio and TV shows, including 'The Partridge Family', 'I Love A Mystery', 'Sergeant Preston of the Yukon' (1981-1982), 'The Flintstones' and 'Dick Clark's Rock, Roll & Remember' (1994-1995).
Early life and career
Don Sherwood was born in 1930 in rural New York, where he developed a passion for radio and movie entertainment. He got his first tutorials in comic art from 'Dick Tracy' creator Chester Gould, while he also studied at the Chicago Academy of Fine Arts and worked as a copy boy at the Chicago Daily News. Sherwood enlisted in the U.S. Marine Corps Reserves and fought with the First Marine Division in the Korean War (1950-1953). Back in civilian life, he moved to New York, where he became a staff artist for the New York Mirror. He served as an illustrator for the comic strips 'Captain Flame' (1950s) for Al Smith Service, 'Cotton Woods' (1957-1958, succeeding Ray Gotto) for General Features and 'Will Chance' (1958-1962, with writers Norman Miller and Jim Gordon) for Columbia Features. He assisted George Wunder on 'Terry and the Pirates' in the early 1960s, before developing his own creation 'Dan Flagg' in 1963.
'Dan Flagg'.
Dan Flagg
Sherwood's military comic 'Dan Flagg' (22 April 1963 - 22 June 1967) was a success upon its launch. The adventures of the heroic U.S. marine Dan Flagg appeared as a weekly strip and Sunday comic in about 400 newspapers around the USA, including the New York Daily News, the Los Angeles Times, the Chicago Tribune and the Washington Post. Between 1963 and 1964 Archie Goodwin helped with the writing, while Jerry Thomas was scriptwriter in the series' final year, in 1967. During his five-year run on the comic, Sherwood had worked with several ghost artists, including John Belfi, Angelo Torres, Larry Englehart, Doug Wildey, George Evans, Al McWilliams and Wallace Wood. 'Dan Flagg' was syndicated by the McNaught Syndicate (1963-1965) and Bell-McClure (1966-1967).
'Dan Flagg'.
Sherwood's positive portrayal of the US Marines in 'Dan Flagg', as well as his well-documented research, made him a respected promotor for the Marine Corps. On 6 October 1965, he was even invited to lunch with President Lyndon B. Johnson at the White House, along with the other military cartoonists Milton Caniff, Roy Crane, Mort Walker, Bill Mauldin and George Wunder. However, public sentiment regarding the Vietnam War put an end to the popularity of 'Dan Flagg' and plans for a TV series starring Robert Taylor were cancelled. On 22 June 1967, the final episode of 'Dan Flagg' appeared in print.
'The Partridge Family' comics, issue #10 (June 1972) and #13 (November-December 1973).
Work in the 1970s
Sherwood then worked as a character designer for Hanna-Barbera and as a storyboard artist for Columbia Pictures. He also illustrated comic books for Charlton Comics in the period 1969-1976. He was present in the romance titles Career Girl Romances, Hollywood Romances, Love Diary, Teen Confessions and Teen-Age Love, and worked on comic books based on the popular TV sitcom 'The Partridge Family' and Lee Falk's classic crime fighter comic 'The Phantom'. The artist returned to newspapers with his nostalgia feature 'Return With Us To...' (1978-1985), made with writer Bill Owen for Copley News Service. In the early 1980s he made a comic adaptation of the 1940s radio program 'I Love A Mystery' for the Editors Press Service, scripted by Carlton E. Morse.
'Sergeant Preston of the Yukon'.
Work in the 1980s and 1990s
With writer Stan Stunell, Sherwood made a comic strip based on the TV series 'Sergeant Preston of the Yukon' (1981-1982), about a Canadian Mountie. It was syndicated by Lone Ranger Television. Between 1986 and 1994, he subsequently succeeded Gene Hazelton as the writer and artist of the syndicated comic strip based on Hanna-Barbera's 'The Flintstones'.
For radio and TV host Dick Clark, most famous for his long-running rock 'n' roll show 'American Bandstand', Sherwood made the celebrity comic 'Dick Clark's Rock, Roll & Remember' (1994-1995), based on the radio show of the same name. Clark and scriptwriter Fred Bronson contributed to this biographical, pop music-themed comic. It ran in papers like The New York Daily News and the Chicago Sun Times.
In the mid-1980s Don Sherwood also drew the 'Katy Keene' comic for the Archie Comics comic books and produced artwork for the Roy Rogers Museum and the National Broadcasters Hall of Fame.
Death
Don Sherwood died in 2010 and was buried with full military honors at Quantico National Cemetery.
'Dick Clark's Rock, Roll and Remember', depicting Dionne Warwick, Pat Benatar, Bobbie Gentry, Frankie Avalon, Bobby Sherman and the R&B group The Essex.