TRIVIA MATTERS: Noel Sickles

Noel Douglas Sickles (January 24, 1910 - October 3, 1982) moved to New York in 1933, where he became a staff artist for Associated Press. Here, he was asked to take over the aviation comic 'Scorchy Smith', whose creator John Terry was suffering from tuberculosis. 

 
In the 'Scorchy Smith' comic, he had a brisk, impressionistic style of inking that he referred to as “chiaroscuro.”  Sickles also was adept in his use of the shading medium Zipatone.  His method of drawing became popular among other comic artists, and was particularly inspiring to Milton Caniff.  Sickles and Caniff worked together for two years, sometimes writing and drawing each other's strips.

Not as widely known was that they also did advertising work together, such as the 'Mr. Coffee Nerves' character for General Foods, using the pen-name Paul Arthur, of which we have a primo example: