Stan Drake

Who was Stan Drake?

Stanley Albert Drake was an American cartoonist best known as the founding artist of the comic strip The Heart of Juliet Jones.

Born in Brooklyn, Drake worked in the back of a Dugan's Donut truck for a dollar-a-day salary while he was in high school. At the age of 17, he contributed art to Popular Detective, Popular Sports and other pulps. Entering the comic book field as artist, letterer and writer, he became friends with cartoonist Bob Lubbers, who later suggested he draw newspaper comics.

He studied for two years at New York's Art Students League. In the Pacific during World War II, he did PR work for Stars and Stripes. Returning to civilian life, he went into advertising, eventually heading a studio of 12 illustrators. Drake was a passenger during the September 1956 automobile accident that killed his fellow cartoonist Alex Raymond.