Captain Marvel Jr #41 (Acrobat, chapter 3)

The artwork in this three-part "Acrobat" story is by Bud Thompson. Thompson is quite a versatile cartoonist. He has a range from straight illustration to a style comfortable with fairy tales bordering on cartoon animation. It seems likely that Bob Rogers helped Thompson with backgrounds. This story is definitely on the illustration side--proving Thompson to be a worthy successor to Mac Raboy, Considering some of his earlier CMJ work Thompson is growing in his comic book story telling craft.  The second page of the second chapter has a very effective sequence where the Acrobat visits his girl friend. Panel four has strong shadows outlining the villain's grasping hand and the next well-composed panel has the girl lying on the floor with heavy shadows cast from the villain's legs. The violence takes place between the panels. Then the Acrobat ducks out the window with a expert use of one point perspective. This is very effective story telling. The strong shadows and effective use of night colors (and building establishment shots) are repeated five pages later in a beautifully designed page that shows the Acrobat attempting to kill his criminal partner, Spike. The opening page of chapter 3 is also very effective with its elegantly drawn CMJ figure on the trapeze with the Acrobat hurling down on him firing a pistol which forces the readers eye into the next gorgeously drawn night waterfront establishment panel. While every page in the story is not as effective as these pages it shows that Thompson (and Rogers) producing excellent comic book art.