Little Nemo and the Winsor McCay handwritten font

[Alessandro Bottero]

hello.
i'm worrking on a project about Little Nemo, the italian translation and printing of the complete Little Nemo run. There is just a little problem: Winsor McCay did all the lettering by hand, and i didn't find a single font wich could possibily substitute it.
so i tought.... why don't ask in this wonderful, wonderful, wonderful forum if someone know something useful for me?

to be less cryptic....do someone know if all over the web there is some font similar to the McCay handwritten lettering?

my solution so far is to create a new font, scanning every single letter McCay used, and using FontCreator to do it.
Do you think there is another way for me?

thanks
 Alessandro bottero

[John C]

I haven't seen anything like it, especially if you want the "look and feel."  If you just want something with the right aspect ratio (tall and thin), you probably want something sans-serif, light, and condensed.

I'd love to see something that was a good match, though.

If you're willing to spend money for the license, it's possible that Blambot has something that'll work for you.  And I know there are companies that'll convert handwriting to a font, so that could be another option.

[JVJ (RIP)]

Two things:
1. I've always been puzzled by McCay's lettering. It's atrocious! How could an artist who was capable of the magnificent rendering required in Little Nemo be so totally inept when it came to constructing letters of the alphabet?

2. Ten or so years ago, I bought a "make a font from your handwriting" program for about $15. There MUST be freeware out there by now to accomplish this.

(|:{>

[Alessandro Bottero]

thanks for your reply, but i think the (sad for me) conclusion is : i must do the font by myself, using FontCreator or FontLab.
i agree with JVJ: McCay lettering is a nightmare, but i'm sure fans would love to see THAT kind of lettering, insteead of a "new" font.

years ago an italian publisher  published five book of Krazy Kat, and  he had the same problem. Harriman's lettering was handwritten and totally "deranged". the translator  made a new font, scanning the single elements, and "mixing" in in a font wich copycat-ed harriman's handwriting.

probably i'll do the same.
 so far i'm at the "clean-words" phase. then i will translate, and finally will do the lettering.

[Yoc]

GL with your project AB.

[vaillant]

Hi Alessandro,
I'd like to ask you to which degree you are seriously interested about the quality of the lettering.

I ask because, while I find it commendable the idea you have had to present a selection of Jack Kirby's 1950s stories here in Italy, I find the edition pretty lacking. Above all, the digital printing is qualitatively very low, and the lettering in the two volumes you produced so far is really ugly.
I vaguely remember Francesco Spreafico's lettering for the Krazy Kat editions. Although he is no graphic designer, I seem to recall he did a decent job, although the most required elements of quality in lettering, which are liveliness (and thus variability between occurrances of each single letter form) and warmth, are almost always unaddressed, even by professional companies like Comicraft (or the more young Blambot).

Just curious, because I care a lot for the overall care of an edition, and I am rarely satisfied, even when a typographic lettering font of good quality is used. 

[Alessandro Bottero]

first i find  funny you write me something in english here, while you are obviously an italian, and could write me at my e-mail adress  writing in italian.

second i have the hunch you know me, and i find funny you use a nickname to adress this topic so blantantly saying "quality is very low".

third i have other people (other publishers, crytics like luca boschi or Alberto Becattini, my distributor), and they all say the overall quality of the two books published so far (Jack Kirby and Steve Ditko) was good. No one said anything about the lettering, and i find odd (and  a little bit strange) you say here "lettering was real ugly" while no one else said so.

so, if you have some question write me a mail in ITALIAN (since you are an italian like me) and don't use this forum to undermine my work.

I'm sorry if i seem harsh or nasty m, but since i annunced my project in Italy i had to struggle with a lot of innuendo or undermining of this project.. so i an a little suspicious about this "valliant".

[John C]

Alessandro, as far as I can see, vaillant has only asked a question.  It's a little off-topic, but I don't read any ill-will there.  On the other hand, we will not have any of the users bullying any of the others.  Please understand that, by opening discussion about your business, you've made it a topic for discussion.

If you don't want to answer the question, don't.  If you feel a statement is factually incorrect, feel free to correct it.  If someone has revealed your trade secrets, contact us and we'll investigate.  But please do not tell people what they are and are not allowed to discuss here, something which is a violation of the registration terms.

[vaillant]

Hi Alessandro, don't worry: the "innuendo" surely won’t be on my part.
As you certainly know by now (that I have replied you in PM) I’m Claudio (and I told you in Italian in another thread, but you did not notice…) and I care immensely – as much as I suppose you care – to re-evaluate the work of Jack Kirby here in Italy.
I always applaud your straightforwardness but sometimes it has the danger that it may fire-back. I was only criticizing the graphic design and lettering part, since I am a type designer and I have followed a learning curve (by trial and errors) often crossing boundaries with the frustration of seeing even big publishers here in Italy producing "lifeless" adaptation for the excessive coldness.

My foremost criticism is about the printing system adopted, anyway, so if you may use some help in creating a "smart", Opentype-savy lettering font for your publication, you have only to ask.

@John C: Thanks.

[vaillant]

P.S. Ah, and it's "Vaillant", as in "Michel Vaillant".
I love the comic book, but I also love the french classics…