Hauntingly wonderful signed pen and ink by A.D. Condo, an American newspaper cartoonist. Condo was known for his comic strip "The Outbursts of Everett True", and perhaps the first Sci-Fi comic in "Mr. Skygak From Mars". James J. Jeffries, known as "The Great White Hope", first took the World Heavyweight title in 1899. Almost 6 years after retiring, Jeffries, on July 4, 1910, was induced to make a comeback and challenge the current heavyweight champ, Jack Johnson. An African American, Johnson was unpopular with many because of their racist views. Jeffries had ballooned to 330 pounds, and after he lost 110 pounds in training, he was too weak to last long in the 110 degree temperature against Johnson, who won by TKO. Condo creates a beautifully, realistic rendering of Jeffries, drawn on-site in Jeffries' training camp, in Ben Lomond, California, just before his fight with Johnson. One can read the punishment of Jeffries' boxing career from Condo's striking details: the cauliflower ears, the piercing eyes set in battered sockets, the slightly askew mouth, the rugged, hammered face. A stark, vivid portrait.

Size: E.S.