Alley Oop
Passing the Torch
Photograph of Dorothy inking strip.
Dorothy Helps with the Strip
In addition to coming up with the idea of introducing a time machine into the story, Dorothy helped with the strip by preparing color roughs for the Sunday pages towards the end of Hamlin's involvement. His eyesight had been deteriorating for years, and he was nearly blind by the time of his retirement.
Retirement and Successors
After Hamlin retired in 1971, his assistant Dave Graue took over the strip. Graue produced Alley Oop until 1991, when Jack Bender became the illustrator and his wife Carole Bender became the writer. The Benders continued the strip until 2018, when they retired. In 2019, writer Joey Alison Sayers and artist Jonathan Lemon revived the comic.
Reproduction of photograph of Dave Graue and V.T. Hamlin, 1970.
Dave Graue and V.T. Hamlin working together shortly before Hamlin's retirement.
Photograph of Jack Bender and Dave Graue, 1991.
These photos of Jack and Carole Bender are from a 1997 visit to the University of Missouri. Jack was a guest speaker in a cartooning class taught by Professor Frank Stack, and the Benders visited Margaret Howell, then Head of Special Collections. Jack Bender is a graduate of the MU Journalism School, where he received his Master's degree in 1962.
Photograph of Jack and Carole Bender, 1997.
Photograph of Jack Bender, 1997.