FRANK JOHNSON  

(1912-1979)  

 an itinerant musician, record collector and self-taught cartoonist from Chicago. For 50 years, unknown even to his wife, he produced “Wally’s Gang,” 126 hand-drawn comic books tracing the lives of a group of hapless Midwestern men. The 25 books on display evince a familiar old-fashioned style — think “Mutt and Jeff” or “Blondie” — distinguished by robust penciling and a cumulative air of obsession.