Career
Born in Racine, Wisconsin, Commodore was always interested in drawing. While still in high school, he tried to get a job with the Chicago Defender, one of the country"s most notable African American newspapers, but its publisher, Robert Abbott, told him to finish his education first. Following school, he worked as a chauffeur and a mechanic, and got a job with the Pullman Company.
He was always drawing, and posted his drawings on company bulletin boards.
Finally, in 1948 he went to work for the Defender, doing layout, but soon started drawing cartoons for the paper. His first strip, in 1948, was called The Sparks.
He took over Jay Jackson"s strip Bungleton Green in the early 1950s and contributed to the cartoon features The Ravings of Professor Doodle and So What?. When Jay Jackson died in 1954, Commodore took over his role drawing editorial cartoons for the paper.
From 1974 he drew a weekly full-page caricature for the cover of the Defender"s weekly arts supplement, Accent.
The series lasted for more than five years.