In it, you'll find "Go West, You Meddling Kids", a 20-page literal-love-letter to the 1959-1969 period of Hanna-Barbera Productions and it's creations, written by the great Sholly Fisch and drawn by perhaps the best classic H-B artist around today Scott Jeralds... aided by, as they used to say on ROCKY AND HIS FRIENDS, "...a host of others".
To digress, it thrills me no end to see one of Hanna-Barbera's greatest creations, Quick Draw McGraw, in a 2017 comic book - and drawn so "well and proper" by Scott Jeralds...
...As opposed to the grossly distorted style that is inexplicably in vogue today!
In the unlikely event that Mr. Jeralds is reading this, I'd just like to offer heartfelt thanks and unabashed appreciation for his efforts!
HERE and HERE are reviews of other issues of SCOOBY-DOO TEAM-UP with H-B characters so nicely drawn by Scott Jeralds!
...And, as for Sholly Fisch, well, I just love EVERY issue of SCOOBY-DOO TEAM-UP, since discovering it on THIS FATEFUL DAY, and he should consider himself well-and-truly thanked and appreciated, too!
Adding to the thrill is that (not unlike Elmer Fudd in OUR LAST POST) it's been so very long since Quick Draw McGraw was cover-featured on a comic book!
The last all-new Dell or Gold Key issue was 1964...
...With one more reprint issue unexpectedly released in 1969.
Then, of course, there were these things from Charlton (1970-1971), but I don't really count them...
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| Though, for Charlton, this is actually good (uncharacteristically good ) art! |
...A later seventies one-shot from Marvel...
...And, no doubt, QD was on other covers, as an incidental or guest character.
But, here we are in 2017, and ain't it grand to see!
To our story... The Mystery Inc. Gang is in town to investigate...
..."The Fastest Ghost in the West"...
...Who is robbing this One Horse (...and one burro) Town blind!
Right down to Quick Draw's CLOTHES... such as they are!
BTW, isn't it great that the characters all "just meet", and no attempt whatsoever is made to explain why these humans and their largely anthropomorphic dog can encounter, and interact with, a talking Horse (...who debuted years before Mister Ed) and Burro!
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| "I CAN'T BELIEVE IT, Wilbur!" |
Quick Draw's biscuit-hungry hound, "Snuffles" is called in to help, and gets his first taste of a Scooby-Snack...
...While Quick Draw, still in need of clothing, dons the avenging costume of his heroic alter-ego, El Kabong...
...Leading to this wonderful bit!
Stuff like THIS, is why I love SCOOBY-DOO TEAM-UP so much!
On the ghost's trail, we meet our old friends Sheriff "Bing! Bing! Binnnng!" Ricochet Rabbit and his deputy Droop-a-long Coyote, from THE MAGILLA GORILLA SHOW!
And, just as with Batman and Elmer Fudd in our previous post - which, no doubt, you've ALREADY link-visited further back in this post ...
...And darned near ANY pair of heroes that have ever teamed-up for the first time, misunderstanding leads to conflict...
...Before joining forces for the greater good...
...And, allowing Ricochet and Droop-a-long to do their iconic "Ricochet Away!" exit bit.
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| Isn't that a WONDERFUL recreation of the bit, by Jeralds?! |
We're now at that point in the proceedings where we stop discussing the plot and showcasing the art, for fear of revealing spoilers.
So, we'll just make one more quick point before riding (...or ricocheting) off into the sunset.
When I described this story as a "literal-love-letter to the 1959-1969 period of Hanna-Barbera Productions and it's creations", I mean EXACTLY THAT. The story features characters that burst upon the scene over the period of 1959-1969, at FIVE-YEAR INTERVALS...
...Quick Draw McGraw in 1959...
...Ricochet Rabbit in 1964...
...And Scooby-Doo in 1969!
At those five-year intervals, you can note how the studio moved from funny-animal characters designed by Ed Benedict...
...To funny-animal characters more influenced by Iwao Takamoto...
...To Takamoto-designed characters post-HB's "funny animal golden age"...
...Scooby-Doo himself, notwithstanding, of course!
I don't know if writer Scholly Fisch planned it as such, when he devised the story and it's particular players, but it sure turned out to be an outstanding tribute to the Hanna-Barbera studio's prime period... before the (presumably network-mandated) precipitous decline during the seventies and beyond!
A job VERY well done, by writer and artist alike!
So, get along, little doggie, or get a short one - if that's all you can find -- to your local comic book shop for a copy of SCOOBY-DOO TEAM-UP # 23. Or, if you bought it back in February, 2017, go read it AGAIN! You won't be sorry!
Then, join us in the Comments Section for what I hope to be... "The High-Highfalutin-est, Fastest-Shootin-est COMMENTS you ever saw... about Scooby-Doo, and Quiiick Draaaw Mc Graaaw!"
...And Dooon't you for-get iiit!
8 comments:
I always wanted to see a Quick Draw McGraw/Ricochet Rabbit crossover. My idea was that Ricochet could go after Horse Face Harry, and arrest Quick Draw by mistake. Then they could fight until they realized the truth, then team up to catch the real villain. So it could be a spoof of a typical Marvel Comics "hero vs. hero" story. Nice to see that someone else was thinking along similar lines.
That "Fun-Type Round-Up" comic looks familiar, but I don't recall for sure whether I had it, or if I'm conflating it with some other H-B comic. I do seem to remember a Quick Draw story that guest starred Snooper & Blabber. I think maybe Baba was a fan of theirs from reading detective story magazines or something. And at the end, the bad guy thought that Snooper was out of ammunition because he had fired six shots, but it turned out that Snoop was using an eight-shot automatic pistol instead of a six-shot revolver. Does that ring any bells?
TC:
Not only does that “ring any bells”, but rings ‘em louder and clearer than you may have expected… because that Quick Draw / Snooper crossover is ACTUALLY IN that 1964 issue (QUICK DRAW McGRAW # 14) pictured in the post!
As everyone may remember from my Gold Key 50th Anniversary post of some years back, Gold Key (perhaps TOO ambitiously) converted a significant number of former Dell titles to twenty-five cent “80-Page Giants”… and then, a few months (or issues) later, reverted them back to standard 12-cent comic book size.
The “secondary” title for the QUICK DRAW McGRAW series as an 80-Page Giant, was “Fun-Type Roundup”, just as “Chuckleberry Tales” was for HUCKLEBERRY HOUND, “Showtime” was for BUGS BUNNY, “Fun House” was for TOM AND JERRY, etc.
QUICK DRAW McGRAW # 14 was the FIRST issue of QUICK DRAW McGRAW to be published after the reduction to standard 32-page format. That MAY be why Snooper and Blabber were “pushed into” a Quick Draw story, rather than have one of their own. Alas, it was also the LAST all-original issue of QUICK DRAW McGRAW from Western Publishing… with only that unexpected 1969 reprint issue to follow, before the horrors of Charlton would consume the classic Hanna-Barbera characters.
Great recall! Always fun to trade notes with another “Gold Key Kid”!
I think I commented in the Gold Key anniversary post that I remembered seeing standard-sized Huckleberry Hound and/or Bugs Bunny comics with a cover price of "now only 12 cents." Which makes sense, if they had been reduced from 80-page, 25-cent formats.
Speaking of Snooper & Blabber getting "pushed into" the Quick Draw story, I believe something similar happened with Superman and Batman in World's Finest Comics. Jack Schiff said in an interview that page count was reduced to cut costs. Both the Superman and Batman strips (which had run separately) were too popular to cancel. So, instead, DC teamed them up in one feature.
Yes, indeed, TC!
…And comic book history (not to mention future media-conglomerate history) was made!
Here are some comments from our very good friend “Scarecrow33”, who, thwarted by a technical glitch, nevertheless bravely got these comments to me, outside of Blogger.
QD #14 was, if I remember correctly, the first comic book I owned. My parents bought it for me and my then 2-year-old brother to share. We were, of course, very familiar with the characters from television. Alas, by the time I was able to read the book on my own, the center four pages had fallen out and disappeared. I did manage, of course, to get another copy, but years later.
As for the "SDTU" issue devoted to Quick Draw, I was pleasurably stunned to see your post on it...and to find that it's already been released a few months ago! The last several issues have focused on the DC characters, so I figured the book was back to ignoring the H-B characters, since DC seems bent on making everyone in the HBU more "realistic". Nice to know there is still room for the classic characters drawn in their most appropriate form. I will definitely have to look for this one. El-Kabong!
Scarecrow:
While my “first comic”, Dell’s TWEETY AND SYLVESTER # 21, is still “with me” and still intact (though upgraded in the ‘90s), my original copy of WDC&S # 226 suffered mightily at the hands of an unknowing little me, who had no idea of its greatness (…and future value).
I still have THAT one, too… and maybe, one day, I’ll post on the horrible things I did to it! Page One alone, a CARL BARKS PAGE – of all things, is enough to elicit chills! Brrrr! When you consider the things that even… um, “Perfect Li’l Angels” like me did to comic books in the “Dark Ages”, it’s a wonder that so many of them survive today in higher grades!
Meanwhile, I think it’s great that you, TC, and I all had the same comic at the same time! Anyone else have an original-purchase Gold Key QUICK DRAW McGRAW # 14? Perhaps we can start a club… as long as we don’t call it “The Gold Key Comics Club”! Shudder!
Oh, yeah! Do not miss SCOOBY-DOO TEAM-UP # 23! Get a copy using the same determination and grit that got your comments to this humble Blog, for which I’m grateful!
…And, while you’re at it, you may also be interested in SCOOBY-DOO TEAM-UP # 26 with Hong Kong Phooey – also drawn by the great Scott Jeralds! This week, it came down to either posting on the Quick Draw McGraw issue, or the Hong Kong Phooey one… and Quick Draw won out, despite that issue being several months old. But, they’re both great! Aw, heck… EVERY issue of SCOOBY-DOO TEAM-UP is great!
I would love to see a crossover between Ricochet Rabbit and the guys from The Good The Bad and the Ugly.
That WOULD be one for the ages, Marc!
Would it be called “The Good, The Bad, The Ugly, The Long-Eared, and The Droopy”?
While we’re in “wish mode” how about Ricochet Rabbit and Deputy Droop-a-long meeting Marshal Matt Dillon and the Gunsmoke gang?
As Droop-a-long was created to be a “parody/tribute character” to Dillon’s deputy “Chester Goode”, played by Dennis Weaver (…Mel Blanc even voiced Droop-a-long in parody imitation of Weaver’s voice), it would be like Scooby-Doo meeting The Jetsons’ Astro!
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