Wednesday, January 3, 2018

R.I.P. Vic Lockman.


We begin the new year of 2018 on a very sad note…


One of the most prolific comic book writers of all time, and a major influence on my own comics work, Vic Lockman, passed away (sadly unnoticed) in June of 2017, at the age of 90! 

To better appreciate the accomplishments of Vic Lockman, please first read the Blog posts of Mark Evanier, who worked as a writer for Western Publishing’s Gold Key Comics during the 1970’s, and was a then-contemporary of Mr. Lockman… HERE and more HERE


Below is a piece I wrote on Vic Lockman for this Blog’s “ancestor”, THE ISSUE AT HAND fanzine and APA column, back in early 2001 - with all illustrations added especially for this post!  After that, I’ll be back with a few examples of how the unique stylings of Vic Lockman influenced – and CONTINUES to influence – my own comic book work… and another “special treat!”

But, first… please join me in 2001 – already in progress…  

With the release of Archie Comics’ Veronica # 106 (December, 2000), veteran comics writer Vic Lockman finds himself with work published in six different decades! 

Another "Veronica" story by Vic Lockman, from issue # 96, released at the end of 1999! 

Yes, comic book readers of the 1950s, ‘60s, ‘70’s, ‘80s, ‘90s, and now the “Oh-Ohs” have experienced the talents of one of comics’ most prolific writers of all time. 

While he has contributed some “art” (in quotes because, frankly, it wasn’t all that great) it was Vic Lockman’s strengths as a WRITER that would carry him from the middle of one century into the beginning of the next!  Perhaps wisely, his art would be mostly relegated to “game and puzzle pages” throughout his prime period of the ‘60s and ‘70s, followed (oddly) by a few isolated efforts for Gladstone Series II’s Disney comics during the later 1990s.   


As the ‘50s gave way to the 60s, and for the balance of Western Publishing’s years as a comics publisher ending in 1984, Vic Lockman would handle the vast majority of “funny” or “animated” character titles to emerge from Western’s Dell, Gold Key, and Whitman comic book lines, with an emphasis on Disney, Warner Bros., Hanna-Barbera, and Walter Lantz characters. 



Creatively, Lockman would reach his height during the early-to-mid 1960’s, with such stories of note as:  

Time Jumper”  Huckleberry Hound #  5  (May-June, 1960).  Armed with a mere children’s book, Huck displays ingenuity and heroism throughout history.  With art by the great Hanna-Barbera comics artist Harvey Eisenberg, this tale of historical juxtaposition is a mini-masterpiece for both writer and artist! 


The Flintstones meet Frankenstein and Dracula” (…nowhere NEAR as bad as it sounds!)  The Flintstones # 33  (April, 1966).  Time travel with a twist… the monsters journey back to Bedrock and are mistaken for Fred’s visiting cousins! 


The Battle at Hadrian’s Wall”  Donald Duck # 107  (May, 1966).  Donald struts his stuff as a Roman centurion. 


Og’s Iron BedDonald Duck # 109  (September, 1966).  Released July, 26, 1966.  An historical adventure with (so I’m told by folks who know more about this than I) some Biblical overtones!  Establishes Lockman’s creation Emil Eagle as a full-fledged villain. 


Trapped in Time”  Walt Disney’s Comics and Stories # 323 – 326.  (Aug. – Nov., 1967) The second best of all the Mickey Mouse serials originally produced for comic books.  Mickey and Goofy set out to rescue “time lost” inventor Gyro Gearloose. 

2018 UPDATE:  More recent information would indicate that "Trapped in Time" was actually written by Cecil Beard, and not Vic Lockman.  Though I remain certain of the other stories listed here.  

The Dragon’s Amulet”  Uncle Scrooge # 74  (April, 1968).  The first full-length American Uncle Scrooge adventure not produced by Carl Barks.  Intrigue surrounds a mysterious Asian figurine in Scrooge’s possession. 


In addition, Vic Lockman will always have my eternal gratitude for his handling of the comic book version of the story in which Fred Flintstone meets The Great Gazoo. (The Flintstones # 34 June, ‘66)  Demonstrating wisdom far in excess of that of the producers of the TV series, Lockman sent Gazoo back into space permanently at story’s end!  


Perhaps THE FLINTSTONES TV Series would have run still longer, if Vic Lockman had some say in its direction! 

Go home, Gazoo! 

Stylistically, Lockman’s stories (…though always uncredited during his tenure at Western) are among the easiest to identify, once you learn to recognize the keys. 

Dialogue:  Vic Lockman’s may be among the most unique dialogue in comics.  Here are a few things to look for. 

Rhyming:  While executing a plot to rob Uncle Scrooge, a Beagle Boy would utter the following:  “Yo-Ho-Ho!  We’ll soon be in the dough!” 


Alliteration:  A villain might be described as: “A doer of dastardly deeds”, while a hero could be referred to as “A super somebody or other”.  Cheers may be directed from one character to another as: “Yay for you!”


Regardless of how red-blooded and “male” a character might be, a reaction of distressed surprise will often begin with “Eek!”, and no matter how far from Canada a story might be set, expressions of questioning and puzzlement always begin with “Eh?”. 

Story and Plot Conventions:  Things to look for include:

A device or object, often intended or designed for a specific purpose within the story, being used at the story’s end for a different, more incongruous or more offbeat purpose.  If Gyro Gearloose invents something for someone in a Vic Lockman story, you can COUNT on an ending like this!  In fact, it’s a virtual (…Ahem!) “lock, man”!   

Like this HAMMOCK, for instance! 

The starring character triumphs over adversity… AND (…predating the advent of the Discover Card) gets a cash reward.  This is especially true of the stories Lockman has written for Goofy over the years.  In fact, a running joke I had with my late friend Chris Barat is the line: “But, Goofy, what will you do with the reward money?” 


Given this, Lockman’s stories were far less cynical in nature than those of his contemporary, Carl Barks.  The starring characters almost always emerged “Vic-torious” (Sorry!) and endings were generally “happy” or, at worst, restored the status quo.  

Taking a page (…Literally!) from the DC Comics of the 1950s and 60s, Lockman’s longer adventure stories often began with a splash panel depicting the action to come already in full swing.  

From DETECTIVE COMICS # 326 (APRIL 1964)
For instance, “The Battle at Hadrian’s Wall” opens with a full page of Centurion Donald Duck being assaulted by the boulders of attacking barbarians.  

From DONALD DUCK # 107 (MAY, 1966)
Lockman’s captioning would usually say something to the effect of: “How did Donald find himself in such a predicamentLet’s turn back the clock and find out”.  Often, this bit would be accompanied by an anthropomorphic “alarm clock” walking backward.  

By contrast, Carl Barks almost always began an adventure opus conventionally in a domestic setting, and moved the story forward from that familiar point of origin. 


Lockman would remain with Western Publishing until their cessation as a comic book publisher in 1984.  Over those years, he would produce a tremendous volume of work, and, in total honesty, a good deal of what followed the period of the mid-late 1960s was average to poor.  

During the Whitman years of the early to mid 1980s, much of it was downright dreadful.  I don’t hold Lockman fully responsible for this, as shorter dictated story lengths and increasing restrictions would have a decided effect on nearly ALL writing to emerge from Western as the tired publisher plodded on toward its demise.

That's one mighty fearsome finger on that Beagle Boy!  Hope it's not loaded!  From UNCLE SCROOGE # 194 (1981).     

As the eighties wore on, Lockman found employment as part of the “Disney Studio Program”, which provided comic book stories for foreign licensees.  Some of these stories found their way into Gladstone Series I’s  Ducktales and other comic titles published domestically.

The nineties saw Vic Lockman producing original story and ( Eek! ) art on a sporadic basis for the Gladstone Series II Disney comic titles.  He even self-published a series of comic art instruction books during the period, which were advertised in those same Gladstone comics.  ( Double Eek! )  


He also saw duty on the new Flintstones title published by Archie Comics during the middle of the decade, joining artist Pete Alvarado with whom he collaborated on The Flintstones during the Silver Age for Gold Key.  
 
From Archie Comics' THE FLINTSTONES # 15 (Nov. 1996).

After the Hanna-Barbera license was “brought home” to DC Comics, Lockman’s association with Archie apparently led to an occasional assignment on the Veronica title, which brings us to the year 2000 and a sixth decade of his actively working in comics! 

Another Vic Lockman story from VERONICA # 96! 

Good night, Mr. Lockman, and good comics reading… and Yay for you, Vic!   

[ END of 2001 Material ]
  
Disclaimer: As noted, the above was written in early 2001 when much less about "who-did-what" was actually known - and more was left pure speculation and association with other identified works.  In my desire to present this material "as-written" in 2001, I note that perhaps certain stories could possibly be now-attributed to others.  But, back then, it sure seemed like Vic Lockman wrote these particular tales, based on the identifying criteria I've outlined.  End Disclaimer.

For more of Vic Lockman’s better comics work, go to THIS POST on the Gold Key Comics run of THE JETSONS, which (after the overall comic-book history lesson) discusses three good Lockman Jetsons stories. 

 And, here's another great one I didn't mention in the link!  George gets to relive his life having made the OPPOSITE DECISION on a very critical life choice!  ...Imagine if we could all have such an experience!  


 On the flip side, Vic Lockman was partially responsible for what I believe may be the single worst Disney comic book story ever published! 
For "Bird Bothered Hero", you SHOULD throw stuff!  BOOO! 


I'm GLAD this scan came out crooked! GLAD! GLAD! GLAD!

Though we CAN blame the WRITING on him, we cannot do so for the WORST ART I’ve ever beheld in such a comic – and the unattractive and uncomfortably large LETTERING that come together with said writing to make this story so uniquely bad!  See the panel below – and read THIS POST from GeoX for which I give a full-length lecture in the comments section! 


But, for better or for worse (mostly better), Vic Lockman remains a huge influence on the comics work I do today – particularly when it comes to his trademark alliteration and unusual and quirky turns of phrase.  Here are some examples: 


I named this character after him, in IDW’s UNCLE SCROOGE # 11! 




And, as our regular readers know, it was my great honor to “collaborate” with Vic Lockman, separated by about five decades on this story for IDW’s UNCLE SCROOGE # 29!  More on that HERE







EXTRA BONUS “VICtory Lap”:  We all know that Vic Lockman’s writing got (shall we say) a little “loopy” as we approached the end of the 1960s.  Perhaps that’s even WHY I enjoyed it so much!  Who can say…


 So, presented here, in its 6-page eccentric-entirety, is what I call “The Ultimate Vic Lockman Story” – “The Feast on Planet Fuddo” from Gold Key’s BUGS BUNNY # 117 (Cover Date: May, 1968)!  Penciled by Pete Alvarado, inked and lettered by John Carey, it's got ALL the quirky elements that make Vic Lockman stories of his "later period" the unique experience they are!  Click to enlarge on all illustrations!  






I don’t think ANYONE ELSE BUT Vic Lockman could have come up with THIS! 

...Or THIS, for that matter!  


...Or THIS, and I could go on forever!  

Thank you, Mr. Lockman – for a lifetime of wonderfully unique stories, and for your continued influence on me, as I carry on your legacy!  Yay for you!  ...And thanks a jillion! 

17 comments:

Achille Talon said...

I will be back with more observations shortly, but — what story is that "super-somebody-or-other" panel from? And the one with the musical hat?

Joe Torcivia said...

Achille:

Those panels, as well as the one of Gyro’s “handshaking car”, are from “Jet-Age Gentleman” in Gold Key’s DONALD DUCK # 115 (Cover Date: September, 1967).

Looking forward to your further observations.

Comicbookrehab said...

Lockman's work is all deceptively simple, cute, clean & neat, if not groundbreaking, but certainly entertaining, with a good understanding of who those characters are, even when leaning towards complete farce. Had his heyday debuted earlier in the 40's and 50's, he would've likely been less-obscure...and repints would be more frequent, I think..you CAN get a hardcover edition of "Barney Bear" by Carl Barks if you desire, but Lockman's website doesn't seem to be offering that anti-dinosaur creationsm tract that looks like a hoot - Mark Evanier had a picture of it on his site, so maybe he's read it . The story of him rejecting an Inkpot Award is hilarious.

Did he ever write Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote stories? His affinity for imagining homespun Rube Goldberg-style gadgets would've been a likely fit for scripts.

He's being credited with creating Moby Duck and I didn't know that; when Jeff Rovin wrote about the character in his "Encyclopedia of Cartoon Animals", he credited Ward Kimball & Hamilton Luske with creating Moby, which may be attributed to his TV debut in "Pacifically Peaking"...I suppose if Lockman had been a newspaper comic strip artist with a "Moby Duck" (naturally, Moby wouldn't be a Disney-branded character if he had done this) comic strip, he'd be more celebrated. I see comic strips like "Slylock Fox" or "Hagar", "Beetle Bailey", "Hi & Lois"...Lockman could've done stuff like that, certainly a puzzle game comic like "Slylock", or even the "Jumble" puzzle strips.

scarecrow33 said...

Yes, back from my Christmas up north, where we actually had a "white Christmas" on cue starting on Christmas Eve! But now for the comment (on a great post, by the way!):

From what you write about Vic Lockman, it seems he was responsible for many of the comic-book "conventions" that prevailed during the 60's and 70's in the Gold Key comics. The final panel in which some device or other is put to a completely different use than originally intended--or by extension when a circumstance or mindset is altered to adjust to prevailing conditions--was certainly a regular feature in those days. Similarly with the all-purpose, gender-inclusive "eek!" that figured prominently, though not always inspired by anything truly shocking or surprising. Here's one more thing that I'm not sure you mentioned--the ready, instant and without-questioning acceptance of something truly unusual or bizarre (exemplified by Daisy's casual reaction to Donald's super-hero accoutrements). Many times Gyro Gearloose would create something quite jaw-dropping and the others would react to it either with mild amusement or deadpan. Nobody ever asked things like, "you mean it really flies?" or made a statement such as "I'll believe that when I see it!" Whatever new status quo was introduced, it would be instantly accepted as such with no denial or cynicism. I'm guessing THAT was another of Lockman's contributions...or at any rate, a convention he readily fed into.

One more comment, or rather request...could you please identify the Jetsons issue referenced with its opening panel above? It's a Jetsons issue that I realized I do not own (EEK!).

Joe Torcivia said...

“EEK!” is right, Scarecrow! Imagine the sheer marrow-chilling horror of finding out there’s a comic you always THOUGHT you had – but find you do not! It happens to all of us, and it’s always unsettling when it does! BRRRR!

The comic in question is Gold Key’s THE JETSONS # 19 (Cover Date: January, 1966). HERE’S the cover! It was never reprinted, because the H-B comics license went to (Shudder!) Charlton (…talk about “sheer marrow-chilling horror”) before Western reached that point in its run of reprints.

I’m not about to suggest that Vic Lockman “created”, or otherwise brought about those conventions… but he certainly USED THEM more often than others. Almost invariably so! Compare with stories you know he had no hand in creating, such as the Carl Barks duck stories, and the Harvey Eisenberg Tom and Jerrys.

You DID see some of that stuff in those stories, just as a matter of course. But Lockman went to that well SO often that they became identifying characteristics of his work. Think of any of his stories, and you’ll find therein most, if not all, of the things I list! Still, he kept things interesting (…or, at the very least “unique”) with that singular imagination of his… as “The Feast on Planet Fuddo” clearly illustrates!

Joe Torcivia said...

‘Rehab:

You write: “Lockman's work is all deceptively simple, cute, clean & neat, if not groundbreaking, but certainly entertaining, with a good understanding of who those characters are, even when leaning towards complete farce.”

WELL DONE! I don’t think I could have put it better! A hearty “Yay for You!” to… er, you!

He certainly SHOULD be less obscure than he is, but I think that all of that “average to poor” stuff he produced in the ‘70s and ‘80s diminishes his legacy by lots. It’s way too easy and pat for me to analyze the situation from my den in 2018, but I can’t help but feel that his creativity was negatively taxed by extreme over use! If he’d done FEWER stories, the overall body of work would be far stronger. …Then again, let’s not forget that we’re also talking about “taking money out of his pocket”! It’s never as easy or simple as fannish-thinking makes it appear, is it?

He did indeed do Road Runner & Wile E. Coyote stories! You can find his stylistic imprint on those, just like everything else at Western. I’ll bet he enjoyed writing the rhymes! I know I would love to try it once! Michael Maltese wrote the earliest ones for Dell. There we almost no new stories in the ‘60s Post-Dell period (save the early Gold Key Giants), until the very of the decade. Mark Evanier wrote a number of them in the early-mid ‘70s, but you should see Lockman after that – certainly.

I still don’t know the true story behind the creation of Moby Duck, and that’s why it was not part of my 2001 fanzine article. Moby Duck first appeared in THIS COMIC, released in January, 1967! Of that, I am ABSOLUTELY CERTAIN! I bought that comic new, off the newsstand!

The Walt Disney animated special didn’t air until long after the character was fully-established in the DONALD DUCK title, and even had a quarterly title of his own. I think it aired in the 4th quarter of 1968, if memory serves. Anyone is welcome to correct me on its air date.

I think Vic Lockman would really have done well as a comic STRIP creator! His art style, while below par for the comic books he wrote, would have worked well in strip format – especially if he were drawing creations of his own, and not established characters.

Comicbookrehab said...

I remember reading an issue of "Wacky Adventures of Cracky", but if Lockman created the character, that's the closest we got, even though it's not likely creator-owned.

SƩrgio GonƧalves said...

Excellent post, Joe.

Sincere condolences on the loss of someone who had such a profound influence on you. From personal experience, I can say that such news is always heart-stopping in the shock and sadness it induces when it arrives, even if one didn't personally know the deceased.

On the positive side, Vic Lockman lived a very long life. That he was able to live it doing something he clearly had a passion for and that he strongly influenced at least one other notable member of his profession (you're no less notable than he is) makes his life a life well lived indeed. It's unfortunate that he seemed so embittered in the final years of his life, judging by Mark Evanier's anecdote of him rejecting an Inkpot Award.

Incidentally, I'm currently working on a tribute to Vic Lockman of my own, which I will be posting to my blog at some point this month. Although I haven't read any of his stories for established cartoon properties (I haven't even read "The Feast on Planet Fuddo" yet, though I'll definitely be reading it soon and will maybe comment on it here if I have anything interesting to say about it), I *have* read one of his Christian books. Actually, this specific book is more about economics and politics than it is about religion, though it does have some religious overtones. I'll be reviewing this book as part of my tribute. I'm looking forward to publishing this tribute. Lockman's career is deeply intertwined with two of my main interests: cartoons and political philosophy. I have got to read more of Lockman's work.

Joe Torcivia said...

Jamie:

Thank you for the kind words… on both Vic Lockman and myself.

But, no… I am far “less notable than he is”! And that will remain so until *I* am regarded as one of the most prolific comic book writers of all time – and of original stories, not translations and localizations of the works of others. …So, that means never! But, thanks anyway!

That “embittered” feeling comes to a lot of people (sometimes justified, sometimes not) in a lot of different ways. I could even apply it to myself and the 35 year (non-comics) career I have recently left behind without looking back! If some well-meaning younger member of my own former profession called me to discuss it (…and that would even be MORE unlikely than my becoming [all together now] “one of the most prolific comic book writers of all time – and of original stories, not translations and localizations of the works of others”), I would not wish to be involved with any such thing – no matter how well-intentioned the request. So, I CAN understand where he’s coming from… but, perhaps he should have been a little more embracing of whatever fan base he did have.

There were only two reasons I never wrote him to tell him some of the good things that I’m saying here, after his death: His seeming lack of interest in his comics career and his (shall we say) rather imposing religiosity. It might have been an interesting and enjoyable correspondence for him (I *know* it would have been for me!), to have him “see himself” in the dialogue scripts I create.

During the ‘80s and beyond, I corresponded with a number of the persons who “made those great comics at Western Publishing”, starting with Mark Evanier (my unofficial mentor) and expanding with some occasional assistance from him. Most of those folks were in their later years at the time, and really enjoyed hearing from someone who (A) enthusiastically enjoyed their work, and (B) wasn’t going to “turn up unexpectedly on their doorstep” one morning! But, Vic Lockman and I did not have that, and we’re probably both worse off for it.

I look forward to your tribute post. You do very well with things like this! Do let me know when it’s up, and I’ll be sure to link to it!

Elaine said...

*60 million* identical Fuddites with wabbit teeth! Talk about sheer marrow-chilling horror!

I do sometimes appreciate "that singular imagination of his," though. Let me here (as I did on GeoX's blog) plug "The Dime from Uncle" with its well worked out silly plot, where an unexpected connection gives Wanda Witch her happy ending. Imagine, a Vic Lockman story where a female character has agency, sets the plot in motion, and actually gets what she wants! I also like the featured role of the JW Guidebook in this story.

It's interesting how many of his really good stories you list here involve time travel. Even including "Og's Iron Bed"! That's one of the two Lockman stories I remember from reading them in their first run in my childhood: that and "The Hound of Basketville."

Joe Torcivia said...

Elaine:

You write: “*60 million* identical Fuddites with wabbit teeth! Talk about sheer marrow-chilling horror!”

And, consider this… On the Planet Fuddo, pronouncing the “R” sound as a “W” is NOT a speech impediment, but the perfect norm! …And so, that would actually be “mawwow-chilling howwor!”, wouldn’t it?

I would also give HUGE props to the stories you cite – and would go further in singling out more or less the complete run of “The Walt Disney Theatre”, which briefly replaced the venerable Mickey Mouse serials in WALT DISNEY’S COMICS AND STORIES during 1965-1966, and put a unique spin on classic tales that starred “recognizable comic-book versions” of the main Disney characters!

I especially liked “Rip Van Goofy”, in WDC&S # 305 (Cover Date: February, 1966) with Goofy having the quirk of doing energetic-good for others, while being “lazy” (or would that be considered “selfless”?) when it came to providing for his own good!

There’s really a lot more great stuff out there than most people realize on initial consideration! That’s both the unexpected pleasure and the shame of surveying Vic Lockman’s vast body of work.

For what it’s worth, I read each and every story cited in this post upon its original 1960s release, except Huckleberry Hound “Time Jumper”, which I first read in its reprint in HUCKLEBERRY HOUND # 37, released in January, 1969, with a Cover Date of April, 1969.

Look closely and you can see I took its illustrations from that REPRINT, as the first “door” Huck has passed through reads as a revised “1969”, rather than the original’s “1960”, as he tumbles through what Irwin Allen’s TIME TUNNEL used to call “…The Infinite Corridors of Time”!

…It was just easier to get my hands on the reprint for that one! Such behind-the-scenes-honesty you don’t get just anywhere, eh?

Achille Talon said...

Gotta wonder with that Fuddites story — how the heck did the Elmer-alien fit inside that tiny flying saucer? And in that continuity, is our usual Elmer Fudd an alien stowaway a la Superman? Hmmm… Unless it's a Film!Planet of the Apes situation, and the Fuddites are actually from the future of Earth, where genetic engineering has turned everyone into the Perfect Man — Elmer Fudd — presumably because something went wrong with the computer in charge of picking the perfect genetic features and it copied those of a passerby nobody.

And ah yes — the Walt Disney Theater… I do wonder if that series was in any way inspired by distant echoes of the Italian Grandi Parodie, because it's really the same thing, isn't it? Only the title of the American series makes it clear that the stories are plays put on by the characters (which does make it odd that villains appear so often; so Donald and Mickey convinced Captain Hook of starring in their home-brewed play… how?), whereas the Grandi Parodie were sometimes time-travel affairs, sometimes dreams, sometimes plays, sometimes alternate universes, sometimes ambiguous…

Joe Torcivia said...

Congratulations, Achille!

With your “Planet Fuddo” scenarios, I want to commend you on having a greater and more bizarre imagination than both Vic Lockman and me combined! “Yay, Yay, YAY for you… to the power of Y! Y? Because we like you! M-O-U-S-E!” (Sing that last part to the “Mickey Mouse Club” theme song!) …Aw, no matter how hard I try, I’m not gonna top THAT! Be proud, my friend! Be very proud!

“…Donald and Mickey convinced Captain Hook of starring in their home-brewed play… how?”

Well, I’m not sure about Donald and Mickey… But MINNIE actually did – in THIS STORY, from THIS ISSUE!

And, at least according to THIS SOURCE, which I use very often, Vic Lockman WROTE IT!

Ain’t it grand when things come full circle like this!

Achille Talon said...

Ah, but Probably-Lockman also cheats in The Play's The Thing — while he does show us Minnie recruiting Madam Mim, Captain Hook is already a part of the troupe when the story starts! …So I'm still trying to imagine how that conversation could have gone.

Hook: Eh… There won't be any confounded crocodiles among my adoring audience, will there, miss Mouse?

Mr Smee: Oh, I don't think so, cap'n! Eheheh! Our crocodile at least has terrible taste in fine arts — when one of your volumes of Shakespeare fell overboard, he didn't even look at it.

Hook: Ah… then I suppose, Miss Mouse, that for a correct amount of treasure

Something like that, probably.

Anyway, while they were on my mind, I have created pages on the $crooge McDuck Wiki for “Jet-Age Gentleman” and “The Play's The Thing”!

Joe Torcivia said...

Ah… But, Achille…

I never said we *actually saw* Minnie “on-panel” convince Captain Hook to be in her play! Just that she did it!

Great job at filling-in that unseen part of the backstory! …You just might have a future in this business! …If you can afford to work so cheap! :-)

Marc Whinston said...

Thanks, Joe, for the Lockwood career retrospective.

So, is it likely that I read Lockwood's words when I was a kid? I was never a huge comics fan, but during the late 1970s, at summer camp, I would read the other kids' Archie and Richie Rich comics.

Joe Torcivia said...

Marc:

It’s probably not likely, as he never wrote for Richie Rich (…to the “Poor Little Rich Boy’s” extreme detriment, I might add), and didn’t write for Archie Comics until the second half of the nineties.

…Just Archie and Richie Rich? Sounds like you went to the wrong summer camp! :-)