To paraphrase Doctor Leonard McCoy from STAR TREK (The Original Series, aka TOS), as almost everyone has done in one way or another, over the last 40-50 years...
...I'm a WRITER, not an ARTIST, thus my sub-series of posts called "I’m Not an Artist, But…", and "thus-thus" (or "double thus"?) we examine the cover of PORKY PIG # 59 (Gold Key Comics, Cover Date: April, 1975).
Er, uh, don't look now, Doc... but, did'ja ever get the feelin' that this was a repurposed BUGS BUNNY cover?
Let's make the case, shall we?
Bugs is clearly the "dominant" (...and, if that's become a negative word these days, we can say "featured", "central", "better-positioned"?) character within the frame of the image.
Porky has his BACK TURNED to the audience! Even if it IS in service to the gag of "dueling squirt-flowers", it's a general "composition-no-no".
Finally, the LETTERS in the logo "Porky Pig" look so awkwardly stenciled-on and colored that they look like they're straight out of some "magnetic set of plastic letters" that Averi would attach to a refrigerator door! I know, because we HAVE them in her play area!
Yes, that's a completely gratuitous purposely-added image of Averi! ...SO WHAT?!
But, even SHE (future comics fan that I hope she becomes - I'll try my best) would probably consider this to be more likely an original BUGS BUNNY COVER, reassigned (perhaps at a last moment deadline) to PORKY PIG!
...And SHE's already more of an "artist" than *I* am!
8 comments:
To play devil's advocate (and what a devil it is… say, what gate does that fabled Gold Key open, anyway? not the pearly one, that's for sure, they'd have better editing work), one could argue that the angle places the reader in the position of Porky. He's not the subject of the gag, but rather the audience identification figure — the artwork invites you to imagine yourself as Porky, managing to beat Bugs Bunny at his own game for once, or at least match him. Talk about wish-fulfillment!
That’s a very interesting take on the matter, Achille!
I’m simply looking at it as Bugs being in the position of the featured character and Porky being in violation of the rule that (at least USED TO SAY, before more modern times) the title character should never have his/her/its back to the viewer of a cover!
But, yeah… I can buy Porky being the audience identification figure – and, as such, being IN a similar physical position, within the overall composition, that YOU might be!
I love the gag, even without this insight, of Porky “matching” Bugs in a prank, but now… I might just love it a “little more”!
Oh, and per one of the early advertisements of the line, the “GOLD KEY” opens the “gate” (though, I believe it actually said “DOOR”) to fun and adventure!
…And, if there ever was an example of “Truth in Advertising” during that early-mid sixties period, THAT WAS IT!
As for the matter of whose cover this is, the point is rendered somewhat moot by the large billing that Bugs Bunny receives (compare to comparable billing for Goofy, Pluto, and/or Minnie in the equivalent Mickey Mouse comics of the era or for Pebbles in the later Gold Key and subsequent Charlton comics). It seems a bit odd that the lettering for Bugs Bunny does not match the lettering for Porky, especially as the "and" is rather washed out by being similarly colored to the background. The effect of the billing is nearly similar to the equal billing of Bugs Bunny and Porky Pig on the Gold Key Giant of circa 1965 with the paper cover. Also by the mid to late 70's, the Porky Pig Show was off the air while the Bugs Bunny/Road Runner Hour was still a strong force on Saturday mornings. So the strong selling point of the two characters would clearly be Bugs Bunny, who was no doubt recruited for the purpose of boosting sales of Porky's book. Hence the more advantageous positioning. And I love our friend Achille's take on Porky as representing "us" as the readers or audience, matching the wily Bugs at his own game. In that sense, the two are presented as equals.
Even more intriguing to me is Achille's question regarding what door or gate the Gold Key unlocks. I have to confess this never (or perhaps rarely) occurred to me during all of the years of reading and loving the Gold Key imprint. I do now recall an in-house advertisement that showed a treasure chest being unlocked and several then-current Gold Key titles popping out of the chest.
Much as I pretty much loved all of the comics I read as a kid, the real standouts for me were always the 25-cent giant-sized issues. I was born too late to partake of the joys of the Dell Giants, except as hand-me-downs or as treasures at rummage sales, and also too late to savor the early Gold Key issues, many of which began as giant-sized comics--Huckleberry Hound, Yogi Bear, Quick Draw, Popeye, Woody Woodpecker, Bugs Bunny, Hanna-Barbera Bandwagon and so forth, all of which I only discovered as an adult collector within the past 20 years or so. Harvey Comics regularly published giant-sized issues on a monthly, bi-monthly, or quarterly basis, and Dennis the Menace also frequently received the giant-sized 25 cent treatment. With the encroachment of inflation, these giants all but disappeared as the regular comics rose in price. The 25 cent cover price of this Porky Pig issue is a reminder of the tragic price hikes that characterized the comics of the 70's. It never felt right paying 26 cents or more for comics that once sold for 13 cents (sales tax included). I guess my overall point is that this cover is reflective of much of its era--the continued growing ascendancy of Bugs over Porky, the decline of giant comics, and the unstoppable effects of inflation.
So, Scarecrow… You’re saying that this PORKY PIG cover is not merely an exercise in art-critiquing, but an actual “history lesson” to boot? …How about THAT!
…Sometimes this Blog surprises even ME!
I still wouldn’t call it “equal billing” as Porky’s logo, awkwardly-lettered-and-colored as it may be, is still the larger of the two, and more prominently positioned. …Which is more than I can say for the *characters* themselves! Thus, the confusion… such as it is.
Nevertheless, it is exactly this sort of varied views of a simple comic book cover that makes this Blog such a delight to preside over!
Oh, and no matter WHAT the ads said (as best as we might remember them, without looking them up – fun, adventure, etc.), the GOLD KEY unlocks imagination and a “spirit” that has lasted in many of us for well over half-a-century!
…If any old “house-key” or “car-key” can match that, I’d like to see it!
What's this about a Gold Key? Mysterious artifacts which may or may not unlock ancient Atlantean treasures — why, that sounds like our line of business. Citizen Torcivia, don't think your apparent immunity to our repeated attempts to brainwash you puts you out of our reach. We have people everywhere! (Our 5th column's operations have been a lot more successful since we stopped requiring them to wear the purple bunny-ears jumpsuits, it has got to be said.) So if you know what's good for you… spare us a thought when you find any solid answer as to the nature of this Gold Key! And its whereabouts!
While we're here, we'd like to point out that we cannot be held responsible for the blundering ways of all these inferior knock-offs and spin-offs who have been visiting this accursed — if surprisingly well-written — website. Mutated mongrels, the lot of them, or paltry parodies at best. We had no idea there were even so many. Made us think twice about enacting any more budget cuts, we can tell you that. But it's too late to reintegrate them… those who were ever Hares in earnest, anyway. We'd never heard of those robot cherubs until they started bothering you.
…Oh, and as for that comic-book cover: we say it's just about right that the hare supplant the hog, whatever the title might be! I mean, what is this? Goat-HAM City?!
—Signed, the First Horde. Of the Violet Hare. The originals. Remember us?
P.S.: We may be supervillains, but we're not monsters, so here's a public service announcement: wear your masks, citizens. Purple hare masks are preferred, but any masks will do!
What ho, Hares!
It’s always nice to get a visit from the original group that started all of this wonderfully out-of-control Secret Society madness!
The fabled “Gold Key of Ancient Legend” (…if, by “Ancient Legend”, you mean mid-1962) only promises to unlock the door/gate/chest/lock, or object-containment-device-of-your choice – to reward you with GREAT COMIC BOOKS! If it’s “Atlantean treasures” that are on your… er, “hare-brains”, talk to THIS GUY!
You’ll probably be more effective in your mission (whatever that may be) now that you’ve “booted the bunny-suits”. After all, they didn’t work so well for THIS GUY, so why should they work for you!
And, no matter how many “admiring rival groups” have sprung up in your wake (…some of which say they’d like to ATTEND your wake), the original always remains special… (Awww, aren’t you cute li’l purple hares “special”!)
Look no further than UNCLE SCROOGE comic books for the best proof of this!
There remains the exalted original LIKE THIS, and the pale, shoddy, inferior, overpriced, and abominably-dialogued “Scroogey-Come-Lately” LIKE THIS!
“P.S.: We may be supervillains, but we're not monsters, so here's a public service announcement: wear your masks, citizens. Purple hare masks are preferred, but any masks will do!”
My purple hare mask is at the ready! You never know when I might have to suddenly go out and have to breathe that virus-laden “contaminated hare”! :-)
When looking to illustrate "guys for whom bunny suits didn't work out so well," I'm sure you really meant to send us to this cover:
https://inducks.org/issue.php?c=us%2FWDC+584#b
Yes, I can comment on blogs again! After seven weeks and five days without a working computer other than my iPhone, I got my laptop back in working condition, yay! Mostly the delay was a matter of delivery times...the repairman would order one part he thought might fix it, and instead of coming in three days, it would come in, oh, ten or twelve days....Perhaps there are hares in the supply chain. All I can say is, since we all have to spend half our time in Zoom meetings these days, it's a great relief when zooming to be able to see everyone at once again!
That’s a good one, too, Elaine!
HERE (or should I say “HARE”?) is the link for everyone to see!
Only difference is that, despite the great indignity, DONALD will leave with his BEAK attached and intact, and DAFFY will not! (…Ya just KNOW what’s coming!)
We’re very glad to have you back! Yes, mail and package delays REMAIN an issue even this far into the (alas ongoing) crisis. They ALL seem to run an average of 2-3 days later than the delivery estimates, with one of mine being as much as almost SIX! I thought those issues would have (at least largely) resolved themselves by now! …Or been compensated-for when calculating the estimates!
Our best to you, and may all your Zoom meetings be… er, um… “zoomy”!
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