Separated at Mirth: What's at STEAK Here?

Keep your friends close, and your MEALS closer would appear to be the message behind this SEPARATION AT MIRTH between the cover of THE BEAGLE BOYS #28 (Gold Key Comics, Cover Date: March, 1976)...

...And this gag, found in MUTT AND JEFF NEW JOKES #3 (Harvey Comics, Cover Date: October, 1964)...

...Reformatted from a MUTT AND JEFF daily newspaper strip.  

The Beagle Boys cover shows that "There's No Honor Among Thieves"... even if they're brothers, and especially at dinnertime! 

The Mutt and Jeff gag, with its opportunistic tramp, is exemplary of the "Depression-era styled humor" that pervaded the strip in its heyday!  

And isn't it great that they can BOTH PULL OFF THE SAME GAG with such skillful humorous dexterity! 

NICE SUBTLE DETAIL: Notice the overflowing mess surrounding Beagle 176-167's coffee cup!  

Not only is he a steak-snatcher, but perhaps he's also "copped some coffee" from his jailbird bro!  

In addition to watching his hat, Beagle 176-176 ought to "mind his PEAS and Qs" before they migrate to the adjoining plate as well!

The cover of THE BEAGLE BOYS #28 was drawn by Pete Alvarado. 

The MUTT AND JEFF daily newspaper strip was written and drawn by Al Smith. 

Both made possible this "Separation at Mirth" between The Beagle Boys and Mutt and Jeff... and, hey, Mutt got off easy this time - he wasn't even in the strip!  

He's better off at the baseball game... at least until a cop pinches him for not buying a ticket! 

Happy Second Birthday to Cici!

Two years ago on this date (September 23) "The World Just Got Much Cuter", with the arrival of Cici!  

And now she is TWO!  

She and big-sister Averi bring new heights of joy and love into our lives every day!  

Can't ya tell?! 

Yeah, you can tell!  

 Happy Second Birthday, Cici!  We love you! 

Adventures in Comic-Boxing: Phantom Flower Power!

For any true collector, it's always a cause for celebration when you "complete a run", as I did this very day with DC's GHOSTS series - when receiving issue # 66, the final one I was missing!

GHOSTS #66 (DC Comics, Cover Date: July, 1978) 

However, beyond the pure joy of accomplishment, another reaction occurred upon seeing its illustration of the cover story "The Phantom Flower"...

Be honest now, tell me if you can look at that cover, with the stalking (...and specifically-named) "Phantom Flower", and NOT think of SCOOBY-DOO!  

Why, I even have a TITLE ready-made for the story...

"ROSES ARE DREAD!" 

...Don't look now, but I think Shaggy and Scooby approve!  ...Of the TITLE that is, not the flower! 

Adventures in Comic-Boxing: Just Another Reason Harvey Eisenberg was So Great! Number Two!

As if we needed to find more examples of why former animator / layout man and Dell and Gold Key comic book artist HARVEY EISENBERG was so great, let's examine CHIP 'N' DALE # 17 (Dell Comics, Cover Date: March-May, 1959 - with a Harvey Eisenberg cover!) 

In particular, an untitled one-page gag on the inside front cover that I called "Lines of Progress (or "Progress is for the Birds") for purposes of my personal indexing.

Tell me that's not great! 

Chip 'n' Dale never looked better (even in animation) than when Harvey Eisenberg drew them.  So expressive!  

And that intrusive flock of BIRDS!  Magnificent!  

The detail on the tree trunk and telephone pole (...complete with lineman)!  The WIRES not hanging "straight across" - but "dipping" or "bowing" a little - as wires tend to do!   Everything is perfect!  

The black-and-white printing of the issue's inside front cover, allows the detail of Eisenberg's work to shine all the more!  

And, this was one of those rare occasions where he even LETTERED his work!  
 

Especially in this age of unnecessary-yet-purposeful exaggeration, nobody produces work that comes close to the superb artistic quality of the great Harvey Eisenberg!  

Averi's Off to Kindergarten!

It seems like only yesterday but, actually it was Thanksgiving Day of 2017, when a wonderful baby named Averi entered our lives!  

Esther with newborn Averi.

Then, came little sister Cici!

Joe with newborn Cici.

And what a pair they make!  

And today, Averi begins kindergarten!  We all wish her luck in this next big step in her life!  

She's all ready for kindergarten... but, is kindergarten ready for HER?  

Look out world, here she comes!