Adventures in Comic-Boxing: Somebody Stole Donald's Gag!

When the great editor Julius Schwartz was in charge of certain Silver Age DC Comics titles, he used to say (...and I'm paraphrasing as best I can) that the story should, in some way, highlight - or otherwise showcase - the particular hero's individual powers.  

The Flash's powers are "showcased" in... SHOWCASE!  

Meaning that a FLASH story should be geared toward velocity, a GREEN LANTERN story should feature "power ring" stunts, and an ATOM story should involve its star becoming very small!  

Otherwise, you just have a generic story that could be told for any old generic hero.  

I was reminded of that when I read the Inside Back Cover Gag from ADVENTURES OF MIGHTY MOUSE #151 (Dell Comics, Cover Date: July-September, 1961) titled "The Free Book", with art by Dan Gormley...

More than simply not catering to Mighty Mouse's powers - or his very existence as a super powered mouse - this gag doesn't even need to star a superhero!  

We'll enlarge it below for your reading pleasure... 

In fact, this gag would seem to be best suited to DONALD DUCK, what with his impatient nature and trademark slow burn, and would have made a dandy one-page gag for a Dell or Gold Key comic, or an Al Taliaferro Donald Sunday newspaper strip.  

This cover, which I'd like much more if Carl Barks or Tony Strobl had drawn it, will give you an idea of what I mean! 

You could even pare it down to four panels and make it a weekday strip.  

But instead it is MIGHTY MOUSE who usurps Donald's gag.  And, hey... It's not like, in return,  Donald could... you know, like become a superhero and "Save the Day"... 

...Aw, skip it!  

Adventures in Comic-Boxing: The Pink Panther Meets... Mighty Mouse?

I never cease to be amazed at how different comic books can be outside of the USA!  But this German edition of THE PINK PANTHER (Der Rosarote Panther #65), takes the Bavarian Chocolate Cake! 

Mighty Mouse AND The Pink Panther??!  ...And for 100 Seiten... er, pages?  

Golly, has The Commissioner ever looked so happy when in the presence of The Inspector?  

I guess he figures that, however badly The Inspector messes up, Mighty Mouse will be there to save the day!  

Either that or, after so many years of The Inspector's incompetence, The Commissioner has finally gone batty!  

Adventures in Comic-Boxing: If Looks Could Kill...

...Okay, well, maybe not kill... but perhaps just enough to "let 'em know you're really, really... REALLY annoyed!"  

Such is the case for Mighty Mouse on the cover of TERRY-TOONS COMICS #63 (St. John Comics, Cover Date: December, 1947), where we find the "Mouse of Tomorrow" having an uncharacteristically difficult day - made only more so by the unwelcome intrusion of Heckle and Jeckle! 

I think it's fair to say that Mighty Mouse (and, by extension, his creator Paul Terry) owe a great deal to both the character and concept of Superman. ...Flying, super strength, cape, tights, trunks, "powers far beyond those of mortal men" (...or mice), etc. 

But, one power Superman has, and that Mighty Mouse apparently lacks (at least in the comics I've read and the cartoons I've seen - which is not nearly all of them), is heat vision! 

Okay, okay... so the cover says "laser-vision", but you know what I mean - so let's move on!  

Judging by the look in his eyes, if Mighty Mouse had heat vision (...or "laser-vision", if you prefer) like Superman, he'd give those birds "a light" they'd never forget.

But he WON'T... because he's MIGHTY MOUSE!  And Mighty Mouse only helps people (...and anthropomorphic variants thereof).  

Say, there's almost a "Separation At Mirth" going on up there!  

Oh, about that "helping thing"... Weelll... maybe not CATS!  

...And, at least in this case... maybe not MAGPIES either! 

Adventures in Comic-Boxing: Custom Made Diving Suits

Something that has probably never crossed your minds - and, perhaps, anyone's minds ever - is the amount of custom-design that must go into creating deep-sea diving outfits for distinctively-shaped  comic or cartoon characters. 

Consider this great page from TERRY-TOONS COMICS #65 (St. John Comics, Cover Date: February, 1948), so well drawn by Terrytoons animator Art Bartsch.

How much are you willing to bet that those diving pirates are CATS?  

The tell-tale EARS at the top of their helmets give the game away! 

MEEEEOOW!

And you probably DON'T NEED any dialogue, to figure out who's in THIS diving rig... 

 HINT: It's by Carl Barks - and from WALT DISNEY'S COMICS AND STORIES #97 (1948)! 

Finally... Just imagine the fitting-session that went on for this one!

Th' "fitting" is enough ta gives ya "fits"! 

From the POPEYE cartoon "Dizzy Divers" (1935)! 

Still, I can't help but wonder what would have to be created for THIS GUY...

Expansion both forward AND sideways, I'd imagine!  

He'd be better off just remaining on land! 

Adventures in Comic-Boxing: Quash and Stretch!

On the cover of MIGHTY MOUSE COMICS #12 (St. John, Cover Date: August, 1949), Mighty Mouse QUASHES an assassination attempt by merely STRETCHING from a yawn!  

Cover art by Terrytoons animator Art Bartsch

"What a Mouse!", as the cartoons used to say!  He's so great that, some days, he doesn't even need to try!   

Or, perhaps, in Mighty Mouse's world, evil cats are SO plentiful that you don't even need to throw the proverbial stick to hit one... just stretch your arm - but be sure to have a clenched fist, just in case! 

Oh, yes... the animation term "Squash and Stretch", which forms the basis for our title's pun, is discussed in THIS POST!  

Finally, if anyone wishes to know more about MIGHTY MOUSE COMICS #12 (... and, honestly, WHO WOULDN'T?), you can read more at my index for this issue at GCD! 

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In case you're wondering why there are two images from LOST IN SPACE below, please read Achille Talon's comment and my response.  

Adventures in Comic-Boxing: "Heee-re He Comes to Save... eBay?"

So, I was just lookin' for some MIGHTY MOUSE comics on eBay, ya know... an' I get this e-mail from eBay, and was almost as surprised as this cat...

...But considerably more amused than he!

[Click to Enlarge]

Yes, it's the "Apple Mighty Mouse"!  

...Sent to me (as the e-mail says) "Because [I] searched mighty mouse"!  

I shudder to think what I'd get if I searched for Yakky Doodle's regular nemesis, FIBBER FOX!  

Um... THIS, maybe?  

 Sorry, the pun-potential was too irresistible!  

Let's just get back to Mighty Mouse and Apples, okay?  

Yeah, that's better!  ...Much better!  

Unless you're that poor apple tree that now has a broken back!  

I'll bet it's wishing that it was one of those squash and stretch animation bendable trees about now!  

At this point, I've come to the conclusion that, try as I might, there's really no good way to artfully get out of this post, so let's just close on a picture of my favorite brand of turkey cold cuts and call it a day, eh?  

Mmmm... turkey cold cuts... Ahhhh. 

Adventures in "Just Boxing": A Tale of Two Boxes!

One fine spring day, I woke to find two boxes had been delivered to my front door (...no, not really, but go with the bit, okay?), and decided to keep one and give the other to my cat!  

...Um, I have a CAT?  Anyway...   

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Eenie, meenie, miney, mat... One box for me... one for my cat!

I picked-out mine... and left the other... to be opened by... my feline brother!  

Tension followed... o'er what I chose... when my cat's box bopped him... on the nose!

My fears turned to... unbridled glee... when from MY box... popped A-ver-i!   

Should you have... a similar choice... please listen to... this rhyming voice! 

And try to pick... the one that "pops"... and steer clear of... the one that "bops"!  

Separated at Mirth: Duck! Duck! Duck! Goose!

I'll assume most readers of this humble Blog to be familiar with Carl Barks' ultimate classic Donald Duck story "Lost in the Andes" (1949).  If not, read more about it HERE! 

In it, Huey, Dewey, and Louie, per the strange laws of a lost land, are forced to find a way to blow SQUARE BUBBLE GUM BUBBLES in a public ceremony, or face a lifetime of imprisonment!  

They do find a way to perform this seemingly impossible feat... with a little judicious duplicity.  

But, a mere FOUR YEARS LATER, in MIGHTY MOUSE # 47 (St. John, Cover Date: December 1953),...

...We find Gandy Goose doing the very same thing effortlessly!

Just look at this!  You GO, Gandy!

So, did the creators of the Gandy Goose story have the climax of Unca Carl's classic in mind, when they... um, "goosed" this story into print?  Or was it just another of those coincidences? 

You decide as we leave Huey DUCK, Dewey DUCK, Louie DUCK... and Gandy GOOSE "Separated at Mirth"!

I’m Not an Artist, But… The EARS Have It!

I’m not an artist, but… I can certainly appreciate how a skilled artist can use something like the EARS of Mighty Mouse to great storytelling advantage!  

This sequence, from TERRY-TOONS # 2 (St. John, Cover Date: August, 1952), is by Terrytoons animator Connie Rasinski, and just look at all the additional "visual mileage" he gets with his manipulation of Mighty Mouse's ears! 

"Raised / Heroically / Defiantly":  More or less as you would EXPECT to see them!

"Backward Trailing":  To indicate takeoff acceleration and speed!

"Raised High and Twitching": To convey great and sudden surprise!  Nicely compliments the EYES and MOUTH!   

And all of this emotion (...or would that be EAR-motion?) so nicely expressed in a three-panel sequence!  

Well done, Mr. Rasinski!