Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine

Number 96

Sparky Watts and The Father Of His Country!


I've been waiting for President's Day to show you this story from Sparky Watts #5, 1947. It's by the great Gordon "Boody" Rogers, in my opinion one of the top cartoonists of the Golden Age.

I last showed you a story by Boody in Pappy's #32, where I posted a story from his regular monthly appearance in Big Shot Comics #86. Boody had a unique and clear cartooning style, which he developed as Zack Mosley's assistant on that cartoonist's Smilin' Jack comic strip.

I also showed you a favorite science fiction theme of mine, time travel, in Pappy's #89, when I told you about what I liked about the Alley Oop comic strip. This Sparky Watts story has a form of time travel. Instead of them going into the past, they bring George Washington into the future. Actually they resurrect him, using a special "life restorer lite" that Doc Static has invented. Considering its shortness, three chapters adding up to 20 pages, Rogers manages to make some pretty good gags. The man-out-of-his-own-time possibilities are well exploited by Boody.

Learn what really happened when Washington cut down the cherry tree, or why he stood up in the boat crossing the Potomac. See George Washington in a zoot suit! Learn how many stars Slap Happy thinks are on the 1947 American flag!

Enjoy the laughs, and Happy President's Day!