Wednesday, December 30, 2009


Number 658


The prince in the pool


Something I like a lot about John Stanley's stories is the fantasy element. His Little Lulu stories really soar when his imagination is let go. Unlike Tubby, who had an hallucinatory childhood, seeing ghosts and hobnobbing with little men from Mars, Lulu had her feet on the ground and didn't usually go off into flights of fancy until she had Alvin as an audience.

"The Prince In the Pool" originally appeared in Marge's Little Lulu #11, from 1949, but I scanned it from the 1959 Dell squareback, Little Lulu and Alvin Storytelling Time #1.

In "Prince" Lulu becomes a Dickensian character, the poor little girl, so poor she is turned away from the poorhouse; she is cold-heartedly told to live in a doghouse. But the dogs turn her away, too. Now that is poor!








Happy New Year, everybody. I'll be back January 1 with a special #1 issue.










Monday, December 28, 2009


Number 657


Pappy's advice


Yesterday we had a Blackhawk story set in the Amazon. Here's another Amazon story along with some advice. You may thank me someday. When in the jungle looking for someone if you come across a man with a pet ape, and the man introduces himself as Dr. Death, do not tarry, do not linger. Turn around and walk, no, run away from him.

The dumb people in "The Shrunken Heads of Dr. Death" would have benefited from that advice.

From Quality Comics' Web of Evil #12, 1954.

















Sunday, December 27, 2009


Number 656


Amazon killers!


Hope you all had a nice Christmas. I don't know about you but it's nice to get it over with. Now that I have all my presents I can stop being nice to people.

No, really. I lie. I like to be nice. I like to show you stories you might not otherwise see. My presents to you.

This last Sunday of 2009 we have a Blackhawk story from 1952, "The Root of Evil." The cover of this issue, #51, has the blurb, "Wild-Eyed Killers of the Amazon!" The art is said by the Grand Comics Database to be by Bill Ward, but the inking doesn't look to be his. It's heavy, nearly blobbing out the beautiful girl, but lucky for us, not quite.

















Friday, December 25, 2009


Number 655


Rudolph in Gorgonzola


What?! It's Christmas again, already? Didn't we just have Christmas a mere 365 days ago?

To commemorate the day I need to go back to my childhood and Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, 1953 edition. No, not my first childhood, but a subsequent childhood (I've lost track of how many childhoods I've had). I bought this comic at a San Diego Con in the 1980s. They aren't that uncommon because they sold very well for DC Comics during the 1950s. The annual series ground to a halt in the early '60s after 12 issues. It was revived for a time when Rudolph reappeared in a couple of DC's tabloid-sized comic books of the early '70s, and also in DC's tiny eyestrain digests.

Rube Grossman is credited with the artwork. Grossman, who had an animation background, went back into animation after his stint at DC Comics. He died in 1964.

To all you Pappy's readers, Merry Christmas!