Number 1899: Pot-shot Pete by Kurtzman

When I look at the Pot-shot Pete stories in Toby Comics, I see Mad a couple of years hence. The editor at Toby Press* bought at least three 5-page slapstick Pot-shot Pete adventures from Harvey Kurtzman, who wrote, drew and lettered. Kurtzman even borrowed a couple of them back to run in Mad.

The original art was auctioned by Heritage Auctions, and went for  $46,605, undoubtedly much, much more than Kurtzman earned for drawing it.

There is at least one more Pot-shot Pete page that was published by DC Comics, first in Jimmy Wakely #4 (1950), reprinted at least a couple of times over the years, including this appearance from Blackhawk #143 (1959).

“The Sheriff of Yucca-Pucca Gulch,” is from John Wayne Adventures #5 (1950).

*Was it Mell Lazarus, of the future comic strips, “Miss Peach” and “Momma”? He was an editor at Toby for a time. Lazarus also wrote a novel, The Boss is Crazy, Too, about the comic book biz. Lazarus died recently, on May 24, 2016.

Number 1854: The Duke goes pearl diving

John Wayne is a really nice guy! At least he is in this story from John Wayne Adventure Comics #10 (1951).  Wayne witnesses an accident. Juan, a young Mexican boy, suffers a badly broken leg.The boy and his family, described by the local priest as “desperately poor,” have no money for an operation to repair the leg. so Duke Wayne, bless 'im, risks his own life to pluck a huge black pearl from the seabed to pay for the needed health care. What a guy.

We are left with a warm feeling for movie star Wayne, a grand and friendly fellow. Oops. But wait. Looking at the cover of the comic book, we see John Wayne’s right hand, and Wayne appears to be giving us the well-known obscene gesture — the infamous finger! We relax again, though, when we tell ourselves he is not flipping it at us, but more likely aiming it at the movie studio still photographer, who may have just informed Duke he would be holding up the rather large man for another few minutes while the photographer finished. The stunt man laying across Wayne’s broad shoulders looks dern near big as Wayne himself, who topped out at a few inches over 6 feet. They don’t call a movie villain a “heavy” for nothin'.

Artist and writer uncredited by the Grand Comics Database.