Number 474


Thief in the night


And I thought comic book collectors were obsessive! Are there any of them sneaking around at night trying to burglarize other collectors? If there are, you don't know me and you don't know my address.

This is from Crime Does Not Pay #90, August 1950, drawn by Fred Guardineer, who showed his own obsessive qualities with his precise drawing and inking.

If you don't mind something personal, I am home from the hospital after my prostate cancer surgery. I have quite a few steps to go through before I'll be back on my feet, but I am on the mend. I have appreciated the notes wishing me well. Thanks to all of you!

Postings through this week were done before surgery, so forgive me if I don't respond to comments.

All my best from your friend, Pappy


Number 473


Tiny Town is missing!


I can hear the groans from you guys now...why am I showing a Stumbo the Giant story? A kiddie story? Well, there is a story behind the story. I didn't notice it until a few weeks ago, too late to post it last year around the 45th anniversary of the Kennedy assassination, but it has a connection.

This cover of Harvey Hits #78 has an arrival date of 12-12.

That means it appeared on the stands a few short weeks after the November 22, 1963 assassination, yet a caricature of JFK appears in the story. This is one of those things that publishers who work months ahead of time fear, that something will happen between the time their publication is prepared, and when it goes on sale. It was fairly atypical, too. Harvey Comics played it very smart editorially, giving their stories a consistency and timeless aspect. That way they could reprint a story in 1973 which was drawn in 1963 and their young readers wouldn't be able to detect a difference from any new material it might appear alongside. That wouldn't be true of this particular story because of the JFK caricature. I have no idea whether it was ever reprinted or not, but if it was then it was immediately dated.

Warren Kremer was an exceptional artist, and Stumbo was one of his best drawn efforts. I've always admired how he could keep things in proportion between the giant figure and his surroundings, including the tiny people. Especially considering he was working with the constraints of his 8-panel comic book page.

Kremer, who was born in 1921, died in 2003. In 1989 a stroke ended his drawing career, which up that point was extremely prolific. He was reported to be able to draw 8 interior pages a day, not to mention all the covers, promotional material, etc. For many people, Warren Kremer was Harvey Comics.

Number 472


The Talking Gorilla


The often told story is that someone at DC Comics noticed that they sold more copies every time a cover of theirs featured a gorilla.

I think this is a subject for psychologists to figure out, but apparently a lot of comic book readers are hot for gorillas.* Well, gorilla-lovers, try to control yourselves because I have a talking gorilla story for you. It's from Fawcett's Whiz Comics #103, 1949.

The artwork is uncredited, but looks like a very young Kurt Schaffenberger did it, or at least had a hand in it. Lo-Kar the gorilla knows, but at least for now he ain't talkin'...

*Me amongst them.

Number 471


Happy Valentine's Day


Did you buy your sweetie a big box of chocolates, take her to a movie, dinner, dancing? Well, I did none of those things, but I want to share some love and romance with you, my beloved readers. Here's my big old heart for you!

And since there are no love comics to speak of in the magnificent Pappy library, I'm giving you some non-traditional love stories. You didn't think I was going soft, did you?

"It Happened On Valentine's Eve" is a spooky ghost story from The Beyond #4, 1951.

"A Bridegroom For Jenny" is from Adventures Into The Unknown #107, April 1959, written by Richard E. Hughes under a pen-name, drawn by John Rosenberger (uncredited) and attributed to the apparent inker, Jon Diehl.

"The Honeymooners" aren't Ralph and Alice Kramden. The story is drawn by Tony Mortellaro, and originally appeared in Atlas Comics' Mystic #21 (not #12, as some dyslexic lettered on the splash panel). I scanned it from its Marvel Comics reprint appearance in Vault Of Evil #16, December 1974.

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Number 470


Who's afraid of the big bad werewolves


Karswell started this, posting horror stories from the '70s DC's, so I'm just following along behind him. It was his idea, really. I'm using him for inspiration.

Here are two werewolf stories, picked out because (1) they both have great Bernie Wrightson werewolf covers; (2) I like werewolves, and (3) because I own a page of the original artwork from "Way Of the Werewolf" from House of Mystery #231. It's by Gerry Talaoc, and demonstrates how the muddy coloring and printing of the 1970s obscured some really fine artwork. I've shown this page before, but it's worth looking at again.


"Deadly Stalkers Of the North" is drawn by Ricardo Villamonte and gives Wrightson an opportunity to draw three wolves on the cover. Weird Mystery Tales #21 has a cover date of August 1975, while House of Mystery #231 is dated May 1975. So 1975 was a good year for werewolves.