Well, at this point I'm losing track of continuity. I went into the Army in early 1972, so I'm amazed I have any strips from that year or the next, as I was busy learning to lay waste to people who didn't believe in the western ways of Democracy. I think my mother may have been saving Sunday sections for me, but I'm not even sure of that. Somehow I have a selection from those last two years of Kelly's creation, but evidently not all.
Now this guy, below, is a real oddity. It has two characters that are totally unknown to me. I have a couple of Sunday strips just prior to this one, but I'm hesitant to share them with you, because they're, well, truth to tell—lame. Either Kelly was very sick, or his assistants were not very good. This pirate guy shows up in at least one of them, but with no explanation as to who he is. And that bird with Churchy's visage is just plain creepy. I seem to be missing some strips from a month or two before this, so maybe there will still be an explanation yet to be discovered (Hun, I've tried to access the archives that you've sent me, but they don't seem to cover this time period. Do you have records of this arc, however poor their condition may be?).
This particular strip seems solidly Kelly, whereas the previous two that I have are painful to look at. Do any of you Pogo fans want to see them anyway, out of continuity, or just allow them to hibernate?
December 12, 1972
Hi Thomas,
ReplyDeleteI'd like to see them. If only to compare them with the better strips: I think in comparison we can (maybe) see what elements are part of that typical 'Kelly-magic'.
This parrot character is great, by the way. I love his design and attitude!
Best, Gerben
About 6 or so months back, there was a comment from Hun in regards to other Mad Magazine parodies of Pogo, and his mention of the one about Pogo characters as real animals came up. I recalled seeing this in a compilation I had as a kid, and managed to locate it. So here you go, Hun. It was originally from Issue 81 pages 38 & 39:
ReplyDeletehttp://i.imgur.com/Kj69Zio.jpg
Ouch. Black comedy more than wit, but very well observed versions of the characters - with the pedantic caveat that Albert's teeth alignment are more like a crocodile's than an alligator's.
As it turns out this was indeed not the only parody I stumbled on, and as far as I know yet to be posted. From issue 57, page 19, "What Pogo would look like in Reader's Digest."
http://i.imgur.com/G8JjQMW.jpg
The lash details are really pushed here to make the point of what was being lost here, and it became rather prophetic later as newspaper comic page sizes shrank. Thank goodness swamp critters are a cozy lot.
Finally, not really related to Pogo directly, a little bit that made me think of old-school Albert, from issue 33, page 43:
http://i.imgur.com/GzslWA3.jpg
Thomas, you might want to repost these - I'm sure more people than just comments readers would like to see at least the first two.
- (A)
Thanks, Thom!
ReplyDelete1) post them, pse! By now you should know that this would be the only possible answer from me: Any Pogo you throw my way I will lap up.
2) My newspaper microfilm copies of Sunday strips for '72 by now should be in your inbox
3) - (A): The Mad spoofs on Pogo you write about: I for one got them in one of the Simon and Schuster reprint books. So if it is a matter of priorities for Thom, I'd vote for straight Pogo first
Hun
I'd also like to see anything from Kelly's late period you have to show us, warts and all.
ReplyDeleteTom,
ReplyDeleteI think that this might be a reprint of some kind. The inking and lettering styles suggest early to mid 60s to me.
Nice to know that Kelly wasn't immune to pulling out classic pirate tropes. Of course, Churchy used to wear a pirate hat, and didn't the Khrushchev pig wear a piratey sort of costume during one of his appearances?
Chris
I think Kelly might have been missing the earlier 'surly pirate' version of Churchy. The strip ran so long, some characters did change from who they originally quite significantly. Albert's the best example of that, going from a villain, fighting with himself over his outcast role in the middle of the Animal Comics run, and eventually slowly softening over a few years into the flawed but lovable critter that he is more commonly known as. Honestly, I wish Kelly had revisited that sort of character later. My namesake, who disappeared after Pogo went syndicated, could have returned with Albert's old flaws with all the unique comedy and story points that come with that, with the villainous "E-CHOO" wiggly fingers chasing folks and comestibles theft. Anyway, yes, every setting benefits from more pirate-characters.
Delete- (A)
Thanks you guys, for weighing in. Okay, warts and all to be posted soon.
ReplyDeleteChris, I thought of reprint too, seeing as how strong the art is, but the week or two before this'n, the pirate also shows up in one of the weak strips. I'm going by memory as I write this, but I recall that one of the strips seems to be half and half. Half standard good Kelly art and the other half, well, hmm. We'll see how that looks on next Sunday as I post both of those strips.
Tom,
ReplyDeleteThere does seem to be a contradiction between the appearance of this strip and what you claimed about the earlier ones. I would definitely like to see those efforts from the previous 2 weeks.
Chris
In one of the Simon & Schuster books, Selby Kelly claims that no one but Walt did the strip until after August '73, when he went into the coma that he would never awaken from. Apparently he attempted to script some strips that his assistant Henry Shikuma could draw, but Kelly didn't like the result and they weren't published. Thenceforth, he drew when he felt well enough; the rest of the time, was reprints.
ReplyDeleteA few of the late '72 strips are in the S&S books, and I'm inclined to believe that Kelly was, sadly, responsible for them. Shikuma's art after Kelly's death was a big big step down...but at least it looked like the work of a professional. The stuff that Kelly was doing from his hospital bed in October/November '72, before he recovered somewhat, is clearly the work of a very ill man forcing himself to meet a deadline. Not pleasant to look at, but still part of the full picture of appreciating Kelly's work and life.
~Craig
When I look at the 1972 Halloween-themed ones, I'd feared that very thing. It's hard to look at them, realizing he was probably in a bed with a tray table trying his best to get these images out to us though the interfering noise of unwellness. I'm guessing later he realized it was better to go to reprints if he felt that terrible. But boy does it give a vivid, painful snapshot into the moment.
Delete- (A)
A, you paint a poignant verbal picture. Producing good art is hard under the best of circumstances. The feat of producing great art, as Kelly did for decades, is something hard to fathom. Working from a sick bed...well, most of the rest of us would just lay back and be sick.
DeleteI was poking around and noticed this...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.amazon.com/gp/reader/B00DT6OH4C/ref=sib_dp_kd#reader-link
Anyone seen these, J. E. Bell reads old vintage comics, including Kelly's old Animal Comics run of Albert the Alligator? Seems like there is extra pages. Is this some sort of 'extended' audio version of the comic pages? I noted the Vintage Comic Site has a DCMA notice on it saying that if anyone wants to challenge their claims to the works, they can do so. I wonder if OGPI is aware of these works and sanctioned them?
- (A)
Sssshhh! Sotto voce around here!
DeleteHmm, I just looked at your link, and it seems mighty questionable as to the use. I believe the comic books are in public domain, but to not put Kelly's name on the front cover isn't very gentlemanly. Hmmm hmmmm.
Delete