This Sunday's strip that I clipped, oh so many years ago, wasn't too bad for bleed-through marks, but as ill luck would have it, it had a fair amount of printing press dirt marring it. To add injury, it was also torn here and there. But thanks to the miracle of photoshop, well, here ya go!
Long Live Kelly, I allus say!
September 14, 1969
Whew, it's good to know these aren't really skinned canines...or at least so sez Seminole Sam...hmm...
First miracle: Photoshop;
ReplyDeletesecond miracle - even more important :having someone around who has the dedication to undertake all the work to produce such a wonderful end result.
Thanks, Thom, oh thou worker of miracles!
Hun
Hun, you Kelly devotees make the effort so much more fun. Another miracle is the internet, reaching out all over the whirled! Thanks Hun!
Delete"We're related! My cousin is a tick."
ReplyDeleteWalt Kelly's work will never die.
Mark, I love that line and I love the sincerely happy face of the g. moth.
DeleteHmm... Is that supposed to be J Edgar Hoover? I know Mr Kelly DID draw some parodies of him.
ReplyDeleteStripeCAT
I don't think this guy is yet J Edgar. I think this is still Chauncy. When Kelly did Hoover intentionally, it was a spit-on perfect caricature.
DeleteWhat a great arc. Every panel of this strip is brimming with gorgeous art and brilliant dialogue. (And MORE wall eyes! It's not a schtick that Kelly went to often, but it served him beautifully in this run of strips).
ReplyDeleteThe highest compliment that can be paid to you, Thom, is that the hours of work you put into these strips rarely show. We often take it for granted that 50-year-old newspaper can look this good (I do, anyway). The golden rule of show biz: Never let 'em see you sweat. That could be your motto. Beautiful work, as always.
As a sidenote, I got an email from Amazon that Vol. 3 of the Fantagraphics book has been pushed back AGAIN to December 10, putting it a full year behind schedule. I can't say I'm shocked - I've been through this dance before, and the multiple delays in the release of the first volume made this all but inevitable. But it's still disheartening. Let's face it, sales for these books are never going to equal the likes of Peanuts, and I fear that the more time that goes by between volumes just eats away further at the potential audience.
Also, has anyone purchased the new Hermes Press edition of the Dell Comics? I leafed through it at Jim Hanley's comic store in Manhattan. It looks fine (albeit a little grainy in the printing, and a tad overly-saturated on the colors). I believe it contains all of the Albert & Pogo stories from Animal Comics (minus the first two pages of the "Popinjay" story, which I've heard were omitted accidentally and will be included in reprintings, as well as in the second volume so that people won't have to re-buy the first volume if they already have it). I hate to pass up a Pogo release, but it's tough to motivate myself to buy it when I own all the material in either the original '40s comics, or in the four '90s Eclipse editions (which are larger and more lovingly printed, albeit flimsier).
~Craig
Thank you Craig!
DeleteI'm just so sad that I can see the end of my stash coming up. It's been a long run for me, posting many many many Sundays, but a collection has to run dry sometime. I'll take stock soon to see just how many strips I have left.
I'm so disappointed to hear of Fantagraphics delay. I've had an Amazon gift card I've been saving for the longest time, just for volume 3. I hope there's no expiration on the card, cuz who knows how long it'll be. Has it even been financially profitable at all for Fantagraphics, I wonder.
I'm not even trying to look at the new editions of Dell comics, having most of the originals. I'm tempted to scan some of the best stories, clean them up and even re-colorize for the best effect, and offer them on this blog. Any takers for that? I'm also tempted to colorize some of Kelly's dailies, for another such offering. I think I'm pretty good in the colorizing department, even though I hear some of you gagging at the thought of molesting the black and white genius of Kelly. But hey, as many of you know, color doesn't mask his genius, or his Sundays wouldn't be as wonderful as they are.
Again, any takers for lovingly edited reprints?
PS, I'm especially tempted to colorize some of the Prehysterical daily strips, in loving appreciation. Any interest? Cuz if not, well I'll move along.
DeleteInstead of pondering how to 'keep you busy' I druther keep on my blinders and try to ignore the possible break of this Sunday strip run which seems to raise its ugly head on the horizon. That is just too hard to accept, Thom!
DeleteThanks for all you have done for us in the past years; what ever you decidee for the future: Whatever gives you a warm feeling of success, I for one will gladly watch the reults that you post.
Hun
I think it's impressive that you've actually carried this labor of love to the point where you've restored and archived almost all of your cuttings. I can say that your work, archiving Kelly at the apex of his career, was instrumental in inspiring me to take up cartooning myself. Kelly, through you, has been a fabulous teacher, and it's a shame that for the most part only archivists and curators still know his name to any real depth now. Cartoon alligators will continue to traipse through swamps in imaginations a little longer because of you.
ReplyDelete