Since our brick-throwing cat named Butch took leave of the Sundays, I thought it'd be fun to get a glimpse of him over in the dailies and how he spoils Pogo's usual good nature.
I love how Kelly can fit a detailed automobile into a daily panel!
Weekend Whatnots
4 hours ago
Especially that second strip, where the car is off way away in the background, and is still rendered in remarkable detail! Kelly very rarely scrimped on quality, no matter how small an object would end up in its newspaper publication.
ReplyDeleteHe also jes' adored drawin' old-timey cars. Wonder if Kelly, once he made his moderate little nest egg, ever purchased any vintage automobiles? That's not something I've read about, but he clearly had some passion for them. Even if it was just to rejoice in how crazy-looking they could be!
~Craig
I never read about his driving proclivities, but I bet his New York lifestyle didn't allow much for being on the road. But his 'auto' biographical drawings show him driving off in an old crazy car (steering wheel akimbo).
DeleteThese are great dailies, thanks so much for posting them. Color Sundays are always fun but sometimes people forget that Kelly produced 6 times more dailies than Sundays and they are fabulous fun. From a writing perspective it is interesting how he juggled two independent storylines between dailies and Sundays, most of the time.
ReplyDeleteJ.P., I LOVE his dailies. His black and white artwork is so uniquely his, with such lush brushwork. Like I once remarked, Kelly could illustrate a furniture catalogue and It'd be eye candy for me.
DeleteTom,
ReplyDeleteMiss Ma'am'selle is quite stunning in these images, is she not?
I think that some of these date from 1971, so apparently Butch hung around for a while. I don't think that the whole series of "love triangle" (or whatever) strips has ever been reprinted though.
Chris
She IS delicious, isn't she?
DeleteHey we can read all these in the Fantagraphics volume published in, what, 2090?
Try sometime in the 22nd century?
DeleteChris
After 'resting' for 1 1/2 years Butch re-enters the stage in the daylies on April 29, '71 with 'Enter right: a Brickbat'. The arc containing Pogo's fits of jealosy then goes on in the usual Kelly manner (all kinds of other side actions) and peters out with a last comment by Porky on June 6.
DeleteThom's postings do not look like straight newspaper scans (no copyright and date lines), so must have come from some reprint (probably 'Pogo's Bats and the Belles Free', published '76)
Hun
What amazes me is the details like the gear and ratcheting mechanism on the brake handle and the accelerator levers on the steering wheel. All these tiny details are accurate for a number of pre-1920 cars, yet he still somehow manages to give us a drawing that gives us the idea of "Car"--almost an automotive archetype.
ReplyDeleteAgain, Thank you! These are great!
I'll say it again, I think Kelly is/was the greatest cartoonist of any generation. There have been some who were more illustrative and some more storyteller-ish. But line for line Kelly was the most...um...what's a good word here...enchanting?
ReplyDeleteWonderful strips. It's stunning to see how well and thoroughly Kelly could catch the beauty, elegance and kind of distant disdain that cats have. Once again it is downright incredible how well drawn it all is. The old car is nice, too, of course. But have you ever try to draw a convincing cat?
ReplyDeleteThanks a thousand like always, dear Thom. You're the authentic pearls and diamonds treasure of "my" Web.
All the best to you!
Thank you Yves, it's so nice to be thought of as part of a treasure, especially authentically so.
ReplyDeleteI'm late to the party, but this is great stuff! Thanks for bringing it to us
ReplyDelete