Fowl Mood

Seeing covers like this comic cheer me up no matter what foul mood I'm in. And of course Walt Kelly is responsible for this particular one.

In fact, it was Kelly and Carl Barks and a few other geniuses that were responsible for keeping the Golden Age of Comics alive for another few years into the '50s, bless their hearts and souls.

Walt Kelly — Walt Disney Comics and Stories — February 1950

Barrappidda Phwap

Kelly din't need to tell stories, he jes' had fun.

September 22, 1963

Squatter's Rights

Every Saturday night about 9:00 I suddenly sit up straight and think, "geez, it's Saturday night about 9:00! I better scan and prepare the next Pogo Sunday", which takes between 60 and 90 minutes to scan and 'process' — getting rid of major bleed through, major yellowing, making color corrections, etc, etc — whether I feel like it or not.

Why do I do it? Cuz then I can wish you Happy Sunday, Kelly Sunday!

September 15, 1963

The Ol' Sniffolio

Here we are again. It seems like Sundays come around every 3 days anymore, or am I just being a numpskull . . .

September 8, 1963

And You, You're Aces to Me, Jus' Aces

We can't post A Frog He Would A-Wooing Go without following up with The Account of the Wooful Frog. This is one of Kelly's sweetest little morsels of a story, as fun to me now as when I was 10. The little turtle tad is one of Kelly's many high-water marks for characterization.

Walt Kelly — The Wooful Frog — 1955

Heigh ho! says Anthony Rowley

A Pogo-ish rendition, an absolute delight of art.

A Rowley, Powley, Gammon and Spinach

By popular request (any one person showing interest in Kelly is very popular with me), we take a look-see at Walt Kelly's take on the old saw, A Frog He Would a Wooing Go. Kelly did several versions that I'm aware of (it IS such a lively ditty). He drew these up for the little folk, but it sounds suspiciously like an old drinking song to me — with some ribald verses, I can hear the quaffing and rowdy clinking of pints in the background.

The two pages below are one of Kelly's earliest versions and is not related to Pogo, but is from the nursery song book that he illustrated. I'll get the other versions up soon as I pin em down and scan em.

Thanks Bruce for the request!

Walt Kelly — Complete Nursery Song Book

A Child of Nature

Happy Sunday, Kelly Sunday! All Day!

September 1, 1963

Women Wearing Pants

Quite an early Walt Kelly illustration . . .

I don't have the date for this one or the source