The Spell of Music

This gathering of characters makes for a great display of cartooning.

And Kelly's understanding of bagpipes is displayed in pretty accurate sound effects (SZKWACK PWEERP) as well as Porkypine's recognition of a Dudelsak. In reality spelled slightly differently, the Dudelsack was once the most widespread bagpipe in use in Europe. Becoming almost extinct, the Dudelsack today has many players . . . including Pogo!

December 8, 1968

Big Game

This is Kelly still thinking in terms of comic books with their one page wordless gags. The gag, meant for children, is mild and a variation of a Kelly favorite theme — the little guy besting the big one. 

August 24, 1952

Not Quite Dry As a Bone

More sweetness and quietude, from 1952, one of my favorite years in more ways than one. Pup Dog never took on humanish behavior, to his credit. Beauregard, well, he vacillated.

August 31, 1952

Nobody Lives By Bread By His Own Self

Another strip that I cut out from my Sunday paper all the way back in 1964, waiting 51 years just to be shared with you. Life is weird.

February 23, 1964

All Big Fishes Get Away

Simple and sweet—sometimes Kelly had to take a breather from the hoo-roar of Albert and all the other numbskull shenanigans of the swamp, and what better way than with Pogo and Rackety Coon Chile...

Another scan from my dwindling stash of strips that I clipped decades ago, never dreaming that I'd get to one day share it with you, wherever you are in the world.

July 27, 1969

For Loren

Speechless

Every once in a while Kelly would drop in a wordless filler strip, looking much like his comic book art, and in fact may have been recycled from the idea pile that outlived the Dell comic book. Simplistic stuff, but Kelly makes the art delicious.

October 5, 1952