Arkadin

Hey kids,what time is it? It's obscure 1950's comic strip time! The Howdy Doody Sunday strip ran from 1950-53. It was drawn by Chad Grothkopf and Stan Lee did some scripting on it. Like so many other obscure, weird 50's strips, these are great fun to collect and rather hard to find. Here's my only Doody Sunday - from March 11, 1951. I found it on the reverse of a Pogo tab I had:

Here's some info on where it's been reprinted: Link to the GCD entry I first read all of these Spirit stories in the 1980's black-and-white Kitchen Sink reprints

So, here's the Spirit page with the first mention of flying saucers in the comics. Now I see where the Guide got its info.

Got this in the mail today: Spirit section from 9/28/47. Overstreet says: "1st mention of Flying Saucers in comics - 3 months after 1st sighting in Idaho on 6/25/47." Which isn't quite right - the sighting was actually in Washington state (by Kenneth Arnold, a pilot from Idaho) on 6/24/47. Of course, Eisner not only taps the headlines for material, he also throws in a wicked Orson Welles parody for good measure.

THAT is amazing!

Clifford was a great strip by the famed Jules Feiffer, early in his career. Feiffer was working as a writer on the Spirit at the time, and Clifford appeared on the last page of Spirit sections from July 1949 to the end of 1950. Unfortunately, the strip wasn't published by the Philadelphia Bulletin, so Clifford doesn't exist in tabloid size format. A real shame, because the strip would have looked fantastic at that size. The strip was collected (in black and white) in the book "Feiffer: the Collected Works, Volume 1". Here's my latest - with a perfectly executed gag!

Yep, I won that and a few other Spirit's last night on CC. Auction fever was running high on these (along with everything else I guess).

Merci!

DC really knew how to tune into kids' deepest fears and dreams. The image of a phantom Superboy desperately trying to communicate with - and touch - his parents, the rising hysteria in his >GASP< ...pretty potent stuff. It's a great fantasy cover. Oh yeah, I hear it's a key too... This week's Heritage pick-up:

I collect vintage paperbacks to read, first and foremost - there were some amazing writers churning out pulp noir paperback originals in the 50's. And there's just something about reading a copy that once graced a spinner rack in a 50's drugstore - it really puts you in the mood, so much more than reading a modern printing. Maybe it's just second hand nostalgia. As a kid, we always had old paperbacks around the house - my parents would buy them at used bookstores, usually stocking up during the summer holidays. Creases, peeling cellophane, and covers that looked so fascinatingly grown-up to me as a kid... these vintage paperbacks continue to cast a powerful spell on me. So here's a few more: Fredric Brown mystery with a serial killer on the loose in Chicago, and a reporter hero who drags himself out of the gutter to solve the case. Another Frederic Brown classic, another unforgettable title. This was one I remembered vividly from my parents' bookshelf. With that striking cover image, it reeked of smoldering secret stuff. Even though it looks like just another Peyton Place potboiler, it packs a punch with its last chapters getting into the mind of a twisted young hoodlum. Anyone know who did that cover?

This thread needs to come back to life - I was enjoying seeing all those cool vintage paperbacks. Here's a few to get the ball rolling again.

Gus Arriola's Gordo is certainly one of the most visually distinctive strips of the era. Charles Schulz described it as "probably the most beautifully drawn strip in the history of the business." (from Wikepedia)

That is one the best "comics on a newsstand" pics ever. The books are so easy to see, and so colorful. I wonder - are even the best-preserved books really as fresh and blinding white as these were when that picture was taken?

When the dust settled last night on Clink, this was mine!

One of the more interesting Atom Age comic strips was Twin Earths. Gosh-wow juvenile 50's sci-fi at it's purest. Added bonus: a really cool logo!

My latest Spirit tabloid.

There's no denying the charm of those primitive Peanuts. Here's a couple of 1952 Sundays from my collection (ie. the budget way of collecting early Peanuts!).

A new Flash in my collection. Can you experienced Flash-aholics tell me, does this issue typically go for over guide? - I had to go over to take this one home.

New silver, and very green:

Early 50's Tony the Tiger: Also early 50's - Cheerios ad with William Steig art:

Ah yeah, I remember the old American Comic Book Company ads in the Price Guide, though I don't think I ever ordered anything from them. Nice colors on that #3. I picked mine up just last year.

I'd say the earliest Dennis' are definitely over-guide - they don't show up very often looking as nice as your #1. No idea what happened to the original poster - but I'm glad his pics are still there to see. Those Bethlehem Dennis' of his are amazing.