BillyBatson4360

Dennis Christmas Giant # 5 also featured a text adaptation of Dickens "A Christmas Carol" with spot illos by AW: Here are just a few samples: I did not want to squish my square bound annual on my scanner - so these really don't do justice to the nice holly-trimmed border that Wiseman provided.

Here are a few of those pages JRW was referring to from Dennis Christmas Giant # 5. The feature runs 10 pages. After a splash page showing Dennis making a mess creating his own Christmas cards, we are treated to 9 pages of the supposedly Dennis-created art. Of course, now we know that these were created by Jaunty Jim Wiseman with inking by Avuncular Al Wiseman (if I may act like Stan Lee for a moment)! I'll share 3 of the best: So, Jim when are you taking over the Sunday strip?

Jon - First of all, my sympathy on your father. To address one of your comments: First, I wasn't really claiming that Wiseman invented the idea. But Wiseman was using them extensively in the 1950's - in a humor book, years before the technique was revived by Kirby at Marvel. Kirby was praised at the time like he had created the technique. My remark was fueled more by Wiseman's work being totally ignored by most super-hero fans (I'm a guy who has an extensive Kirby collection. Trust me, I love the guy's work.) Second, Kirby's Captain America double page spreads in the Golden Age were invariably splash pages. I will stand firm in my assertion that Wiseman was among the first to use full page spreads in the middle of stories - not on the first page (or in the case of Cap - pages one and two).

I did notice both the Christmas card feature and the Christmas Carol adaptation as I was scanning Dennis Giant # 5 yesterday. I will see if I can get around to scanning the pages you discussed here.

The last one I have is the most bizarre. Somewhere some editor got a great idea, "Hey, let's combine Dennis the Menace with Superman! The kids'll eat it up!" And thus was born: The kid, Ollie Johnston, gains super powers when he dons a magic security blanket (I am NOT making this up). His parents remain unaware of his dual identity. This book was published by Toby Press, an outfit owned by Al Capp of Li'l Abner fame. It ran for four issues in 1954. These are by no means all the Dennis imitators, but they were the issues I had closest at hand.

The second imitation is the most blatant of all the rip-offs. from the rhyming name and the identical pseudo newspaper panel cover layout to the red overalls:

Archie comics chimed in with not one but two imitations. The more successful of the two simply put Dennis in a skirt:

When St. John closed down, Johnson took the male half of the team over to Charlton and created what may have been the longest running of the Dennis imitations: Nothing is wrong with the scan. Charlton, always the bottom rung of the comics ladder actually miscut this book - notice it's crooked both top and bottom.

It's difficult now to imagine the impact Dennis the Menace had when it burst on the newspaper scene. It was an overnight smash. Ironically, another strip about kids debuted around the same time. It was totally overshadowed by Dennis and languished in a relative handful of newspapers. Written off as badly drawn and with humor considered too subtle and "high-brow" for the funny pages, I wonder what ever became of Charles Schultz's "Peanuts?" Anyway, until Snoopy and Charlie Brown finally gained some traction in the 1960's, Dennis and his gang reigned supreme throughout the 50's. As we already noted, his comic book quickly became one of the best sellers of its time - a fact that was not lost on competitors who quickly flooded the newssatnds with imitations. I'd like to share just a few of them with you. This first one was drawn by Frank Johnson and was published by St. John (Norman Mauer & Joe Kubert's company). The theory was if one kid was funny, two will be side-splitting (note the cowlick):

Awhile back Jim Wiseman shared with us that his dad had a hard time making drawings that looked like a kid did them and asked Jim (who was a real kid back then) to make some drawings that he apparently based his drawings on. This is from the back cover of Dennis Giant # 5: Well, Jim, is this based on your work?

Many of us remember the Christmas Annuals that were so much a part of the early Dennis tradition. I've also mentioned that Al Wiseman was using full-page panels nearly a decade before Jack Kirby "discovered" them at Marvel. This one is from Dennis Giant # 3. I don't know if you'll be able to read it in the scan, but Wiseman slipped in an "in-joke" in the panel. The sign on top of the shelves reads: Genuine Fred Toole Complicators $1.95 (perhaps a subtle dig at all the detail Fred may have asked for in this scene):

Wow! A lot of great stuff posted here today. I don't know about Mr. Wilson, but I would've been oogling Alice Mitchell in that two-piece myself! I had scanned that first Mrs. Wilson panel - and now it looks like I won't need it. Bill Alger had reminisced about the Wiseman story where Dennis dreams he's a cowboy. Here's a page from that story (from Dennis # 32 - January, 1959): By the way, "Hotfoot Henry" is, of course Dennis' dad who turns out to be an undercover marshall working with Dennis' mom (that's her in a black wig). Love the drawing of Dennis riding Ruff like a horse. Also this is a good time to mention that Al Wiseman's lettering had two things you normally don't see in a comic book - 1) lower case letters 2) periods instead of exclamation points. As far as the great debate about Dennis' first strip - I would go with the Monday date. My guess is that HK took a little dramatic license and moved the date so it co-incided with his birthday. Finding out that Wiseman may NOT have drawn all the issues he is credited with is another incredible revelation. I hope Mr. Alger can shed some more light on this as we proceed!

Well, it will now be very interesting to see the Fantagraphics collection of Dennis strips. The first collection of Dennis cartoons (the hardback edition titled simply "Dennis the Menace") does contain one cartoon featuring Mrs. WIlson and no cartoons featuring Mr. Wilson. However, I am somewhat skeptical about Gina arriving in the strip four years before Margaret. After all Margaret shows up in the comic book ahead of Gina. It could be that Ketchum included a little girl character in a panel from 1952 that looks like Gina. I've also noticed in the early days that the character who became known as Tommy was sometimes referred to as "Billy," even though it's obviously the same character. I'll try to post a few scans of these panels later on today.

Actually Bill, my first name is Bill, too. Jim is "Wiseguy." Like you, my primary interst is in Al Wiseman (although I do own the Ketchum autobiography and a fair number of the trade paperbacks and regular paperbacks that reprint the Dennis newspaper strip). I'm very excited to learn that we may finally be able to put together a comprehensive biography of this great comic book talent and have access to some of the work he created away from Dennis. If you want to send me a personal message or reply to the e-mail I sent you through your website, let me know how I can help. I do have the entire run of Wiseman produced Dennis comics. Joe (aka ComicBookGuy) has them as well. Between the two of us, we could probably put together a fairly decent set of cover scans of high grade issues. It would be interesting to learn how you first got interested in Al Wiseman and how you began assembling information about him as well as how you started tracking down his non-Dennis work.

My favorite has to be "Dennis the Menace in Hawai." I can't even begin to estimate the number of times I read that book as a kid. When I decided to get serious about re-assembling my Dennis collection as an adult, that was one of the first issues I tracked down. In the regular title, I have already posted that one of my favorite stories is the one where Dennis' mom cleans him up and finally gets his cowlick under control - and nobody recognizes him! The Christmas Specials also hold a special place in my heart becuase they were a holiday tradition of my childhood. Great to see Bill Alger here. Bill, as I offered in my e-mail whatever help you may need, just ask. I'm sure your Wiseman collection is waaaaaay more extensive than mine, but I am a professional writer (my day job has me toiling in the fields of advertising) and would love to contribute to your site. The best is still to come!

First, the reversal of colors on Dennis' clothes. If you look at a number of the Dennis covers you'll find that that reversal pops up every now and again. I have to assume it was an artistic decision. (For eaxmple, just check my avatar.) Second, I've already gone to Bill Alger's site. We should all drop by and e-mail the man some encouragement. I'm very hopeful that it could be the start of the long overdue recognition that Al Wiseman has coming. Third, I really want to thank Jim for the memories he's sharing with us here. For the longest part of my life, I've just known Al Wiseman as a name and by the outsanding examples of his art I've had in my collection (and believe me, assembling a full set of Wiseman Dennis comics was harder than any run of a Marvel Comic title I ever put together - and at one time, I had 'em all). Now, I've finally been able to get answers to some of the questions that have plagued me for a long time (I've been wondering why Al stopped doing Dennis ever since the day I picked up Dennis Giant # 9 "Dennis Goes to Camp" as a kid and it wasn't done by "the good artist.") More than that, I've started to get an idea of who Wiseman was as a man. Ketchum got to write his autobiography. Until just a few days ago, all I knew about Al Wiseman's life came from a single brief article in Robin Synder's "The Comics." Heck, today I even know what brand of cigarettes he smoked. So, Jim, thanks for sharing your dad with us. I've got a lot more questions, but they can wait for another time. BTW, I read a plug Fred Hembeck gave this thread on his website. With Fred and now Bill Alger's site - together with this thread - maybe we can finally make Wiseman a known commodity in comic book circles (after all, even Carl Barks was a "ghoster" once upon time).

First of all, I - for one - would absolutely love to see any other artwork done by Al Wiseman. Jim, you were right when you said no other artist ever came anywhere close to the version your father drew. His work was so head and shoulders above the rest that it was instantly recognizable to me even as a kid. There was time from the mid-50's through the very early 60's when your father's style and the sydicated strip were very closely matched (no coincidence that period is my favorite for the daily panel strip). Then the daily strip got a little looser while the comic books looked like somebody drew them in a rush on their lunch hour. I'm curious about a couple of things. Initially, Al Wiseman was cranking out all the Dennis books - 12 monthly issues, 2 seasonal annuals (Christmas & Vacation Specials), and a number of one-shots (Dennis & Joey, etc.). When he left the monthly, he was still doing the specials. Was Dennis still his only job at that time, or did he start accepting other free-lance assignments? Also, your father seemed very fond of straight lines in his illustrations. The furniture and cars always seemed to have very straight, sharp angles to them. I think that's why he excelled at illustrating buildings. Did you notice this? Regarding some of his amazing backgrounds (like you find in the Vacation travels specials). Did he work from photographs? Did he create sketches while on location? Did he use a lightbox with a photograph projected onto his drawing board to create his illustration over? I have long noticed the trend for the names of real people to pop into the strip. I never knew if that was a Fred Toole device, something your father liked to do, or a combination of the two. I have always felt your father must have drawn some real people he knew into the strip because the faces of the people in his crowd scenes were always so distinctive. Finally, how close or exaggerated are the self-portraits your dad drew of himself in various Dennis stories?

I don't know if it was a real mistake, Joe. Both Standard Comics and Pines Comics were outfits owned by Ned Pines. I don't know the exact reason why he changed the name from Standard to Pines (could be to escape creditors or maybe he changed minor partners, I really don't know) but they were in essence the same company. It's kind of like Timely evolving into Atlas evolving into Marvel Comics. Different names but the same company. Jim - I guess what I meant by my question was did Al know that many of his kids fans grew into mature (?) adults that still appeciated, respected and collected his work?

Jim - Thanks again for sharing your insights and memories with us. Hearing some of your stories makes me feel like I'm that elementary school kid again running into the corner drug store and spending my lunch money on the latest issue of Dennis the Menace. And seeing as I'm about the same age as you are, you know that's saying something. Can you tell us a little about yourself? What do you do for a living, what section of the country you live in, etc. Also, maybe (if you care to - I don't want to pry) some things about your mom, what kind of temparment you dad had (was he a joker or serious), etc. Also, did your dad ever realize that he had fans out here in comic book land? People who loved and remembered his work? For Joe - I've been swamped with work and with helping my daughter start her very first "real" job, so free time is at a premium. I may be able to haul out my box of Dennis comics this weekend and start scanning again. Question for any and all - who gives the "star" ratings to the threads on this board? I really think this one deserves at least one more star!

Jim- Thanks so much for sharing with us. I, too, am curious as to where Bill Alger's information about your father could be found. Some of us consider your dad one of the greatest talents ever to draw for comic books. When he stopped doing Dennis the Menace, I can still remember being keenly disappointed. I simply stopped reading the books altogether. I never really cared for any of the other Dennis boks outside of the ones your father illustrated. I understand he also worked on the Yogi Bear newspaper strip for awhile. Did he do any other comic book or newspaper strip work? Finally, did your dad work from home or was their a studio he shared with either Toole or part of Ketchum's studio? Now, a little coment for Joe (ComicBookGuy): Ketchum, like nearly 100% of all successful newspaper cartoonists, used numerous assistants (or "ghosts") through the years. I know that Lee Holley (who later created "Ponytail") was one of them. Typically, the ghosts' work is supervised or approved by the artist whose name appears on the strip. Attributing anything to Hank Ketchum simply because it has a Ketchum signature would be unadvisable. After all how many pieces of art from the 1930's to the 1960's carried Walt Disney's signature?

Great job posting these giants, Joe. I'm enjoying the show and your research! One difference in the various printings of Dennis in Hawaii that may have slipped under the radar is the copy block on the front cover midway down the right edge. The original printing said "100 Pages! All New Stories!. Games! Puzzles! Songs!" The first Halden reprint (still numbered # 6) says "Congratulations 50th State" and now this reprint which changes the copy to read "A Visit to the 'Aloha' State!" Just curious - does the page count remain at 100 or are later reprints abridged?

That was me who was interested. Thanks for the post. It was great seeing that box again. Seeing as the item is in Great Britain and has a price approaching $100 (which actually isn't bad if the kit's never been opened). I'll probably pass on this one. But seeing the photo brought back some wonderful memories. Somewhere I actually have an article from Robin Snyder's newsletter "The Comics" about Al Wiseman. As soon as I locate it (we moved this past summer, and most of my collection is still in boxes - some in storage), I'll share the information. Gutterflower, great to have you with us. Keep haunting eBay and I'm sure you can pick up a lot more issues of Dennis.

Baron and his cohorts (who called themselves "The Society of the First Dime," if memory serves) found Barks in the late 60's. As I said, Barks sent them lots of original art (rough layouts, original pencil drawings, etc.). As these guys were already in their late teens, the Barks runs they put together were being cared for. I also think there were Disney collectors from fairly early on - so Disney books had a greater chance of being bought and preserved. I've got a collection of the Disney comics that tie into the animated features and you'd be surprised at what good shape some of the very earliest ("Reluctant Dragon," "Bambi's Children") are in. The only file copy I own is a Western Publishing (Poughkepsie) file copy of "Crusader Rabbit." It's in very nice shape, but I have seen other non-file Dells in just as good shape. To be honest, I've never understood collecting pedigree over condition. A VF or NM book from a non-pedigree is better than a VF- or F book from a pedigree, IMHO.

Actually, I will have to disagree with you, tth2, on the Duck books. A few decades back, I was a friend of Mike Baron (this was before he began writing comics). Mike was one of that group of fans who first penetrated the veil of secrecy surrounding Disney comics and discovered not only the name of Carl Barks, but also his home address. Barks was so flattered at the effort these guys took that he sent them many samples of original art (including an exquisite pen and ink of Scrooge that I assume Baron still has). Anyway, the upshot was that this early goup of guys (most were in their late teens by the time they found Barks) were very busy assembling multiple runs of Barks books back when you could find them at garage sales. The few comic dealers in existence didn't value the books either, so they could be had for a song. I know that several of these guys had found some pretty good condition copies of many of the Barks books. At one time, I even owned a fairly decent copy of the first Uncle Scrooge. By being the first of the funny animal artists to gain recognition many of the Barks books were probably saved in time.

First, Joe, congratulations on the rare giveaway. I've never seen it either. Second, I agree that the guy who put up that Dennis collection on eBay made a major mistake by only offering it for one day. I also notice that his # 3 was pretty beat up as well. Does anyone own a copy of # 3 in Very Fine or better? Does one exist? I think the early Dennis books are so rare (especially in nicer grades) because Dennis was a "starter" comic. He was the very first comic I bought regularly. And it was quite a few years before I graduated to the super-hero books. As such, I think the Dennis books got read and re-read by a very young clientele. I know my original collection got beat up. I have also never seen the early issues (# 1 - 20) go for less than Guide and usually for considerably more than Guide. I think very, very few copies of the early issues are bought and sold by dealers in any given year. The copies that I obtained, I got from collector-to-collector sales and from eBay auctions. I'm hoping that the Guide gives some serious re-evaluation to this title in the near future as I think the earliest issues have a market value that is considerably north of the values stated in the Guide. BTW, I'm beginning to think that issue # 2 is even rarer than # 3 and maybe even as rare as # 1. Which makes it all the more incredible that the first issue I bought when I began to rebuild my collection was # 2.