MLJ's attempt to pep up Zip: how did they fail?

[Kakapo]

Ladies and Gentlemen, I will never be able to top this post. Make sure you're sitting down.

 

Now, you've all heard of Pep, and Archie. During his rise to fame, a couple of years before they renamed the company in his honour, we were treated to this iconic image, a key milestone on his path to the summit of his genre:

 

 

So, all hail the creative geniuses on the MLJ staff! Doubles all round! But wait...

 

Of course, Pep wasn't the only MLJ book - among some generic superhero stuff, there was Zip. Wilbur had debuted in Zip 18 (before Archie), and although his own series lasted a while, he never did set the world on fire. Zip needed to catch the same lightning in a bottle that Pep had done. And here, from Pep 37, is a pinup showing what they pinned their hopes on:

 

 

Over to you: how did this not catch on? Even Wikipedia has no page for Señor Banana, and yet they have found time to add a page called "Motoring hood": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Motoring_hood

 

And a follow-up question: which character on that page is the most offensive? I can't decide...

[ashrael]

"Woody the Woodpecker"? Is that supposed to be the classic bird we all grew up with?

[Kakapo]

Woody Woodpecker was created in 1940. Zip #1 was February 1940, but I don't know when Woody the Woodpecker first appeared. And I'm certainly not collecting Zip to find out!

 

Does adding the definite article make you lawsuit proof?

[seank]

Woody Woodpecker was created in 1940. Zip #1 was February 1940, but I don't know when Woody the Woodpecker first appeared. And I'm certainly not collecting Zip to find out!

 

Does adding the definite article make you lawsuit proof?

 

Start marketing Mickey the Mouse and see how you fare.

[Kakapo]

I'm more of a Looney Tunes guy - Mickey's appeal, whatever it is, is lost on me...

 

I was also amused by Wilbur's self-conscious reminder that he was still around, from his position in the wings. Perhaps if they had put Wilbur in the centre of the cover instead of The Top Laughmaker Of Them All, Señor Banana, the twentieth century might have gone in a very different direction. Oh, did I say twentieth century? I meant Zip Comics (d. 1944).

 

 

[rjpb]

And yet Zip didn't see fit to put Senor Banana on their covers.

[The Black Hand ®]

The same thing happened to Top Notch Comics after issue 27. They went for humor that just wasn't funny.

[BaltimoreLauren]

This is gonna sound stupid, but what really excites me on that pin up page is the Wilbur and Ginger--I collect both character's comics, although Ginger only lasted 8 issues.

[sacentaur]

I do like Zip comics quite a bit, Senor Banana notwithstanding (not).

[BB-Gun]

Woody Woodpecker was created in 1940. Zip #1 was February 1940, but I don't know when Woody the Woodpecker first appeared. And I'm certainly not collecting Zip to find out!

 

Does adding the definite article make you lawsuit proof?

 

The MLJ Woody started in Zip 36 with Senor Banana (1943). He was after the character in Funnies and New Funnies (1942)

 

[cosmic farmboy]

Wilbur ended up having a pretty good run with his own title, but I've never read any of his stories. Anyone have any insights or opinions as to why Archie caught on and became MLJ's flagship and not Wilbur?

[ciorac]

This is gonna sound stupid, but what really excites me on that pin up page is the Wilbur and Ginger--I collect both character's comics, although Ginger only lasted 8 issues.

 

Where were you when I sold the entire run of Wilbur last year??

[Kakapo]

Wilbur ended up having a pretty good run with his own title, but I've never read any of his stories. Anyone have any insights or opinions as to why Archie caught on and became MLJ's flagship and not Wilbur?

 

Yes, Wilbur did manage to keep his own title going for 15 or so years, with a couple of issues a few years after that, but never had the spin-offs that Archibald did. The all-knowing Wikipedia suggests that Wilbur didn't have the charming supporting characters that Archie did. Supposedly John Goldwater based some of them on people he'd met: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Goldwater Standard wiki pinch of salt disclaimer applies!

[shiverbones]

I have an adventure of that Wilbur in an issue of Jolly Jingles from 1944, so even by that time, they had not stopped using the previously created name.

 

As for Zip, they Dropped the ball When Dicky & His Magic Whipped vanished. That was their Mega hit-to-be, and they gave up. Who doesn't want a whip that severs limbs from torsos?

[BaltimoreLauren]

Wilbur ended up having a pretty good run with his own title, but I've never read any of his stories. Anyone have any insights or opinions as to why Archie caught on and became MLJ's flagship and not Wilbur?

 

Yes, Wilbur did manage to keep his own title going for 15 or so years, with a couple of issues a few years after that, but never had the spin-offs that Archibald did. The all-knowing Wikipedia suggests that Wilbur didn't have the charming supporting characters that Archie did. Supposedly John Goldwater based some of them on people he'd met: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Goldwater Standard wiki pinch of salt disclaimer applies!

 

The only notable secondary character he had was Katy Keene, who's had some on/off popularity over the year's.

[rjpb]

I have an adventure of that Wilbur in an issue of Jolly Jingles from 1944, so even by that time, they had not stopped using the previously created name.

 

As for Zip, they Dropped the ball When Dicky & His Magic Whipped vanished. That was their Mega hit-to-be, and they gave up. Who doesn't want a whip that severs limbs from torsos?

 

Now that's a character ready for a revival - Alex Ross covers and all.

[selegue]

I have an adventure of that Wilbur in an issue of Jolly Jingles from 1944, so even by that time, they had not stopped using the previously created name.

 

As for Zip, they Dropped the ball When Dicky & His Magic Whipped vanished. That was their Mega hit-to-be, and they gave up. Who doesn't want a whip that severs limbs from torsos?

 

Now that's a character ready for a revival - Alex Ross covers and all.

 

Heck, yeah! I wish I had saved the whole stories that Scrooge (or BangZoom?) posted, but it'd probably take an hour to find them now.

The ultimate deus ex machina strip! When Dicky got in a pinch -- WHAM! -- he just pulled out another magic object, even one that hadn't been mentioned before.

The magic whip got the most action though.

 

There are Dicky story summaries and panels here

 

Some guy's blog

 

WARNING -- strong language.

 

Jack

homesick for the Magic Forest

 

 

 

[Kakapo]

I remember those stories; they were insane! I hadn't realised that that was in Zip - Amazing how incongruous the character combinations were: violent vigilante, teen humour, funny animal, magic whip of dismemberment, more funny animal...

 

The uncharitable might conclude that they were throwing everything they could at the wall to see what stuck, a la Marvel circa 1992.

 

 

 

 

[selegue]

I remember those stories; they were insane! I hadn't realised that that was in Zip - Amazing how incongruous the character combinations were: violent vigilante, teen humour, funny animal, magic whip of dismemberment, more funny animal...

 

The uncharitable might conclude that they were throwing everything they could at the wall to see what stuck, a la Marvel circa 1992.

 

 

 

 

Except what Marvel threw in 1992 definitely stuck, but it was kinda smelly.

 

Jack

especially when it hit the fan

[Shield]

I have an adventure of that Wilbur in an issue of Jolly Jingles from 1944, so even by that time, they had not stopped using the previously created name.

 

As for Zip, they Dropped the ball When Dicky & His Magic Whipped vanished. That was their Mega hit-to-be, and they gave up. Who doesn't want a whip that severs limbs from torsos?

 

Now that's a character ready for a revival - Alex Ross covers and all.

 

Heck, yeah! I wish I had saved the whole stories that Scrooge (or BangZoom?) posted, but it'd probably take an hour to find them now.

The ultimate deus ex machina strip! When Dicky got in a pinch -- WHAM! -- he just pulled out another magic object, even one that hadn't been mentioned before.

The magic whip got the most action though.

 

There are Dicky story summaries and panels here

 

Some guy's blog

 

WARNING -- strong language.

 

Jack

homesick for the Magic Forest

 

 

 

I think I may have posted them - after all, I was the one who scanned them! Check my prior posts the stories should be there.

Shawn