The GA "Short Bus" Thread Post your unpopular books! 2 2

[selegue]

What about the interior? How are the stories?

 

 

Mostly lame gags. I'll see whether I can pick out a highlight later.

 

 

I was wrong. A better than average funny animal comic book. The two Supermouse stories are long enough to have reasonably clever and funny plots (probably by Joe Archibald) and the artwork (probably by Milt Stein) is consistently good.

 

Here's a page. I really like the Sinister Scientist first panel and the fact that Supermouse is a Hero for Hire.

 

I put it on my GCD index reservations. Watch for it there.

 

Jack

 

[selegue]

The new school year has been in session for weeks, yet no one's gotten on the short bus!

 

Here are a couple of riders with their new lunchboxes and crayons ready.

 

Nutsy Squirrel 72, November 1957. The scan can't do justice to just how PINK the cover is, even though it's a fairly low-grade copy. Artwork is almost certainly by Rube Grossman, and one story features a nutty professor, dressed in gown and mortarboard and complete with a lab full of retorts.

 

 

Leading Comics ("Screen" is not in the indicia title), June-July 1950. The book is scarce enough that the cover wasn't on GCD until I just now added it. Some familiar funny animals here like Peter Porkchops and Matt's pals the Dodo and the Frog, plus unfamilar ones like Puss 'n Pooch. I really like the artwork on that feature but don't know who it's by. Possibly Rube Grossman again, maybe Sheldon Mayer.

 

 

Jack

 

 

 

 

[shiverbones]

hooray! I was just thinking about the bus the other day, and now it's rolled onto my street!

 

That Nutsy Squirrel has an amzing pink cover, I love it! Tough book too. The leading appears to be drawn by Otto Feuer who drew Dodo & Frog as well as Peter Porkchops. He tends to have a more rounded style than Grossman.

 

thanks for posting! And I dearly need to find that Leading....

Edited September 16, 2007 by shiverbones

[selegue]

hooray! I was just thinking about the bus the other day, and now it's rolled onto my street!

 

 

Parked at the foot of your driveway, impatiently honking its horn.

 

 

That Nutsy Squirrel has an amzing pink cover, I love it! Tough book too. The leading appears to be drawn by Otto Freur who drew Dodo & Frog as well as Peter Porkchops. He tends to have a more rounded style than Grossman.

 

 

That's Puss 'n Pooch up in the Leading logo, and the style matches the story. Is that Otto Feuer's work? To the World's Worst Artist Spotter ©, it looks like a different hand from the other stories in the book. Maybe that's Graham Place or Rube Grossman and the main cover illustration is Feuer?

 

The Dodo and the Frog appear in both a text and illustrated story in this issue.

 

 

 

thanks for posting! And I dearly need to find that Leading....

 

That's why I appreciate having Matt around. He's the only person who covets my books.

 

Jack

 

 

[shiverbones]

I agree that looks like someone other than feuer, but not like grossman to me, so

 

I am not good at picking out the funny animal DC artists other then Feuer & Grossman.

 

I can't help it, I like Ice Cream covers. And to think it's a D&F appearance I didn't know about! I wonder how many Leadings they were in...

[adamstrange]

That's why I appreciate having Matt around. He's the only person who covets my books.

 

I'd love to read them.

[selegue]

I agree that looks like someone other than feuer, but not like grossman to me, so

 

I am not good at picking out the funny animal DC artists other then Feuer & Grossman.

 

I can't help it, I like Ice Cream covers. And to think it's a D&F appearance I didn't know about! I wonder how many Leadings they were in...

 

Overstreet is no help, and #43 is the only Leading Screen that's even reserved (by yours truly) at GCD. There's probably an APA index out there somewhere. I'll check with GCD experts. I bet D&F are in a bunch of issues, since DC seemed to just toss in short funny-animal features until the book was full.

 

Looking around a bit, I think that #43 is too early for S Mayer art in Leading. Maybe Graham Place, as I suggested earlier, or even Howie Post, on Puss 'n Pooch.

 

Jack

[selegue]

That's why I appreciate having Matt around. He's the only person who covets my books.

 

I'd love to read them.

 

Aaaawww, shucks, adamstrange. How you do go on!

 

Jack

*snif*

[Wrightson fan]

Everything happens to Harvey #1.....a DC Archie rip-off.....only Harvey is always getting into some sort of mix-up......um....wait...so did Archie. Nevermind.

 

Scott

 

[selegue]

Nice one! Must be Oksner, yes? I wonder how many times this cover gag was used. Probably dozens at Archie and Timely-Atlas.

 

I hope the Short Bus is so crowded that we have to share seats.

 

Jack

 

Everything happens to Harvey #1.....a DC Archie rip-off.....only Harvey is always getting into some sort of mix-up......um....wait...so did Archie. Nevermind.

 

Scott

 

[selegue]

Since this is the thread that inspired Sharon (skypinkblu) to ask whether I was interested in some of her World Around Us books, I'll post the books I just received here. They're really a step up from most short-bussers though.

 

World Around Us 3, Nov 1958, L. B. Cole cover (eat your hearts out, Cole collectors), "Leonard Cole" art director. I didn't know that, but it explains why L. B. did some covers in the series. I had a devil of a time trying to get the scan to match the book, and succeeded mostly in making it look splotchy. The background is a deep aqua or turquoise that I've rarely seen on comic book covers. These are from the "bakertowne properties" warehouse books, so there's som distributor's purple ink around the edges, but it's inobtrusive on this book.

 

 

World Around Us 24, Aug 1960. This book is the most fun read (browse, really) of the bunch. Morrow and Evans art. Another tough one to adjust the scan.

 

 

World Around Us 28, Aug 1960. Another L. B. Cole cover, this time with Crandall, Evans, Morrow, Torres and Wildey artwork inside.

 

 

World Around Us 31, Aug 1960. Crandall/Evans, Ingels, Kinstler, Kirby artwork inside.

 

 

And a bonus! (Thanks, Sharon.)

 

The Best from Boys' Life Comics 2. January 1958. I have a few other issues in the series, but this one is much nicer.

 

 

Jack

[Jayman]

This cannot be a short bus book!

 

[selegue]

This cannot be a short bus book!

 

 

Thanks and true enough. Who do you think did the cover? Morrow?

What other thread to these books belong in? I can repost them there. The "quarter books and giants" thread on Silver Age, or should I squeeze them into a Golden Age thread? Silver tends to be more superhero-centric.

 

Jack

 

[TheWatcher]

I didn't know these were "short bus" books when I bought them

 

 

 

 

 

 

Angelo

[selegue]

I didn't know these were "short bus" books when I bought them

 

 

Obviously I like 'em too!

Great copies, including one (Spies) that I don't have.

 

Jack

 

 

 

 

 

 

Angelo

[TheWatcher]

Thanks, Jack. That "Ghost" issue has a great cover. Have to pick up one of those.

 

 

Angelo

[selegue]

Ask Sharon whether she has another one in her prenuptial clearance sale.

 

Jack

 

Thanks, Jack. That "Ghost" issue has a great cover. Have to pick up one of those.

 

 

Angelo

[shiverbones]

It's nice to see that horses book. True story time...

 

 

My grandfather died the summer between my freshman & sophmore year in HS. I was close to him & he was the only family member I REALLY honestly & truely felt a kinship too. The day of his funeral we met up at my cousin's house afterwards, which used to be His house before my granparents got too old & moved into a smaller place. My cousin came up to me and said she found some comics & thought I might like to have them. She didn't even know I collected them as I rarely saw my cousin. She gives me a small box of mostly late 50's/early 60's books, I couldn't believe it! Spme of the books in the box were - Showcase #12, Atom #2, Detective #250, Mr. Ed #1, some late 50's archies, some four colors, and the classics horses issue. I eventually sold some of the costlier issue when I later had a long distrance girfriend my senior year & had to pay the phone bill, but I always kept the Horse isssue. Mainly because it was worthless, but also to hang onto at least one book from that day. I have always felt that was some sort of sign from my grandfather that everythign was going to be ok. We collected Stamps together when I was younger, so there was always a collector bond between us. So in this very personal case, I boot that book off of the short bus & onto the the fanciest of carriages available. (thumbs u

[selegue]

Comic books can sure carry a load of memories!

Thanks for the story.

 

Jack

 

It's nice to see that horses book. True story time...

 

 

My grandfather died the summer between my freshman & sophmore year in HS. I was close to him & he was the only family member I REALLY honestly & truely felt a kinship too. The day of his funeral we met up at my cousin's house afterwards, which used to be His house before my granparents got too old & moved into a smaller place. My cousin came up to me and said she found some comics & thought I might like to have them. She didn't even know I collected them as I rarely saw my cousin. She gives me a small box of mostly late 50's/early 60's books, I couldn't believe it! Spme of the books in the box were - Showcase #12, Atom #2, Detective #250, Mr. Ed #1, some late 50's archies, some four colors, and the classics horses issue. I eventually sold some of the costlier issue when I later had a long distrance girfriend my senior year & had to pay the phone bill, but I always kept the Horse isssue. Mainly because it was worthless, but also to hang onto at least one book from that day. I have always felt that was some sort of sign from my grandfather that everythign was going to be ok. We collected Stamps together when I was younger, so there was always a collector bond between us. So in this very personal case, I boot that book off of the short bus & onto the the fanciest of carriages available. (thumbs u

[skypinkblu]

Ask Sharon whether she has another one in her prenuptial clearance sale.

 

Jack

 

Thanks, Jack. That "Ghost" issue has a great cover. Have to pick up one of those.

 

 

Angelo

 

 

Glad you liked them, Jack:)

 

I actually have a full run of the books all except the Teen and Spies books...I kept one of each of the best ones I found at the warehouse...and he's right, about the sale, ..but my daughter hasn't picked a date yet, so I'm not frantic yet...

 

When I was at the warehouse...I did rescue a number of these packages intact..I thought they were more interesting than the books, I picked the ones with the least ink, but there is still ink on the sides...there is one with at least one Ghosts book if anyone is really interested, I guess I would put them in the market place, or the VCC.