I've read this comic book so many times that I can review it right away. ANY "Giggle" that has Ken Hultgren's "Duke and The Dope", "Spencer Spook", an Al Hubbard-drawn story, and Bob Wickersham's Wally (or Wacky in this case) Wolf, has got to be a good "Giggle". And this one has a special bonus of a Ken Hultgren funny animal drawing lesson!
This issue has a well-drawn, funny cover, by Dan Gordon (artist for Superkatt, and most of the stories in ACG's "Funny Films" series, and assorted stories in Giggles' twin book, "HaHa Comics". At that time, June 1947, near the early middle of Giggle's run (1943-55), Duke (Fox) and The Dope (Rabbit), and Superkatt(Cat in baby bonnet) faces were always represented on the covers, in addition to a gag scene.
1)
Superkatt drawn by Dan Gordon
This story is well-drawn by highly-acclaimed comic book and animation artist, Dan Gordon. It features a cat who wears a human baby outfit, and is a kind of superhero, who fights against injustice in his neighbourhood. It's not known whether or not he/she is male or female. This story is about Mother's Day, which was timed to be released in May, as release date was one month before the date printed on the book. Superkatt lives with an African-American woman, who is portrayed typecast in the racist cliche of those times, as the loving, but stern, uneducated, slow witted "Mammy" to middle class "White" children, who had migrated from The American South, to get away from her hopeless life as a sharecropper. In this story, we find out that Superkatt must be wearing a human baby outfit (diaper and bonnet) to have his/her superpowers available for use. A very strange idea. But this series is strictly for laughs, and, so, apparently, even logic internal to the series' premise is not necessary. We meet Superkatt's best friend, and comedic foil, Humphrey Dog. Interesting that Humphrey is too large to fit inside his doghouse. Humphry is a not-very-bright dog with a Brooklyn accent, typical of poor, uneducated labourers, and crooked thugs. I like Fritz the Dachshund speaking and thinking in a German accent. I find it interesting that Fritz addresses Superkatt as Mister. Interesting also, that the dogs wear no clothes. So their male genetilia should be noticeable. Yet Humphrey believes Fritz is his mother. I like the twist that the old female dog captured by the dogcatcher is Humphrey's mother, and that Superkatt's mother is also a disciplinarian, and Superkatt's human Mammy likes the fact that Superkatt will behave that day, as generally, she has nothing but trouble from Superkatt's shenanigans. All in all a very nice story, with good comedy and some surprises, and nice art from Dan Gordon, as always.
2)
The Duke and The Dope drawn and written by Ken Hultgren
This story is excellently drawn and well-written by ex-Disney animator,Hultgren, who worked on Snow White and The Seven Dwarfs, and played a big role in Bambi and Pinocchio. He has also written and drawn probably the "bible" of drawing instruction books for learning to draw realistic animals, as well as a comparable one for learning to draw cartoony funny animals. This feature started in Giggle #9, and lasted until the series' end in #99. To me, it is the highlight of every Giggle issue. This series' premise is The Duke is a well-educated and somewhat snooty class-conscious Fox, who is lazy, and doesn't want to work for a living, but, rather, to live off his wits to survive day-to-day. However, uncharacteristically, he has adopted a pathetic, halfwit(nigh on to imbecilic) Rabbit, as his traveling companion. The Duke constantly gets the pair involved in schemes to try to make fast money, or trick people into giving them food or shelter, or free entertainment, only to have "The Dope" ruin things for him. But, Duke isn't cruel enough to leave the helpless Dope to his own devices, for surely he couldn't survive a single day on his own.
In this story, Duke and Dope hear on radio news that valuable pearls were stolen. Duke guides Dope into a wax museum to introduce him to some culture, by learning about some famous people from history. Dope coincidentally finds the stolen pearls. Then the thieves, who were hiding there, chase them; but Dope's idiotic actions, by coincidence, cause the thieves to get stuck in the melted wax, and apprehended by the police, who also hand Duke $5,000 cash (a LOT of money in 1947) as a reward for their capture. Duke rejoices that Dope has finally gone something constructive. But, as a last twist to the story, the museum owner grabs the money from his hand, as compensation for Dope's having turned the heater on full blast, melting all his wax figures. This was an entertaining story, -about average as Duke and The Dope stories go.
This is a typical Duke & Dope story, in which Dope's ridiculous stupidity ends up irritating Duke no end. Despite this series' format having that same thread through ALL the stories, the stories are not dreadfully dull and boring, because that effect can occur in several different ways, and also have different people winning and losing at the end. So, the reader can be surprised as to how things will end up, and whether or not both Duke and Dope will be winners or losers, or Duke will win and be better off materially, but will still be aggravated because he lost an argument or bet with Dope, or Dope seems to be smarter than he, or he's disgusted that Dope is even more stupid than he thought any sentient being could be, but he's ridiculously lucky, or Dope's stupidity looks like it has brought riches to Duke, but then Dopes' previous stupid action causes Duke to lose it all, or Duke's becoming rich because of Dope's idiocy ends up hurting innocent people, and Duke can't enjoy his new wealth at their expense, so he gives it away to them, but is angry at Dope or "fate" for making him go through that ordeal. The comedy comes from the absurdity of everything connected with The Dope, and the intense disgust and mental pain felt by Duke, and shown in his body language and facial expressions, the portrayal of which, by Hultgren, is genius.
3)
MontyMonk 1-Page gag - Ken Hultgren drawn and plotted
Nice art and funny, Carl Barkslike gag!
4)
The Catnip Garden - text story - Single drawing drawn by Dan Gordon
The drawing is well drawn as is always the case with Gordon. The so-called "story" is basically to set up a punchless, unfunny word gag. Definitely not up to Barks' or even Disney, or WB general gag standards.
4)
Spencer Spook listed as "unknown artist", but it looks very much like ex WB animator, Ken Champin's work (He was Spencer Spook's regular artist, - with only a handful of his stories drawn by others (almost all of those by former Disney animator and later Western Publishing Disney Comics artist, Jack Bradbury).
The premise of "Spencer Spook" is that Ghosts are supposed to haunt living Humans' homes, and there are specific rules of what they should and shouldn't do. Spencer is a generally a failure at his "job", attracting the ire of his "Boss", who gives him his assignments, which are rewards for previous good work, and punishments for previous inadequate work. That formula can't get too predictable, because we never know until the story's end, if he will be a success or failure. Sometimes Spencer is a genius, and the best haunter and frightener of his homes' living residents, or he's their best "entertainer, not scaring them, but entertaining them. What is a bit maddening to the purest logician, is that The Boss sometimes wants his spooks to scare his "tenants" to within an inch of their lives, and other times he blames him for scaring them away (too harsh haunting). And other times Spencer is an embarrassment for being overly friendly with his living co-residents, and being their "entertainer" with a nightly "show". But, at least, the stories are generally funny and difficult to predict, if not logically consistent.
This story has an original idea that I really like. The living tenants don't get much sleep because of Spencer's haunting them all night. So the parents send their kids to play in Spencer's sleeping room (attic) during the day to retaliate. Spencer complains to his Boss, who sends him to a "Ghost Resort" for rest and relaxation (also an innovative idea). That's good, so far. But then, because the writer couldn't think of a better way to have Ghost pranksters haunt Spencer who are NOT under the jurisdiction of The Boss' authority, he or she used a ridiculous and totally illogical reality for The Ghost Universe, that Ghosts are Humans after they die, and IF they die as Ghosts, they are "dead ghosts", and are no longer under the jurisdiction of Ghost leaders. I wonder what Ghosts become after THEY die? That concept is too bizarre for me, and also smacks of weak and lazy storywriting. But the story-ending joke of Spencer returning "home", and he's so tired that he sleeps through the tenants' kids noisy playing is a clever and funny ending, and, thus, saves the story. It's not among Spencer's best, but it is worth reading, and generates some chuckles.
5)
The House Mouse- Text story - Single drawing drawn by Dan Gordon
Good, clean, to-the-point story, garnering empathy for the mouse from the reader. I generally can't even get through comic book text stories. Most of them in funny animal comic books are pure tripe, something that shows printed words on a page, so that particular publication could have some actual literature, rather than just drawings, so the comic book could be deemed to have at least "some" redeeming social value, - so that it could qualify for the significantly lower cost of second class mail, for shipment to subscribers. But this was a good, and even entertaining story, and met the moral test (a modern-day fable, mirroring Aesop's "The Mouse and The Lion".
6)
Binky (Dog) - Listed as Jack Bradbury with a question mark - but clearly NOT! It looks to me exactly like former Disney animator and future Western Publishing Disney Comics artist, Al Hubbard's work. Hubbard was working for Sangor Studios in 1947, drawing stories for ACG's Giggle and HaHa Comics, and Standard's funny animal lines, Coo Coo, Barnyard, Goofy and Happy Comics. The artwork is up to his excellent standard.
The storyline is basically worth, perhaps a 2-page gag, but is stretched out for 6 pages. No way I could get away with that with my Disney editors. It's funny that the dog HATES water touching him when his master tries to wash him, and "fights to the death" to avoid that (something some little Human boys do, as well), and then plays in the water for fun. But we didn't really need to see him do that for 5.5 of the 6 pages, to get that message. Personally, I like the 6 pages rather than 2 or 3, because it gives me more great art to look at. I like comic books and newspaper strips 80% for the art, and 20% for the story or gags.
7)
Giles - artist and writer unknown. Of the only five Giles stories printed in Giggle, all credits are unknown. 2 have Ken Hultgren listed with question marks. But the artwork doesn't look to me like Hultgren's and I'm one of his biggest fans. The artwork is average Sangor work for the mid-to-late 1940s.
The artwork and staging is very interesting. And the story was very interesting and entertaining, as well. The story takes a very bizarre turn into a strange dimension where the roots of a small weed can continue on for thousands of miles, even across oceans, and Giles can travel around The World with no money and without stopping to eat. Of course, the reader may, before the story's end, suspect that Giles is now having a daydream, because the things that are happening are way-y-y-y too fantastic and impossible, but that doesn't take much away from the punch line ending, because it was such a nice idea, and so well drawn with the edgy feeling to the atmosphere. I liked this story a lot, and only remember being bored by the other 4 Giles stories. We really know why Giles doesn't care about earning the dime anymore, and why he wouldn't touch the weed with a 10-foot pole.
8}
Ringo Raccoon Gag - written by Hubie Karp, artist listed as unknown (Could be former Disney animator and future Disney Comics artist, Gil Turner)
Great art and a passable average gag, - worth looking at.
9)
Smarty (Dog) text story - 1 Drawing drawn by Dan Gordon
The artwork is okay, but the story is dull and the ending os obvious. Not worth reading.
10)
Wacky Wolf - Drawn by Bob Wickersham (AKA Bob Wick)
This is at most worth a 2-Page gag, stretched out into 3 pages. It's funny enough, but the stretching number of pages out to fill books shows that despite much Disney-quality art, the funny animal story-writing standards of these other companies Sangor serviced were not up to Disney's. The artwork is an interesting style - very basic and cartoony, - much more so than Sangor's dominant style, which is much closer to Disney's. Wacky Wolf's is more like DC's 1940s funny animal style. It's also interesting that Wickersham drew his other series for Sangor in the much more Disneylike style.
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Topic: Week 214 - Giggle Comics #42 (Read 1086 times)
