[ComicMike]

'Dr. Solar', 'Hulk', 'Spiderman' and now 'Atom, the Cat', nobody can say that nuclear power is harmful. ;-) I like mad scientists a lot and the stories are well drawn. Occasionally "real" people also appear, which is probably rather rare for Anthropomorphic-funny Animals comics. (But that's just a guess.)

Link to the book: Atom the Cat 09

[Robb_K]

'Dr. Solar', 'Hulk', 'Spiderman' and now 'Atom, the Cat', nobody can say that nuclear power is harmful. ;-) I like mad scientists a lot and the stories are well drawn. Occasionally "real" people also appear, which is probably rather rare for Anthropomorphic-funny Animals comics. (But that's just a guess.)

Link to the book: Atom the Cat 09

I wouldn't term it "rare", as MANY of the best selling US-produced 1940s and 1950s comic books' series had Humans as characters in them regularly, and a good % of the others had them pop up sporadically.  I would guess that those two group categories probably form MORE THAN HALF of ALL US funny animal comics during those 2 decades. 

Just about ALL the Leon Schlesinger/Warner Brothers comics from 1940-1960(Looney Tunes, Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig, Daffy Duck, Elmer Fudd, Mary Jane & Sniffles, Tweety & Sylvester) did, and so did almost all the Walter Lantz series(New Funnies, Andy Panda, Woody Woodpecker, Oswald Rabbit), MGM (Tom & Jerry, The Mouse Musketeers, Barney Bear, Spike & Tyke).  Most of those series had Humans around in almost every story, or, at least, very regularly.  Disney mixed them them less, but, even Carl Barks used them in several stories.  And, there were always Human witches, god-figures from ancient literature, Saint Nicholas (as "Santa Claus"), human dwarfs, gnomes, and humanlike gremlins.  There were lots of series with pet animals as the protagonist, which were from the animal's point of view, and dialogue stayed between animals, but their masters were also in the stories, like Disney's "Lady and The Tramp", and "Scamp", and ACG's Superkatt, Binky, Tuffy, Daniel Spaniel, Chloe Cat, and many more.  Often, weird scientists were Humans, when the main characters were anthropomorphic animals.  Most of the Avon Periodicals series (Peter Rabbit, Speedy Rabbit, Merry Mouse, Space Mouse, Spotty The Pup, Super Pup) almost always had some Humans in their stories.  Archie's "Super Duck" only had Humans once in a while (maybe 10% of stories).  Fox's series used them once in a while, too. DC's Peter Panda had Human kids regularly.  Timely. who never really concentrated on their funny animal books, had Humans in them sporadically.  EC's "Land of The Lost" mixed them together in every story, and their "Dandy Comics" mixed them about half the time.

[ComicMike]

Robb, thank you once again for your comments. With your hopefully approval, I was so free, to save your contribution as a text file on my PC.

In fact, I've never really paid special attention to human people appearing in anthropomorphic-funny Animals comics, I first consciously noticed it on 'Atom The Cat', but I'm sure I'll pay more attention to it in the future, because it's just interesting is.

[Robb_K]

Robb, thank you once again for your comments. With your hopefully approval, I was so free, to save your contribution as a text file on my PC.

In fact, I've never really paid special attention to human people appearing in anthropomorphic-funny Animals comics, I first consciously noticed it on 'Atom The Cat', but I'm sure I'll pay more attention to it in the future, because it's just interesting is.

Glad to be of help.  Note that that is nowhere near being a complete list.  There are probably many more funny animal series that also had Humans in their stories.  The list is just what I thought of "off the top of my head" at that given moment.  Charlton's "Tom Cat", and "Dog Daze", Lev Gleason's "Candy Comics" 's "Bo Pig, and Hillman's "Punch and Judy's "Buttons Rabbit", "Fatsy McPig", "Earl The Rich Rabbit", "Lockjaw The Alligator" and "Starry Eyes and Pinkie", Prize Publications' "Wonderland Comics" 's "Alex in Wonderland" and Msieur MacCaw", and"Rowdy Rabbits", and "Jamboree Comics"' "Jerry Goldfish", "Tabasco Parrot", and "Pug & Plush" also had Humans.  There are many more publishers I didn't even think of that I could check, but I don't have the time.  Of course some of the mixtures of Humans together with animals form the basis for the series.  Those usually involve a Human child going off into adventures in a a fantasy world, together with an animal sidekick, such as Prize's "Wonderland Comics"' "Alex in Wonderland", with a boy and a parrot, and Magazine Enterprises' "Koko and Kola", which had a little boy traveling to fantasy lands with the two koala bears painted on his eating high-chair, coming to life and joining him, after he falls asleep.  There are also many series about elves or pixies, or dwarfs or other fantasy-related "Little People" living in a fantasy world populated mostly by humanlike animals, such as Walt Kelly's "Peter Wheat",  ME's "The Pixies", and Walt Kelly's, "The Brownies".

What I CAN add is that the placement of Humans in the "Animal Universes" of each series ruins things for me.  That's why Warner Brothers', Walter Lantz', MGM's , and other very good funny animal series don't seem remotely as good to me as Disney's, because Disney's funny animal comics rarely had Humans in their stories (I don't mind Santa Claus and a few Human witches now and again).

Here is an example of Carl Barks' use of Humans in Donald Duck stories:

[ComicMike]

What I CAN add is that the placement of Humans in the "Animal Universes" of each series ruins things for me. That's why Warner Brothers', Walter Lantz', MGM's , and other very good funny animal series don't seem remotely as good to me as Disney's, because Disney's funny animal comics rarely had Humans in their stories (I don't mind Santa Claus and a few Human witches now and again).

I agree with you, humans are out of place in animal comics. The sight of people in animal comics destroy the mood of the comic, they get the reader out of the story and remind him of reality. You can see that very clearly in the story 'Donald and the spies'.

I now remember, that I didn't like already it even as a child  and that I was always very irritated, when I have see humans in animal comics.

What just occurred to me: I should read Barks stories again, luckily I have the complete German edition of the Barks Library (approx. 130 comic albums).

[The Australian Panther]

Here is an example of Carl Barks' use of Humans in Donald Duck stories 

This story and one other 'Donald Duck in Ancient Persia' had a powerful effect on me, You have made me realze something. I believe that Barks created a sold universe but every once in awhile was temped to step outside the confines of that universe. 'Donald Duck in Ancient Persia' is vivid in my memory because believe it or not, it was something of a Ghost story and a bit creepy and it actually scared me a little. Left a vivid impression on the memory of a young mind.As did this spy story. Somehow, for me, making the spies human enhances a sense of otherness for the characters. Adds something that emphases the ridiculous behaviour. If you are a kid, you learn, this is stupid. I think we miss the point if we think that everything Barks did was for fun. I think he tried to use the medium as well as he could to discuss serious issues. [Like the Donald Forest Fire story] I will tell anybody who cares to listen that I learned a lot of things about Geography, History, Culture and much other information at a very early age from Barks' work.               

[ComicMike]

... I learned a lot of things about Geography, History, Culture and much other information at a very early age from Barks' work.               

That happened to me too . Much later, I read, that Barks was a huge fan of the National Geographic Magazine and incorporated much of what he read there introduce into his comics.

[crashryan]

Memory is a strange thing. Why do we forget a thousand important incidents but recall clearly some minor event of sixty years ago? I learned the meaning of "doomed" from a Barks duck story. Donald and the boys were in some kind of jam and one of the kids said, "We're DOOMED!" I asked my mom what it meant. She helped me look the word up in a dictionary. To this day I can see in my mind's eye the dialogue balloon with DOOMED in Barksian boldface, but I remember nothing else about the story.

As for humans in funny animal stories, what about that bizarre hybrid, "Mickey Mouse, Super Secret Agent," in which Mickey and Goofy were drawn by Paul Murry and everything else was drawn in realistic style by Dan Spiegle?

[Robb_K]

What I CAN add is that the placement of Humans in the "Animal Universes" of each series ruins things for me. That's why Warner Brothers', Walter Lantz', MGM's , and other very good funny animal series don't seem remotely as good to me as Disney's, because Disney's funny animal comics rarely had Humans in their stories (I don't mind Santa Claus and a few Human witches now and again).

I agree with you, humans are out of place in animal comics. The sight of people in animal comics destroy the mood of the comic, they get the reader out of the story and remind him of reality. You can see that very clearly in the story 'Donald and the spies'.

I now remember, that I didn't like already it even as a child and that I was always very irritated, when I have see humans in animal comics.

What just occurred to me: I should read Barks stories again, luckily I have the complete German edition of the Barks Library (approx. 130 comic albums).

I have that as well, I was a contributor to it.  I hope you will humour me by reading my own (Robert Klein), and my work partner's (Jan Gulbransson's) articles on our personal memories of Carl Barks.  I believe there is also one by Hans von Storch, and one by Gottfried Helnwein.

[ComicMike]

I hope you will humour me by reading my own (Robert Klein), and my work partner's (Jan Gulbransson's) articles on our personal memories of Carl Barks.  I believe there is also one by Hans von Storch, and one by Gottfried Helnwein.

I will read the personal memories carefully and I will certainly do so with great pleasure.