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[MarkWarner]

Last week's book was a mega hit! I am not sure that this week's will do so well, but it's a nice enough looking cover, so only time will tell.

Two-Bit the Wacky Woodpecker #1 can be found at https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=24881, and the story we are concentrating on is the first one "Now Playing Sherlock Holmes ", but why not read it all?

[Mazzucchelli]

Pretty average

[SuperScrounge]

I was worried it would be a Woody Woodpecker knockoff, so the fact it wasn't was a plus. Tends to be more of a W.C. Fields-style braggart.

Now Playing Sherlock Holmes - The art was okay, most of the humor was okay, but first it's a murder case, then it's not, and the twist at the end was more of an eye roll than funny.

Second story - Okay.

Third story - I liked the premise.

Fourth story - Had potential, but only occasionally lived up to it.

Fifth story - Seems like an odd point for him to act like a woodpecker.

Sixth story - Cute.

Li'l Fish - Cute.

Tumbleweed Tim and Chuck - Eh.

Not very wacky, but did have some amusing bits throughout the book.

[Morgus]

I know what you mean by the comparison to W.C. Fields, SuperScrounge, it was my first impression as well.
PART of me would like to know why or how they came up with the rational for this one. (You know, besides simply ripping off Woody...) I mean, WHY that name? And why make him the missing link between woodpeckers and W.C. Fields?
The art was okay, the writing got me through 2 stories, then I gave up. The bragging had gotten on my nerves by then.
I wonder if Lantz even knew this EXISTED...or just let it die a natural death rather then give it free publicity that a law suit would kick up.

[Morgus]

As far as the comic went, I'm unfamilar with the genre...so are the artists in this issue anybody who went on to bigger or better things? And, as long as we are at it, can you guys reccomend some GOOD funny animal artists and comic books? It's a whole new world to me...

[bowers]

I, too, expected a Woody Woodpecker knock-off. I found Two-Bit to be much more like another famous cartoon braggart, Foghorn Leghorn with a somewhat W.C. Fieldish appearance. I loved Woody in his earlier cartoons, but in later cartoons and comics he became awfully tame. I almost think I find Two-Bit a little more entertaining.
First story wasn't great, but I did like the disguises.
Second story art was much better as was the story. The panel at the bottom of each page was obviously a spacing issue and was just a little distracting.
The rest of the Two-Bit tales were pretty readable, my favorite being the hockey story.
I was surprised to see a one-pager by Mel Lazarus, cartoonist for the long-running Miss Peach strip. I found out he was an editor at Toby and also wrote a novel, "The Boss is Crazy Too", about an inept comics production manager plagued by his bullpen. Possibly from his own experiences?
Tumbleweed Tim was just ok.
All-in-all, I enjoyed this one a lot more than I expected I would. It looks like Two-Bit only lasted a few issues, but he did have a quirky charm. Glad I read this one. Cheers, Bowers

[crashryan]

Like everyone else I expected a Woody Woodpecker knockoff. I quickly discovered Two-Bit has nothing to do with WW. I can picture the editor telling his writer, "Woody Woodpecker is big. Gimme a woodpecker." The writer takes a character he already has and turns him into a woodpecker. My check, please.

This comic reminds me of Spencer Spook. The editor and/or writers haven't made up their mind how to present their character. In some stories Two-Bit might as well be a human as a bird, while in others he is a full-fledged woodpecker. In "Sherlock Holmes" he becomes a character in a plotted imaginary story. In other tales he stars in "real-life" adventures.  In the rest of them he plays a Munchausen role, narrating a series of vignettes. Other signs of shoddy preparation include a mis-assigned balloon, a story with a typeset rather than a hand-drawn logo; and a story that was drawn the wrong size so a footer is needed to fill out each page.

The only story I liked was the first one. Two-Bit's Plastic Man disguises gave me a chuckle or two. The ending is utter baloney. Maybe it'd make sense if the guy were married and Two-Bit's client eventually realizes she is "the other woman." I'm over-thinking this. Anyway the other stories range from tedious to insufferable.

Others have suggested W. C. Fields as a prototype for Two-Bit. His costume, gestures, and basic speaking style are reminiscent of Fields. But the character he most resembles is that grand-daddy of all tedious, insufferable braggarts: Major Hoople of "Our Boarding House." The exception is Two-Bit's odd style of speaking. Dropping g's and describing first-person past in third-person present tense ("I goes to the window and looks in") are traits usually assigned to comic-book hoboes  Two-Bit seems more educated than that.

The filler stories do nothing for me. Tumbleweed Tim smells like a re-worked Abbott and Costello story. L'il Fish smells like the title creature. It's amazing how a five-panel story can seem outrageously padded.

The final question: why "Two-Bit"? The phrase implies small-time, cheap, cheesy. For all his faults TBTWW doesn't fit these descriptions. The name certainly isn't euphonious. Waldo the Wacky Woodpecker, perhaps. It hearkens back to my earlier scene. "A conceited braggart? What kind of two-bit idea is that?" "Brilliant, Chief! That's what we'll call him: Two-Bit, the Wacky Woodpecker! My check, please."

[narfstar]

I guess I saw the charm in this that Bowers did. I never did think Woody but more Foghorn Leghorn and Commander McBragg who I believe was based on Hoople. I did not find any stories LOL but stupid fun.

[MarkWarner]

Judging this book by the cover, I think it's going to a a mildly amusing hit. So lets see if the contents bear this out. So far they do, there was a nice twist in the first story. The second one starts with lots of words and even better art! According to GCD it's Ellis Chambers.

There are another Two-Bit stories and they are all very samey. I DO NOT mean this in a bad way as they are all rather enjoyable. But there is nothing bew to "write home" about them.

That's then end of Two-Bit. We have a rather a silly one pager with Li'l Fish and finish with Tumbleweed Tim and Chuck. I enjoyed these two characters, but I didn't understand the torn shirt ending. I really thought about it and just don't understand.

Verdict: A HIT! Nice light reading, the stories felt like watching animated shorts. I also liked the art work!