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[MarkWarner]

I am running a bit late on everything at the moment, and still haven't filed my report on last week's choice  (I will write it up later today). However, by the looks of it some of the reading group members appear to have moved the discussion into the realms of Relativity and Newtonian physics. Which just shows how seriously we all take our task here.

I do however doubt that many of us can remain serious with this week's choice. It comes highly recommended by another mystery member. I have had a quick look and it certainly looks very bizarre. The story we are concentrating on is the first one Firetop (not Firehair). The book is here https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=26569.

[narfstar]

My book and scans and I have already read it but do not mind reading it again. Munson Paddock is one of JVJ's favorite artists.

[narfstar]

A humor comic with a theme. The dumbest characters they could think of. While the book is fun it does go a little overboard with the stupidity even for a book dedicated to stupidity. Munson Paddock's art is somewhat frenetic jumping you through the story. For a story of unbelievable stupidity the most absurd part is how O'Shea made detective in the first place. Firetop was a fun story but not my favorite in the book. I would say that I enjoyed Sheepsville and Terwilliger the best. You can't go wrong with Howard Post art in Sheepsville. The double alias was pretty cool. While the artist on Terwilliger is not known he is pretty good and the art is as good as the rest of the book. While Terwilliger may not be the most knowledgeable character, he is a least not the complete moron like the others. Howard Post delivers on another fun story with Stone Age San. The last story was probably my least favorite, although I did like the sled secret.

[SuperScrounge]

Slapstick - Cute. The humor and art made me think of the Muppets style of humor. The ending seemed a little abrupt.

Mutton Jeff - Not sure if that pun should be applauded or booed. ;-) Cute. Although the ending would indicate that this town only had three sheep, which isn't much of a town.

Ten-Gallon Terwilliger - Okay, but not as much fun as the previous two stories.

The Five Pound Steak - Meh. The writer had a number of potentially funny incidents, but it just didn't work for me.

Stone Age Stan - Just didn't find this funny.

Laundryman - Not that funny, but I did like Wetwash's sarcastic remarks to Laundryman's deductions.

[crashryan]

Ho-kayyyyy...This is one odd critter, beginning with that cover. A demented, fiery clown drops a safe on top of an equally bizarre clown wearing a Sherlock Holmes suit while a dog admires a fireplug. I wouldn't blame some kids (or at least parents) for being scared by this image. It's well-drawn in its way, but it's not funny, it's WEIRD!

Which sums up the lead story. I acknowledge Paddock's thoroughly individual style, but I'm not crazy about it. A little too exaggerated for my tastes. But his art isn't the problem. I'll save you a re-run of my rant about Story Above All. Suffice it to say the whole book suffers from bad stories. Even a bizarre slapstick story must make sense on its own terms. "Firetop" flops because Rick O' Shea is so effing stupid. There's no logical (in story terms) reason why O'Shea can come face-to-face with Firetop, identify all of Firetop's characteristics, even help the guy pull a robbery, and still not recognize him. It just doesn't make sense. And it ain't funny.

Howie Post does some nice art in "Mutton Jeff," but the story stops so abruptly that I swear the publisher dropped a page. "Terwilliger" isn't quite as stupid as Rick O'Shea, so the story is slightly more bearable. "Stone Age Stan" has another nice Post art job, but the story goes nowhere. I like the 1930s-style artwork on "Laundryman" but the author seems to have written it as he went along and made up his ending on the last page.

Editors of "realistic" (I use the word loosely) comics, even the lousy ones, required stories to have a beginning, middle, and end. The story had to have some kind of payoff. I get the impression many "funny" comics editors didn't see it that way. So many old humor comic stories are just a series of gags. The payoff is frequently one last joke, perhaps tying together the earlier bits, or perhaps not. Maybe one reason Archie was so successful is that his editor used plotted stories.

[bowers]

I actually enjoyed the Firetop story very much. It reminded me of a "Plastic Sam" (Plastic Man) parody  in an early issue of Mad magazine. Possibly, with all the strange gangsters and a pompous, over-confident hero, this was a take-off on Dick Tracy? O'Shea had to be a total moron for the parody to work. Paddock's art was definitely over the top, but somehow it seemed to fit the story. Earlier examples of Paddock's art can be seen in Harvey's Speed Comics, available onsite. Speed 1-6 features Smoke Carter, a fireman strip which Paddock draws in a pretty straightforward '40's style. Issues 7-11 features Mars Mason, interplanetary mailman! This is where Paddock seems to start experimenting with a new style. The humans are drawn in a  realistic style (for the 40's) but the monsters, spaceships, and backgrounds are much more cartoony and even downright bizzare in places. Paddock seemed to have written all of his stories as well, using different pen names. Anyway, the rest of the book was ok. I liked the Post art as well as the art in Laundryman. Thanks for sharing Narf! Cheers, Bowers

[MarkWarner]

So 18 months after putting a comment on this book saying this is a must read, I have eventually followed my own advice. So off we go!

Well, the Firetop story was indeed bizarre! But that is 100% due to the art work. If you look at the story it is a standard complete incompetent hero versus criminal "mastermind". But how cool is the art?

The next story Mutton and Jeff keeps the bar high and maybe even raises it! A really humorously executed story! 

"We'll come a running and BOOM ... lambchops"

Great ending. Loved the touch of a wolf running carrying his eating utensils and salt with one in front carrying a dining table.

So far this is great! The text story "The Five Pound Steak" was a bit strange ... not quite sure about it.

If I have got the dates right the next story Stone Age Stan predates the Flintstones by a decade and a half. If you like the Flintstones you'll love Stone Age Stan. Great!! Ah that makes sense, just seen it is by Howard Post who also created the Mutton and Jeff story here.

We finish with Laundryman which is probably the weakest of the book (text story excepted). BUT it was still cool and a scene setter.

So my verdict is another GREAT MUST READ!

[paw broon]

Been away so trying to catch up.  What a strange comic!  Someone used the words, "complete moron"  and they definately fit O'Shea. 
Not sure why Firetop's accomplices would have the same tolerance for fire - Bullethead sits on a flaming oil drum. 
I sort of smiled in a couple of places but it was all too stupid for me.  Slapstick is about right but just a touch too much, and I'm a A+C fan. 
Terwilliger was probably the most entertaining story, and I enjoyed the art.