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[MarkWarner]

Last week's comic was a minor hit for the Reading Group gang, and (as usual) I have high expectations for this week's choice. This I confess was made by me .. so any pelters send them my way

It's Ribtickler #1. We have two versions so take your pick of https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=36852 or https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=38332.

As a slight change it's two stories we are concentrating on: Dancing Class which is followed by Talking Pearls ... both featuring Pussy Katnip. A combined total of just 6 pages. So, hopefully you'll join me reading the whole book as it looks very cool and should spark a lot of discussion! We all read that Fox was an egotistical untrustworthy chancer and would be tyrant, but to my VERY untutored eye he seems to have published some of the most interesting comics of the time. PLEASE correct me if you feel I am wrong!

[SuperScrounge]

Icky - Well, there's a name to give one confidence. Sadly the story nearly lived down to that name. The artwork on the splash panel had an interesting, almost experimental, look, but the rest of the story was rough, probably cranked out quickly. Odd how quickly Kafoski went from one failed attempt to get Icky for his orchestra to "well, let's kidnap him." almost as if this is his normal way of doing things.

Shady Business - Feels like there's something missing between pages two and three, and the punchline seemed too abrupt, not enough punch to it.

Zoo Town - Looks like a collection of newspaper comic panels. Okay, but nothing special.

Dancing Class - Uhhh... what? Gum on the floor & someone mooing, and she has to take a magic potion to figure it out? Okayyyyyyyy...not good.

Adventure of the "Talking Pearls" - Better than the first story. At least here the magic potion has a good reason for being used. Artistically (on both stories) Kitty tends to look weird in profile and front views. It's like the artist doesn't want to make her face look too catlike, but a mix between cat and human and it doesn't quite work. The other furries are okay, just Kitty's face that looks odd. He also gives her too long of a neck.

Queen of Death - Now there's a chipper title for a book of humor.  Not a bad story, but a murder mystery in a humor book?

Grandpa Somnambulates - So is Snooky adopted or is she the result of some mixed marriage? The story, eh, okay.

Jerry Jingle - Eh... reading the story I got the sense that Jerry was a sinister being, but, aside from letting Andy fall, which didn't hurt him, Jerry was apparently benevolent. Strange.

Does Some Inventing - Okay, nothing special.

Offhand I'd guess that the artist for Icky, Flash Lyte & Jerry Jingle was probably the same guy, while the Snooky artist also did the Pussy Katnip stories.

[Mazzucchelli]

I must admit accepting the idea of a ventriloquist pussy sounds quite odd, but again it's not supposed to make any sense anyway. My first impression was that (as pointed out before) the art of the main character looks quite bizarre, especially the long neck which in some panels looks disturbingly weird. Also, why not use a cat-like nose, instead of a tiny human one?
Is it me or on page 15 (the panel which she punches the baddie) she seems to have 3 legs, or 2 legs and an extra thigh? Lazy art in that panel Mr.artist!!
Katnip in front view looks awful, specially on page 14, which her face embarrassingly looks like a scrotum.
These aspects add to the overall surrealistic (in a bad way) tone of the art.

I had to notice also that when Katnip drinks the magic potion there's no apparent external change on her (no different costume or special features) and I thought she'd benefit from a different super-appearance, because if she "...changes her usual shy self into a fighting fury..."and becomes extremely clever, there's no graphic "hint" of that transformation whatsoever. But maybe it's just my wishful thinking. On page 15, I couldn't help but laugh of Katnip's shaggy hair in her "cavewoman" past life! 

The second story was clearly better than the first, even though the plot solution was still quite obtuse, the kind of one that leaves you wondering "what?!" when you finish the story. The problem was that the chewing gum gag in the first one was so idiotic that, in comparison, the second one feels almost brilliant. And it was so lame (the chewing gum thing) that even Katnip had to voice her views saying "...and chewing gum on the floor, not quite clever enough my friends!"

[Philv]

Ribtickler

I wouldn't go as far as to say the first story was Icky, but it was pretty Blah.  The colors were bright and the style was like something you'd see on the Cartoon Network, but the characters and story line just weren't engaging.

I had some hope for the Flash Lyte story, but it burnt out before it even started to get me anywhere!

The Pussy KatNip stories had some potential.  I liked the way she became Wonder Woman Cat to overcome her enemies... I guess kind of like Popeye, but with added abilities.  Why her neighbors we're trying to stop her dance studio was never really explained clearly.

The Snooky story was kind of like, "What would happen if a Goldilocks stayed and lived with the Three Bears?" It was the best story in the book, but it was too short to really get you interested in the characters.

The Jerry Jingle story in Candy Land was a little creepy.  I think it was trying to warn kids about the evils of eating too much candy, but the little boy really had no ill effects from over- eating, other than to fall asleep in an orchard while walking home!

The second Snooky story was pretty good.  It was cool to have a girl in the 1940s interested in chemistry!

All in all, I'd say this comic was ok.  I wouldn't take the time to read another Rib Tickler though.  The stories never really tickled my ribs.

[MarkWarner]

I have got it into my head that I am really going to enjoy this comic. So I will be mighty disappointed if I don't! After reading the first story we are on track for a happy Mark. Icky the flute player or should that really be flautist? Was cool. I admit  the story was rather thin, but I enjoyed the art work and it was all rather jolly!

The next story features Flash Lyte a newpaper photographer (gettit??) and a ghost ! Again a very light plot, but the  art carries it well.  I admit that  the one page Zoo Town was a bit lame, BUT I liked the picture of the hippo so that made up for it,

A third the way through and it looks like a hit from this judge. Now for the two Pussy Katnip stories. The first one actually had slightly more substance to the story than the previous ones, which combined with the art and the humor (the top right hand panel on page 15 made me chuckle) means a hit! Her next story of the Pearls was even better and I am a Pussy Katnip fan!!

The two page text story (BTW the reading group has not had any of them for some time) was a bit predictable and just doesn't fit in with the rest off the book! A murder amongst all this comic mayhem ... very strange!

Talking of strange, the next story Snooky is peculiar ... actually a better description is very peculiar. A great bit of  wackiness. It is followed by the longer Jerry Jingle all about sugar overdosing! The last story is Snooky again and it was fun. Phew!

Verdict: The book was great. I was feeling stressed before reading it and I now feel serene (in a slightly bemused sort of  way). Exactly what the doctor ordered!

[bowers]

Started this issue with "Icky", but after a few pages had to move on- just couldn't get interested in it. The next story, "Shady Business", was better, although really short. The art was better than the story. I did not enjoy the "Pussy Katnip" stories at all. I like anthropomorphic animal stories, but I do think they need to be drawn as animals. Bugs IS a rabbit, Porky IS a pig, Pogo IS a possum and the Ducks ARE ducks. The characters all looked like humans who had their heads removed and animal heads transplanted in their place- kind of creepy! Little if any animal characteristics in any one of the cast. And the worst was Pussy lacked what any successful anthro-animal needs the most- charm. The "Snooky" stories were much better written and drawn, both simple stories that would appeal to young kids. My favorite tale was the last one, "Jerry Jingle" totally because of the art. The story reminded me of some old cartoons featuring "Little Lulu" and George Pal's "Jasper and the Scarecrow", both entering a surrealistic Land of Goodies and learning their lesson. All-in all, not one of the worst we've read, but certainly not one of the best. Cheers, Bowers

[narfstar]

I can only say I enjoyed the PK stories because they were so bizarre and bad. I even went and read the one in All Good. It was equally odd. No one mentioned the first panel of the second page of Dancing Class so I will not either 

[MarkWarner]

Probably wise Jim ... but a nice spot lol!