[MarkWarner]

So we have hit the big Five-Zero and it's just a week before Christmas! As the reading group have (by enlarge) behaved themselves, let's open up an early present, and as we know any comic book Christmas has to include Walt Kelly. As a bit of fun, this time it's choose your own story/poem to concentrate on. Easy enough as we have cover-to-cover Kelly. Plus, it'll be a real pleasure to read it all anyway.
   
Christmas with Mother Goose by Walt Kelly (AKA) Four Color #172 can be found at https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=16720, and the story we are concentrating on is any one you wish!!

[SuperScrounge]

Poems - I'm not a big fan of poems, although the ones with a Crooked Man, and the kid on Christmas Eve were cute.

Mother Goose Helps Santa - All year to manufacture toys and they're still not finished by Christmas Eve? As for the story, well, maybe I would have liked it if I was a kid, but now, eh?

Goosey Gander's Gift - Nice little story, but with a rather abrupt ending. I was expecting some kind of twist with the farmer wanting the gander for dinner as a guest or something. Frankly with the fox the story really didn't need the threat of the farmer at all so he becomes just a dangling plot line.

The Three Blind Mice And A Christmas Deed - For being blind they don't seem to have trouble seeing. The story had some good points, but wasn't great.

Little Jack Horner's Christmas Pie - Okay, nice mix of various nursery rhyme characters.

Contrary Mary And The Angel - Cute story.

[Mazzucchelli]

A very difficult task to review or comment about this week

[crashryan]

I've long been a fan of Walt Kelly's early Pogo work but I haven't read much of his other Dell creations.

This book seems to have been aimed at really young children, like three or four years old--just old enough to sit on a parent's lap and pay attention. I think that's partly why there are so many poems.

The byline on the cover says Kelly is responsible for the entire package. This puzzles me because the lead story is so flat. It seems like the work of another writer. Later stories, especially "Goosey Gander's Gift," show a bit of Kelly's love for characterization and word play. The Santa story on the other hand just plods along and has a couple of sour notes. I can't believe anyone would move the story along by writing, "I'm going to sneak down and see if I can catch the giant talking to himself."

The nightmarish tone of the Contrary Mary story seemed out of place in an otherwise upbeat book.

The artwork is charming throughout. Kelly draws cute children as well as he does cartoony animals.

I couldn't help noticing that while Kelly apparently wrote and drew everything, the sole copyright belongs to editor/writer Oskar Lebeck. Smells like a rip-off.

[narfstar]

Well I am going to go against the majority on this one. I was not looking forward to reading this. I am usually disappointed in children's comics. I loved this. I often just the read the suggested story. It was my suggestion to only focus on one story per book. I read all of this one. I have dismissed many a story we have been assigned for lack of logic. I do not care if any these stories made any sense. They had a whimsy and wonder that worked for me. I especially liked the Humpty Dumpty story. Yes it was completely stupid but that made it all the better. It is when a story tries to be a little bit sensible that the nonsense comes out. If a story makes absolutely no sense then it can be genius. The fairly recent term for this is being "RANDOM"  and there is an art to being random in a creative way. It is an art demonstrated by Winsor McCay, George Carlson, Walt Kelly and very few others. Besides Humpty my favorite part was Simple Simon never having a penny but being able to get a cookie.

[MarkWarner]

Oh boy am I looking forward to this! Christmas has come a week early for me

"Remembering" a fun little one pager is followed by a tale of Santa, a Mother Goose Santa, a giant and chocolate. I guess even the basic story line in most of Kelly's work is him, his work just has that feeling. BTW Santa is a bit worldly-wise in this. Following which are a couple of poems, BTW I think Dad may have been at the Christmas Sherry in one of them!

Next we have Goosey Gander's Gift. Apart from the obviously great art work and the musicians of Bremen forming a rescue party, we also have a nice little patter sequence:

Pansy Pig: ".. haven't you heard what the farmer is having for Christmas dinner?"

Goosey Gander: "No!"

Pansy Pig: "He's having goose - gander that is."

Goosey Gander: "I'm having corn."

Pansy Pig: "You're the only gander that the farmer owns."

Goosey Gander: "Yes, that has always been a point of pride with me."

Pansy Pig: "That's one way of looking at it ... "

A bunch of poems is followed by my favorite story in this book. Boy those Three Blind Mice are wacko heroes.

Next, after falling on his head Humpty Dumpty comes out with the classic line

Oh dear this happened to Uncle Omelet one time.

The book finishes with Contrary Mary a tale about a brat who reforms after a big scare and a couple of poems.

Verdict: A great Christmas read. I see this book is getting slightly mixed reviews, but for me Walt Kelly = Hit (ALWAYS). Time for a quick glass of port I think

[paw broon]

Some of the illos and art in this comic is really enchanting but, like the curate's egg, the book is good in parts.  To get this out the way, I disliked the look of Mother Goose's face.  I know that's perhaps a bit petty but I find it uncomfortable and unconvincing. The story is a decent fairy tale and reflects the dark tone of many such stories.  Goosey Gander's story is a bit silly but again nicely illustrated.
Three Blind Mice?  What a bunch of chancers!  But the story does reflect the spirit of Christmas and has wee touches of humour.
The Humpty Dumpty story just chucked everybody in.
Didn't enjoy Mary Mary. Again her face wasn't good, imo. 
The main problem with the rhymes was that they didn't scan.  They reminded me, in their construction only as ressembling the rhymes at the top of Broons or Oor Wullie pages, which often didn't scan.

[Drusilla lives!]

Nice choice Mark, this Walt Kelly special was indeed a real treat. 

And I found myself reading a good portion of it too.  The only exceptions being (for no particular reason) the Goosey Gander, Little Jack Horner and Contrary Mary stories, which I just skimmed over.   

My favorites are "The Three Blind Mice and A Christmas Deed" and "A Crooked Party."  I found them both to be particularly enjoyable, quick reads, with some very nicely done artwork... particularly on the latter one. 

Happy Holidays everyone! 

[bowers]

Christmas Eve, and I'm checking in late again. This was just what I needed to recharge my holiday batteries. I finally got a chance to sit down with some eggnog and enjoy this one. Kelly has always been one of my favorites, and this book was really quite good. I love the nonsense rhymes he puts into his work, and the Christmas ones were a very nice touch. My favorite story was, of course, The Three Blind Mice, followed by Goosey Gander. I really liked the whole book, and will sit down and read it with the granddaughters tonight. A very merry Christmas to all- Cheers, Bowers