Number 1496: Merry Christmas from Pappy and Walt Kelly

I’m wishing all you Pappy readers a jolly holiday. Have a wonderful day with Walt Kelly, from Dell Four Color #175, Santa Claus Funnies (1947).

Enjoy!

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Number 1444: Walt Kelly’s Funnybodies

According to the timeline on the history of the Pogo newspaper comic strip, 1949 was a busy year for Walt Kelly. However occupied he was launching the strip that would make his fame and fortune he found time to do comic books for Dell, including Four Color #244, The Brownies.

This story, “The Brownies in the Funnybody Kingdom,” is pure Kelly, story and art. I showed it before, years ago. These are new scans.

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Walt Kelly used a pen-name in 1945 to do this beautiful childrens’ book, Trouble On the Ark. Click on the picture to see it.

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Number 1421: Walt Kelly’s Winkie and the Wishing Well

Not long ago I showed you the first Pogo and Albert story from Animal Comics #1, done by Walt Kelly.* Here’s another #1 from Kelly, “Winkie and the Wishing Well” from Fairy Tale Parade #1 (1942). Kelly did the entire contents of this comic, one of the real treasures of the golden age.

I don’t know if “Winkie” is taken from a real fairy tale, or made up by Kelly. If it’s made up at least it has all of the elements of a fairy tale: a cruel master, stalwart child who is sorely put upon by others, a wishing well, a dragon, a giant, and the giant’s pretty daughter.

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*You can read the story by clicking on the picture:

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Number 1389: Enter Albert and Pogo

Any ardent Pogo fan can tell you Walt Kelly’s familiar character did not spring forth from his creator’s forehead fully formed. Rather he was developed over time. As you can see in this, the first appearance of both Albert Alligator and Pogo Possum in Animal Comics #1 (1942), they were hardly recognizable as to what they would someday become. No matter. The Kelly humor is here, and while the Pogo characters went through an evolution, Kelly was as talented in his beginnings as he was at the end of his career, which came with his death in 1973.

I’m also showing another Kelly strip from the same issue of Animal Comics. “Muzzy and Ginger,” is a more typical funny animal strip.

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