Ode to Citronella Jones

 

 

 

I was looking over my blog today, and I couldn't help but feel that something was off...Something was out of whack. And then it hit me:

Needs more Walt Kelly!

In the following Pogo story, check out that color palette on page 8....looks like it was intended to be the inside back cover, doesn't it?

Here is all the Walt from Animal Comics #19 (Feb-March 1946):

 
        8 comments:


Mykal said...

Doug: I haven't seen too much of Pogo from this era, and I love it. I love the way (even prefer, maybe) the way Pogo and Albert are drawn here than what they became.

The other story, goozy, I love and seems very original in that the funny animals are not highly amorphized. They retain many animal qualities. That's cool.

And, yeah, that red-heavy color pallete is inside cover classic! - Mykal

March 12, 2010 8:12 AM


Doug said...

Mykal: I'm with you! I love Albert's head shape in these early stories, before his snout and brows got rounder. I also love Howland's pointy beak in the early days, and Pogo's scraggly fur.

I like the Goozy strip as well; would you call this one a "talking animal" strip instead of a "funny animal" strip? It seems to be closer in concept to Scamp than Pogo.

I have a bit more early Pogo I can post, but I don't have the really early stuff...Eclipse Publishing put out several books reprinting the earliest stories that are way out of print, but you should be able to find them on Abebooks. I totally recommend them!

March 12, 2010 12:04 PM


Gabriel said...

A funny story, Doug!

I love this early Pogo version. He looks less cute and more rascal than the final version. Kelly's art here reminds me a lot Luppo Alberto (Do you know this strip?) Kelly really was a unusual Dell cartoonist, as if he was sailing aside within the company or some such a thing, right? And what an unexpected twist when Pogo starts to fly!

"I like the Goozy strip as well; would you call this one a "talking animal" strip instead of a "funny animal" strip? It seems to be closer in concept to Scamp than Pogo."
Absolutelly!!

I would have loved to drop by here earlier!

Cheers!

March 17, 2010 4:53 AM


Doug said...

Gabriel: Drop by when you can, I appreciate the comments!

Kelly had a good setup with Dell, I agree! He must have been highly regarded, like Stanley and Barks, for his productivity and high quality of work. Also, Dell pretty much worked with licensed properties, so he didn't have to give up ownership of Pogo. Good deal!

I had to look up Luppo Alberto, I had not heard of it before. It hasn't been translated to English, but the cartooning looks very nice! It's great to see popular strips from other countries, there's always something that you wish you could read!

March 17, 2010 11:22 AM


Gabriel said...

I'd say Lupo has fallen into oblivion indeed, but I remember strongly reading the strip and burst out laughing when I was kid. Likely enough the artwork doesn't look like Kelly's. It's likely an unforeseen association, something inexplicable... Maybe Pogo's face expressions on this story... Childhood memories are so consitent!

March 17, 2010 12:27 PM


Doug said...

I can understand...sometimes you make an association at a gut level, and it just sticks. Maybe just because you thought of it once.

There are a lot of old comics that I remember fondly as well, that have now faded from the popular culture. Comic strips like Tiger and Gordo, which were both beautifully drawn, but never seemed to hit the big time. Maybe they will get the archival treatment someday!

March 17, 2010 1:36 PM


Jeff Overturf said...

What the world needs now...and always is MORE KELLY!

Thanks...loved it!

March 19, 2010 10:41 PM


Doug said...

Glad you enjoyed it, Jeff!

March 20, 2010 12:53 AM