Four Color #1084 - Speedy Gonzales

 

 

 

Here is Speedy Gonzales from Four Color #1084 (Mar-May 1960). Artwork (pencils and inks) by the great Pete Alvarado, except in the first story, "Do or Diet", where the inks are credited to Steve Steere (over Alvarado pencils). The script for that first story is attributed to Carl Fallberg, but no other credits are given. It's probably not a stretch to assume Fallberg scripted the entire issue, though.

"Do or Diet" follows the familiar cat-and-mouse setup of the animated cartoons, pitting Sylvester vs. Speedy. But the rest of the book abandons the formula for more standard Funny Animal fare. I especially like the last two stories, where Speedy has moved to a mouse-sized Mexican village, complete with its own mayor and police commandante. It's too bad there weren't any additional issues!

         8 comments:


Mykal Banta said...

Doug: What a great post! Alvarado is one of my favorites and this comic is a great example of his best stuff. His draftsmanship was top-notch, but for me his panel composition is what makes him special. Just cast your peepers on the splash panel of that second story, "Whatch My Dust." Couldn't you just stare at that for a day or so? Just rock solid. Many such examples throughout! Great post and much enjoyed!

August 23, 2010 7:12 PM


Mykal Banta said...

PS: Great B&W inside cover! Man, Four Color's were so great!

August 23, 2010 7:13 PM


Doug Gray said...

Mykal: I agree with you on all counts! He draws everything well in this book, even Sylvester (poor Sylvester is drawn so badly in most funnybooks it makes me wonder if the model sheets given to the artists were off-model to begin with!)

I've always liked the B&W one-pagers as well! These old books wasted no space! The only place with no comics is the back cover, which has an ad for the American Geographical Society (it's pretty ugly, otherwise I would have posted it)

August 24, 2010 2:58 AM


Gabriel said...

Good post, Doug!

I mostly love the first and last stories. My love for Sylvester knows no limits. He is, along with Bugs Bunny, my favorite Warner character. I've been specially fond of him since childhood because of Sylvester's sloppy lisp for cartoons (Mel Blanc made such a good wok! -actually spanish actors were as good as him, IMHO).

I really like those "CHOMP, CHOMP" when they're eating bananas. And the end is just perfect. Fallburg earns his pay here.

Alvarado makes a nice work in this issue, undoubtedly! Even though I found page 7 of "Watch my dust" a disaster in design: the action of this scene doesn't look well solved to my way of thinking.

Thanks for sharing it. Otherwise I would never noticed this issue from the large Four Color series. As you well say, it's a real shame there's just one-shot. Looks like there are sufficient grounds to a series of its own.

Ps--I'm totally agree with you two, guys. Love as well them Dell's B/W one-pagers!

August 25, 2010 5:51 AM


Gabriel said...

"Disaster" is too much, I know! My english vocabulary falls short so often...!

Let's say, a little bit awkward -so I'll have a clean conscience :)

August 25, 2010 10:25 AM


Doug Gray said...

Hi Gabriel!

You're right about that page of "Watch My Dust"...the layout could stand to be more clear in showing what is happening. But I can see the dilemma of trying to show the bad guys blinded by the dust cloud, yet still show what is happening.

I probably would never have even looked for this issue either, but I grabbed it from a discount bin because I liked the cover. I wasn't expecting much, so I was happily surprised to find fun stories and excellent cartooning inside!

August 25, 2010 2:48 PM


Luca Boschi said...

Hello, only few lines: the story Speedy Gonzales man's correct name in Carl FallbErg; he wrote a lot of Disney stories, too.

These comics were also translated into French (by the Sagedition's staff) and the films used for the French pocket books arrived in Italy also, where we young readrs were able to be introduced to Alvarado's art (and his collegues' toos).

Ciao!

Luca

August 27, 2010 7:32 AM


Doug Gray said...

Thanks, Luca! I will make the fix (I hate when I misspell people's names!)

August 27, 2010 12:00 PM

Barney Bear & Benny Burro #1 by Carl Barks

 

 

 

Some more Barks for your weekend reading pleasure! Unca Carl did three Benny Burro stories in Our Gang Comics, starting in issue #8. In issue #11, Barney Bear was added to the mix. The two would be featured in each issue until #36, comprising the longest run of a feature by Barks with characters that weren't ducks.

I really enjoy the old-time comedy team approach Barks uses with these two characters. This story would probably have almost worked as a radio skit for Abbott & Costello or Hope & Crosby.

Here is that first story from Our Gang #11 (May-June 1944):

 
This same issue features the second of only two "Happy Hound" stories done by Barks. Of course, the animated Happy would quickly be renamed "Droopy", but these stories were obviously done around the time of his first theatrical appearance. In fact, they take their whole setup (Wolf as escaped convict, Droopy as police hound) from that first cartoon, Dumb-Hounded (1943).

The backgrounds are very sparse compared to the Barney & Benny story, but it puts a nice focus on Barks' excellent posing and facial expressions (especially on Badboy Wolf). And I love that shot of Happy melted into the sofa at the bottom of page one!

 
  17 comments:


Mykal Banta said...

More great stuff, sir! Looking at that first B&B story, I see again that no one ever drew landscape backgrounds (and characters in perspective to those backgrounds) any better than Barks the Great! Endless panels to choose from! Barks is one of those artists that seem eternally new and surprising!

Great theme (none-duck Barks) and great post!

May 15, 2010 7:07 AM


Gabriel said...

Those were great stories by a master. I've enjoyed them a lot! Very imaginative!

You can tell Barks liked to draw Barney Bear. Besides I always feel touched by his tragic face! He and Benny burro make a very effective couple and a good dumb-clever binomial.

And what can I say about Droopy Dog? He's one of my favorite cartoon characters of all times. It would say that the story posted here were thought for an animation film. You can easily imagine all the gags set in motion.

By the way two consecutive Carl Barks's stories with a cave in them!

It's a total pleasure to rediscover Barks work again and again!

May 15, 2010 1:03 PM


Doug Gray said...

Mykal: That's true, Barks was great at backgrounds, especially in rendering nature. I love his trees, rocks, water, etc. And he was a master of shadows as well. As you say, his characters look like they are physically present in those backgrounds. In that way he really brought a Disney look to his comics.

Gabriel: I agree with you on the Droopy story, it does look like it could have been gags for an animated cartoon! But that is certainly appropriate for adapting a Tex Avery cartoon to comics, isn't it? Both of the "Happy Hound" stories were successful in that respect (bringing the feel of a Tex cartoon to comics), I think.

May 15, 2010 1:49 PM


Gabriel said...

Absolutelly!

I really admire Barks's ability to transcribe the animation language into comics.

May 15, 2010 2:24 PM


ramapith said...

You know what? I'm happy!

Barks' backgrounds look sparse in the Droopy story because he drew it with 6-panel pages (same format as his Benny solo stories, first Duck stories, and previous Droopy story). But his editors remounted it and shifted art around to make it into an 8-panel story, leaving some rather empty-looking areas around the characters.

May 17, 2010 8:46 AM


Doug Gray said...

Ramapith: Ah, that makes sense. And it explains why the dialogue balloons/lettering are noticably smaller in this story. Thanks!

May 17, 2010 11:40 AM


Gabriel said...

WOW!

So, someone else had to make parts of new art, right? Or it was Barks himself?

I mean, you can distibute part of the backgrounds over the page, but what does it happen with the action?

I don't know if I understood 100% how it worked...

Great Ramapith's comment!

May 17, 2010 12:01 PM


Gabriel said...

AHHH!

Ok, I got it at last!!

Better late than never!

May 17, 2010 12:12 PM


Joakim Gunnarsson said...

Doug: Did ya know the Barney Bear stories etc by Barks is beeing reprinted in a thick volume with artwork mostly shot from sharp proofs in Scandinavia? Check it out here: http://sekvenskonst.blogspot.com/2010/03/return-of-barney-bear-and-benny-burro.html

Now, I'd love to see an american edition with Barks lettering intact too...

May 17, 2010 2:12 PM


Doug Gray said...

Gabriel: Yeah, it looks like someone else added details to fill out panels. If you look at page four, second panel, you can see where the table line was extended to the right of "Mom", and it isn't even a straight line (the table looks bowed where mom leans on it). Also at the bottom of the page (panel 6) you can clearly see where a piece was pasted in on the left side. Man! I need to look at these old stories more closely for this stuff before I post 'em!

Joakim: Thanks for the link! I like the fact that someone is printing these stories in a color collection. I'd definitely consider buying an English edition, especially since the new coloring doesn't look too bad!

May 17, 2010 3:03 PM


Faster, Harder, More Challenging GeoX said...

Thanks for these--this particular Barks obsessive had never seen this old stuff before. It's super-neat!

May 19, 2010 11:16 PM


Doug Gray said...

I'm glad you enjoyed them, GeoX!

May 20, 2010 1:47 AM


Paul Tumey said...

The non-duck Barks stories are fascinating. While his art had solidified into a coherent style, I think barks was still developing as a writer in these stories. The non-duck stories were collected into one book that published in the late 70's or early 80's called "The Barks Bear Book." Even though the reproduction was only in black and white, and not so great by today's standards, it is still fun to read all the stories together. I acquired my copy off of eBay for about $10, but that was a few years ago.

June 23, 2010 10:19 AM


Doug Gray said...

Paul: Seeing the early work of a creator like Barks is fascinating for that reason, I think. For a comics aficionado, it's no different than a film buff studying the early work of, say, John Ford to gain a sense of his evolution as a filmmaker. Your own Cole Comics blog is fascinating for the same reason!

I got my own copy of the Barks Bear Book for about $25, so you got a great deal! But even at the price I paid, it's still the best deal you'll get for a nice reading copy of all the Our Gang stories.

June 23, 2010 5:40 PM


Mesterius said...

First time reader of the blog, but I just gotta say I love all these early non-Disney Barks stories! Is there any chance you could post the only Andy Panda story Barks drew for Walter Lantz (from around 1942-1943, I think)? Would love to read that one :)

And, oh, could you pleeeease post the complete "Three Caballeros" story by Walt Kelly?

July 8, 2010 12:10 PM


Mesterius said...

Found some more information about Carl Barks' Andy Panda story, by the way: It was printed in New Funnies #76, 1943 and reportedly features Andy as a lion tamer.

July 12, 2010 12:35 PM


Doug Gray said...

Hey Mesterius!

I don't have a copy of the Andy Panda story; it is included in the "Barks Bear Book" reprint trade that has been mentioned on this blog and in the comments before. The reprints are in black & white, but are very readable. The book binding is too soft for me to scan the story from the reprints, though; the pages will just come loose if you bend them too far. But copies of the book aren't too hard to come by, and well worth picking up a copy.

My dilemma with the Three Caballeros is more the fact that I have a very nice copy of that comic, and I don't want to ruin it in the scanner. I intend to get a reader copy someday and finish posting the story. Ditto for Kelly's wonderful Donald Duck and Pinocchio issue of Four Color.

July 13, 2010 2:40 PM