For our Lucky Thirteenth posting this month, from the May 1912 outing of Cartoons Magazine, we get to the topic of the nation’s favorite pastime — from back in the days it truly was — Baseball.

Above, the King of Sports, as depicted by Boardman Robinson. Below, cartoonists from local papers, depicting their hometown teams: the Philadelphia Phillies, Pittsburgh Pirates, and Denver Bears.

Click on the above & below pictures, to view the cartoons in detail, and read their text.

Above, cartoonist W.A. Ireland shows the public being saved from politics, by baseball. Meanwhile, the below cartoon from the Socialist Party paper New York Call, makes use of baseball to depict the political situation, or Republicans and Democrats working together against them.

Below, Ole May and an enthusiastic fan.

Doug Wheeler

Billy Ireland

Previously in one of these things I expressed my strange and unconditional devotion for the Hanna-Barbara characters, so it should surprise no one to discover this goes double for The Looney Tunes gang. I can’t exactly say Porky Pig was my favorite growing up — it was more like I admired his impressive body of work. Everybody (with any sense) wants to be Bugs Bunny, but it’s hard to not empathize and sympathize with Porky. Especially when you’re a shy, timid fat kid.

You certainly have got to admire the way he broke out of a pack of unknown toons in the short I Haven’t Got A Hat (decades later, for no good reason, I still find myself trilling “I”d tip my hat to you/I truly would/I’d tip my hat to you — but I haven’t got a hat”) to become an exceedingly unlikely star. Unlikely because from the vantage point of the early 21st century it’s kind of hard to see exactly how a certain cuteness, stutter and a catch phrase (if you are too young to not know it I don’t wish to know you) translated into high wattage star power.

And when the resident zanies Bugs and Daffy eclipsed that stardom he effortlesslyand without complaint transitioned into a strong utility player. He didn’t even seem to mind becoming Daffy’s sidekick, someone who he was once equal partners with.

Like a lot of fading Hollywood stars of the 30′s and 40′s Porky once again found stardom on television in the 60′s. I have to admit I fondly remember watching some of his early shorts for the first time on The Porky Pig Show. Even if the newly animated opening sequence was drawn with him looking dangerously off model; either that or must have really let himself go.

He also had a solid career in comic books, proving himself surprisingly effective as a comedic action hero, as seen here in his frequent appearances in Four Color Comics. Not to mention a romantic leading man; unlike Bugs and Daffy, Porky had a girlfriend.

Entirely by accident I stumbled across this copy of Porky Pig #1, his first issue published by Gold Key. As previously established I know diddly squat about funny animal comics so the fact I don’t have any idea who wrote or drew it’s contents is no surprise, but even the Grand Comic Book Database (blessings be upon it) doesn’t know. Each story in it contains the declaration “Reprinted By Popular Demand”, in each words, it’s a undoubtedly a reprint of a Dell comic book, but so far I haven’t been able to track down where it originally appeared.

The cover featured story from Porky Pig #1 is “Porky Pig and the Mouse of Monte Cristo” though the scene depicted is actually from Poe’s ”The Cask of Amontillado”. The mustached mouse forcing Porky to brick himself into a wall is I believe Hubie, from the comedy team of Bertie and Hubie. I am of the opinion that this is seriously messed up (I mean, look at the expression on Porky’s face).

It’s Teddy Time again, as we continue our up-to-the-minute coverage, of the Presidential Election of 1912! Today’s round of jewels, of course come from the May 1912 Centennial issue of Cartoons Magazine!

Above, tongue-in-cheek, Saint Teddy Roosevelt, as pictured by cartoonist Fontaine Fox.

Below, a set of cartoons by John DeMar (hinting that T.R. might jump to a third party), Charles Bowers, and others. I particularly like here, the “futurist“-style drawing of T.R., by E.A. Bushnell.

Click on the above & below pictures, to view the cartoons in detail, and read their captions.

Next, below, a listing of T.R.’s accomplishments as President, by cartoonist John T. McCutcheon.

Above & below, some examples from the doubters, including Ole May and Fred Morgan.

Doug Wheeler

ElectionComics

Gorilla Daze takes a fond look back at what was once a one-shot Marvel group, The Guardians of the Galaxy. Eventually revived and mired in continuity issues, this first one is still fun.

http://thefifthbranch.com/gorilladaze/guardians-galaxy/

Vintage Sleaze takes a loving look back at Timely Golden Age artist Carl Pfeufer’s side job drawing fetishy mag covers.

http://vintagesleaze.blogspot.com/2012/05/carl-pfeufer-kefauver-was-right-damsels.html

Here’s Bernie Wrightson from Creepshow and it even gets in a plug for Yoe Books’ brand new Zombies!

http://thehorrorsofitall.blogspot.com/2012/05/something-to-tide-you-over.html

Finally today, in News of the Future, speculation is rife that Shazam, the hero formerly known as the Big Red Cheese, is DC’s “new” gay character.

http://comicbook.com/blog/2012/05/21/gay-dc-character-shazam/

The above Herbert Johnson cartoon, contained in the May 1912 issue of Cartoons Magazine, might as well have been published today, for all the current Republican rhetoric about how “Corporations are People”, and “Money equals Free Speech” (Citizens United decision).

Below, from between-wars Germany, taking from the poor, to give to the military machine… (plus, notice how the privileged don’t need t contribute).

Click on the above & below pictures, to view the cartoons in detail, and read their captions.

Below, cartoons by Charles Bowers, Hy Mayer, and others, on various monopolies/trusts.

To find previous postings in the Wall Street Frauds Make Wonderful Cartoons series, click here.

Doug Wheeler

financial reforms

Above, from the May 1912 issue of Cartoons Magazine, a couple of pages on Women’s Suffrage from Britain (right) and Germany (left). Deliberately juxtaposed, I’m sure, for the fact that both make reference to prepping for war against the other. The British anti-suffrage cartoon, referencing using the suffragettes themselves as weapons of war. The German cartoon is unclear which side it is on, but takes a shot at the German Chancellor for currying favor to a gathering of wealthy women, while telling a group of lower class working women, “You should be satisfied with your calling of raising soldiers for the Fatherland.”

Below, by Charles Henry Sykes, from the same issue of Cartoons Magazine (via The Bystander) — not a suffrage cartoon, but, a typical example of the kind of cartoon on the frivolity of women (particularly regarding fashion) that would often be found in the same issue of many publications also carrying Women’s Rights, and thus — consciously or unconsciously — undercutting any pro-Suffrage cartoons that might be present.

Click on the above & below pictures, to view the cartoons in detail, and read their captions.

Click here to find other Women’s History postings.

Doug Wheeler

LondonBystander BritBystander

The Avengers movie is still going strong, breaking records, and selling lots of popcorn. This is great news for comics fandom, for Disney/Marvel, and for popcorn salesmen everywhere. What’s not to like?

As we continue our ongoing salute to the Avengers, we’re proud to present a song by a group called Avengers IV and named “The Avengers Stomp.” Because you can never have too many comics connections here on Tuesdays.

Click the link below to listen.

The Avenger’s Stomp - Avengers VI

Between 1945 and 1947 Prize Comics published twelve issues of Treasure Comics, a post-war anthology. Everyone was scrambling to find something that kids would buy now that the super-hero fad was more or less over, and kids like treasure, right? Treasure Comics (not to be confused with Treasure Chest) was hoping that historical heroes (and true fact fillers) was just the ticket. Initially the line-up included stories of Marco Polo, Paul Bunyan, The Arabian Knight and The Treasure Keeper. The latter being an really old guy who seemed to have an endless series of stories about (you guessed it) treasure.

It had a nice title, solid logo and issues even featured work by Mort Meskn and Jack Kirby, but apparently the kids didn’t bite because the format changed in later issues. They introduced teen and humor features, there were appearances by the Junior Rangers (from Prize Comics Headline Comics) and the comic got a…I’m not sure what in the form of…Dr, Styx.

He may have looked like a regular guy who really liked the color brown working the ghost breaker racket but he was actually quite a bit weirder than that (in the introduction to this story he’s described as being a “strange creature”). In this story he smacks around the devil, if one who dresses like a Golden Age superhero.

We continue our coverage of the Big Hitters of the Election of 1912, with the biggest of them all — William Howard Taft!

Above, Lee Wright Stanley — looking awfully Dr. Seuss-like — depicts incumbent & 2nd-term-wannabe President Taft, attempting to lead the G.O.P. across a deep chasm, atop a human chain of slipping postmasters (the U.S. Postal Service was, ahem, in financial trouble in 1912, threatened by rival package carriers…), all the while with lightning of the Progressive Movement (T.R. within the G.O.P, and Wilson within the Democrats) threatening him and the Republican Party, from above…

Taft is shown attempting to lead the G.O.P. over the backs of postmasters, because in 1912, the Republican party held primaries allowing people a direct voice in the selection of nominees, in only twelve states. All of the other states were controlled by the party’s political machine and bosses. Which in 1912, were controlled by Taft. In southern states, which then had few Republicans, federal office holders — such as postmasters — mainly were the party machinery. Thus, the above cartoon.

Below, Mother Hubbard Taft finding his cupboard of Primary Delegates bare. (In those few states which held primaries — where Taft had to face the voice of the people, rather than the echo of the Party Machine — he was losing badly.) This pre-sages the spectacular Party disintegration which will occur in one month’s time (and supply plenty of material for cartoonists)!

Both cartoons — plus the set further down — come from the May 1912 issue of Cartoons Magazine.

Click on the above & below pictures, to view the cartoons in detail, and read their captions.

I was a bit disappointed last month, when (almost) every cartoon website (except this one and a couple others — click here) remembered the April 1912 100th anniversary of the Sinking of the Titanic, by featuring not cartoons from that time, but, rather, by showing recent cartoons that used the Titanic as a metaphor for political and other situations. I understand using the Titanic in that fashion today, a full century after the event. But, I do wonder whether the below right cartoon — referencing the Titanic for political purpose within mere weeks (perhaps even days) of its actual sinking — didn’t make readers grimace at its poor taste? This has to be amongst the earliest such uses of the Titanic, and possibly even the first.

Doug Wheeler

ElectionComics Titanic Cartoons

The Simon and Kirby site takes an in-depth and speculative look at the 1957 Harvey title, Alarming Tales.

http://kirbymuseum.org/blogs/simonandkirby/archives/4414

Here’s some wonderful Bob Oksner Good Girl Art from, of all places, an issue of DC’s odd Pat Boone comic.

http://smurfswacker.blogspot.com/2012/04/bob-oksner-comic-artist.html

Here are a number of Bill Everett horror tales from the Atlas era including Zombie which inspired the seventies Simon Garth series.

http://goldenagecomicbookstories.blogspot.com/2012/05/bill-everett-1917-1973-9-misc-atlas.html

Speaking of zombies, here’s more from Karswell, co-editor of Craigs new collection-Zombies!