Mr. Door Tree has been busy finding choice stuff lately. Yesterday, he offered some vintage Basil Wolverton, for instance. Wolverton’s writing influenced Harvey Kurtzman and his art was a clear influence onearly Crumb. Since both of those two were, themselves, so influential it’s easy to see how important Basil’s work is. Plus it’s downright ROFL hilarious!

http://goldenagecomicbookstories.blogspot.com/2010/02/basil-wolverton-hotel-clerk-trilogy-and.html
Today, also at GOLDEN AGE COMIC BOOK STORIES, there’s a half dozen early LITTLE ANNIE FANNY stories from back when it was genuinely funny! Kurtzman and Elder created with this PLAYBOY strip the most lush, expensive strip of its day. The problem is that it eventually became all they did and they were just going through the motions…for years. Even art assists from Davis, Frazetta and Russ Heath couldn’t do much for it when Harvey’s heart wasn’t in it. These early ones, though…WOW!

http://goldenagecomicbookstories.blogspot.com/2010/02/harvey-kurtzman-will-elder-little-annie.html

For even more on Harvey, check out the Apocolyte’s look at Mr. Kurtzman’s place in comics history complete with an eclectic batch of his earliest professional work.

http://apocolytesworldofcomics.blogspot.com/2010/02/harvey-kurtzman-one-of-comics-greatest.html

And finally, speaking of Mr. Hefner’s mag, for a batch of 1975 PLAYBOY panel cartoons by other legendary cartoonists including B. Kliban and VIP, check out today’s HAIRY GREEN EYEBALL II post.

http://hairygreeneyeball2.blogspot.com/2010/02/i-think-theyll-take-hot-dog-competition.html