Number 351

She Kamen through the bedroom window…

Jack Kamen drew this outstanding entry in the Ghost Gallery* series for Jumbo Comics #93, November 1946.

Kamen had quite a way with pretty girls. Here’s a more current drawing by Kamen, from a scan sent recently by fan and collector Bill Leach to my friend Eddie Hunter.

Also, there's this original art by Harry Harrison from a similar story called “Bed of Murder” in EC Comics’ War Against Crime #11, published in 1950. Was this some sort of motif of the time in crime novels or movies, showing canopies of beds crushing and killing unwary sleepers?

*The very first Ghost Gallery was in Pappy’s #114.

Number 350

John Stanley's Woody

When I found out via the John Stanley Stories website (eyes right, to the links) that Stanley had written Woody Woodpecker stories in the 1940s, I pulled out my copy of Dell Four Color #169 from 1947, the first all-Woody Woodpecker comic. I hadn't read it since I got it over 30 years ago. At the time thought it strange, bizarre even. After re-reading I can see those touches that make it a John Stanley story. And yep, I still find it strange, still bizarre.

Number 349

Sparky Watts and the Walking Mummy

Time for our Boody fix. I can't go too long without showing one of Boody Rogers' great cartooning jobs from the 1940s. This backup story is from Sparky Watts #5, 1947. The cover story of this issue is featured here.

Number 348

Pussycat the Bunnycat!

Pussycat shows us once again why Bill Ward was a great cartoonist, and maybe one of the best good-girl artists ever. This is from the one-shot Pussycat Marvel magazine from '68, reprinted in turn from its appearance in one of the men's magazines that company published.


As an extra here are scans of some original art by Ward. These are cartoons I bought for the astounding price of $5.00 each at a mid-'80s San Diego Comicon. My friends and I were grabbing them off a stack of art as fast as a dealer could put them on the table. I think I got some of the better ones. Most of these are dated from the mid-1960s. Ward said once that he sold about 25 cartoons a month to Chip Goodman at Humorama, publishers of monthly small-size cartoon books, "the kind men like!" You can see why the editor bought these, and why guys like them.

I've taken the liberty of inserting the punchline to the bikini drawing with my software, because it's written on the back of the drawing.