Today's Vintage Thimble Theater, which dates from September 4, 1930, struck me as extraordinary use of a generous canvas.
Segar regularly had six panels at his disposal, and there were times when they were filled with dialogue, but this wasn't one of them.
Moreover, this was the third day in the "Popeye sneaks up on Snorky" arc, so Segar was not in any hurry.
Looking back at papers from that era, most daily cartoons were either one-panel or four, and it seems at a cursory glance that the cartoonists doing more than that were not churning their work out on a daily basis.
However, if you read Thimble Theater regularly (and you should, though it does require a Comics Kingdom subscription), you find that he's not simply filling those extra panels: He's deliberately choosing a pace that some days involves a lot of exposition but, in this case, called for no dialogue and a bit of virtual animation.
Asking readers to animate a cartoon in their minds is a technique that art critics refer to as "ballsiness."
Seasonal Juxtaposition
(Frazz)
If Jef Mallet had used Caulfield in this Frazz gag, the implications would be more in-your-face; Caulfield is far too clever to make a suggestion by accident. As it is, anything beyond perhaps calling them names and spitting sunflower seeds at them is the product of our minds, not the mind of that dear little boy.
Well played.
We did see a V headed north at the dog park the other day, and someone shouted "You're going the wrong way!"
However, they may have simply sensed the gigantic snow dump we were about to get and headed for the fringes to wait it out, since birds are capable of doing that.
And the blizzard that dumped a foot or so of snow looks like the start of several snow-dumps over the next little while, which surely must please the maple producers, who won't start tapping for another month but would like to see a pattern of cold nights and warmer days set in then. Last year was balmy, though the syrup turned out well anyway.
Buckets are, of course, old school, but back when buckets were used, the syndicate wouldn't have let Dan Collins make this joke, and it certainly wouldn't work with tubing.
In those bygone days, my older brother had a buddy whose family ran a sugar bush and he'd take a weekend each spring to go help Leon gather up the syrup from the buckets. Then he'd come home Sunday evening with a half-gallon of the good stuff.
If you're still using Log Cabin or Mrs. Butterworth, you need to get into syrup that was artisanal before we knew the word.
Or get some eensy-weensy buckets and tap cornstalks to make your own store-brand syrup.
Juxtaposition of the Day
(Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal - GoComics edition)
I've ranted this rant too often, but Wally and Eddie and Lumpy recognized that their high school hijinks were temporary and that the goal was, as Hilary puts it, to become adults, not simply to get older.
And, after all, the point of "Peter Pan" is that Wendy did grow up and that, while she was happy to send Jane off for a bit of youthful exuberance with Peter, that was an adventure, not a lifestyle. It was appropriate for Wendy, and, later, Jane to become adults, as it had been for John and Michael.
Peter was the exception and a little pathetic except in his own fairyland.
I don't think there's any overarching plot these days to keep people in a state of perpetual adolescence, but I would note that beer commercials used to show people enjoying a bit of cold refreshment after a long day of work at the office or in the fields.
But then I don't suppose you'd sell a lot of beer by showing someone toss aside his spatula and take off the paper hat.
Not that the Mad Men didn't try to fight off the new approach.
Thereby creating a memorable legend, but not a good one.
Oh be quiet, Will Elder.
Arcs worth picking up on
A problem I have with slow, deliberate arcs is that they can get pretty far into the storyline before I realize I should have passed them on. I've been enjoying this one at Edison Lee and you'll have to go back to here in order to pick up the start, but it's worth it.
Orville is my main man.
This one at Barney & Clyde just began Monday, so I'll start you there and let you click your way forward. I don't know where it's going, but it's a departure for the strip and so far, so good.
Tributes
Since a lot of cartoonists drop by here and the rest are avid fans, here's a relevant posting from the Billy Ireland about a worthwhile fundraiser:
The Will and Ann Eisner Family Foundation has issued a challenge that would generate $70,000 for the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum (BICLM) and University Libraries. If the Libraries can raise $35,000, the Foundation will match that amount and establish an endowment that will generate funds for the Lucy Shelton Caswell Research Award.
Caswell is the founding curator of the Museum and Library; that's her with Milt Caniff some years ago, but she's only retired and still shows up there.
She, and her library/museum, are valuable resources.
A more personal tribute, but no less universal in scope, comes from Jim Horwitz.
Watson often illustrates serious points, but this is a particularly important one. I would note the number of cartoonists I've heard say that encouragement from their mothers at a young age sparked their talent and careers, but Horwitz illustrates it with a combination of reserve and poignancy that shows her hours were not wasted.
Nicely done, Jim. She couldn't ask for more.
Now here's your 7:34 of animated cartoon history:
(1933)
That Will Elder poster is my wife's favorite and has been hanging in the front entryway at our house for many many years. So long, in fact, that it has begun to fade and I am seriously searching for a new print. So, if anyone knows where to find one I would be forever grateful.
Posted by: parnellnelson | 02/15/2017 at 01:46 PM