Above, detail from the rear cover cartoon of the September 19th, 1888 issue of Puck magazine. In this section close-up, we see the prior election’s (1884′s) Republican nominee for President, James G. Blaine — the Victorian Age’s equivalent of Newt Gingrich in corruption and scandal — leading a bound (by monopoly interests) Republican Party by it’s nose. Artist Frederick Burr Opper asks the question, “Why does the Republican Party allow itself to be led like this any longer?” One-hundred and twenty-four years later, we’re still asking this question.

Below, the complete back page of cartoons, collectively titled, Why Do They Do It? — Things that Puzzle “Puck”.

Click on either the above or below, to view the full page in detail.

Doug Wheeler

ElectionCartoons NYPuck

Let’s start with a genuine piece of Marvel Comics history–a revealing 1963 letter from Stan Lee to comic fandom legend and founder, Jerry Bails.

http://blastr.com/2012/01/1963-stan-lee-letter-to-f.php

Tony Isabella’s Bloggy Thing features the fun, nostalgic, knowledgable and highly opinionated rants of legendary comics author and editor Tony Isabella!

http://tonyisabella.blogspot.com/

Here’s a nice cover gallery featuring Joe Kubert’s great Tarzan covers done for DC in the seventies.

http://comicbookcatacombs.blogspot.com/2012/01/tarzan-cover-gallery.html

Finally, some remarkably rare Frazetta art is on display here including the legendary fantasy artist’s attempts at home design!

http://fritzfrazetta.blogspot.com/

I suppose I should go ahead and admit the obvious; as a kid I was diagnosed as having ADHD (Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder).  And if I was going to be absolutely honest I’d confess that while I’ve mostly  out grown the worst of it I still have a tendency to become obsessed with certain kinds of comics.  For a while there I couldn’t get enough teen comics, now I’m all about British comics.

Which is why I’m presenting this 1952 issue of Sun, a astonishingly old fashioned looking publication that even at this late date (it’s the bloody space age for heaven’s sake) still looks a lot more like a turn of the century  “story paper” (i.e. dime novel) with comic strips than a proper comic book as even the British knew it.  I present this mostly as a historical curiosity but there’s some good stuff here. The highlight, for this very old American boy anyway, is the very nicely drawn installment of Jak of the Jaguars, where a Tarzan (or should that be a Bomba the Jungle Boy?) rip-off finds himself shanghaied into space.

Our coverage of the centennial of Cartoons Magazine, continues with more extracts from the January 1912 debut issue.

Above, adjust the $ amount mentioned, for 100 years worth of inflation, and this would make a perfect cartoon for the 99 versus 1 percent outcry, of the Occupy Wall Street movement.

Beneath, one cartoon from several pages worth, of cartoons from foreign sources. This one from the German publication, Munich Simplissimus.

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

Below, two pages collectively labelled The Cartoonists Take a Whack at their Old Favorites. On the left page, we have: Turn on the Light!, by Robert Minor, Jr., calling for opening the ledgers of railroad monopolies; Breaking Home Ties, concerning the anti-trust breakup of Standard Oil; a cartoon concerning moneyed interests controlling the Panama Canal; and, Another One, showing Uncle Sam as a cop, hauling in another monopoly on anti-trust charges. On the right, cartoons involving dragging in meat companies for collaborating to artificially control prices.

Two more postings of extracts of the January 1912 issue coming, before moving on to February.

Click on the following link, to find prior postings of the Wall Street Frauds Make Wonderful Cartoons series. And, to find earlier posts concerning financial reforms in general, click here.

Doug Wheeler

financial reforms

 The Wonder Woman Network, created by the family of WW’s creator, is a really cool website based around the history of the quintessential female superheroine and her impact on fans!

http://wonderwomannetwork.com/

Here are the incredible Joe Shuster Studio illustrations from the classic 1942 Superman novel by George Lowther. Click and make ‘em big!

http://mydelineatedlife.blogspot.com/2012/01/so-much-fun.html

The MLJ heroes are some of my all-time favorites including the violent but well written and drawn Hangman, seen here.

http://pappysgoldenage.blogspot.com/2012/01/number-1094-hangman-in-future-if.html

no matter if you loved Charlton Comics in the sixties and seventies or hated them, one has to admit they had some amazing covers, such as those seen in this gallery.

http://grantbridgestreet.blogspot.com/2012/01/charlton-comics.html

The new Ghost Rider film opens February 17th. But why wait? Here’s a song by Suicide that commemorates the leather-clad, motorcycle-riding, flame-headed hero from Hell.

Do you think Nicholas Cage will play him like the ghost of Elvis again?

Interestingly, Alan Vega named his band “Suicide” after a Ghost Rider comic book. It’s all connected, kids.

Go see Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance and see if this song is included on the soundtrack.

Click the link below to listen.

 Ghost Rider – Suicide

Above, we present the eighth misadventure/appearance of artist Livingston Hopkins‘ recurrent Victorian Age comic strip character, Professor Tigwissel.

(Click on the above picture, to view it in detail, and read the accompanying text.)

Professor Tigwissel’s Experiences with New Forces in Nature, appeared on the front page of the January 10th, 1876 issue of the (New York) Daily Graphic.

Click here, on Tigwissel Tuesdays, to view prior episodes in this series.

Doug Wheeler

ProfTigwissel NYDailyGraphic

Lately I’ve  been posting a lot of black and white reprints of American comic book stories from the 40’s and 50’s from British comics but I’m going to switch things up.  Here’s some black and white reprints of American comic book stories from the 40′s and 50′s  from an Australian comic book; the marvelously named Super Adventure Comic.

Along with some very nice funny fillers from the always reliable Henry Boltinoff Super Adventure Comic #54 featured…

From Superman #54 “Superman Vs. The Wrecker” by Bill Finger and Wayne Boring.  When I think about  the quality of various eras of Superman’s career I don’t tend to think very highly about the Superman stories of the 50’s.  That is until I actually come across a solidly professional effort one like this.  And as always seeing familiar artwork usually seen in color in b&w is something of a revelation; guys like me tend to think of Boring’s work being ‘ugly’ but, gosh, his art here sure is pretty.

And from Batman#47 “The Crime Crazy Clown” by Jerry Robinson and Dick Sprang, where The Joker “pretends” to be crazy (which, frankly, I think would be a great reveal for the modern version of the character; “You know all that crazy crap I do?  I don’t do it because I’m crazy; I do it because I like it”).  I’ve always been a fan of Dick Sprang’s work and I believe the first time I saw this story it was in b&w (in the 1966 Signet mass market paperback Batman, The Best Of The Original Batman) but it’s still lovely seeing his artwork this way.

Above, cartoons about the Democratic side of the 1912 Presidential race. Compared to the pages worth devoted to T.R. — and to President Taft’s worries about T.R. possibly running — the Democratic side was loaded with candidates (bottom left of the above page), including repeat candidate (and future anti-Evolution loon), William J. Bryan (bottom right, of the above). At this point, eventual 1912 victor — Woodrow Wilson — only merited solo treatment in the topmost left cartoon.

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

Beneath, an extract of anti-war cartoons.

Three additional postings of extracts of the January 1912 first issue will follow over the next seven days, in celebration of the centennial debut of Cartoons Magazine. After that, we’ll continue with February 1912, and Cartoons Magazine‘s entire centennial year.

Doug Wheeler

ElectionCartoons