Chicken Little is here. His mission is to make the kids stop playing their bloody violent games, and perform his "A Frog He Would A-Wooing Go," which is "great good fun." The kids are not convinced.
Happy 101st birthday, Walt Kelly!
If there's a shortlist in my head of the comics the influenced me, Walt Kelly's POGO would be up at the top. His characterization and drawings spoke to me when my Dad handed down his collection of Simon and Schuster reprint books. I was a mere child of nine or ten. It must have been good timing. All of these stories have stayed with me but my favorite is "The Account of the Wooful Frog," a 1955 standalone story about a doomed amateur theatrical.
The best part is the young turtle, who, when brow-beaten by Chicken Little, recedes his noggin into his shell and sounds off with a loud "WAW!" The only way to shut off his "WAW-ing" and get the young turtle out of his shell, is to insert a handy candy cane, thusly:
This idea knocked me for a loop and I love the gag to this day.
Go to Thomas Haller Buchanan's Whirled of Kelly blog to see the whole story.
Kelly's at the tippy-top of my list, too. I haven't seen this story in a long time, thanks.
ReplyDeleteYep, I'd say I was pretty heavily influenced to start cartooning due to Walt Kelly, right down to having a 1940's era alligator in one of the two leads. I just missed his stuff so much, I kinda had to make my own take on it.
ReplyDeleteSo glad someone else remembered his 101st!