Month: December 2016


Itza Christmas


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Here’s a beautiful drawing by one of our most faithful supporters, and a donor to the cartoon short, “Some Other Cat”. It’s by Nicolas Martinez, of Chicago Ill. He draws Itza Cat just about perfectly, I love Itza with the candy cane in his mouth, looking like a striped cigar! Look at that beautiful texture that Nicolas put in to the wreath, it’s colored pencil on textured paper. Real classy, Nicolas, Thanks again!
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Felix is from 3-12 to 3-18-33 this time. Felix and Danny Dooit have located Colonel Snooper’s abandoned radio and Danny’s mother listens in to Felix’s broadcast. I love the drawing of the windblown Felix and Danny in the 3-14, and the very effectively stylized polar bear in the 3-18. Savor these drawings of the Arctic in 1933, it doesn’t look that icy anymore. The Sunday continues Felix’s treasure hunt to impress his girlfriend, he goes to an undersea cave and is rescued from an octopus by a lobster boy!
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Myrtle is from 12-13 to 12-18-1948, this week I love the 12-15 as Hyacinth the Cat makes one of her rare appearances, chasing the family’s pet mouse. Dudley Fisher does a very animated cartoon style gag here, as the Mouse paints a lot of fake mouseholes along the baseboard. I also like the 12-18, as Myrtle confronts her teacher, Miss Flunkem. Myrtle’s attitude in the second panel is especially appealing.
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World War Two enters the Coconino County world (3-22 to 3-27-43) again as Ignatz, Krazy and Pupp play “Sentimentils” (Sentries in Kat Langwitch). I love the fractured Kat words, such as “retzkil”, “Weak kneeded” and “Paul Troom” in the 3-23 and “Migg-night” and “Moob Oba, Dollin'” in the 3-27. At this point, Herriman isn’t signing the strips, so you know they are his work.

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Bob Kuwahara again does the “art chores” on the Barker Bill Sunday page from 10-17-54. Ali K. Zam is in love with Phyllis the Strong Woman and makes Puddy the Pup vanish beneath his magic hat. Trouble is, Ali K. Zam doesn’t know how to bring the beloved pup back again. Continued next post!
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Here is yours truly, riding Balto in Ojai, Ca. where my wife and I were staying for the annual Film Festival. I got a two-hour ride on the gentle horse, we even went on a trot for a bit. I was the only rider on the trail that day. We went through a very dry Live Oak forest. It was the fastest two-hours I spent the whole year. I wonder what it’s like to ride for 4 hours, or 6? It would be fun to do a day’s ride with a lunch break some day. Remember to click the small thumbnails twice, and they will grow to readable size. Comments are ‘disabled’ for the time being, due to this blog recovering from a hack. Feliz Navidad and Prospero Ano Nuevo to all my readers!

Christmas Presence


lil-bub-and-grumpy-cat-christmas.jpg It’s hard to believe that the Catblog hasn’t had a new post since October! So I’m present, front and center for the Holidays. This is a Christmas card rough featuring Lil Bub and Grumpy Cat, the famous Internet video felines. What? You’ve never heard of them? Well get over to You Tube and do a search! They are the cartooniest live action cats you’ve ever seen. Cathy and I love Lil Bub, look at the August post to see her Birthday drawing of Lil Bub. She’s funny looking, with huge eyes and short, stubby legs but she seems a very agreeable puss. I love the video of her sleeping in front of a fireplace, purring as she sleeps.

felix-3-5-to-3-11-1933.jpg Here’s Felix from 3-5 to 3-11-1933. In the Sunday, Felix knocks himself out trying to impress his haughty girlfriend, who finally thaws out when the Wonderful Cat finds a treasure map! I love that pose in the last panel as the couple stroll down the primrose path and Felix says “Stick to Me and you’ll wear diamonds”. In the Dailies, Felix and Danny find Col. Snooper’s plane as they continue their Arctic exploration. I like Danny’s sentimental attachment to Doris, his home girl, as he sculpts her out of snow in the 3-6.

myrtle-12-6-to-12-12-48.jpg Myrtle is with us, originally from 12-6 to 12-12-1948. I love the timing in the 12-7 as Bingo is banished from a comfortable chair to the floor, when Myrtle describes the dog’s current mischief, including chewing the leg off a kitchen chair! The 12-8 is very funny too, as Sampson hurries Myrtle off to a party without checking to see who is throwing it or where it is. Sampson’s hair becomes a question mark as Myrtle asks him “Whose party are we going to?” The Sunday involves the whole neighborhood as Susie tries to balance the checkbook.

krazy-kat-3-15-to-3-20-43.jpg Krazy does a whole week of strips submerged from 3-15 to 3-20-1943 as World War Two creeps into Coconino. The animals are deeply concerned about Uboats and Japanese submarines, although most of the boats turn out to be watermelons and squashes with periscopes stuck into them. I especially like the 3-20 as Offissa Pupp pulls an extra-long periscope out of the water with his crook.

barker-bill-1-2-55.jpg Here’s your Christmas Present! It’s the Barker Bill Sunday page from 1-2-1955, signed by Paul Terry but drawn by Bob Kuwahara. It was featured in the New York Daily Mirror concurrently with the Barker Bill TV show which featured a lot of the early black and white Paul Terry-Toons. You may remember the theme song: “Who’s the man in the big black hat, and who’s the man who is round and fat, He’s the man you are looking at, his name is Barker Bill!” You’ll notice that Puddy the Pup from the mid-30s Terry-Toons is Bill’s confidant and smarter sidekick in these pages. In this one, Ali K. Zam, the circus magician, gets beaten up by the strong woman; Phyllis Fezeek. As we continue this neglected old blog, you will see some earlier Barker Bill Sunday pages, from 1954. The best of the Holidays to all you readers. As Walt Kelly used to say, “let nothing you dismay”.

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