Mark Kausler’s CatBlog

Barker Bill-Take Two

 Thanks to Yowp, who now has two blogs, which touch on animated cartoons and related topics, we have the first three weeks of the Barker Bill daily available to read. If you want to see the first week, from 9-27 to 10-2-54, head over to the new Tralfaz blog: http://tralfaz.blogspot.com/2011/11/barker-bill-by-bob-kuwahara.html. There you will be able to see the first week of the strip. I’ve reprinted the second and third weeks above, 10-4 through 10-16-1954. The first weeks involve Barker Bill’s efforts to save his circus from going under by getting into the race horse game. Puddy the Pup’s ability to speak English (but only to Barker Bill), together with his brilliant mind, come into play here as well. The Winnipeg run of the strip is much better than the Greensburg one I started with, having much fewer dropouts in the art. So, I’m starting over. Make sure you visit Tralfaz and Yowp’s blogs often. He almost always has something interesting to read.

Felix (4-8 to 4-14-1935) lands on the desert island and busies himself trying to survive. He devises kites and sends them up, hoping to attract the ship’s attention. In the Sunday, Felix controls a dog’s dream invasion of Dreamland, conjuring up a human skeleton!

Krazy (2-17 to 2-22-1941) has a special guest this week. A scotch terrier with a very thick brogue, compares notes with Mrs. Kwakk-Wakk and all the prominent citizens of Coconino, concerning high-class social connections. In the 2-22, the scotty reveals that he is Fala, President Roosevelt’s famous dog. This storyline must have appealed strongly to Garge Herriman, as he loved scotch terriers as well.

 Patrick (12-19 to 12-24-1966), struggles with his greed on Christmas week. The 12-24 strip says it all. Nathan keeps interacting with his constant companion, the TV set.

Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! Jerry Beck and I didn’t have a table at the CTN Expo as it turns out, and I didn’t stick around. Maybe next year things will work out better, and I’ll have some interesting artwork to sell. Friends who never comment on my blog tell me that they really enjoy it and read it regularly. It’s very gratifying to be reaching so many good folks! Keep your bicarbonate handy.