Bob Kuwahara’s Terrytoons Comics
Hi Folks, this week I’m going to ask a few questions about Bob Kuwahara, who drew the Marvelous Mike strip that we feature each week. He worked for Paul Terry in New York and later was part of the Gene Deitch Terrytoons and Bill Weiss shops, where he created Hashimoto the Mouse for theatrical release. I think he also contributed to the St. John Publishing and Pines Terrytoons comics, drawing mainly Gandy and Sourpuss stories. I’m reprinting the first two pages of a Sourpuss story called “Moving Day”, in an attempt to nail Kuwahara’s contribution. Is this his drawing, and writing too? It sure looks like it to me. Marvelous Mike is a bit more ambitious in the staging and story department, but it paid better than the comic book work and was Bob’s personal creation. If any of you Terry experts would help me out on this, we fans of obscure panels would love to find out!
In addition to “Moving Day”, I’ve reprinted the final page of “Tippy Takes A Trip” from Coo-Coo Comics #16, March 1945, drawn by Jim Tyer: Tippy trades Oatmeal for Ice Cream with the Star King, but wakes up Issac Newton style. Marvelous Mike this week is from 11/19/1956 to 11/24/1956, Mike is determined to expose the fake mystics that have moved in next door to the Crumps: Madame Le Moult and Cie. The Mike episode from 11/22 was missing from the Post-Dispatch microfilm, so I substituted a better scan of the 11/3/1956 strip.  Krazy Kat is from 4/10/1939 to 4/15 this week, with an obscure set of jokes revolving around “gloom clouds”. Sometimes these clouds are generated by emotion, and sometimes they are faked by smuge pots. Any California or Florida resident is familiar with them, they keep the citrus trees warm on frosty nights. This is certainly one of the more mysterious KK sequences. Even Ignatz’s brick is gloomy at the end of the week’s strips.
Any comments, just post below, or write to me at blogmolasses@att.net. Please write especially if you know anything about the Bob Kuwahara Terry comics!
Milton Knight says:
Hi, Mark;
I have seen a Gandy story in this style signed “Tom Morrison”, another Terrytoon staffer. But it’s so similar to Kuwahara’s MARVELOUS MIKE work, I can’t understand that!
Milt
Mark Kausler says:
Thanks Milton,
It’s interesting to know that the speaking voice of Mighty Mouse on the “Mighty Mouse Playhouse” did those Gandy and Sourpuss stories: Tom Morrison! Maybe Morrison and Kuwahara worked together on “Marvelous Mike”? Do you remember where you saw the Gandy story with the Morrison signature? Just curious, thanks for your insight.
Mark