The Dregs of Garge, 1944
Hi Folks, Here’s Herriman’s Kat from 4-17 to 5-13-1944. We can see from these strips that Garge worked about nine weeks ahead of deadline. When he passed on April 25th 1944 of cirrhosis of the liver, he had a few uncompleted dailes on his drawing board. The Swan/Duck gags of 4-21 and 4-22 just pop up out of nowhere and don’t seem to connect to Krazy’s world, except for the backdrop of Coconino formations.
In the 4-25 strip, Offissa Pupp tries to break the Kat Langwitch, as Krazy uses the plural of “Mouse” to mean one mouse, that is, the “Mice”: Ignatz “A Rolling Stone Gathers No Moss” is fractured, as Krazy hears “Moths” as “Moss” in the 4-27. The old adage is VERY old, dating to 1023 in Erasmus’ Adagia. In the 4-29, Offissa Pupp uses a favorite word: chouse, meaning to Trick or Deceive.
The 5-1 has a vaudeville feel to it, as a dog joke comes in, probably from the 1913 version of the strip. Another reference to Herriman’s most-referenced Wartime Agency, the O.P.A. appears in the 5-5, claiming that Krazy has a “Priority” on his nine lives.
Garge does a little more shading with his pen in this batch of dailies. I like the snowstorm effect he gets in the 5-13, he probably scratched out the snowflakes with his knife after putting down a coat of black on the bristol board. In the 5-8 through 5-10, Offissa Pupp quotes Geoffrey Chaucer as he dredges up the old adage, “Time and Tide Wait For Nobody (No Man, originally)”.Jail gags dominate the 5-11 through 5-13 dailies. Offissa Pupp’s head looks really smashed horizontally in the third panel of the 5-11, perhaps Herriman’s arthritis flared up just as he was drawing the old dog’s face that day. There’s another post or two left in the 1944 Herriman opus, so keep checking, they will soon appear. Thanks for reading! Mark
Steph Stilley says:
Thanks for posting these, Mark! I love the work of George Herriman and I’ve been really enjoying going through your blog to read your comprehensive archive since lockdown has left me with a lot of free time
Mark says:
Hi Steph,
The Katblog strikes again! Thanks for your positive comment. I’m going to try to embed another video on the next post, stay tuned to this blogwave!
Regards, Mark
Eyal says:
thanks!