It's time for some of the turbulent antics of The Fox and the Crow! The following stories are two of my favorite Fox and Crow stories, and they are both from the same issue (Real Screen Comics No. 26, October-November 1949). The first story I love because trusting Fox comes out on top - a rare and happy occurrence! The artist is the great Jim Davis (no relation to the contemporary Garfield artist).
I love this second story the best. It is a glorious example of the complex, loyal friendship Fox and Crow had despite their opposite personalities. It also has a beautiful moment of self realization for Crow, wherein he is forced to see himself as others do! The Fox and the Crow! Pals through it all!
Now for a couple of great ads from the same issue. "The Atom Bubble Boy" was a precursor to the far more popular "Bazooka Joe and his Gang." I don't know who the artist is. Won't someone clue me in?
Belated congratulations to Mr. Lou Boudreau - Wheaties' "Athlete of the Year" for 1948! Mr. Boudreau had a lifetime batting average of .295 with a career total 1,779 hits and 789 runs batted in. The Cleveland Indian's infielder was nominated to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 1970 with 77.33 percent of the vote.Then, as now, Wheaties - breakfast of champions!
Ah, yes. I still have copies of this series somewhere in the Catacombs. Too bad DC nevers revives, reboots or relaunches these types of characters.
ReplyDeleteMaybe we can swipe them out of the public domain one day?
Hey, Chuck! Yeah, wouldn't that be great? I know Jim Engel, who is the best bigfoot cartoonist going, and some others really wanted to give the DC funny animal line a reboot back (I think) in the 1970s, but for whatever reason couldn't or didn't make it fly.
ReplyDeleteI have always thought those DC funny animal titles a bit undervalued.
BTW, for a sterling example of Mr. Engel's work, I proudly direct readers to my banner!
These Fox and Crow comics were a level above other animal comics in my opinion.
ReplyDeleteKW: The were great!
ReplyDeleteFox and Crow were and in a lot ways still are my favorite comic book. Now that Sugar and Spike have started being reprinted, maybe The Fox and Crow will follow. Been watching their cartoons on Antenna TV for the last several months on Totally Tooned In on Saturdays. I though all of those great cartoons were lost forever. They also have been showing old UPA cartoons.
ReplyDeleteThese other comments kinda beg a question: Are F & C actually DC properties? Weren't they licenced from movies at the time?
ReplyDeleteIt seems like whoever owns the rights holds on to that stuff pretty good. I've never seen any of those actual cartoons surface anywhere, have you? I mean like public domain DVD collections or late night on Cartoon Network, stuff like that?
I think they were probably hilarious, though, judging by these comics.
Bookman187: I'd love a nice, fat hardback of Davis' Fox and the Crow! I've never seen the cartoons, but I'm glad they are around.
ReplyDeleteAlbie: Regarding the cartoons, see Bookman's post above!
Thanks for chiming in, gentlemen!
I did a substantial interview with Jim for my book Forbidden Adventures: The History of the American Comics Group. I have Roy Thomas a ten or twelve page, handwritten piece from Jim just full of information, but Roy has never run it in Alter Ego. Oh well.
ReplyDeleteMichael: I hope someday it gets published. I'd love to read it! I love Davis' work. It seems as time passes, he is becoming forgotten - like so many from that era.
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