Number 1576: The Wiseman and the little wise guy

Alvin “Al” Wiseman was a great cartoonist who spent years submerged in Hank Ketchum’s Dennis the Menace newspaper panels and comic books. For comics fans, and especially fans of great cartooning, Wiseman’s work is held in high regard.

In 1953 Standard began publishing a Dennis comic book, written by Fred Toole and drawn by Wiseman.  Grand Comics Database doesn’t have information on this issue, or whether any of the stories in it were reprinted. Many of Toole and Wiseman’s later stories were reprinted fairly often during the run of the comic book and its myriad specials and digest editions. The artwork on this strip, from Dennis the Menace #2 (1953), is typical of the early comic . Wiseman drew the comic book until the '60s, but his work lived on for years in reprints.

The comic book Dennis had a complicated publishing history, beginning under he Standard imprint, which begat Pines, which begat Hallden/Fawcett, which begat Hallden...even Marvel Comics got into the act in the ‘80s.

The Dennis the Menace I like the best came from the Toole’s typewriter and Wiseman’s pen. Wiseman, born in 1918, died in 1988.

Number 1402: Don’t let me kill again!

This story from the Standard Comics 1953 issue of Who Is Next #5 (actually #1 — and only issue) is inspired by a real-life case. In 1946 Chicago a message was left behind at a crime scene:

Click on the picture for a short article on Heirens, which includes a two-page Life magazine article from 1946 about the case.

The so-called Lipstick Killer was caught and identified as William Heirens. Heirens died in prison at age 83, after serving the longest term of any inmate in the U.S.

In this story, drawn by Mike Sekowsky and an unknown inker, ugliness is the motive. A poor homely schmuck from a dysfunctional home kills beautiful girls because they are repelled by his looks. I’ve always found plots like that kind of cheap. If that was a motive for murder there wouldn’t be anyone left.

Number 1191: More Irv Spector's Lucky Duck

It's Friday the 13th today, and we need all the good luck we can get. So how about Lucky Duck?

In a prior post, Pappy's #1099, I showed the first of cartoonist/animator Irv Spector's stories from Lucky Duck #5 (actually #1) from 1952. Here are the balance of Spector’s pages from that issue.

Irv Spector fits into that category of true screwball cartoonists like Bill Holman (Smokey Stover). His panels are bursting with energy. His characters explode with action in the best traditions of the animated cartoons from whence he came.

Number 932


Funny furry Fritz


Frank Frazetta, an artist well known worldwide for his fantasy paintings, started out in comic books, including these funny animal comics from 1949.

Frazetta, who made comic book drawing look easy (and it probably was, for him), didn't seem to have any problems going from comic art featuring humans to a fuzzy critter funny book. His artwork in the issue is better than the other artists', and there isn't anything wrong with them, it's just in comparison. He was probably the best artist in any comic book his work appeared in.

"Bruno Bear" is from Happy Comics #32, "Daffy and Dilly" from Happy Comics #33. I've included another story from #33, the "Happy Fairy Tales, Diamonds and Pebbles," which is more the Frazetta most of us are familiar with, with human characters. To me the story looks like Cinderella meets Prince Valiant. Even the witch, Horrit (page 2, panel 7), from Prince Valiant makes a guest appearance, showing Harold Foster's influence on a young Frazetta.