Somebody Give That Hillbilly A Sandwich! (or Does A Name On A Stick Make A Mini-Me?)

While not as disturbing as Superman's upper lip, looking at our Starving Abner sometimes just feels wrong. Take a little gander at Ozark Ike -

I can imagine the meeting that led to Ike...
Ray Gotto sitting down with his Editor, who tells him that they want to cash in on this hillbilly craze - 

"Whatdya got for me?"

"Well, the dolls really swoon for that stick, Sinatra... what if we did that kind of guy here?"

"Yeah, sounds great! Just don't change the body. We want to keep that big hunk from the hills thing going."

"Um...  okay. Sure. I guess I can do that."

It's not an art style thing - everybody else in the strip looks quite well fed, or even overfed. It seems to be a conscious decision for his look. 
Most passing strange.

Ozark Ike's other angle was to take advantage of that hillbilly physique and make him an athlete, starting with a bit of down home pigskinning and then to professional whumping in his first tale. After that, it was mostly Baseball and Football with a touch of Basketball. Perhaps because comics go on, even when the season ends? Or maybe it was just more fun to be able to hop boundaries at will. Never underestimate the power of fun.

Ike and his bat (also named Ozark Ike) premiered in the pages of Four Color Comics #180 in February of 1948 and did well enough to earn his own series later that year, which ran for 15 issues. While his book focused on short tales, usually 8 pages a most, that first adventure ran a full 32 pages; and i was dumb enough to prep them all. 
So, let's - shall we?

Well, at least he's headed home a rich man.

page art by Ray Gotto from Four Color Comics #180 (1948)

Introducing Kona - Monarch Of Monster Isle

Last week some "cave paintings" were offered up - painted covers to various caveman comics - and i asked which you thought might be my favorites.

Let's take an introductory look at one of them, Kona. Here's a second look at Tom Beecham's painted cover to "Kona #1" (actually Four Colour #1256)

 Before we proceed, a quick bit on the term 'Cavemen' is in order. I use the word as a cultural touchstone. It has precisely zero scientific value and is used to refer to a wide variety of hominids, ranging from neanderthal to nomadic homo-sapiens, depending on the situation. Very rarely does the term apply to actual cave dwellers. After all, most locations don't readily offer caves, as you might have already noticed in your day-to-day lives. The term is also used in the same way that 'Man' is used to refer to human beings in general, without regard to individual gender.
Okay, moving right along...

The first thing that sets Kona apart from most caveman comics is the time frame. Our story begins in the 20th century. Not that this is completely original or anything, just ask Marshall, Will & Holly. (Actually, the original Land Of The Lost is on our posting topic list; both the book and the 1940s comic)

The expedition proceeds until a massive storm assaults the craft, tearing it apart as it pushes them into an unseen island. The family works together to salvage as much as they can -

While Grandpa and the kids seem fairly well suited to adventure, Mom - not so much. She flees the bats and has to be rescued by Mason clubbing a bat away with the butt of his rifle. As things settle down, the family suddenly find themselves inundated with water again -

The dai kaiju wrestle until the snake crushes the breath from tyrannosaur, but as they collapse...

 The pithecanthropes behead the serpent, taking their prize with them and leaving the family staring in wonder at what just happened...

A short march later...

And there you have the setup for Kona.
By the way - his tribe have domesticated triceratops, much as the others had their tyranosaurs.

Not surprisingly, their first battle goes supremely well, and the tribesmen get brutally wild in their victory. Grandpa gets disgusted and declares no more guns. A nice sentiment, but the reality of their new world rapidly reverses that decision.

It didn't take long for things to begin to get wonderfully odd. In the 2nd issue...

"Though the tyranasaurus-rex is at the bullfrog's throat the croaking beast still manages to lash out with his powerful legs kill two charging triceratops!"
"Kona's .45 makes short work of the dragonfly and he turns to face an enraged bee..."

You're going to have to work hard to find more awesome oddness packed into two sentences and one panel.

He was called Monarch Of Monster Isle, not Dean Of Dinosaur Island, y'know.

page art by Sam Glanzman for Dell Four Color #1256 and Kona #2 (1962)

Easter Fool's Day?

Y'know, April Fool's Day and Easter make for a strange mix at the concept level, implying the greatest prank ever pulled. It leaves me to wonder what we'll be seeing today and over the coming week.

Me? I'm not going there just now, even if my mind wasn't bound up with other concerns of late.
Instead, let's reach back to the old web comic once again and pull up some holiday greetings from several years back to kick off our special occasion Sunday Morning Funnies -

Obviously, we like things odd around here.
When it comes to doing Easter Odd, one man has established himself as the Master in the middle of the previous century - Walt Kelly, the brilliant weirdo behind Pogo. Dell published an Easter special in their Four Color title every year from 1946 to 1949, all created by Walt Kelly.

And, sure - They seemed normal enough on the outside...

...but inside?
It got strange...

No, there is not a missing next page - that's it. Though it was scarcely alone...

Just when you think you've got a handle on it, Walt jerks the wheel and it's off careening in  new direction. Suddenly there'd be a visual puzzle...

...and mixed in with the nursery rhyme style shorts were some longer tales in a more traditional comic book style -

If you can find someone who does Easter more oddly, i'd love to hear about it.

Meanwhile, we opened up with a completely unrelated Easter greeting. It seems fitting to me that we wrap this piece the same way -

Enjoy your holiday!

pages from Four Color #s 103, 140, 185, & 220 (1946, 1947, 1948, 1949)

Yogi & Friends Easter greeting from Funtastic World Of Hanna Barbara # 2 (1978)