The Abner And The Ringer

One of the more not-Not-Abner looking Hillbilly characters that came along in the comics was Looie Lazybones. He first appeared in The Fighting Yank (in a tale i've never seen). While cashing in on the hillbilly craze, Art Gates did try to make someone who looked liked his own character instead of a re-dressed Abner. Take a gander at his second story, from Exciting Comics, to see what i mean...

Looie lost a little bit of weight, but was essentially unchanged in his third story in America's Biggest Comics, and continued for a few years in Thrilling Comics. But then something happened. Art Gates moved on to other things and a new kid took over the strip. (Or maybe Art was pushed?)

Now the old look was gone. You see, they managed to snag Al Capp's assistant to draw the title, and Fritz went Full-Abner -

Ayup!
For those of you who may have any doubts, Fritz was indeed the legendary Frank Frazetta, as you can see by his next signature. Frazetta started out working on Li'l Abner, and here he got his chance to strut on his own... 

Frazetta only drew seven Looie Lazybones stories. We'll be back next time with the other four.

page art by Art Gates and Frank Frazetta from Exciting Comics #27 and Thrilling Comics #s 67-69 (1943, 1948)

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)

Blond Abner's Chief Problem

Finally!
On the third attempt this morning, Blogger deigned to allow me to add images to the post. We may proceed...


I mentioned that we'd be cruising past Blond Abner and Starving Abner on our way to Ringer Abner, but  we really need to stomp on the brakes here as we hit Blond Abner.

Eustis or Eustace Hayseed, depending on the point in the run, had a most unusual, and rather discomfiting, sidekick early on. Perhaps we got some greater detail on him along the way; if so it's fallen through one of the holes in my mind. In the first episode, the only explanatory reference is in the first sentence - "...his newly acquired friend, Chief Blackfeet..."

The Chief is named and speaks like a stereotypical "Injun" which is perhaps not too surprising for a strip about a backwater hayseed. But his appearance is that of a rudely caricatured African headhunter style native of the times. And he speaks like a British blue blood, when not "Ugh"ing and "You betchum"ing. In all, he's the very definition of Cringe-worthy.

Eustis continues to embrace the cringe, as highlighted in the next tale by his righteous anger at someone beating a woman - who is not his wife...

Hayseed appeared in a couple dozen issues of three different titles, primarily the first 21 issues of Joker Comics. Along the way his look varied, he switched from blond to redhead, and he dumped the Chief in favor of a girl named Choo-Choo. 

Eventually, they gave up trying to hide his Abner origins and just went with it...
 

Eustace had a real self-image problem, too.

page art by Gar Dean, Kosti Ruohomaa, and ??? from Joker Comics #s 1 & 2 and Gay Comics #21 (1942, 1945)

If I Twitted

While Blogger won't let me post pictures, have some more words. The sort of thing i'd post to social media, if i was social.

I've got a rather twisted sense of humour, and sometimes i have trouble deciding when something is Funny or Sick.

For example, "Respect Our Military!" when said by the Whitehouse Thug who wants to pervert the military into his personal bully boys.

Is that funny or sick?

Blogger Hates You

Blogger/Blogspot doesn't seem to be accepting uploaded images currently, making it rather impossible to post about artwork. I'll assume this is part of their latest "upgrade" to the interface, and the accompanying horror show.

In theory, they'll let me post again someday soon.

And hopefully the mandatory changeover at the end of the month won't drive me to stop doing this.

We'll see...