CHIP -N- DALE No. 24, December 1960

This issue of Chip –n- Dale has a couple of golden age giants keeping good–n-busy into the silver age: Al Hubbard and Jack Bradbury. Tom McKimson was the art director for this title and maintained a very high standard throughout C&D's 30 issue run (McKimson was a key Warner Bros. animator in the 1940s, working on Bob Clampett’s unit). This cover was penciled by Pete Alvarado.

By the time of this issue's publication in 1960, Al Hubbard had been either drawing comics or making cartoons for over twenty years. Suffice to say he had drawn a couple tons of funny animals. Despite this volume, Hubbard was incapable of drawing a panel without energy and variety – nothing ever looked stale. Just look at the catalog of poses and expressions in this next story. I don’t know who did the script, but it’s very funny!

This next story is all Jack Bradbury, his style camouflaged a bit by the Disney cast. It is hard not to gush about Jack Bradbury – so why try? Bradbury is simply one of the finest kids' comic book artists that ever held a pen and brush - his characters so rounded and bouncy. One can just feel the compact density of his little oinkers. This man was born to drawn funny animals.

This last tale is perhaps my favorite of the bunch. Pencils: Pete Alvarado. Inks: Steve Steere.

Steere was one of Western Publishing's premier inkers, doing the inking chores for much work by Harvey Eisenberg, Pete Alvarado, Phil De Lara, Jack Bradbury, and Tony Strobl (to name a few). Get the idea?

This ad is from the same issue and serves as potent verification: Yes. It was a different time.

Chip -n- Dale in "Out West"

The stories of Chip ‘n’ Dale are all about friendship, loyalty, and the sheer power of a teamwork based in personal sacrifice. In addition to these sterling qualities, the pair of chipmunks accomplished things through a near-psychic communication (despite a mutual inability to pronounce linking verbs).

Harvey Eisenberg was the finest artist for the pair. The legendary cartoonist had the secret of Funny Animal cartooning: Cute but not cloying. I best love his work with Hanna-Barbara Studios (which we will get to before long), but his perfect panel composition is more than evident here. He did the cover as well.

This is from Chip ‘n’ Dale No. 10, June 1957. All scans are from my own comic.

More Eisenberg from front and back inside covers. Cute, you bet; but no saccharine here. Ah, such beautiful work – each panel with just exactly enough.

This from the same issue. This eye-catcher is typical for Schwinn from the era. Is it any wonder a Schwinn was the only choice for cool kids? The Mark II Jaguar sported 3-speed Sturmey-Archer gearshift, a streamlined tank, and a deluxe two-toned saddle. Dang!