Real Screen Comics' Fox and the Crow!

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!

COMIC CAVALCADE No. 55, Feb. - March 1953

Throughout the 1930s and 40s, Comic Cavalcade was a super hero comic, featuring Golden Age stories about the Green Lantern, Wonder Woman, and the Flash. By the late 1940s, however, the market for super heroes had crashed and burned (if you can believe it) and the anthology title became strictly a funny animals comic. This cover is by Jim Davis, artist for headliners, Fox and the Crow. Download THIS POST!

There is something of the train wreck in Jim Davis' often violent, often cruel Fox and the Crow stories. It's not right, I know, but I just can't turn away. The poor fox gets thumped and swindled every darn time. Well, at least Davis' art is easy on the eyes.

Sheldon Mayer was DC's big gun during this era, reigning supreme in the world of kids' comics. His stories always had such a ton of energy, all of it good. Mayer is certainly a hall-of-famer, being inducted into both the Jack Kirby and Will Eisner Halls of Fame (1996 and 2000 respectively). Both these next stories are pure Mayer: fun, alive, and warm.

What a gorgeous Daisy ad from the same issue. This is the model Ralphie wanted in Jean Shepard's A Christmas Story. Just don't shoot your eye out, kid.

Fox and the Crow in - "Flat Broke" and "New York Ticket"

This will finish up the Fox and the Crow stories from Real Screen Comics No. 38, May 1951. Jim Davis offered any aspiring cartoonist an education in every panel. You can practically feel his characters move and live, jumping right off the page into tactile life. Not for nothing, the script for this title was uniformly brilliant. Judging from the time frame, the words here were most likely provided by Hubie Karp. All scans are from my own comic

This ad is from the same issue. I cannot adequately put into words my love for this ad. When I was young, my father always took our family to the annual “Boat Show.” Then as now, boats produce tears of boredom. But a Shoe Show? Now you’re talking! This was the year they unveiled The Skipper!