More from Coo Coo Comics No. 54!

Let's love two more stories from Coo Coo Comics No. 54, December 1950. Our first Butch and Buttercup story, "Plane Crazy," is unsigned, but I believe it's the work of Ken Hultgren. Of course, alternative opinions are welcome. As for the second story, I have no doubt: "Way Out West," featuring Cuffy the Cat, is the work of Ellis Holly Chambers (who often signed his work "EC"). In a genre and era of forgotten comic art masters, Chambers (of whom little is known) is one of the more severely and sadly forgotten.

Oh, and don't forget to soak up that ad at the end of the post from the same issue, which warns young men and women aganst being too skinny. Times, tastes, and fashions sure change, don't they?

Dan Gordon & Ken Hultgren - Giggle Comics

Very few cartoonists from any era had better brushwork than Dan Gordon. This first story is from Giggle Comics No. 71, May-June 1950. Gordon animated everything from Popeye for the Fleischer Studios to Huckleberry Hound for Hanna-Barbera. Most of his comic book work was for ACG (American Comics Group), where his funny animals (and funny humans) bounce around in a three-dimensional, rubbery world.

Next comes a Duke and the Dope story from ever-reliable Ken Hultgren - although it looks like someone else had a hand in this one. That giant gorilla is drawn a bit more loose and dynamic than is typical for the artist. Ken Hultgren was one of the Disney artists that animated the monster in the great sci-fi film, Forbidden Planet! Isn't that cool?

Finally, one of my favorite unsung cartoonists: Ray Thompson - who drew the stories of the Fleer Dubble Bubble Kids for the namesake bubble gum.

Ken Hultgren's Izzy and Dizzy & Others!

Let's finish off the cream from Ha Ha Comics No. 34, October 1946 with an Izzy and Dizzy story by Ken Hultgren. Mr. Hultgren was an animator for Disney Studios in the 1930s and 40s, working on such classics as Snow White and Bambi. One can really see the Disney cuteness here with this pair of bear cubs.

Next comes a quick two-pager from Lynn Karp, who was another animator for Disney in the early 40s. By the mid to late 40s and into the 1950s, his work for comics became extensive.

I'm not sure who drew and inked this Casey story, but it is a fine example of the extremely high caliber of work done during this Golden Age of Kids' Comics!

I don't know who the artist was for this wonderful story "Crud and the Mud," but I sure wish I did. I have seen his (or her) work in many stories from Ha Ha and Giggle Comics, and have always loved it. Aren't these finely drawn pigs? And, not for nothing, the story serves to remind of a time when comics were aimed at children. This one feels like a fine bed time story.

And finally, I think this is the work of the great Dan Gordon, but if I'm wrong I want to hear about it!

Ha Ha Comics No. 17, February 1945 W/ Jim Tyer, Ken Hultgren, and Irving Dressler

Today, let's enjoy the work of Jim Tyer, Ken Hultgren, and Irving Dressler (with just a splash of Dan Gordon tossed in for good measure) - all appearing in a 1945 issue of Ha Ha Comics.

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The wondrous animation Jim Tyer contributed to Terrytoons in the late 1940s and 1950s (featuring headliners like Mighty Mouse, Heckle and Jeckle, & Gandy Goose and Sourpuss) pulsate and tremble as though the screen were suddenly given a jolt of electricity. Mr. Tyer's earlier comic book work is equally vibrant and unique. A fine example: This Pete Parrot outing.

Few cartoonists did more work in the Funny Animal Golden Age than Ken Hultgren who, like Tyer, was perhaps first and foremost an animator; albeit for Disney. I love his Bully the Bulldog character in this Robespierre story.

Irving Dressler is the cartoonist for this oddball (and slightly disturbing) tale starring Red Rabbit. Mr. Dressler would go on in future decades to animate many Popeye cartoons, vintage early 1960s.

Finally, here's a quick shot of Dan Gordon's artwork in this black and white inside front cover.