Eddie Elephant – 1946 Hallucinogenic Funny Animal Comix by Ellis Holly Chambers

This story comes from Hi-Ho Comics #1 --- a 1946 comic published by Four Star Publications. It’s filled with 45 pages of insane tripped out comics by H. Chambers. So who is this H. Chambers?

Milton Knight provides some tantalizing information about cartoonist H. Chambers:

“It's Holly Chambers! (Holly was his middle name; I think his first name began with an E.) My late friend, Howie Post, used to share a studio with him and had several vivid tales to tell: he described Chambers as a handsome, charismatic "psychotic" who could walk out with a bar stool and stare down the bartender with a "what are you going to do about it?"

Post also revealed that Chambers was a heroin addict who could shoot up and complete a comic book overnight: "Who needs women when you have this??"
As colorful as his comics, that was Holly Chambers. Howard lost track of him in the 50s, and suspected that he was "rubbed out" by his drug connections.”

Thanks to Milton Knight for that priceless and tantalizing info. It explains a lot – and raises about a million other questions that will probably never be answered.

For LOTS more freaky funny-book vintage comic scans by Ellis Holly Chambers, click on Eddie the Elephant below:

 

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Buzzy the Mouse in “Mechanic Menace” Golden Age Funny Animal Comics

From Jack-in-the-Box Comics #14, June 1947

Click on any page for a FULL-SIZED hi-res scan

More info at http://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=26383 or download the whole comic at http://digitalcomicmuseum.com/index.php?dlid=12105

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You gotta see: Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine - The TREASURE is HERE!

I love surprises! Thanks to Chris Duffy's comics blog,
I just found out about another great source of sweet comic book scans...

"Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine" (A Golden Age comic book blog featuring horror, crime, science fiction, funny animals and some super-heroes!)

Pappy's comic scans feature a HUGE variety of the deliciously entertaining comics of the 40's, mostly the 50's and a little of the 60's. The roster of comics greatness found here includes comics by:

• Basil Wolverton
• The EC Comics Gang
• Milton Stein (Supermouse)
  
• Ed Wheelan (Minute Movies)
  
• Boody Rogers (Sparky Watts, etc)
• Dick Briefer (Frankenstein and more!)

We're talkin' humor, horror, crime, science-fiction, funny animal comics...all the stuff nobody does in comics anymore. This is getting a big bookmark at the top of my list because it's a gold mine of comic book treasures that will keep me reading til my retina burns out.

There are literally HUNDREDS of amazing entries, going back a couple of years! I've just started to dig into the archives, and I've already got the cold sweats. I don't know why I never saw this blog before, but TRUST ME I am going to be checking it out every day from now on!

I gotta GO...Pappy's comics scans are calling my name! See you there!

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Tack's Cartoon Tips for the Aspiring Cartoonist

Look at what Dave Blog posted on his Flickr page: Tack's Cartoon Tips for the Aspiring Professional!

This is an amazing little how-to cartooning book from way back in 1923 by cartoonist B. "Tack" Knight.

In just 29 pages he teaches aspiring professional artists how to draw cartoons the old-fashioned way! Some of the pages are corny and not very useful today, but MOST of this book features rock-solid basic building-blocks for learning how to draw in that old "bigfoot" early 2oth century print cartoon style.


Topics include:

• Expressions
• How to draw HANDS (this page is really great!)
• Hats, Shoes, Wrinkles (as in clothes and drapery)
• Lessons on drawing KIDS and ANIMALS
• How to draw BACKGROUNDS
• and even a bit on Cartoon Lettering

Warning: there's some old-school racially insensitive material in here. What people thought was funny back then just makes people mad today. Don't say I didn't warn you!

To read the whole book as a slideshow, (I think it's easiest to read it this way)

click on: http://www.flickr.com/photos/davidblog/sets/72157603310750480/show/

Thanks, Dave!

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Sherlock the Monk and Chuck Duck Funny Animal Comics Scans

If you want to learn how to draw a monkey,
or just how to draw FUNNY,
you can't do much better than to soak up
the cartoon craziness of these great pages
from Fawcett's Funny Animals #55 from 1947.



Click on the pictures below
to see BIG Hi-Res scan of each comic book page





Click on the pictures below
to see a BIG Hi-Resolution scan
of each comic book page





Click on the pictures below
to see a BIG Hi-Resolution scan
of each comic book page





-----------------
Look at that great kick in the penultimate panel!

BOOT! ...The END!

According to an interview in the Fawcett Companion, Sherlock the Monk and Chuck was one of many Fawcett Funny Animal features created by Chad Grothkopf. I don't know whether this particular story was done by him or not. Looks like Milton Stein to me, but I hope that better eyes than mine will set me straight.


UPDATE/Correction -- Super-Comics-Spotter Charlie J just showed me a couple posts on the ASIFA Cartoon Archive that convince me that Jim Tyer is the master cartoonist behind these pages. Take a look at these funny animal comics at the ASIFA-Hollywood Animation Archive and see what you think...

CLICK on the images below to jump over
to the ARCHIVE and see the comics pages!

Yep, I think Charlie J nailed it.
So, it looks like the amazing Jim Tyer
strikes again! Thanks, Charlie!

There are quite a few fantastic stories in this comic book; If you want to see more, please leave a comment below and let me know -- In the meantime, enjoy!

UPDATE: There's LOTS more comic book scans

to look at and download! Click HERE

• ...And if you liked this post, please help me share it
  

(Click one or more of the links directly below) Thanks!

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Soapy Sam: Howzabout More VARIETY in Comics?

Comic books have changed an awful lot since the forties. There used to be a lot more variety; not just a lot of different genres and different styles...there were lots of successful anthology titles that had five or six ongoing series running concurrently in the same book for years.

There was also more variety
among the individual stories in each book.
Today's "Exhibit A" is Soapy Sam the Snooper Man.

Soapy Sam. Dude's a window washer,
but he dreams of being a detective.
(Check out that flattened nose.Is that because
it's always pressed up against the glass?)
-------
Take a look at these three pages
of pure cartoon weirdness!
This story appeared as some comic-relief filler
in a 1947 issue of Black Cat,
published by Home Comics, Inc. St. Louis, Mo.

As usual, CLICK on any one of the pages
to see a king-size comic book page.



As usual, CLICK on any one of the pages
to see a grande-size comic book page.

This story is signed "Jack Keeler." Jack Keeler!? Do you realize who that is?

Don't look at me...I have no idea!

And it's not for lack of trying to find out. Whenever I post one of these golden-age oldies, I try to find some background info to give it context. Can't find a blessed thing about Jack Keeler. I bet there were hundreds of guys that drifted in and out of the totally disreputable comic-book trade, worked under pseudonyms for a few years on a few obscure titles, then went back to earn a decent, respectable living as insurance salesmen or electrical engineers.

• One of my favorite things about old comics is that they weren't afraid to mix up genres just to keep things fresh. In many crime and action-oriented comic books, they had these little one- two- or three-page fillers that sort of cleansed the palette in between the more serious stuff.

In this case, this goofy tri-page treat was sandwiched in alongside a Black Cat story by the awesome Lee Elias,

...and a pulse-pounding Danny Dixon...CADET adventure,

...and right after a single-page comedy strip
about a Miss Lonely-hearts called, "Getting Maisie Married."

After the Soapy Sam story comes a real oddball title: "His Honor and...The DEMON!"

Signed by long-time utility-player Bill Draut, this Batman-style story is about a judge who dresses up as a red devil at night and metes out vigilante justice on the underworld criminals that are beyond the reach of his courtroom!

This issue of Black Cat finishes off with more short comedic comics.

Real short.

Two half-pagers stacked one on toppa the other.

Meet Jobless Jerry and Crackpot Cornelius...

There's nothing more hilarious than being unemployed!

Not sure who did the Jobless Jerry strip, but Crackpot Cornelius was penned by gag cartoonist Art Helfant, who apparently drew tons of these comic book fillers during the 1940's and 1950's.
I dunno...maybe Helfant did them both. Click the image below for the macho-sized gag page.

Now THAT'S a comic book! Thrill, chills, jokes, even a classic "plop" panel at the very end of that last page.

PLOP!

Call me old-fashioned, but I like comics that are FUN!

If you're interested in seeing any of those other stories from this comic, just let me know and I'll post 'em right up! See You next time!

UPDATE: There's LOTS more comic book scans
to look at and download! Click HERE

• ...And if you liked this post, please help me share it
  

(Click one or more of the links directly below) Thanks!

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MORE Alarming 1950's Kirby Sci-Fi Comics: The Last Enemy

Because YOU demanded it!

(Okay, it was only Martin who demanded it,
but I assume the rest of you out there feel the same way)
...MORE freaky rarely-seen Jack Kirby
science-fiction comics from the fifties!

Like the previous Kirby story posted a little while back,
this story is from Alarming Tales #1, September 1957

Published by Western Tales, Inc. and Harvey Features Syndicate.
This story is one of five tales in this all-Kirby comic book bonanza.
If you get a chance to lay yer mitts on this comic book, get it!
It's a winner through and through!

As usual, CLICK on any one of the pages below
to see a large-size kooky Kirby komics page.

As usual, CLICK on any one of the pages below
to see a large-size kooky Kirby komics page.

As usual, CLICK on any one of the pages
to see a large-size kooky Kirby komics page.

As usual, CLICK on any one of the pages
to see a large-size kooky Kirby komics page.

As usual, CLICK on any one of the pages
to see a large-size kooky Kirby komics page.

As usual, CLICK on any one of the pages
to see a large-size kooky Kirby komics page.

If you missed the zany Jack Kirby story I posted before, check it out here:

Jack Kirby Takes you to the Fourth Dimension

----
...and take a look at this very cool Jack Kirby Blog called the Kirby Museum. Lots of Kirby artwork to swim in!
----

UPDATE: There's LOTS more comic book scans
to look at and download! Click HERE

• ...And if you liked this post, please help me share it
  

(Click one or more of the links directly below) Thanks!

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