Newspaper Comics

In the 1930's, on a daily basis, the latest adventures of newspaper comic heroes were required reading for every young person. Required by themselves. As I recall, the comic strips were in a different-colored section of the Albany, New York newspaper. Among some of the hero types were Secret Agent X-9, Flash Gordon, Buck Rogers, the Phantom (showed up around 1936), Dick Tracy, Jungle Jim, Smilin' Jack, Terry and the Pirates, Dan Dunn, and perhaps others that have lapsed into the darkness of treasures lost.

Let's talk about Dick Tracy. One of the worst criminals involved in the strip was Boris Arson. I can recall that he had been captured and jailed, but, using the cleverness of his criminal mind, he carved a replica of an automatic gun out of a potato, which he colored with shoe polish. With this device, he escaped from jail, fooling the guard with his fake gun. He was later captured again, but his career was a nasty one which the comic strip fully exploited. Dick was surrounded by his gaggle of supporters like Tess Trueheart, Chief Pat Patton, and Junior, the young boy for whom Dick was mentor.

Thinking about Terry and the Pirates brings back memories of him and his buddy Pat Ryan and, of course, their nemesis, the Dragon Lady. Later, a television series was made which, unfortunately, featured a youngish starlet playing the part of Dragon Lady. I always thought Anna Mae Wong or Gale Sondergaard would have been much better. The memories of the pictures of Chinese junks remains with me.

Flash Gordon with Dale Arden, Dr. Zankoff, and Ming the Merciless were among my favorites with Buck Rogers and his companion Wilma Deering and their enemy Killer Kane, who was as cruel as they come.

All of the adventure-type comic strips kept us waiting eagerly for the next episode.

Li'l Abner came along in the 1930's with a whole entourage of memorable characters like Mammy and Pappy Yokum, Daisy Mae, Marryin' Sam, Moonbeam McSwine, Senator Phagbound, et al. The creator Al Capp introduced us to Sadie Hawkins Day and so many other new characters.

Some of these personalities made it to the "Little Big Book" publications. The cost, as I recollect, was ten cents. The size of the book was about four inches square and one and one-half inches thick. The format was: on the left-hand page was the written story; on the right-hand side was a one-panel cartoon or illustration. This format was carried through the entire book for a complete adventure.

Krazy Kat and Felix the Cat were feline characters -- with Ignatz Mouse always showing his love for Krazy Kat by hitting him with a brick. When he did that, several hearts would appear in the balloon above Krazy's head.

Hairbreadth Harry was always saving his love, Belinda Blinks, from the villainous Relentless Rudolph.

Major Hoople, Maggie and Jiggs, The Nutt Brothers (Ches and Wal), Moon Mullings, the Toonerville Trolley, Mutt and Jeff... where did they go? I suppose progress, mores, and fads changed the type of comics that today people approve. We can't forget Ella Cinders, who, like Cinderella, went from years to rags to riches. Where are they? Freckles and his Friends, Skippy by Percy Crosby, early Tarzan strips by Edgar Rice Burroughs... to what have we really progressed? Television and movies that beg for an appreciative audience? With "24" coming the closest to a comic strip venue with its continuing cliffhangers. I'm sure those who remember the comic strips mentioned above -- provided they still have the memories -- kind of miss them. At least they could take the place of what we get today.