Number 1361: Funky Funnies: Powerhouse Pepper!

 In January of this year we had a theme week called "Funky Funnies Week," and I’ve decided I haven’t laughed enough lately, so I’ve lined up more Funky Funnies.

First up, Basil Wolverton and his great Powerhouse Pepper. Powerhouse was super strong, but not a superhero. Because he was a little guy the big guys usually misjudged him. As you can see in these two stories from Powerhouse Pepper Comics #2 (1948), they did so at their own peril.

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More funny, funky Basil! Click the pics:

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Number 1330: The big green cannibal monster-head

Finally collected into one high quality trade paperback, Basil Wolverton’s early Target Comics feature, “Spacehawk,”* is now available from Fantagraphics. Wolverton loved science fiction, rocket ships, weird worlds and weirder characters, and Spacehawk has all those.

Another space feature by Basil was “Space Patrol,” which appeared in Amazing Mystery Funnies. With its old-fashioned look Wolverton’s science fiction has a steam punk charm right out of the industrial age; rocket ships looking like riveted boilers, for instance.

This episode is from the last issue of Amazing Mystery Funnies #24 (1940).

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*Click this pic for a Spacehawk story.

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Number 1297: Basil’s boys, Mystic Moot and Powerhouse Pepper

What? Another theme week so soon, right on the heels of of the Furry Foes and Fiends week? Yep, this one will be our Funky Funnies week, featuring some oddball, yet funny postings. We start the week with the one and only comic art genius of funky and funny, Basil Wolverton!

I had so much fun with my Wolverton posting in Pappy's #1263 and it drew so many visitors to this blog, thanks to a plug by www.comicsreporter.com, that I decided to further exploit entertain you (and myself) with more Wolverton.

From Ibis the Invincible #5 (1946):

From Marvel Comics of the 1940s, Basil's own title, Powerhouse Pepper #2 (1948):

Some of us still have clunky old desktop computers and old-style laptops that make it difficult to read upside down comics panels, so for those of us still mired in the past, here is the final panel rightside up.

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Golden Age comics fans will want this book!

Recently I got an e-mail from goodguy Craig Yoe:

"Comics About Cartoonists: Stories About the World's Oddest Profession" was supposed to be available for the holidays but got F'd--flummoxed--by the L.A. dock workers strike and the distributor closing over the holidays for two weeks and the usual end of the year drunkenness and debauchery by people in our industry.

It's my fave book i'll ever do because of the subject matter--I do so love cartoonists! "Comics About Cartoonists" got some very enthusiastic initial pre-press promo which I am so very glad of. But with all the hoopla of the above and subsequent lateness of the book I and IDW are quite worried about the word having timely gotten out to people that will share my passion for these kind of awesome comics. I know you understand "timing is everything" ;) I'd DEEPLY appreciate any kind consideration to remind your readers of this ("Mind-blowing!"--MTV Greek) book now.

Humbly and in gratitude, 

Craig

P.S. Here's a fun little video we did about the book http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IYqQGMcIIoU and a cover is attached, too. Thanks again for any and all help!"

Craig used my copy of Weird Science #22 to scan the story, “My World” by Wallace Wood, perhaps one of the greatest and most famous “comics about cartoonists.” I want you to visualize a high quality book like Yoe and IDW are well known — nay, famous —  for. Besides the Wood story there are over 200 pages of self-referential cartoons, comic strips, comic book stories, as well as original art from Craig's own collection. I give it my highest recommendation, not just because Craig is a pal, a fellow collector, comics historian and because he has to sell his books in order to publish new ones  — and we all want more books, don’t we? — but because this book is one helluva good read, and the best thing of all is it's not expensive. Remember, your Pappy has never steered you wrong! Use that leftover Christmas money burning a hole in your jeans, why don't you?  www.yoebooks.com

While you're at it, check out Yoe's other books, including his collaborative horror comic, now in its third issue, Haunted Horrors, which he edits with the help of Steve “Karswell” Banes of The Horrors Of It All.

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Number 1263: Basil's BingBang Buster busts bad boys!

It's been too long since I showed anything by Basil Wolverton. His feature, “BingBang Buster and his Horse, Hedy,” appeared in Lev Gleason's Black Diamond Western in three-page increments from issue #16 (1949) through #28 (1951). Basil was freelance, working out of his home in Washington State, a continent’s width away from New York City.He was a triple talent, writing, drawing and even lettering his own material. His work showed up in various comics for different publishers, and he may be the main reason for collecting those issues of this particular Western/crime comic edited by Charles Biro.

These are the four stories that appeared in Black Diamond Western issues #16-#19.

Basil got national attention when he was featured in Life magazine after winning the Lena the Hyena contest in “Li'l Abner.” You can see Lena the Hyena and the article in Pappy's #1186.

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