Where's Your National Pride?

March 25, 1962

A Tree Nobly and Gorgeously Trimmed

That second panel has probably perty close the smallest size Kelly's ever drawn any of his characters.

December 20, 1970

A Lot to be Said for a Year What Ends with Christmas

I like the half-page 3-tiered format.

And just so you don't panic, 11-22 and 11-29 

have been shown here previously. 

December 6, 1970

Miz Mama Q. Bear

Sorry I didn't have time to fully clean this tearsheet up from its printing woes, but I got most of it done to be presentable/savable. 

I'm very busy with projects, one of which is my KickStarter campaign to print a book of my art. I'm hoping some of you may want a book of my art by pledging for one. But you would have to do so by February 14, when my campaign ends. At that point, if I haven't raised the full amount of my goal to pay for printing, then I get nothing. Right now I need every last pledge I can get. Click here for details of the book, and I hope you join in!

In the meantime, Kelly is still carrying us through Spring Cleaning...

February 21, 1971

CRORK!

Sorry about missing last week's post. I've been totally tied up with the KickStarter campaign for a book of my artwork. I was hoping some of you might want to pledge a modest amount to get a copy of said book. One of you has. Anyone else interested? More information on the book by clicking here.

Happy Sunday, Kelly Sunday!

ALL Bears is Bear Footed

We continue with this current arc for the next few weeks, taking us up to Walt Kelly's 100th birthday. At which time I will be publishing, online, a special commemorative number of the Pictorial Arts Journal, completely dedicated to the work of Walt Kelly.

You know what would be swell? To have tribute art and text from professionals that have been influenced and inspired by Kelly's cartooning, even if their style is completely different.

I'm inviting all such pros to send over a jpeg of drawings, doodles, or doodads honoring Kelly's milestone birthday. It could be a drawing of your own characters applauding or waxing nostalgic. It could be a graphic narrative like Crumb and Spiegelman produce for the New Yorker. It could just be a handwritten greeting or verse. Each contributor will receive a bio-blurb and a link to their website.

There's every chance that no pro is going to participate for this project. But no matter. The issue will still be published with some great Kelly art seen in fresh ways. Personally, I'll be contributing a pictorial memoir essay of when I met and talked with Kelly—in my long ago youth.

We'll need creative tributes to be emailed as jpegs, no later than the week of August 4, accompanied by a bio-blurb and link data. Please leave a comment here on this blog with contact info, questions or leads and I promise to not publicly publish those comments unless you specifically wish me to.

Once published, we'll be sending a pdf of the birthday edition to the Kelly family and Fantagraphics, Pogo's current publisher (which could mean cease and desist orders but we will have at least demonstrated our love for the greatest cartoonist that ever lived).

Does anyone out there know Bill Watterson? Kelly's 100th is worthy of a word or two from him.

February 13, 1972

Smilin' with Our Lips an' Toes

We are back to Sunday strips for the next few weeks, culled from my collection, saved first-hand way back when we had something new from Kelly each and every Sunday. Wow, what a concept.

Our friend-in-Kelly, Hun, has written many an encouraging comment here at WoK. Those comments sometimes are hidden away where only other commenters see them, so that in essence Hun is preaching to the choir in his effort to kindle some action in WoK viewers. I thought it would only be fair to let Hun step out front and squint into the glaring spotlight as he addresses this audience in an open letter.

 February 6, 1972

Thom,

In your invitation to contribute to a Kelly Centenary Birthday Special you single me out in a way that is more than embarrassing to me, a Friend-in-Kelly as lowly as can be. An unknowledgeable outsider might almost get the impression that I were trying (even half way succeeding) in influencing the direction your blog is taking. While I do accept responsibility for the idea of honoring Kelly with a commemorative stamp (as an aside: what you have created is an absolute beauty and in my mind would be more than worthy to be the official issue. I totally agree with Yves), you may remember that a year ago I warned that if no volunteer showed up soon, it would be you who would have to carry not only the responsibility but the total weight of the ball in any concerted effort to celebrate Kelly's hundredth. I still feel a bit guilty of not having volunteered myself; but in the matter of the stamp my excuse still stands: I'm not a valued customer of the US Mail Service – my last service by them relates to the last check I sent to my landlord pretty exactly four decades ago – and I have no direct wire to any Congers-person (Frog or Bullfrog) , who could be sicked on the Postmaster General to circumvent the red tape route for stamp creation (which seems complicated enough to get a person “going postal”).

As to your blog. I have no intention of becoming a gray eminence in the shadows; you run the blog!

I am quite content to be surprised by what you dish out regularly every Sunday (even if it is Peter Wheat). Tastes are different and being a Johnny-come-lately to Kelly I never acquired a special fondness for his kiddy stuff. And if it turns out to be a freshly ironed, color corrected Pogo Sunday page my joy is that much greater (Not meant to be a plea for longer spaces between Pogos to increase anticipation, right?).

Having said that, there is one aspect of  the blog I would take issue with, this being the list of “Followers”you used to sport in the upper right corner. Is this a sort of trophy gallery used by bloggers in a competition: “Show me yours and I'll show you mine”?

When I stumbled into 'Whirled of Kelly' (must have been 2 ½ years ago... it seems longer) I thought that being in this list conferred a special kind of honor and wondered how to 'make the list'.

Then after some time watching the goings-on I caught on to the fact that comment could be made without being on the list (which I started doing and which most of the 'followers' do not seem to do).

Seems to become a 'follower' you just have to declare yourself and then you sit back and munch your scrambled eggs and stack of pancakes (Sunday!) and watch the proceedings (exceptions excepted! Actually there are such...).

Thomas H. Buchanan, being the owner you know all about blogging. No need to read on now!

To whom it may concern, meaning practically all readers of this rant:

There is at the end of every blog entry by Thom a small expression “no comments” or “# comments”. The meaning of this is:”Here YOU can make a comment” Remember:

- It is free of charge (where do you get this these days?)

- It is easy (just set your pointer at this expression. If your browser setting allows 'blogger' you are in business)

- It is fast (nobody expects you to write an essay. If you feel like it: so much the better)

- It gives you the feeling of having accomplished something that day...

- It is the polite thing to do! (if you really do not know what to write, why not just THANK Thom?)

Aw, you say, the world must be coming to an end: Now here is a German lecturing us about politeness...Wonder what Fritz' agenda is?

Two answers: 

First: Yes, this part of the world has changed a bit for the better: We have started to followed others in this respect. Come over here and let yourselves be pleasantly surprised.

Second: Naturally I am no less egotistic than any fellow human bean. THB has been such a push-over in the past that he is amazing me every Sunday. I myself would have thrown in the towel long ago: “So much dedication and effort and practically no resonance from my 'friends'... What the heck”....

Friends, Romans, countrymen, lend me your ears! The world might be ending soon and rapture happening tomorrow. But if not: Aren't we all interested in keeping this blog going for as long as possible? Those of you actually reading what he has to say and not only looking at the colorful pics he offers, will have noted that Thom H.B. has some things up his voluminous sleeves. In our own interest we have to keep this man Buchanan in the mood. And that means: honestly expressing our appreciation for what he does (no exaggerating, no false adulation, just showing him that we care for what he does). At your next psychiatrist appointment ask the Doc about the importance of appreciation. 

Come on, pull them out and comment!

LLK!

Thom, you may read on now!

If anyone feels unjustly attacked, please raise your finger and I will respond.

If anyone agrees: act!

I'm not hiding myself behind my alias and therefore sign off in genuine friendship as

Dieter Mueller  aka (Transatlantic) Hun

Dieter identifies with Porky, so this little gem is for him.

The Good Jolly Game of American Spring-Time

March 15, 1970

That's me, a fog-eyed slog, still neck-deep in deadlines, but the Pogo must go on, sez I.

Play-Toyin' with Ol' Destiny

I hope you're in the mood for baseball (à la Kelly that is). The next batch of Sundays plays out the game.

Happy Sunday, Kelly Sunday!

March 8, 1970

The Baseball Season Burgeons

Over on The Pictorial Archives blog I've let it be known that I'm on a leave of absence from blogging while I'm slogging through deadlines. But anyone tuning in over there shouldn't fret, they can go a thousand other places to get those kind of images.

But you Pogoholics don't have as many opportunities to find what you're looking for, so I've slipped away from my drawing board to take the time to make sure you get your Sunday fix. From 42 years and 4 days ago:

Pogo — March 1, 1970

Spring cleaning with Barnstable and the missus was a regular gag setting for Kelly.

Crazy 'bout Hibernatin'

Kelly makes bed look so comfy. Stay 'tooned, more bed comin'.

December 6, 1964

The Lady Feminists Peace Parade

As some of you know, from my other blog The Pictorial Arts, I'm on an extended leave from blogging. But I just can't see missing a Sunday posting of a Pogo Sunday strip. I wouldn't miss a Sunday, Kelly Sunday unless it was a case of death or taxes, or something like that. I'm posting it on Saturday night, cuz I'll be busy on Sunday morning.

In checking my records, I notice that I haven't posted even one Sunday strip from 1970 yet, so here's the first of those (with 51 more to come, in time). This is from the middle of a pretty long arc (April to October). You know how Kelly wanders all over the map, yet usually has a thread running for months, and you can't quite tell where and when an arc begins or ends. But this particular strip is seemingly unconnected to the arc it's embedded in, so I thought I'd bring it up here, and then when we get to that arc (soon), it won't distract from the flow.

I know the Formth of Joo-lie was nearly a month ago, but in the Whirled of Kelly, time is irrelephant . . . so . . .

Kelly's strips are the loveliest, are they not? Below, a closer look at that sweet brace of doves:

Our Own People from Okefenokee

Happy Sunday, Kelly Sunday!

Created by DaVinci!

Happy Sunday, Kelly Sunday!

Later this week: more adventures of Peter Wheat!

Dern Right I B'lieve in Labor Day

We Shall Snook Up

A hundred years ago this morning . . . no, wait . . . it only seems like a hundred years ago. Forty five years ago this morning:

Happy Sunday, Kelly Sunday!

Grimbimbles! Moomsnops!

I'm posting the Sunday Kelly Sunday strip tonight, on Saturday night, so you can see it first thing in the morning. It's been a long week of deadlines, life is crazy, and I fell and bummed up my knee. I'm going to bed and I plan to sleep in as long as Father's Day allows me.

Happy Father's Day!

Across the Lawn of Morn

Well, this'n doesn't really have anything to do with the Fort Mudge Memorial Dump arc, but I include it . . . well . . . because it's gotta go somewhere, so why not here where at least the date is successive to the others.

A 20/20 Nose and a 50/50 Chance

Reindeers is Mythological Beasts

So, this is the following Sunday strip after the previous post's strip, and again is one of my favorites, just for the coloring, if nothing else. It's dark and rich and really cool for the red moon rising that changes phase, position and coloring.

And as pointed out two posts ago, it has a slight connection to a generation before, because of the architecture of the house being quite similar to the shoe house lines (disregarding the shoe) of the Mother Goose cover. Yeah yeah I know, big deal—but really, either Kelly was looking at that cover, or he had that house imprinted on his mind.