Merry Christmas

Santa Claus' World War II-era attempt at updating his transportation...

...doesn't quite go as planned in this wraparound cover from Dell's Santa Claus Funnies #1 (1942).

Unfortunately, the artist didn't sign it, and the experts at various comic indexing sites have been unable to offer possible illustrators.

Personally, I'm thinking Walt Kelly.

(The snarky reindeer are an obvious giveaway)

Any suggestions?

Merry Christmas to All!

And Now, a Note from Santa Himself...

...from Dell's Santa Claus Funnies #1 (1942).

See you tomorrow with a long-unseen cover by a comics legend!

Reading Room: Kool Walt Scott Christmas Treats!

For our final Walt Scott-themed post this year...

...here's a few Yuletide one-page features starring his Little People characters...that Scott himself neither wrote nor drew!

The first two pages were from the front and back inside covers of Dell's Four Color Comics: Walt Scott's the Little People #868 (1957), which were printed (as was the case with many comics) in black and white.

The last one was the comic's back cover, in full color, of course!
Unlike the two Walt Scott's Christmas Stories issues which Scott himself adapted from the newspaper comic strip into comic book format, the ten Little People issues were written and illustrated by Dell Comics' creatives, in this case, by artist Dan Gormley.

But we're not letting you go Scott-free (as it were)!

Here are the new painted covers Scott did for the two Four Color Comics Christmas Stories issues...

#959 (1958)

#1062 (1959-60)

Plus, the cover for the three-color promo brochure for NEA's 1957 Christmas strip...

...which was only seen by the art directors of NEA's client newspapers!

(We presented thst strip HERE!)

Holiday Reading Room WALT SCOTT"S CHRISTMAS STORIES "Animals' Christmas"

Here's another Yuletide tale unseen by anyone...

...since its' appearance in Dell's Four Color Comics: Walt Scott's Christmas Stories #969 (1958).

This story originally-appeared in newspapers as NEA's 1956 Christmas strip running between Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Scott himself did the modifications to adapt the art to comic book formatting.

Monday Madness ESQUIRE "Return of A Christmas Carol"

The tale of Scrooge's Yuletide redemption has been told and re-told ad nauseum since 1843...

...but never quite like this updated version from Esquire Magazine (December, 1961).

Adapted/laid-out by Harvey Kurtzman and illustrated by David Levine, this re-telling is loaded with Mad Men-era pop culture and political references you'll have to Google to understand if you didn't live through the era!
Consider it our Monday Madness Xmas gift!

Visit our

A Christmas Carol / Scrooge

Collectibles Store!

Design of the Week...REDUX! SANTA'S WORKSHOP IS A SWEATSHOP???

Normally, each week, we post a limited-edition design, to be sold for exactly 7 days, then replaced with another!

In this case, the response has been so overwhelming, we're going to keep the design up until Christmas!

(BTW, you'll note that the cover is dated January, 1939.

But it was actually on sale in November, 1938! 

Publishers used to cover-date comics and pulps two to three months ahead of the actual on-sale date to keep the books on the stands for as long as possible!)

Pick up this kool design on mugs, greeting cards, and other Yuletide collectibles NOW!

Christmas will be here before you know it!

Space Hero Saturdays JOURNEY INTO UNKNOWN WORLDS "They Wait in the Shadows!" & JOURNEY INTO MYSTERY "Monsters on Mercury!"

Sometimes "heroes" are everyday people...

...placed in unique situations, like colonizing a distant world, as in the tale behind a very misleading (but extremely-kool) Bill Everett cover!

Illustrated by Bob Forgione and scripted by an unknown writer, this story from Atlas' Journey into Unknown Worlds #47 (1956) is more "hard" science-fiction and less "science-fantasy" than this later tale by a pair of Silver Age legends following the same basic plot...

This long-forgotten Stan Lee/Steve Ditko (You've heard of them, right?) tale from Atlas' Journey into Mystery #78 (1962) amps up the humans' paranoia, but plays down scientific accuracy!
(Even in 1962, we knew Mercury was unlivable for humans without extensive protective equipment and clothing!)

But, to be fair, both tales are equally-good at getting the Yuletide message across, eh?

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Great Treasury of Christmas Comic Book Stories

Friday Holiday Fun LITTLEST SNOWMAN RESCUES CHRISTMAS Conclusion

When Last We Left the Littlest Snowman...

...he had traveled to the Ice Wall near the North Pole...

...to find out why the Spirit of Christmas, who had always awakened by this time each year, had not yet emerged!

Sadly, The Littlest Snowman and his story of sacrifice for love is all but forgotten today...

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by Charles Tazewell

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Holiday Reading Room WALT SCOTT'S CHRISTMAS STORIES "Little Tree that Talked"

Here's the 1953 Christmas newspaper strip from NEA, written and illustrated by Walt Scott...

...along with the never-reprinted three-color litho cover of the promo brochure sent by the syndicate to client newspapers promoting the strip!

Note: the Spirit of Christmas previously-appeared in "Jeremy Christmas", NEA's 1951Yuletide strip, as shown HERE!

This tale, adapted by Scott into comic book format from the original daily newspaper strip structure, is from Dell's Four Color Comics #959 Walt Scott's Christmas Stories (1958) and features the primary Little People cast members.