New Funnies #87

(May 1944)

[The Close-Quartered Cabana] (Table of Contents: 1)

Wally Walrus / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Dan Gormley

Inks

Dan Gormley

Colors

Western Publishing Production Shop

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Gosh, what a hot day! Well, I'll be in for a cool dip soon!

Genre

anthropomorphic-funny animals

Characters

Wally Walrus

Synopsis

While changing into his bathing suit, Wally Walrus becomes stuck inside a too-small beach cabana. How will he free himself?

Keywords

beach; cabana; first appearance of recurring character(s); getting-stuck; notable coloring modification; swimming

Indexer Notes

Copyright 1944 by Walter Lantz Productions. Color on inside front cover.

This would seem to be the first comic-book appearance of longtime Walter Lantz supporting player Wally Walrus, who first appeared in the 1944 cartoon "The Beach Nut". In fact, this comic appears to have came out before "The Beach Nut", showing Lantz and Western/Dell are working together more closely to have the comics reflect the current cartoons. Another step toward New Funnies eventually becoming a full Walter Lantz character series.

Wally Walrus is colored gray for this story, unlike in his animation and later comics appearances (where he is colored peach).

[Andy Panda Finds Pirate Gold] (Table of Contents: 2)

Andy Panda / comic story / 10 pages (report information)

Script

Gaylord Du Bois

Pencils

John Stanley ?

Inks

John Stanley ?

Colors

Western Publishing Production Shop

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Ah, smell those salty sea breezes!

Genre

anthropomorphic-funny animals; humor

Characters

Andy Panda; Charlie Chicken; pirate captain; tall pirate; short pirate; Andy's neighbor; various townspeople

Synopsis

After dreaming about pirates, Andy and Charlie find a buried treasure chest on the beach, but have a hard time breaking it open.

Keywords

beach; pirates; treasure; treasure chest

Indexer Notes

Copyright 1944 by Walter Lantz Productions.

Credits per info in Michael Barrier's book Funnybooks the Improbable Glories of the Best American Comic Books.

[The Wonderful Wishing Pebble] (Table of Contents: 3)

Raggedy Ann / comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Script

Gaylord Du Bois

Pencils

George Kerr

Inks

George Kerr

Colors

Western Publishing Production Shop

Letters

George Kerr

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Heh! Heh! Where do you Raggedys think you're going?

Genre

children; fantasy-supernatural

Characters

Raggedy Ann; Raggedy Andy; Minky (gnome); Gertie Gartersnake; Timothy Turtle; Grampie Hoppy Toad

Synopsis

The Raggedys search for a fabled "wishing pebble", with the hope of making everything better for all their friends. They find it, but it is stolen by Minky the mean gnome.

Keywords

best of intentions; children's fantasy; gnome; rag dolls; wishing pebble

Indexer Notes

Copyright 1944 by Johnny Gruelle Co.

Credits per info in Michael Barrier's book Funnybooks the Improbable Glories of the Best American Comic Books.

[Wild Pitch Woody] (Table of Contents: 4)

Woody Woodpecker / comic story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

John Stanley

Pencils

John Stanley

Inks

John Stanley

Colors

Western Publishing Production Shop

Letters

John Stanley

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Here you are, folks hit me with a baseball an' win a cigar!

Genre

anthropomorphic-funny animals

Characters

Woody Woodpecker; customer

Synopsis

Woody mans a carnival booth where the object is to hit him with a baseball and win a prize. He thinks he's found a pigeon...

Keywords

baseball; buyer beware; carnival; dodging; satisfied customer

Indexer Notes

Copyright 1944 by Walter Lantz Productions. Woody is drawn in an early design.

[Introducing Buck Beaver!] (Table of Contents: 5)

Oswald the Rabbit / comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Script

Gaylord Du Bois

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Colors

Western Publishing Production Shop

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Shipwrecked on a desert island near Africa, Oswald, Toby, and their newfound friend, The General, climb a high mountain in search of food ---

Genre

anthropomorphic-funny animals

Characters

Oswald the Rabbit; Toby Bear; The General (parrot); mama vulture; three vulture kids; Buck Beaver; pygmy chief; pygmy chief's wife; pygmy chief's cook; six magic rabbits

Synopsis

Still marooned on a desert island, Oswald, Toby, and The General search for food. Toby is snatched by a mama vulture who intends to feed the bear to her kids, but escapes with some help from The General. Meanwhile, off-panel, Oswald has been captured by pygmies. Searching for Oswald, Toby meets fast-talking Buck Beaver who, with a little sleight-of-hand, saves Oswald from the pygmies' stew-pot.

Keywords

first appearance of recurring character(s); jungle setting; magician; marooned; one-character-desiring-another-as-a-meal; pygmies; vultures

Indexer Notes

Copyright 1944 by Walter Lantz Productions.

First appearance of the slick, glib-tongued Buck Beaver, self described as "the world's best magician and salesman!" For a short time, Buck Beaver will be part of the Oswald continuity.

Part 6 and conclusion of a continuity begun in New Funnies #82 - simultaneously opening a new continuity.

Andy Bakes a Cake (Table of Contents: 6)

Andy Panda / text story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Colors

Western Publishing Production Shop

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

"Say, why don'tcha tune in a good program for a change, Andy?" squawked Charlie the Chicken.

Genre

anthropomorphic-funny animals; humor

Characters

Andy Panda; Charlie Chicken

Synopsis

When Charlie sneaks off with Andy's newly-baked "Super-Delicious Double Decker Cheese Cake", Andy decides to get even.

Keywords

baking; cake; learning one’s lesson; revenge

[The Captured Cowboy] (Table of Contents: 7)

Li'l Eight Ball / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Colors

Western Publishing Production Shop

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Happy birf'day, honey chile!

Genre

humor

Characters

Li'l Eight Ball; Mammy; the Woodchuck boys; chicken; cow; indian

Synopsis

Getting a cowboy outfit for his birthday, Li'l Eight Ball and the Woodchuck boys play "cowboys and indians".

Keywords

cowboy outfit; kids-at-play; Native Americans; series of mishaps

Indexer Notes

Copyright 1944 by Walter Lantz Productions.

[That's Life in the BEE-g City: Chapter Three] (Table of Contents: 8)

Billy and Bonny Bee / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Colors

Western Publishing Production Shop

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

It is early morning...

Genre

anthropomorphic-funny animals

Characters

Billy Bee; Bonny Bee; Nurse Betsy Bee; Buzzer (city housefly); Jeeper Creeper (city cockroach); cricket; the exterminator (human); moths; "the hundredlegger" (many-legged insect); Mrs. Fly and family; two silverfish; the cockroach family; "the bugs in the rug"; the old beetle

Synopsis

Still visiting the city, Billy, Bonny, and their city bug friends face the threat of the exterminator. ("Every month he hunts us poor insects with his terrible green powder!") All insects evacuate to the building's basement, where they commiserate until the danger has passed and they can return to their homes. Buzzer and Jeeper find that window screens have been installed at the apartment they inhabit, allowing no further access to their home. The fly and roach decide to return to the country with Billy and Bonny and make a new home.

Keywords

bees; city life; cockroach; country life; displacement; evacuation; exterminator; housefly; there’s-no-place-like-home

Indexer Notes

Copyright 1944 by R.S. Callender. Concludes from issues 85-86.

The Ruse That Made the Golden Egg (Table of Contents: 9)

Homer Pigeon / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Veve Risto

Inks

Veve Risto

Colors

Western Publishing Production Shop

Letters

Veve Risto

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Carrie! Carrie! Have ya read the news?

Genre

anthropomorphic-funny animals

Characters

Homer Pigeon; Carrie Pigeon; Red Cardinal; Gracie Goose; two reporters; photographer; A. Crow; older bird couple

Synopsis

When Gracie Goose causes a stir by laying a golden egg, Red Cardinal schemes to get the prize for himself.

Keywords

best-laid-plans; golden egg

Indexer Notes

Copyright 1944 by Walter Lantz Productions.

[Disinfection Debacle] (Table of Contents: 10)

Li'l Eight Ball / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Colors

Western Publishing Production Shop

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Heah it is Mammy's birfday an' as usual ah is fresh out of funds --

Genre

humor

Characters

Li'l Eight Ball; Farmer Jones

Synopsis

To raise money for Mammy's birthday president, Li'l Eight Ball takes a job with Farmer Jones. His first task is to disinfect the farmer's vegetables of insects.

Keywords

best of intentions; disinfection; farm setting; lack-of-funds; turning-lemons-into-lemonade; vegetables

Indexer Notes

Copyright 1944 by Walter Lantz Productions. Color on inside back cover.

In the main Li'l Eight Ball story, it is Li'l Eight Ball's birthday and, in this same issue - in this closing gag, it is his Mammy's birthday.

Special New Funnies Subscription Offer (Table of Contents: 11) (Expand) /

Dell Comics; New Funnies / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)