(January 1971)

Charlton, 1969 Series
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Volume
4
Price
0.15 USD
Pages
36
Indicia Frequency
bimonthly
On-sale Date
1970
Publisher's Age Guidelines
Approved by the Comics Code Authority
Indicia / Colophon Publisher
Charlton Press Inc.
Brand
Charlton Comics
Printer
Charlton Press, Inc. Derby, Conn.
Editing
Sal Gentile (credited) (managing editor)

Issue Notes

Per the book "The Charlton Companion" by Jon B. Cooke (TwoMorrows Publishing, 2022 p.186) "By 1960, Bob Gustafson settled in for a long stay writing and penciling Beetle Bailey comic books (with inks by [Mort] Walker studio stalwart Frank Johnson) even as it passed from Dell to Gold Key to King Comics and then Charlton."

By 1975, Greg Walker (son of Beetle Bailey creator Mort Walker) began working on the Beetle Bailey title, taking over from Gustafson completely around October 1976 "...with some of Gustafson's stories continuing to be used after that". Gustafson moved over to the newspaper strip writing for and otherwise assisting Mort Walker. (ibid. p. 186)

[Caution: Tank Crossing] (Table of Contents)

Beetle Bailey / cover / 1 page (report information)

Pencils
Bob Gustafson (signed as Mort Walker)
Inks
Frank Johnson (signed as Mort Walker)
Colors
?

Genre
humor; military
Characters
Beetle Bailey; Sarge Snorkel; crossing guard boy; boy; girl; dog
Synopsis
A boy, acting as a school crossing guard, stops Sarge's tank in its tracks.
Keywords
crossing guard; school kids; tank

[The Pest is Yet to Come] (Table of Contents: 1)

Beetle Bailey / comic story / 3 pages (report information)

Script
Bob Gustafson
Pencils
Bob Gustafson
Inks
Frank Johnson
Colors
?
Letters
?

Job Number
D-764
First Line of Dialogue or Text
What's this, Sarge?
Feature Logo
Beetle Bailey Classic Logo: Feature Logo
Genre
humor; military
Characters
Beetle Bailey; Sarge Snorkel; Bunny Piper; Mr. Piper; Mrs. Piper
Synopsis
With time on his hands until his date, Beetle drops in on the Pipers and makes a pest of himself.
Keywords
annoying visitor; date; free time; parents

[Beetle "Bails" for a Starlet] (Table of Contents: 2)

Beetle Bailey / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script
Bob Gustafson
Pencils
Bob Gustafson
Inks
Frank Johnson
Colors
?
Letters
?

Job Number
D-772
First Line of Dialogue or Text
That's not the way to paint. Give me that brush, Beetle.
Feature Logo
Beetle Bailey Classic Logo: Feature Logo
Genre
humor; military
Characters
Beetle Bailey; Sarge Snorkel; General Halftrack
Synopsis
Beetle ducks out on Sarge's sign-painting tips, when he learns that a starlet is signing copies of her latest record album at the P.X.
Keywords
diversion; sign-painting; starlet

Right Dress (Table of Contents: 3)

Sarge Snorkel / comic story / 3 pages (report information)

Script
Bob Gustafson
Pencils
Bob Gustafson
Inks
Frank Johnson
Colors
?
Letters
?

Job Number
D-768
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Gee! This shirt is wearing out!
Feature Logo
Sarge Snorkel ["Sarge" Patch in Logo]
Genre
humor; military
Characters
Sarge Snorkel; another unnamed sergeant; Captain Scabbard; costume shop proprietor
Synopsis
Sarge sets out to get "one of the new style uniforms" and gets more than he bargained for.
Keywords
getting-more-than-you-bargained-for; mix-up; uniforms

Solid Sarge (Table of Contents: 4)

Beetle Bailey / comic story / 3 pages (report information)

Script
Bob Gustafson
Pencils
Bob Gustafson
Inks
Frank Johnson
Colors
?
Letters
?

Job Number
D-770
First Line of Dialogue or Text
But, senator, we need this monument..
Feature Logo
Beetle Bailey Classic Logo with Character Single Line
Genre
humor; military
Characters
Beetle Bailey; Sarge Snorkel; General Halftrack; Killer Diller; Major Greenbrass
Synopsis
When General Halftrack is denied funding to construct a battle memorial statue, Sarge enlists Beetle and Killer to do the job themselves.
Keywords
best of intentions; cement; cement mixer; do-it-yourself; sculpting; statue

[Dishwater Runs Downhill] (Table of Contents: 5)

Beetle Bailey / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script
Bob Gustafson
Pencils
Bob Gustafson
Inks
Frank Johnson
Colors
?
Letters
?

Job Number
D-767
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Hey! Watch where you're pouring that dishwater!
Feature Logo
Beetle Bailey Classic Logo with Character Two Lines
Genre
humor; military
Characters
Beetle Bailey; Sarge Snorkel; Cookie (3/4 cameo); Lt. Fuzz (heard but not seen)
Synopsis
Beetle dumps Cookie's dishwater downhill, only to find the dirty water is going right through Sarge's tent. When Sarge hears that the dishwater is also going through Lt. Fuzz's tent further downhill, he joins Beetle in dumping twice as much water down toward the lieutenant.
Keywords
dishwater; downhill flow; tents

Service Smiles (Table of Contents: 6)

text story / 1 page (report information)

Script
?
Colors
?
Letters
typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text
He was the youngest second lieutenant in the outfit.
Genre
humor; military
Synopsis
Three humorous text stories about the armed services: "It Could Have Been Worse", "Sharpshooter", and "Terrible Tempered Thompson".
Keywords
short stories; United States Armed Forces

[Good Sport Beetle] (Table of Contents: 7)

Beetle Bailey / comic story / 3 pages (report information)

Script
Bob Gustafson
Pencils
Bob Gustafson
Inks
Frank Johnson
Colors
?
Letters
?

Job Number
D-763
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Let's fix this pail of water so Beetle gets it when he comes in the door!
Feature Logo
Beetle Bailey Classic Logo: Feature Logo
Genre
humor; military
Characters
Beetle Bailey; Sarge Snorkel; Killer Diller; Zero; unnamed soldier
Synopsis
Beetle is an unusually good sport about the pranks his buddies play on him.
Keywords
practical jokes; pranks

[Duck Man Walking] (Table of Contents: 8)

Beetle Bailey / comic story / 3 pages (report information)

Script
Bob Gustafson
Pencils
Bob Gustafson
Inks
Frank Johnson
Colors
?
Letters
?

Job Number
D-761
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Can you tell me where headquarters is?
Feature Logo
Beetle Bailey by Mort Walker Logo
Genre
humor; military
Characters
Beetle Bailey; Sarge Snorkel; civilian man calling on Camp Swampy; unnamed soldier; civilian couple #1; civilian couple #2
Synopsis
As a punishment, Sarge orders Beetle to do a duck-walk complete with quacking, and to "Keep going till I tell you to stop!" Responding to an urgent request from General Halftrack, Sarge forgets to tell Beetle to stop.
Keywords
duck-walk; getting-more-than-you-bargained-for; orders

[Hide-and-Seek at Sea] (Table of Contents: 9)

Boner's Ark / comic story / 3 pages (report information)

Script
Frank Johnson
Pencils
Frank Johnson
Inks
Frank Johnson
Colors
?
Letters
Frank Johnson

Job Number
D-760
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Darn it, Boner - there's never anything to do on this crummy ark!!
Genre
humor; anthropomorphic-funny animals
Characters
Captain Boner; giraffe; hyena; mouse; duck; frog; koala; chicken; crow; reptile; goose; snake; rooster; alligator; porcupine; hippo
Synopsis
To alleviate boredom on the ark, the animals play a particularly ineffective game of hide-and-seek.
Keywords
ark; boredom; hide-and-seek; making-the-best-of-it; sea or island setting

Killer's Blind Date (Table of Contents: 10)

Beetle Bailey / comic story / 3 pages (report information)

Script
Bob Gustafson
Pencils
Bob Gustafson
Inks
Frank Johnson
Colors
?
Letters
?

Job Number
D-771
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Didn't you get a date for the dance, Killer?
Feature Logo
Beetle Bailey Classic Logo with Character Single Line
Genre
humor; military
Characters
Beetle Bailey; Killer Diller; Bunny Piper; Bertha; Bertha's little brother; Bertha's father; Bertha's mother; Bertha's grandmother
Synopsis
After meeting the obese family members of Bertha, his blind date, Killer sneaks away before meeting Bertha herself.
Keywords
blind date; family members; obesity; panic

Indexer Notes

Bertha's grandmother is drawn to look like Sarge Snorkel in a frumpy nightgown and shawl - right down to the single bottom tooth in her mouth.

[(Guard) Duty Bound] (Table of Contents: 11)

Beetle Bailey / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script
Bob Gustafson
Pencils
Bob Gustafson
Inks
Frank Johnson
Colors
?
Letters
?

Job Number
D-766
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Beetle! Are you asleep on guard duty again?
Feature Logo
Beetle Bailey Classic Logo with Character Two Lines
Genre
humor; military
Characters
Beetle Bailey; Sarge Snorkel; Captain Scabbard
Synopsis
After falling asleep while on watch, Beetle talks himself into a profoundly renewed sense of purpose toward being on guard duty.
Keywords
getting carried away; guard duty; learning one’s lesson

[Ask and You Shall Receive... Firey Rhetoric!] (Table of Contents: 12)

Beetle Bailey / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script
Bob Gustafson
Pencils
Bob Gustafson
Inks
Frank Johnson
Colors
?
Letters
?

Job Number
D-762
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Want to go to the P.X. for a soda, Rocky?
Feature Logo
Beetle Bailey Classic Logo: Feature Logo
Genre
humor; military
Characters
Sarge Snorkel; Rocky
Synopsis
Sarge asks brooding and cynical Rocky to join him for a soda at the P.X. - and is sorry he did.
Keywords
best of intentions; skepticism; sorry-you-asked; suspicion
Editing
Related Scans
Series Information
Table of Contents
  1. 0. [Caution: Tank Crossing]
    Beetle Bailey
  2. 1. [The Pest is Yet to Come]
    Beetle Bailey
  3. 2. [Beetle "Bails" for a Starlet]
    Beetle Bailey
  4. 3. Right Dress
    Sarge Snorkel
  5. 4. Solid Sarge
    Beetle Bailey
  6. 5. [Dishwater Runs Downhill]
    Beetle Bailey
  7. 6. Service Smiles
  8. 7. [Good Sport Beetle]
    Beetle Bailey
  9. 8. [Duck Man Walking]
    Beetle Bailey
  10. 9. [Hide-and-Seek at Sea]
    Boner's Ark
  11. 10. Killer's Blind Date
    Beetle Bailey
  12. 11. [(Guard) Duty Bound]
    Beetle Bailey
  13. 12. [Ask and You Shall Receive... Firey Rhetoric!]
    Beetle Bailey
This issue was modified by, among others
  • Ramon Schenk
  • Daniel Thingvold
  • Joe Torcivia