Sad Sack Comics #v1#1

(September 1949)

Sad Sack (Table of Contents: 1)

foreword, introduction, preface, afterword / 1 page (report information)

Script

George Baker (signed as George Baker) (creator, p.2)

Pencils

George Baker (signed as George Baker) (creator, p.2)

Inks

George Baker (signed as George Baker) (creator, p.2)

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

George Baker and the Sad Sack

Genre

humor; satire-parody

Characters

Sad Sack

Synopsis

First two-thirds of page is a brief biography of cartoonist George Baker and his 'Sad Sack' creation which by Summer 1949 was already an immensely popular character from World War II beginning with its first appearance in Yank, the Army Weekly of June 17, 1942 through several printings in book form of collected wartime Sad Sack comic strip reprints by Simon and Schuster from 1944 through 1946. Last third of page has table of contents listing ten featured Sad Sack comic stories and also Li'l Dot and Winnie [the WAC] by Vic Herman.

Keywords

Allied advance on Rome; cartoonist biography; first appearance of Li'l Dot; Li'l Dot; Sad Sack; Sad Sack of S#*t; Sad Sack of Shit; Sgt. Gregor Duncan; table of contents; Winnie

Indexer Notes

Reproduction of a pen and ink original drawing of Technical Sergeant George Baker by his very good friend Sergeant Gregor Duncan, signed and dated at Anzio [Italy] - Apr. 26, 1944, reprinted from: Baker, George. The Sad Sack. Simon and Schuster, New York, NY. 1944, afterword, n.p.

Winnie was reconstituted as Winnie the Waitress (now a civilian) after World War II by its creator, artist Victor J. Herman, who had originally created the female character as Winnie the WAC. See online article dated March 4, 2015 by R.C. Harvey in The Comics Journal.
http://www.tcj.com/winnie-the-wac/
Last accessed January 26, 2021

[Dog-napper] (Table of Contents: 2)

Sad Sack / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script

George Baker (credited) (signed as George Baker) (p. 3)

Pencils

George Baker (credited) (signed as George Baker) (p. 3)

Inks

George Baker (credited) (signed as George Baker) (p. 3)

Colors

?

Genre

humor; satire-parody

Characters

Sad Sack; dog catcher; boy; policeman

Synopsis

Sad Sack is wrongfully accused of stealing a boy's dog after paying to rescue it from the pound.

Reprints

• in Harvey Collectors Comics (Harvey, 1975 series) #16 (September 1979)

Keywords

dog catcher; dog-napping; lost dog; pound; stray dog

Indexer Notes

[pantomime; no dialogue]
Assumed title taken from theme of strip.

[Wheaties] (Table of Contents: 3) (Expand) /

Wheaties / comics-form advertising / 1 page (report information)

Tries to Explain (Table of Contents: 4)

Sad Sack / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script

George Baker (p. 5, uncredited)

Pencils

George Baker (p. 5, uncredited)

Inks

George Baker (p. 5, uncredited)

Colors

?

Genre

humor; satire-parody

Characters

Sad Sack; woman; policeman

Synopsis

Sad Sack steps back onto grass to take a photo of a lady and policeman but gets arrested afterward because of a sign that states, "Keep Off Grass | Under Penalty of Law"

Reprints

• in Harvey Collectors Comics (Harvey, 1975 series) #16 (September 1979)

Keywords

grass; keep off grass; lawn; penalty; police

Indexer Notes

[pantomime; no dialogue]

Cautious Soul (Table of Contents: 5)

Sad Sack / comic story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

George Baker (pp. 6-7, uncredited)

Pencils

George Baker (pp. 6-7, uncredited)

Inks

George Baker (pp. 6-7, uncredited)

Colors

?

Genre

humor; satire-parody

Characters

Sad Sack; Policeman

Synopsis

Sad Sack takes too long to cross a street from observing all the regulatory signs and traffic light, only to be arrested by a policeman for disregarding a 'no loitering' sign.

Reprints

• in Harvey Collectors Comics (Harvey, 1975 series) #16 (September 1979)

Keywords

loitering; regulations; regulatory signs; traffic light; traffic signal

Indexer Notes

[pantomime; no dialogue]

Day at the Beach (Table of Contents: 6)

Sad Sack / comic story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

George Baker (pp. 8-9, uncredited)

Pencils

George Baker (pp. 8-9, uncredited)

Inks

George Baker (pp. 8-9, uncredited)

Colors

?

Genre

humor; satire-parody

Characters

Sad Sack; beach-going kids; male sunbather; policeman

Synopsis

Sad Sack unwittingly sells a hot dog that's been sprinkled with sand from kids jumping over his vendor basket to a man at the beach. The man takes out his wrath on Sad Sack by slamming the basket of hot dogs over Sad Sack's head. To add insult to injury, Sad Sack gets arrested for littering.

Reprints

• in Harvey Collectors Comics (Harvey, 1975 series) #16 (September 1979)

Keywords

basket; beach; beach goers; fine; hot dog; littering; sun bathing; vendor

Indexer Notes

[pantomime; no dialogue]

Playful Kids (Table of Contents: 7)

Sad Sack / comic story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

George Baker (pp. 10-11, uncredited)

Pencils

George Baker (pp. 10-11, uncredited)

Inks

George Baker (pp. 10-11, uncredited)

Colors

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Bang Bang Bang

Genre

humor

Characters

Sad Sack; two boys

Synopsis

Sad Sack pretends to be shot dead by two mischievous boys playing with wooden toy guns only to be actually thrown off a pier by them.

Reprints

• in Harvey Collectors Comics (Harvey, 1975 series) #16 (September 1979)

Keywords

dispose of a body; dump a body; get rid of a body; mischief; murder; play; pretend; toy guns

Foul Play (Table of Contents: 8)

Sad Sack / comic story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

George Baker (pp. 12-13, uncredited)

Pencils

George Baker (pp. 12-13, uncredited)

Inks

George Baker (pp. 12-13, uncredited)

Colors

?

Genre

humor; sports

Characters

Sad Sack; Ace Baseball team; Sox Baseball team; baseball players

Synopsis

Playing for the Aces, Sad Sack hits a triple but while trying to steal home he gets slammed backward to a Sox third baseman by a line-drive foul ball and called out.

Reprints

• in Harvey Collectors Comics (Harvey, 1975 series) #16 (September 1979)

Keywords

baseball; foul ball; out

Indexer Notes

[pantomime; no dialogue]

Visit to the Zoo (Table of Contents: 9)

Sad Sack / comic story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

George Baker (pp. 14-15, uncredited)

Pencils

George Baker (pp. 14-15, uncredited)

Inks

George Baker (pp. 14-15, uncredited)

Colors

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

[pantomime; no dialogue]

Genre

humor

Characters

Sad Sack; monkey; tiger; women; children; zoo keeper; policeman

Synopsis

Sad Sack saves women and children from an escaped tiger at the zoo only to be hauled off to jail for annoying animals.

Reprints

• in Harvey Collectors Comics (Harvey, 1975 series) #16 (September 1979)

Keywords

criminal; hero; jail; maltreatment; mistreatment; wild animals; zoo

Indexer Notes

[pantomime; no dialogue]

The Temperamental Mule (Table of Contents: 10)

text story / 1 page (report information)

Script

Alfred Harvey (p. 16, uncredited); ?

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Pete Moore, aged eighteen, was tired of city life and quit his city job.

Genre

drama; animal

Characters

Maudeen the mule; Pete Moore; Farmer Brown; farm hands

Synopsis

18-year-old Pete Moore tires of city life, quits his city job, then takes a train to the countryside where he finds a job on a farm but knows nothing of feeding pigs or farming. Despite being teased by the other farm hands, he quickly wins approval of Farmer Brown after cleverly getting Maudeen the stubborn mule to mind.

Reprints

• in Mutt & Jeff (Harvey, 1960 series) #123 (April 1961)

Keywords

clever; farm hand; outwit; prima dona mule; prize mule; stubborn mule; temperamental mule

Indexer Notes

Only art is a tiny pen and ink drawing of a mule in upper right corner accompanying text story.

Captain Tootsie to the Rescue! (Table of Contents: 11) (Expand) /

Captain Tootsie; Tootsie Roll / comics-form advertising / 1 page (report information)

Super Salesman (Table of Contents: 12)

Sad Sack / comic story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

George Baker (pp. 18-19, uncredited)

Pencils

George Baker (pp. 18-19, uncredited)

Inks

George Baker (pp. 18-19, uncredited)

Colors

?

Letters

George Baker (pp. 18-19, uncredited)

Genre

humor

Characters

Sad Sack; salesman

Synopsis

Sad Sack faces off with a pushy salesman.

Reprints

• in Harvey Collectors Comics (Harvey, 1975 series) #16 (September 1979)

Keywords

high pressure sales; pushy salesman; sales tactics

Indexer Notes

[pantomime; no dialogue]

Beating the Best at the Fair (Table of Contents: 13) (Expand) /

Tom and teen fellas / comics-form advertising / 1 page (report information)

Double Trouble (Table of Contents: 14)

Sad Sack / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script

George Baker (p. 21, uncredited)

Pencils

George Baker (p. 21, uncredited)

Inks

George Baker (p. 21, uncredited)

Colors

?

Genre

humor; satire-parody

Characters

Sad Sack; brunette woman; blonde woman; heavy set gentleman

Synopsis

Sad Sack offers to assist a brunette who's carrying packages cross the street but gets punched in his left eye when he causes her to trip at opposite curb.

Reprints

• in Harvey Collectors Comics (Harvey, 1975 series) #16 (September 1979)

Keywords

chivalry; city life; city traffic; corner; crossing; curb; male chauvinism

Indexer Notes

[pantomime; no dialogue]

Costume Ball (Table of Contents: 15)

Sad Sack / comic story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

George Baker (pp. 22-23, uncredited)

Pencils

George Baker (pp. 22-23, uncredited)

Inks

George Baker (pp. 22-23, uncredited)

Colors

?

Letters

George Baker (pp. 22-23, uncredited)

Genre

humor; satire-parody

Synopsis

Dressed as a police officer, Sad Sack mistakenly arrests a real police officer dressed as an inmate.

Reprints

• in Harvey Collectors Comics (Harvey, 1975 series) #16 (September 1979)

Keywords

costume ball; disguise; dress up

Indexer Notes

[pantomime; no dialogue]

Goes to the Movies (Table of Contents: 16)

Sad Sack / comic story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

George Baker (pp. 24-25, uncredited)

Pencils

George Baker (pp. 24-25, uncredited)

Inks

George Baker (pp. 24-25, uncredited)

Colors

?

Letters

George Baker (pp. 24-25, uncredited)

Genre

humor

Characters

Sad Sack; box office cashier; woman movie goer; random cinema patrons

Synopsis

Sad Sack finds an empty seat next to a brunette in red dress at a theater featuring a horror flick.

Reprints

• in Harvey Collectors Comics (Harvey, 1975 series) #16 (September 1979)

Keywords

box office; cinema; horror; movies; theater

Indexer Notes

[pantomime; no dialogue]

Bakes a Cake (Table of Contents: 17)

Li'l Dot / comic story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Alfred Harvey

Pencils

Vic Herman (credited) (signed as Vic Herman) (pp. 26-27)

Inks

Vic Herman (credited) (signed as Vic Herman) (pp. 26-27)

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Mama, what's that white powder you just put in the cake?

Genre

humor; children

Characters

Li'l Dot [Dorothy Polka] (1st appearance); Mama Polka (1st appearance)

Synopsis

Li'l Dot learns to bake a cake but misconstrues Mama's explanation of baking powder.

Keywords

baking; baking powder; baking soda; batter; cake; kitchen; mix

Indexer Notes

First appearance of "Li'l Dot" as back pages filler material for Sad Sack Comics v1#1 (Sep. 1949). Later, Harvey Publications, Inc. would publish her as a restyled house character named "Little Dot" in her own comic book (Harvey, 1953 series, #1 cover dated Sep. 1953, on sale July 1, 1953), despite Harvey promising, "Li'l Dot appears in a comics all her own--on sale Aug. 10th" at bottom of p. 27.

Horseback Riding (Table of Contents: 18)

Winnie & Maisie / comic story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Vic Herman (pp. 28-29, uncredited)

Pencils

Vic Herman (pp. 28-29, uncredited)

Inks

Vic Herman (pp. 28-29, uncredited)

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

What's the matter, Maisie? You look as if you'd lost your best boy friend!

Genre

humor; romance; teen

Characters

Winnie; Maisie; Ted Fetlock; Wally

Synopsis

Teen waitresses Winnie and Maisie go on a horseback riding double date with Ted and Wally.

Reprints

• in Harvey Collectors Comics (Harvey, 1975 series) #16 (September 1979)

Keywords

cow-poke; double date; foursome; horseback riding; outdoor type; outdoors; slow-pokes; teen romance

Fleer's Dubble Bubble Gum (Table of Contents: 19) (Expand) /

Dubble Bubble Gum / comics-form advertising / 0.5 page (report information)

Joe and Milferd in the Cave (Table of Contents: 20) (Expand) /

Joe Palooka / promo (ad from the publisher) / 0.5 page (report information)

[Insulting Ransom] (Table of Contents: 21)

Snoopy / comic story / 0.5 page (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Baby de Murph, Society Heiress, Has Been Kidnapped!

Genre

humor

Characters

Snoopy; Baby de Murph; Grappa Mob; Madame

Synopsis

Detective Snoopy fights with kidnapping mob, negotiates a ransom of 250,000.00 USD; an amount considered an insult to the kidnapped baby girl's mother and high society Madame.

Reprints

• in Fun Parade (Harvey, 1947 series) #46 (Summer 1950)
• in Harvey Collectors Comics (Harvey, 1975 series) #16 (September 1979)

Indexer Notes

Assumed title taken from theme of strip.

[Medal or Tag?] (Table of Contents: 22)

Snoopy / comic story / 0.5 page (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Colors

?

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Police parade or no police parade ... yer on duty!

Genre

humor

Characters

Snoopy; Chief; Commissioner; Oscar the dog; Officer

Synopsis

Detective Snoopy defies Chief's orders to remain on duty and joins in a police parade with Oscar his dog.

Reprints

• in Fun Parade (Harvey, 1947 series) #46 (Summer 1950)
• in Harvey Collectors Comics (Harvey, 1975 series) #16 (September 1979)

Keywords

dog license tag; medals; police parade

Indexer Notes

Assumed title taken from theme of strip.

Fun at the Fair (Table of Contents: 23)

Jimmy & Billy & Pal / text story / 1 page (report information)

Script

Alfred Harvey ?

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

The State Fair was in full swing.

Genre

humor

Characters

Boy Jimmy; Boy Billy; Pal the Fox Terrier; Pete the Half Man

Synopsis

Pal the Fox Terrier reveals secret of Pete the Half Man in circus exhibition at state fair.

Keywords

circus; exhibition; magic; suspense; trickery

[Chain of Champions] (Table of Contents: 24) (Expand) /

Old Nick; Bit-O-Honey / comics-form advertising / 1 page (report information)

[Milk Man] (Table of Contents: 25)

Sad Sack / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script

George Baker (credited) (p. 34)

Pencils

George Baker (credited) (p. 34)

Inks

George Baker (credited) (p. 34)

Colors

?

Letters

George Baker (credited) (p. 34)

Genre

humor; satire-parody

Characters

Sad Sack; lady customer

Synopsis

Working for the Ace Milk Co, Sad Sack climbs to the 8th floor to find a sign 'No Milk Today' on door only to hear customer holler to him to come back after he's already descended to ground level.

Reprints

• in Harvey Collectors Comics (Harvey, 1975 series) #16 (September 1979)

Keywords

high rise; milk company; milk delivery; milkman

Indexer Notes

[pantomime; no dialogue]
Assumed title inferred from theme of strip.
Ace Milk Company truck is numbered 13. This number would later become Ken Selig's secret signature.

Are You a Sad Sack (Table of Contents: 26)

text story / 1 page (report information)

Pencils

George Baker (p. 35, uncredited thumbnail)

Inks

George Baker (p. 35, uncredited thumbnail)

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Do people ignore you? Are you always getting it in the end? Are you the butt of everyone's joke?

Genre

humor

Characters

Charles C.; Alex R.; Joe P.; Peter G.; Dave C.

Synopsis

Five 'Sad Sack' fans from around the United States share their typical Sad Sack true experiences. Editors used this gimmick to conduct market research by encouraging readers to relate an experience, with the promise that the best contributions would be published.

Keywords

Babe Ruth Sports Comics; introductory offer; Sad Sack Fan Club; sports fans; subscribe; subscriptions

Indexer Notes

Page 35 (B&W). Characters by reader submissions from Denver, CO; Chicago, IL; Washington DC; Clifton, NJ; and Texas, respectively

Harvey Publications encouraged 'Sad Sack' fans to write penny post cards and send them to:
Sad Sack Editor
1860 Broadway N.Y. 23, N.Y.

Right half is publisher's preview of Babe Ruth Sports Comics #4 (Harvey, 1949 series) cover dated Oct. 1949, on sale August 10th, with subscription coupon that could be clipped and mailed to:
Babe Ruth Sports
1860 Broadway
New York, 23, N.Y.

[Fame Instead of Shame] (Table of Contents: 27) (Expand) /

Charles Atlas / comics-form advertising / 1 page (report information)