(August 1972)

Charlton, 1969 Series
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Volume
5
Price
0.20 USD
Pages
36
Indicia Frequency
every six weeks
On-sale Date
1972
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 (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)

[No Exception for Weapons Inspection] (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; Chigger Bailey
Synopsis
Even Beetle's kid brother Chigger is not exempt from Sarge's weapons inspection.
Keywords
inspection; playing soldier; reused story; toy gun

Indexer Notes

The cover gag is reworked from the Beetle Bailey daily newspaper strip of August 17, 1967, reprinted in the 1969 paperback collection "Fall Out Laughing, Beetle Bailey" from Tempo Books.

The Scientific Shirker (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-3109
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Let's see --- Today's the 22nd, ten o'clock --- and Sarge is on his way to the supply room.
Feature Logo
Beetle Bailey by Mort Walker Logo
Genre
humor; military
Characters
Beetle Bailey; Sarge Snorkel; Killer Diller
Synopsis
Beetle applies analytics to avoiding Sarge.
Keywords
analytics; best-laid-plans; shirking

Delayed Action (Table of Contents: 2)

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

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

Job Number
D-3112
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Sarge, the General will be by to inspect in ten minutes!
Feature Logo
Sarge Snorkel ["Sarge" Patch in Logo]
Genre
humor; military
Characters
Sarge Snorkel; Captain Scabbard; Beetle Bailey; Killer Diller; General Halftrack
Synopsis
Sarge puts off preparing for General Halftrack's inspection until the last moment.
Keywords
inspection; practical jokes; procrastination; unwelcome surprise

The Crummy Connection (Table of Contents: 3)

Beetle Bailey / comic story / 4 pages (report information)

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

Job Number
D-3113
First Line of Dialogue or Text
When you're finished with that, get my phone line connected, Sergeant.
Feature Logo
Beetle Bailey Classic Logo with Character Two Lines
Genre
humor; military
Characters
Beetle Bailey; Sarge Snorkel; General Halftrack
Synopsis
Beetle lays a phone line for General Halftrack over a very convoluted course.
Keywords
phone line; puzzlement; wire

The Phoney Patrol (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-3111
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Killer, have you seen Sarge?
Genre
humor; military
Characters
Beetle Bailey; Sarge Snorkel; Killer Diller; Captain Scabbard
Synopsis
Beetle and Sarge offer two very different accounts of their most recent scouting mission.
Keywords
conflicting stories; exaggerating one’s importance; scouting mission

Daddy on the Alert (Table of Contents: 5)

Killer Diller / comic story / 3 pages (report information)

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

Job Number
D-3108
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Got a nice date for tonight, Killer?
Genre
humor; military
Characters
Killer Diller; Beetle Bailey; Julie; Julie's dad; Julie's mom; chili joint waiter; rock and roll dance crowd
Synopsis
Julie's dad secretly follows Julie on her date with Killer, fearing the worst. Dear old dad makes far more trouble for himself than Killer and Julie could ever get into.
Keywords
leave-well-enough-alone; stepping out; suspicious father

Indexer Notes

To make the contrast all the more humorously stark, Killer remains well-behaved and good-mannered throughout the story (rather than as his typically girl-crazy self) all the more flummoxing Julie's suspicious dad.

Service Smiles (Table of Contents: 6)

text story / 1 page (report information)

Script
?
Pencils
?
Inks
?
Colors
?
Letters
typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text
This one took place in a prisoner of war camp during the last century.,
Genre
humor; military
Characters
Beetle Bailey; Killer Diller (both as floating heads in feature logo illustration)
Synopsis
Three humorous text stories about the armed services: "Variation in Menu", "I Don't Get It", and "The Best Part of the Glass".
Keywords
floating heads; short stories; United States Armed Forces

Sarge's Robots (Table of Contents: 7)

Beetle Bailey / comic story / 2 pages (report information)

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

Job Number
D-3110
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Awright!! Wake up! Hup! Two! Three!
Genre
humor; military
Characters
Beetle Bailey; Sarge Snorkel; Killer Diller; Zero; Captain Scabbard
Synopsis
Complaining that Sarge has no respect for individuality ("He wants us all to be ROBOTS!"), the men carry out their orders in exaggerated robotic fashion leaving Sarge to note: "They still need more discipline, but they're improving!".
Keywords
acting robotically; following orders; individuality; never satisfied

Always Unreliable (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-3106
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Where in blazes have you been, Beetle?
Feature Logo
Beetle Bailey Classic Logo with Character Two Lines
Genre
humor; military
Characters
Beetle Bailey; Sarge Snorkel; Captain Scabbard
Synopsis
Sarge entrusts Beetle with the important task of waking him at 5:30 AM to attend an early briefing. He immediately regrets his decision.
Keywords
early rising; important job; responsibility; sleep problems; worrying

Hose Down (Table of Contents: 9)

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

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

Job Number
D-3107
First Line of Dialogue or Text
Those windows are dirty, Beetle! Be sure to give them a good soaking with the hose before you wash them!
Genre
humor; military
Characters
Beetle Bailey; Sarge Snorkel; Captain Scabbard
Synopsis
Sarge leaves Beetle to man a water hose outside his window and obsesses over the inevitable dousing he expects to receive.
Keywords
anticipation; comic obsession; hose; inevitability; window

Indexer Notes

Feature is titled "Sarge and Beetle".

Editing
Related Scans
Series Information
Table of Contents
  1. 0. [No Exception for Weapons Inspection]
    Beetle Bailey
  2. 1. The Scientific Shirker
    Beetle Bailey
  3. 2. Delayed Action
    Sarge Snorkel
  4. 3. The Crummy Connection
    Beetle Bailey
  5. 4. The Phoney Patrol
    Beetle Bailey
  6. 5. Daddy on the Alert
    Killer Diller
  7. 6. Service Smiles
  8. 7. Sarge's Robots
    Beetle Bailey
  9. 8. Always Unreliable
    Beetle Bailey
  10. 9. Hose Down
    Beetle Bailey
This issue was modified by, among others
  • John DiBello
  • Ramon Schenk
  • Daniel Thingvold
  • Joe Torcivia