Popular Comics #127

(September 1946)

[A Hat Unraveled] (Table of Contents: 1)

Smokey Stover / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script

Bill Holman (credited, signed)

Pencils

Bill Holman (credited, signed)

Inks

Bill Holman (credited, signed)

Colors

Western Publishing Production Shop

Letters

Bill Holman (credited, signed)

First Line of Dialogue or Text

That was your fire siren on the phone, Smoke - she wants you to pick up a package at "Nook and Cranny's" on the way home!

Feature Logo

Smokey Stover [Firehose]

Genre

humor

Characters

Smokey Stover; Chief Cash U. Nutt; Cookie Stover

Synopsis

Smokey starts his journey home with more hat than he arrives with.

Reprints

• from Smokey Stover Sundays (Chicago Tribune Syndicate) 1943-xx-xx

Keywords

hat; newspaper strip reprint; package; unravelling; unwelcome surprise

Indexer Notes

Black, white, and red on inside front cover.

[Food Fighters] (Table of Contents: 2)

Felix the Cat / comic story / 12 pages (report information)

Script

Otto Messmer (see notes)

Pencils

Otto Messmer (see notes)

Inks

Otto Messmer (see notes)

Colors

Western Publishing Production Shop

Letters

Otto Messmer (see notes)

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Time to water the lawn!

Genre

humor; anthropomorphic-funny animals

Characters

Felix the Cat; Skidoo the Mouse; constable; Flub the Pup

Synopsis

Felix and Skidoo battle over food... and also because they are cat and mouse.

Reprints

• from Felix the Cat (King Features Syndicate) 1945-xx-xx - 1945-xx-xx

Keywords

art or lettering modification or omission; battle; cat; food; mouse; newspaper strip reprint

Indexer Notes

Though credited to Pat Sullivan, the work here is largely by Otto Messmer, but with some panels added by Dell staff artists - presumably to facilitate the formatting of this collection of 1945 Felix daily newspaper strip reprints by Otto Messmer to the pages of a comic book. These added panels are easy to identify as both the art and lettering is noticeably different from Messmer's work.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 3)

Smilin' Jack / comic story / 9 pages (report information)

Script

Zack Mosley

Pencils

Zack Mosley

Inks

Zack Mosley

Colors

Western Publishing Production Shop

Letters

Boody Rogers

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Jack, can I have a day off --

Genre

adventure; aviation

Characters

Smilin' Jack; Cindy Cider; Downwind Jaxon; Mr. Brotherly; Fuzzwuzz; anti-aircraft gunners

Synopsis

Jack and Cindy survive a fiery plane crash, resulting from sabotage. Someone with ill-intent removes a critical page from Jack's copy of the "Weekly Notice to Airmen" warning of a test of anti-aircraft fire in the area Jack has plotted to fly through. Though he and Downwind Jaxon manage to maneuver away from the danger zone at the last minute, a stray shell hits Jack's plane.

Reprints

• in Smilin' Jack (Dell, 1948 series) #4 (October-December 1948) [Extended to 10 pages by reworking panels.]
• from Smilin' Jack daily (Chicago Tribune-New York News Syndicate) 1942-xx-xx - 1942-xx-xx

Keywords

aviation; mystery; newspaper strip reprint; plane crash; running gag; sabotage

Indexer Notes

A running joke involving the character of Downwind Jaxon is that his face is never seen. He is usually drawn with his back to the reader with only a hint of his profile. In these segments, the gag is carried further still when Downwind dons a pajama top which he pulls over his face and, when reacting to the stray shell hit, he reacts instinctively by putting a hand over his face.

[Day In, Knight Out] (Table of Contents: 4)

Smokey Stover / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script

Bill Holman (signed)

Pencils

Bill Holman (signed)

Inks

Bill Holman (signed)

Colors

Western Publishing Production Shop

Letters

Bill Holman (signed)

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Hey, Smokey - I just got an invitation to a masquerade ball - what kind of a costume shall I wear?

Feature Logo

Smokey Stover [Firehose]

Genre

humor

Characters

Smokey Stover; Chief Cash U. Nutt; Spooky (cat)

Synopsis

Smokey's suggestion that the Chief wear a suit of armor to a masquerade ball results in unexpected problems.

Reprints

• from Smokey Stover (Chicago Tribune Syndicate) 1943-xx-xx - 1943-xx-xx

Keywords

best of intentions; masquerade ball; newspaper strip reprint; suit of armor

Indexer Notes

The first of five consecutive Smokey Stover strip reprints strung together to look like a five-page story, and the only strip of the five to retain its feature logo. The four subsequent entries are stripped of their logos to create the illusion of a five-page story, though there is no throughline of continuity among the strips.

[Bell of the Bowl] (Table of Contents: 5)

Smokey Stover / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script

Bill Holman

Pencils

Bill Holman

Inks

Bill Holman

Colors

Western Publishing Production Shop

Letters

Bill Holman

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Smoley hoke! - It's slower around here than a turtle with rheumatism - we ain't had one alarm all day!

Genre

humor

Characters

Smokey Stover; Chief Cash U. Nutt; Spooky (cat)

Synopsis

Smokey uses an impromptu fruit bowl for a big batch of fresh fruit.

Reprints

• From Smokey Stover Sunday (News Syndicate) 1943-xx-xx.

Keywords

alternative uses; bowl; firefighters; fruit; newspaper strip reprint; title or logo modification

Indexer Notes

No feature logo for this strip.

[An Alarming Discovery] (Table of Contents: 6)

Smokey Stover / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script

Bill Holman

Pencils

Bill Holman

Inks

Bill Holman

Colors

Western Publishing Production Shop

Letters

Bill Holman

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Bouncing belfries! Another alarm - This sure is our busy day!

Genre

humor

Characters

Smokey Stover; Chief Cash U. Nutt; Spooky (cat)

Synopsis

Smokey and the Chief discover why the fire bell keeps ringing when there are no fires in town.

Reprints

• From Smokey Stover Sunday (News Syndicate) 1943-xx-xx.

Keywords

fire alarm; firefighters; mystery; newspaper strip reprint; title or logo modification

Indexer Notes

No feature logo for this strip. Middle left page of centerfold.

[Shoe Enough] (Table of Contents: 7)

Smokey Stover / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script

Bill Holman

Pencils

Bill Holman

Inks

Bill Holman

Colors

Western Publishing Production Shop

Letters

Bill Holman

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Hey, son - Look - The circus is in town!

Genre

humor

Characters

Smokey Stover; Earl Stover; Spooky (cat); head circus clown

Synopsis

A free circus ticket in exchange for a shoeshine seems like a good deal to Smokey.

Reprints

• From Smokey Stover Sunday (News Syndicate) 1943-xx-xx.

Keywords

buyer beware; circus setting; newspaper strip reprint; shoeshine; title or logo modification

Indexer Notes

No feature logo for this strip. Middle right page of centerfold.

[The Foo Recruits] (Table of Contents: 8)

Smokey Stover / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script

Bill Holman

Pencils

Bill Holman

Inks

Bill Holman

Colors

Western Publishing Production Shop

Letters

Bill Holman

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Smokey, meet th' Jooce Brothers - Lyman and Clem - They're the new firemen I hired!

Genre

humor

Characters

Smokey Stover; Chief Cash U. Nutt; Lyman Jooce; Clem Jooce; Spooky (cat)

Synopsis

The Chief's new firefighting recruits leave something to be desired.

Reprints

• From Smokey Stover Sunday (News Syndicate) 1943-xx-xx.

Keywords

cluelessness; firefighters; new recruits; newspaper strip reprint; title or logo modification

Indexer Notes

No feature logo for this strip.

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 9)

Terry and the Pirates / comic story / 9 pages (report information)

Script

Milton Caniff (signed as Milton Caniff)

Pencils

Milton Caniff (signed as Milton Caniff)

Inks

Milton Caniff (signed as Milton Caniff)

Colors

Western Publishing Production Shop

Letters

Frank Engli

First Line of Dialogue or Text

The way some of the Chinese in this construction crew get together, I know they must be hatching a scheme...

Feature Logo

Terry and the Pirates by Milton Caniff

Genre

adventure

Characters

Terry Lee; Terry Lee; Burma; Colonel Wolff

Reprints

• from Terry and the Pirates (Chicago Tribune Syndicate) 1941-xx-xx - 1941-xx-xx

Keywords

newspaper strip reprint

[Dope Smugglers] (Table of Contents: 10)

Gang Busters / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Colors

Western Publishing Production Shop

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

A Midtown subway station.

Genre

crime

Characters

Inspector Blake; Sneed (Inspector Blake's assistant); subway dope fiend; Mike (subway cop); Pat (subway cop); driving dope fiend; arresting officer; police sergeant; Old Bess; unnamed drug kingpin; police lab tech; crew of drug smuggling ship

Synopsis

A jacked-up dope fiend falls to his death beneath the wheels of a moving subway train, while another, behind the wheel of an automobile, clips a pedestrian and crashes through a storefront window. These events and others like them lead Inspector Blake and Sneed to investigate and bring down a ring smuggling illegal drugs into the country.

Keywords

50th Street station; addicts; Chambers Street station; illegal narcotics; Manhattan; New York City; New York City subway; police procedural; smuggling

Indexer Notes

Story opens in a 50th Street Station of the New York City Subway, of which there are two. It could be that of the "1 Broadway Local" or the "C 8th Avenue Local". An approaching train reads "Local" "Chambers St", of which there are three Chambers Street stations - on the aforementioned 1 and C lines, as well as the "6 Lexington Avenue Local".

The comic itself refers to its narcotic-addicted characters as "dope fiends".

The two subway cops in this story are named Mike and Pat. Four issues later, in the Gang Busters story in issue #131, two railroad employees are also named Mike and Pat.

Charro Days (Table of Contents: 11)

text story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Colors

Western Publishing Production Shop

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

The moment that the row of big cedars cut off his view of the ranch, Buddy Wayne reined in his pony.

Genre

western-frontier

Characters

Buddy Wayne; Hidalgo (Buddy's pony); Carter Wayne (Buddy's older brother); president of Charro Days

Synopsis

Twelve-year old Buddy Wayne dreams of riding his pony, Hidalgo, in the Grand Charro Days Parade, but is discouraged by his scornful older brother Carter, who threatens have the parade committee bar the underage hopeful. Buddy decides to crash the parade and hope for the best.

Keywords

charros; festival; parade

Indexer Notes

Story is "Copr. 1946 by R.S. Callender".

[no title indexed] (Table of Contents: 12)

Gasoline Alley / comic story / 5 pages (report information)

Script

Frank King (signed as King)

Pencils

Frank King (signed as King)

Inks

Frank King (signed as King)

Colors

Western Publishing Production Shop

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Wallet! Cut out that whistling!

Genre

humor; drama

Characters

Skeezix; Sally Snipe; Wilmer; Mr. Chigger; Horace; Nina; Angela (Mr. Chigger's separated wife)

Synopsis

Angela makes Mr. Chigger miserable and, in turn, Mr. Chigger makes his office staff miserable.

Reprints

• from Gasoline Alley (Chicago Tribune Syndicate) 1941-xx-xx - 1941-xx-xx

Keywords

newspaper strip reprint; office politics

[Mercy Mission] (Table of Contents: 13)

The Gumps / comic story / 2 pages (report information)

Script

Gus Edson (signed)

Pencils

Gus Edson (signed)

Inks

Gus Edson (signed)

Colors

Western Publishing Production Shop

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Unidentified sole survivor of the sinking of the S.S. Neptunia incoherently mumbling over and over...

Genre

adventure; humor; domestic

Characters

Uncle Bim; Chester; Rose; Martin (Uncle Bim's chauffeur); Captain Biggers (captain of the S.S. Mer); Doc; Kain Budd; Duke (mercy plane pilot); Jack (mercy plane co-pilot); crewmen of the S.S. Mer; radio man

Synopsis

Uncle Bim sends a mercy plane carrying medical personnel to the South Pacific to retrieve Kain Budd who is "suffering from immersion and shock".

Reprints

• from The Gumps (Chicago Tribune Syndicate) 1941-xx-xx - 1941-xx-xx

Keywords

mission of mercy; sunken ship survivor; World War II

Indexer Notes

Story consists of two Sunday strips. One on the inside back cover in black, white, and red. The other on the back cover in color.

As Uncle Bim watches his mercy plane take off on its mission, at the end of the first strip, he reflects on the times of World War II when the strip was first published.

UNCLE BIM: "It is satisfying indeed to see an airplane in these troubled times on a mission of mercy instead of one of destruction - Godspeed, my friends!"