Tom and Jerry #217

(November 1963)

[Bargain Offer! Walt Disney's Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge both for one year for $1.25!] (Table of Contents: 1) (Expand) /

Gold Key Comics; Donald Duck; Uncle Scrooge / promo (ad from the publisher) / 1 page (report information)

School of Hard Knocks (Table of Contents: 2)

Tom and Jerry / comic story / 10 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Harvey Eisenberg

Inks

Harvey Eisenberg

Colors

Western Publishing Production Shop

Letters

Rome Siemon

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Gee, Jerry, you mean if I study my lessons real hard, I will some day become the smartest mouse in the world?

Feature Logo

Tom and Jerry [Western Interior Logo 1 Single Line of Letters]

Genre

anthropomorphic-funny animals

Characters

Tom; Jerry; Tuffy

Synopsis

Jerry tries to teach Tuffy to be smarter than Tom and Tom tries in vain to stop him. Each envisions a "nightmare version" of the other's effect on Tuffy.

Reprints

• in Golden Comics Digest (Western, 1969 series) #13 (September 1970)

Keywords

battle of wits; cat; dream sequence; education; know-it-all; mice; nightmares; rivalry; working-at-cross-purposes

Daddy Long Legs (Table of Contents: 3)

Little Quacker / comic story / 6 pages (report information)

Script

Vic Lockman

Pencils

Tony Strobl

Inks

Steve Steere

Colors

Western Publishing Production Shop

Letters

?

First Line of Dialogue or Text

I say my father can whip your father!

Genre

anthropomorphic-funny animals

Characters

Little Quacker; possum; possum's dad; Charlie Coyote; Charlie's son; crane

Synopsis

Little Quacker gets into trouble when he tells a coyote child that his daddy (which he doesn't have since he's an orphan) can beat the coyote's daddy.

Reprints

• in Golden Comics Digest (Western, 1969 series) #13 (September 1970)

Keywords

bragging; fathers; rectangular dialogue balloons

Indexer Notes

This story is one of two in this issue to employ rectangular dialogue balloons, while the other two stories do not, indicating a general transition away from the "new graphic style" adopted by Western Publishing, with the start-up of Gold Key Comics in 1962.

To the Rescue (Table of Contents: 4)

Mouse Musketeers / comic story / 8 pages (report information)

Script

Michael Maltese; ?

Pencils

Lynn Karp

Inks

Lynn Karp

Colors

Western Publishing Production Shop

Letters

Rome Siemon

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Four, five, six... Zounds! My dear number seven daughter is missing!

Genre

anthropomorphic-funny animals

Characters

Mouse Musketeers [Jerry; Tuffy]; M'sieur Poosycat [Tom]; King; seven princesses; witch; Sir Ruffstuff (villain)

Synopsis

The King’s seventh daughter has been kidnapped by Sir Ruffstuff. The Mouse Musketeers set out to rescue her, but cowardly M’sieur Poosycat wants the glory for himself.

Keywords

best-laid-plans; kidnapping; king; knight; medieval setting; princess; rectangular dialogue balloons; witch

Indexer Notes

Dialogue and situations are "Maltese-ian", indicating Michael Maltese as the likely writer.

This story is one of two in this issue to employ rectangular dialogue balloons, while the other two stories do not, indicating a general transition away from the "new graphic style" adopted by Western Publishing, with the start-up of Gold Key Comics in 1962.

In the Swim (Table of Contents: 5)

Barney Bear and Benny Burro / text story / 1 page (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Pete Alvarado

Inks

Pete Alvarado

Colors

Western Publishing Production Shop

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

"Why don't we build a swimming pool right here in the back yard," exclaimed Barney Bear one warm spring day.

Genre

anthropomorphic-funny animals

Characters

Barney Bear; Benny Burro; Mooseface McElk

Synopsis

Barney and Benny dig a backyard pool. Mooching Mooseface McElk eyes the finished product.

Keywords

annoying neighbor; pool

Indexer Notes

Barney, Benny, and Mooseface are presented here in a similar mode to the classic 1940s stories by Carl Barks in Our Gang Comics.

The Ship's Cat (Table of Contents: 6)

Tom and Jerry / comic story / 7 pages (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

Harvey Eisenberg

Inks

Harvey Eisenberg

Colors

Western Publishing Production Shop

Letters

Rome Siemon

First Line of Dialogue or Text

Boy! I wish I could take a trip to an island like that!

Feature Logo

Tom and Jerry Western Interior Logo 1

Genre

anthropomorphic-funny animals

Characters

Tom; Jerry; Tuffy; ship's captain; sailor at ship's wheel

Synopsis

To get a free ocean cruise, Tom throws Jerry and Tuffy aboard a ship and applies for the job of “ship’s cat”.

Keywords

best-laid-plans; cat; mice; sea or island setting; seasick; ship; trickery

Indexer Notes

This is not the similarly-titled story that appeared in Boy's and Girl's March of Comics #295, and was reprinted in Golden Comics Digest #8.

Instant Live Sea Animals (Table of Contents: 7) (Expand) /

Sea-Monkeys / advertisement / 0.67 page (report information)

Wild Animals of North America (Table of Contents: 8)

Keys of Knowledge / text article / 0.33 page (report information)

Script

?

Pencils

?

Inks

?

Letters

typeset

First Line of Dialogue or Text

The Polar Bear of North America weighs up to 1,700 pounds.

Genre

nature; non-fiction

Synopsis

Educational feature focusing on the polar bear.

Keywords

educational feature; polar bear

Indexer Notes

Brief text accompanied by two illustrations. Appears on lower third of inside back cover. Black and white.

[132 Roman Soldiers only $1.98] (Table of Contents: 9) (Expand) /

Roman War Soldiers / advertisement / 1 page (report information)