(Winter 1954)

Toby, 1954 Series
 
Price
0.25 USD
Pages
100
On-sale Date
1954
Indicia / Colophon Publisher
Toby Press Inc.
Brand
Toby Press

Issue Notes

There was no Felix the Cat Winter Annual #1. The same year's Summer Annual counted as #1.

[The Royal Treatment] (Table of Contents)

Felix the Cat / cover / 1 page (report information)

Pencils
Otto Messmer
Inks
Otto Messmer
Colors
?

Genre
anthropomorphic-funny animals
Characters
Felix the Cat; The Merry Midgets
Synopsis
Felix relaxes in an easy chair, with a newspaper and a glass of milk, while the Merry Midgets carry him around like royalty.
Keywords
canopy; easy chair; glass of milk; newspaper; relaxing; royal treatment

Indexer Notes

Some background elements appear to be painted, while Felix, the Merry Midgets, and their immediate props are traditional pencils and inks.

[Teamwork Quirk] (Table of Contents: 1)

Don Poco / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script
Otto Messmer
Pencils
Otto Messmer
Inks
Otto Messmer
Letters
Otto Messmer

First Line of Dialogue or Text
The Indians and their ponies rode like a team!
Genre
humor
Characters
Don Poco; Pistachio (donkey)
Synopsis
Don Poco hopes to jump a gorge "riding as team" with his donkey, Pistachio. His hopes become halfway realized.
Keywords
best of intentions; donkey; gorge; jump; Mexican; trick riding

Indexer Notes

Black and white on inside front cover.

Felix the Cat and The Merry Midgets (Table of Contents: 2)

Felix the Cat / comic story / 26 pages (report information)

Script
Otto Messmer
Pencils
Otto Messmer
Inks
Otto Messmer
Colors
?
Letters
Otto Messmer

First Line of Dialogue or Text
I'll never let Cap Woody get you again!!
Genre
anthropomorphic-funny animals
Characters
Felix the Cat; The Merry Midgets; Dolly (anthropomorphic doll); Cap Woody (nasty toy commander of an army of wooden toy soldiers); Cap Woody's army; Easter Bunny; ostrich; Flossy (female cat); giant; bunny with powder-puff tail
Synopsis
In Toyland, Felix rescues Dolly from the clutches of Cap Woody with the help of the Merry Midgets. In reprisal, Cap Woody kidnaps Flossy, leading to an encounter with a giant who holds Felix and Flossy as his prisoners.
Reprints
  • from Felix the Cat dailies (King Features Syndicate) 1939.
Keywords
fantasy setting; frequently reprinted story.; giant; kidnapping; newspaper strip reprint; Toyland

Indexer Notes

This story is a reprinting of the "Merry Midgets" continuity of Otto Messmer's original Felix newspaper strips of 1939 - remounted as five tiers per page, with 2-3 panels per tier.

Segments of this story are reprinted in Popular Comics (Dell, 1936 Series) over the span of issues #129 thru #137.

Elements of this story are reworked into two separate issues of Pat Sullivan's Felix the Cat (Harvey, 1955 series)...

The "Toyland / Rescue of Dolly" sequence in issue #64 (1955 - and reprinted in #101, 1959) and the "Encounter with a Giant" sequence in issue #74 (1956 - and reprinted in #110, 1960).

Felix the Cat Dupes Jupiter (Table of Contents: 3)

Felix the Cat / comic story / 29 pages (report information)

Script
Otto Messmer
Pencils
Otto Messmer
Inks
Otto Messmer
Colors
?
Letters
Otto Messmer

First Line of Dialogue or Text
Felix built a balloon in which to fly to the stratosphere... but he forgot to learn how to come down!
Genre
anthropomorphic-funny animals
Characters
Felix the Cat; Danny Dooit; Chip (Danny's little brother); Flub the Pup; first vulture; astronomer; Jupe Pluvius the Weather Man; hungry bear; angry tramp; Old Sol (master of heat); Jack Frost (master of cold); March Wind (master of wind); Aries the Ram; Aquarius the Water Bearer; Taurus the Bull; Capricornus the Goat; Sagittarius the Archer; the various fish of Pisces; octopus; Leo the Lion; second vulture; two Antarctic explorers; walruses; penguins; Antarctic fish; angry sled dog; team of huskies; Danny's father; Danny's mother; Danny's grandfather; early version of Skidoo the Mouse; Antarctic seals; big fish
Synopsis
A surrealistic tour de force by Otto Messmer taking Felix to the planet Jupiter, where he meets the makers of Earth's weather, followed by an impromptu and involuntary trip through the constellations and signs of the zodiac - populated by the namesakes of the zodiac signs, and finally, through an improbable set of circumstances, ends up joining two explorers on an Antarctic expedition. The story closes with Felix riding atop a very large fish toward his next adventure.
Reprints
  • from Felix the Cat dailies (King Features Syndicate) 1932? 1934?
Keywords
abounding oddities; Antarctic expedition; balloon; escalating events; exploring; fantasy setting; Jupiter; newspaper strip reprint; outer space setting; South Pole; weather gods; zodiac signs

Indexer Notes

The end of this story leads into the beginning of the next story, "Felix the Cat, Modern Jonah".

This story is a reprinting of an unnamed Otto Messmer newspaper strip continuity (encompassing the "trip through the zodiac" and the "Antarctic expedition") of Messmer's original Felix newspaper strips of 1934 - remounted as five tiers per page, with 2-3 panels per tier.

Elements of this story are reworked into standalone stories for future Felix comic books...

The "trip through the zodiac" sequence in Four Color (Dell, 1942 Series) #135 (cover dated February 1947) and redrawn by Messmer.

The "Antarctic expedition" sequence in Pat Sullivan's Felix the Cat (Harvey, 1955 series) issue #67 (1956) - and reprinted in #103 (1959) - redrawn by Messmer and Joe Oriolo.

Felix the Cat Modern Jonah (Table of Contents: 4)

Felix the Cat / comic story / 28 pages (report information)

Script
Otto Messmer
Pencils
Otto Messmer
Inks
Otto Messmer
Colors
?
Letters
Otto Messmer

First Line of Dialogue or Text
Felix hitches a ride home on a whale from the South Pole, but...
Genre
anthropomorphic-funny animals
Characters
Felix the Cat; big fish; cargo ship's crew; cargo ship's captain; cargo ship's cook; ship's cargo of wild animals; octopus; tropical bird; crew of Navy battleship; admiral; cannibals; gorilla; diver; crew of treasure-hunting ship; captain of treasure-hunting ship; rat; customs agents; lifeguard; swimmers; boaters; crew of fishing trawler; pet shop owner; rich man; rich woman; Milton (rich kid); Snobbs (butler); maid; burglar; lots of stray cats
Synopsis
Felix discovers an undersea treasure chest and is hauled-up by the crew of a cargo ship. The now-rich crew abandons ship, leaving Felix behind with a cargo of wild animals. Escaping from the loosed animals, Felix finds his way to a Navy battleship, where he runs afoul of its admiral. Hiding in a powder-less artillery shell, Felix is cannon-blasted off the ship and onto an island inhabited by cannibals and an angry gorilla. He later finds himself on a ship of treasure hunters and, after a series of events, finds his way back to the USA becoming the pet of a rich kid whose butler dislikes cats.
Reprints
  • from Felix the Cat dailies (King Features Syndicate) 1932? 1934?
Keywords
burglar; butler; cannibals; cargo ship; exploring; fishing trawler; gorilla; life in a mansion; mystery; Navy battleship; newspaper strip reprint; pet shop; reused story; sea or island setting; series of mishaps; treasure chest; treasure hunters; US Customs; wild animals

Indexer Notes

The narrative of this story begins immediately following the end of the previous story, with Felix in the same position and situation.

The story's first line, "Felix hitches a ride home on a whale from the South Pole, but...", is inaccurate because Felix does not "ride home on a whale". He rides atop a very large fish, showing no physical characteristics of a whale. The caption neither looks nor reads like "original Messmer", and was probably added by someone at Toby Press as part of the newspaper strip reformatting process.

The first 15 pages of this story are reworked into the opening chapters of "Felix the Cat Tee Vee Serial", a two-page continuing feature beginning in Pat Sullivan's Felix the Cat (Harvey, 1955 Series) #69 (March 1956) and onward. The serialized version is drawn by Joe Oriolo but follows the early portion of Messmer's story, hitting all the major beats.

Elements of the latter part of this story, particularly Snobbs the butler's resentment of Felix becoming a pet of the wealthy family, are partially reworked into "On the Button" in Felix the Cat (Dell, 1948 Series) #8 (April-May 1949) - with the butler retaining the name of "Snobbs" - also written and drawn by Messmer.

Finally, by the entries made in the "Characters" list of its GCD index, it appears that the "Snobbs segment" of this story was excerpted and reprinted in Popular Comics (Dell, 1936 Series) #101 (July 1944).
https://www.comics.org/issue/205971/#1209118

Cold-Cold Discomfort (Table of Contents: 5)

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

Script
Otto Messmer
Pencils
Otto Messmer
Inks
Otto Messmer
Colors
?
Letters
Otto Messmer

First Line of Dialogue or Text
Am I glad I'm in this comfy home on a cold night like this!
Genre
anthropomorphic-funny animals
Characters
Felix the Cat; dog; Master Roy; Snobbs (butler); lots of stray cats; King of Dreamland; Royal Cook of Dreamland; cat-loathing lady; Rip Van Winkle's Dwarfs; Dreamland soldiers; the Royal Wake-Upper (sharp-beaked bird); Royal Blacksmith of Dreamland; Dreamland stable boy; the night-mare (supernatural horse); hungry fisherman
Synopsis
Felix floods a bathtub, matches wits with a dog, and runs afoul of the son-of-the-house, Master Roy. Kicked out, Felix goes to sleep so as not to feel the cold and is welcomed into the pleasant wonders of Dreamland, until rudely awakened - twice. Returning to Dreamland a third time, with the aid of Rip Van Winkle's Dwarfs, Felix finds he has overstayed his welcome. The King of Dreamland orders him to be expelled. The Royal Wake-Upper (a sharp-beaked bird), the Royal Blacksmith, and a 50,000 ft drop from a plane, fail to wake him up. Escaping on a horse, Felix picks a "night-mare" of a steed.
Reprints
  • from Felix the Cat dailies (King Features Syndicate) 1934
Keywords
displacement; dream sequence; Dreamland; fantasy setting; homeless; newspaper strip reprint; nightmare; overstaying-one's welcome; sleep inducing aids; sleep problems

Indexer Notes

A reformatted reprint of a 1934 continuity of Otto Messmer's original Felix newspaper strips also dubbed "Cold-Cold Discomfort".

Messmer reworked this concept (overstaying in Dreamland, nightmare ride, and all) into "Felix in Screamland" for Felix the Cat (Dell, 1948 Series) #11 (October-November 1949).

And, with Joe Oriolo further reworked it for Pat Sullivan's Felix the Cat (Harvey, 1955 Series) #72 (June 1956), later reprinted in Pat Sullivan's Felix the Cat (Harvey, 1955 Series) #108 (March 1960).

[One Cranky Cactus] (Table of Contents: 6)

Don Poco / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script
Otto Messmer
Pencils
Otto Messmer
Inks
Otto Messmer
Letters
Otto Messmer

First Line of Dialogue or Text
The Indians could throw as well as shoot!
Genre
humor
Characters
Don Poco; Pistachio (donkey); porcupine
Synopsis
Don Poco hones his throwing skills by heaving rocks at a cactus.
Keywords
cactus; donkey; Mexican; porcupine; rocks; throwing skills

Indexer Notes

Black and white on inside back cover.

[The Music Moves Felix... Out!] (Table of Contents: 7)

Felix the Cat / comic story / 1 page (report information)

Script
Otto Messmer
Pencils
Otto Messmer
Inks
Otto Messmer
Colors
?
Letters
Otto Messmer

First Line of Dialogue or Text
I sure am lucky - The master of the house lets me enjoy the radio!
Feature Logo
Felix the Cat [Dell Comics logo ā€“ slanted block letters with the ā€œLā€ leaning left]
Genre
anthropomorphic-funny animals
Characters
Felix the Cat; lots of stray cats; the master of the house
Synopsis
Felix shares radio music with the stray cats outdoors, getting him kicked out once again.
Reprints
  • from Felix the Cat dailies (King Features Syndicate) 1934?
Keywords
best of intentions; music; radio; sharing; stray cats

Indexer Notes

Black, white, and red on back cover.

Editing
Related Scans
Series Information
Table of Contents
  1. 0. [The Royal Treatment]
    Felix the Cat
  2. 1. [Teamwork Quirk]
    Don Poco
  3. 2. Felix the Cat and The Merry Midgets
    Felix the Cat
  4. 3. Felix the Cat Dupes Jupiter
    Felix the Cat
  5. 4. Felix the Cat Modern Jonah
    Felix the Cat
  6. 5. Cold-Cold Discomfort
    Felix the Cat
  7. 6. [One Cranky Cactus]
    Don Poco
  8. 7. [The Music Moves Felix... Out!]
    Felix the Cat
This issue was modified by, among others
  • Joe Torcivia