Welcome!

Hey, who was this Al Wiseman guy and why doesn’t anybody seem to know much about him? Well, that’s what I asked myself many years ago. So through a lot of obsessive research (and with the help of Al’s family) I’ve tried to piece a lot of it together. What I plan on doing is posting a good deal of art (mostly pre- and post- "Dennis") while I’m organizing biographical info on him for a more comprehensive website. So for the time being, it'll be mostly images as opposed to detailed written overviews of his career. I’ve got piles of stuff (books & magazines & matchbooks & milk bottles & shoe-polish boxes, etc.), so hopefully you'll find it entertaining. Let me know!

Thanks,
Bill

Oh, the above artwork was obviously used for promotional purposes after Wiseman left Hank Ketcham's employ. Al would change the lettering in the word balloon when the situation called for it. If you compare it to the image below, you'll notice a few differences in the art. For instance, in the top image Wiseman updated Dennis' hair and gave Ruff whiskers to better reflect the then current Ketcham style. (Wait! Did Ruff ever actually have whiskers?)



This example looks to be for an earlier handout. As for when it was originally drawn, looks like the mid-1960's...

Please order "Dennis the Menace" books from Fantagraphics (and ask them to reprint the Wiseman "Dennis" comic books and Sunday strips).

"Dennis the Menace" & related characters are ©Hank Ketcham Enterprises, Inc.