Yay! It's Joe Messerli! (Part 1)

One of the great things about having a blog like this is never knowing who might contact you. Before I had finished setting up the site (when it was just "coming soon"), Joe Messerli emailed me out of the blue and informed me that during the 1950's, he had been an assistant to Al Wiseman. He wrote:

"I was ghosting the Napoleon strip and going to The Chouinard Art Institute in L.A.(1955) when I started working for Al Wiseman (penciling and lettering Dennis).

"He hired a few other artists freelance, but ended up taking me to Pine Flat [two miles west of California Hot Springs] with his family. He later told me he'd interviewed 60 or so people. I was flattered.

"Al decided to move away from the city and he recalled that, as a child of seven, had watched his father build the big El Capinero Lodge in Pine Flat, CA."

Above: A 1950's postcard featuring the El Capinero Lodge.

"I worked for Al in Pine Flat, CA in 1955-1956 as his sole assistant. We did go trout fishing. Jim, Al's son, was a little kid. The Wisemans had a dog named Ruff, a small version of Dennis' dog, hair over eyes and all. Jim and his 2 sisters took the school bus down to Porterville every day (an hour's ride).

"I thoroughly enjoyed living there...learned  the value of life in a small village, where everybody knew your name. My home was the lodge, the HUB of life there. (Sad to say, the place burned down in the early 60's).

"I got bored at Pine Flat and left (I was young--25). Went back down to LA, worked on samples for a month, interviewed at UPA Pictures (Mr. Magoo). Got the job. Went in a completely different direction, designing titles, including the very first Twilight Zone logo. Did all the hand lettering on the title of the Kirk Douglas film, The Vikings (it was made to look like the Bayeux Tapestries). Painted backgrounds, airbrushed products for commercials (nowadays they do that stuff with computers), some storyboard work...a little bit of everything.

"Got married to Evelyn, who worked at UPA in 1959. (Still married to her...very UNhollywood). Went to NBC, did a lot of title stuff, including the color drawings for the credits on Bonanza. Still see them on TVLand cable once in a while. NBC did not give people raises, so moved over to Cambria Studios in West Hollywood (Clutch Cargo, Space Angel, etc.)

"-Joe Messerli"


Thanks for all the great info Joe! I'll be following up with interviews about Joe's career in future posts. Recently I emailed him, asking if he knew Al Wiseman's friend (and later Dennis artist) Frank Hill. Joe replied:

"No, but Norman Maurer did a lot of inking for Al for a few months in LA. Norman was married to Moe (Three Stooges) Howard's daughter and later ended up owning the Stooges property. I drew and inked the Stooges comic books for a few years for Western (Gold Key). Norman's son Jeff did a lot of inking for Western."

I thought it was interesting that Joe worked on the Three Stooges comics. There are certain issues that people mistake as being drawn by Al. Joe probably drew those while still under the influence of the Wiseman style.

Joe will be appearing at the Twilight Zone Convention in Hasbrouck Heights, New Jersy on August 12 & 13. Stop by and say hello!

Confessions of a Little Old Lady in Tennis Shoes (Part 2)

Last time I wrote about Al's 1974 book, Confessions of a Little Old Lady in Tennis Shoes, I mentioned that many other elderly females appeared in Al's artwork during the latter portion of his career. And from the title of this volume, one could safely assume that it's pages would be filled with countless drawings of sassy little old ladies and their (mis)adventures. But strangely enough, it's not.

You see, these poems were written by a little old lady, not about one. According to the back cover, Betty Fisher was a grandmother in her sixties when this was published. We don't learn much about her, though. Not even the important question- like if she really wore tennis shoes. An internet search brought up no further information. Perhaps she never had any other books published. Or maybe "Betty Fisher" was just a pen name and she didn't even exist at all. Either way, we're still left with one precious volume of her poems. Basically unreadable poems, but precious nonetheless.

Above: Page 8. Al loosens up his drawing style a bit and it's kinda interesting.


Above: Page 12. Nudity! Well, sorta...


Confessions of a Little Old Lady in Tennis Shoes Posts:
Part 1/Part 2/Part 3/Part 4/Part 5/Part 6/Part 7

Al & Fred Visit Mexico! (Part 1)

Gee, Al and Fred sure had fun on their vacations, no?

Of course, this was a working vacation. But still, wouldn't it have been great to be a fly on the wall and observe them during their Dennis the Menace in Mexico fact-finding mission? Just to watch the jolts of inspiration hit them- with Fred busily jotting down ideas and Al furiously sketching away for future reference.

I loved this comic as a kid, but the only copy I came across was old and coverless. Thus depriving me of the pleasure of discovering the legendary names "Toole" and "Wiseman" on this inside front cover:


Ask most people about Dennis the Menace in Mexico and they'll joyfully tell you about Al's meticulously rendered giant stone calendar. Or the painstakingly realistic buildings and pyramids. Well, those are pretty impressive, but I mostly remember the smaller, funnier moments. Such as this example of Dennis' personal contribution to the furthering of peaceful international relations:


Or maybe this instance of Dennis' sensitive appreciation of an indigenous people's language:
"Zippy Sam Soupy Gooey Icky Zooie" indeed!

And here's the ever-helpful Dennis encouraging tourists to sample the flavorful local cuisine:

Note to self: Add the phrases "GAAA!" and "WHY, I OUGHTA!..." to my daily conversational vocabulary.

Speaking of which, I wonder how many times a day Dennis' poor mom had to repeat this mantra-like apology to some enraged law enforcement agent:


Dear Lord, won't somebody reprint these comics already?!?


Al & Fred Visit Mexico:
Part 1
Part 2

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.

Al Wiseman- An Appreciation by Jim Salicrup

Note: This is the second in a series of "appreciations" of Al Wiseman by professionals in the comics/cartooning industry. Jim Salicrup spent 20 years at Marvel Comics eventually editing most of the company's top titles, including Uncanny X-Men, Fantastic Four, Amazing Spider-Man and The Avengers. Jim then left to become Editor-in-Chief (and soon, Associate Publisher) of the newly-created Topps Comics, launching such titles as The X-Files and Zorro. After a stint as Writer/Editor at Stan Lee Media, Jim is now Editor-in-Chief of Papercutz (a publisher of comics & graphic novels). Jim Salicrup is also on the board of trustees of the New York Museum of Comic and Cartoon Art (MOCCA).





Al Wiseman- An Appreciation by Jim Salicrup

This may be the lousiest appreciation yet of the very talented Mr. Al Wiseman.

You see, I wasn’t even aware of Mr. Wiseman’s work until a few years ago, so I’m unable to rhapsodize about how meaningful his comics were to me growing up. Unlike so many of my friends, who enjoyed those wonderful Dennis the Menace comicbooks back when they were originally published, I never picked any up. Of course, I grew up watching the Dennis the Menace TV show and reading the Hank Ketcham newspaper strip, but somehow I missed out on the comicbooks.

Perhaps I foolishly regarded them as nothing more than mindless kiddie comics? That would be a rather cruel karmic joke on me, since I now edit graphic novels for Papercutz that are sometimes similarly underestimated. Just as many intelligent adults can’t possibly imagine a graphic novel featuring Nancy Drew, Girl Detective containing stories and artwork that they’d find appealing, I was unfortunately too quick to dismiss Dennis. And just as Stefan Petrucha is able to craft highly entertaining stories, which are in turn beautifully illustrated by Sho Murase for the teen sleuth’s graphic novels, Al Wiseman was secretly turning out stunning work on the Dennis comicbook.

It reminds me of when I first started working, at age 15, for Marvel Comics in the early 70s. That’s when I first heard of someone the fans called “the Good Duck Artist,” based on his wonderful unsigned work on countless classic Uncle Scrooge comics. Those comics didn’t have creator credits, other than having Walt Disney’s name in the titles. Of course, that well-loved artist was the one and only Carl Barks. Back then I thought people such as Roy Thomas and John Verpoorten were nuts to pay hundreds of dollars for Mr. Barks to paint recreations of his old comicbook covers. Hey, what did I know? I was into more mature fare – stories about scientists turning into big green monsters or masked neurotic college students fighting crime as they swung from skyscrapers on webs. Years later, I was paying the same outrageous price just to get a signed Barks lithograph!

Like Barks, Wiseman’s work on Dennis was not credited, with only Hank Ketcham’s name appearing on the covers. Unlike Barks, Wiseman didn’t live long enough to see how many fans greatly appreciated his work, and that’s sad. But now, thanks to the efforts of such dedicated Dennis-heads as Bill Alger and Fred Hembeck, Wiseman fans are popping up all over the place, and that’s good.

Speaking of Mr. Alger, the man who requested this Al Wiseman appreciation, to run with my lousy Dennis sketch (I started doing my “lousy full-color sketches” at comic conventions a few years ago as a joke, but it turns out there’s actually a demand for lousy sketches!), I must say he’s doing heroic work with this Wiseman website. It’s exciting to find so much fascinating material regarding this cartoonist, and to see so many nice examples of his non-Dennis work as well.

In a way, I’m lucky I didn’t devour all those Wiseman-drawn Dennis comicbooks growing up. While I’ll never again experience the thrill of a new work by such great comicbook artists as Jack Kirby or Will Eisner (because I have multiple copies of almost everything they’ve ever done), thanks to my years of being ignorant of the wonders of Wiseman, I now have all those divine Dennis comics to collect and savor. The world of Dennis ala Wiseman awaits, and I know I’m gonna love it!

-- Jim Salicrup
Papercutz
Jim Salicrup's MySpace Page
Jim Salicrup's Blog

Al Wiseman Appreciations:
Bill Wray
Joe Staton
Terry Austin
Jim Salicrup
Mike Lynch

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.

"Safety Series" Matchbook Covers! (Part 2)

So apparently these shell-shocked innocents are aghast at just having witnessed another horrendously grisly school cross-walk fatality.

...or maybe they're just afraid to cross the street.

Either way, I'd say it's time to install a traffic light.



This 1955 matchbook is yet another in the benevolently instructive "Safety Series" Al drew for the the Superior Match Company. Collect the whole set!

Safety Series matchbooks:
Safety Series Set 2.2 (1952) "Drive As Though They Were Your Own"
Safety Series Set 4.1 (1955) "Slow Down at This Sign!"
Safety Series Set 5.5 (1956) "Don't Jump the Signals"

Hillbilly matchbooks:
Hillbilly Set 13.1(1960) "What's Brakes?"

Al Meets Dennis the Menace! (Part 4)

About a month ago, I posted the above panel (from Dennis the Menace #30) showing Al Wiseman's "studio". Jim Wiseman (Al's son) commented, "I would like to see a perfect edition of that story, magnified so I could read the book titles in the studio room scene."

Well Jim, it's nowhere-near perfect, but here's a magnified view of Al's bookshelf:



Then magnified even further (and turned sideways) so we can attempt to make out the book titles:

Above:
1. "Tracing"
2. "Pencil"
3. "Inking"
4. "Erasing"
5. "Mail Away" (?) (Anybody have a less splotchy copy of this panel?)


Above:
1. "Drawing"
2. "Drawing Easy"


Above:
1. "Draw"
2. "Draw Well"
3. "Cartooning"
4. "Funnies"


Above:
1. "Funsies"
2. "How To Draw"

So anyway, that's a closer look at the imaginary books in Al's imaginary 1950's studio. One can only imagine where those books are today...


"Al Meets Dennis the Menace!" posts:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

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 (but not Al Wiseman or Fred Toole) are ©Hank Ketcham Enterprises, Inc.

Yay! It's Frank Hill! (Part 2)

We at the Al Wiseman Blog love Frank Hill.

Why? Because he's an excellent cartoonist, a hell of a nice guy and was a personal friend of Al Wiseman!

In part one of our "Yay! It's Frank Hill!" series, we showed you a little bit of what Frank's been working on recently. This time around, we're going back to an article from the 12th issue of Cartoonews (1974, no month listed). In it, we get some information on Frank's formative years, his long run on the Short Ribs comic strip and his contributions to the Dennis the Menace comic book.

Oh, and Al Wiseman is also name-checked.






Coming soon:
"Yay! It's Frank Hill!" (Part 3) with more from Cartoonews #12 and an updated Frank Hill résumé.

Artichoke Joe's Casino (Part 2)

Yesterday, we took a gander at a 1974 Wiseman-illustrated tome titled Confessions of a Little Old Lady in Tennis Shoes. Today, we jump five years ahead to 1979 and investigate one of Al's "Artichoke Joe's Casino" ads. Hmmm... there seems to be some sort of connection between these two posts. But what, I wonder?

Must think...

Oh, well whadayaknow- It's yet another little old lady in tennis shoes! They must be awful common 'round these parts.


Actually, I prefer the face on this tiny matron to yesterday's book version. Maybe it's the less severe frontal view? Or perhaps all the money just makes her that much more attractive?

I'm shallow that way...


Artichoke Joe's Casino Ads:
Part 1/Part 2/Part 3

Confessions of a Little Old Lady in Tennis Shoes (Part 1)

After Al Wiseman stopped working on Dennis the Menace, perhaps the closest thing he had to a re-occurring character was a feisty, lantern-jawed little old lady who sometimes wore tennis shoes. During the 70's and 80's, versions of this persona appeared often in Al's work (including books, posters & ads).

I love Wiseman's work as much as any other average Joe on the street does (OK, maybe a little bit more), but somehow the charm of this character is lost on me. I'd say it's the scary-witch-nose in conjunction with the giant-jutting-chin that I find somewhat unnerving. But what do I know?

So what convergence of celestial events transpired to bring about the existence of this ubiquitous gal in the first place? Maybe she was Al's attempt to get as far away as possible from drawing a cute little blonde-haired boy? Or could Al have been smitten by Jan & Dean's 1964 hit song "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena"? Conceivably, Al might have also been inspired by a series of television ads for Southern California Dodge Dealers featuring a little old lady, Kathryn Minner, wearing a pair of Keds tennis shoes. These ads were run from 1964 to 1969 and became so popular that Jan & Dean eventually featured Kathryn on the cover of "The Little Old Lady from Pasadena" album. She also appeared on the TV shows "Gunsmoke", "Batman", "Dragnet", "Get Smart", Family Affair", "The Bob Hope Show" and "The Dating Game". Kathryn Minner passed away in 1969.

Above: Kathryn Minner (She's the one on the left.)

Am I getting closer to the underlying truth in this matter? Or am I missing some other monumental cultural milestone concerning little old ladies in tennis shoes?

I Dunno...


Above: Page 3

Confessions of a Little Old Lady in Tennis Shoes Posts:
Part 1/Part 2/Part 3/Part 4/Part 5/Part 6/Part 7

Dennis #42- Meet Al, Fred & Hank!

A little while ago, we took a look at a story from Dennis the Menace #30 (September, 1958). In that harrowing tale, we saw our hero, Al Wiseman, meet some pesky blonde-haired kid named Dennis who invaded his studio and cruelly started chopping up his precious artwork! The nerve of that kid. (Never mind that Al himself actually took the scissors to his own originals at times- perhaps Dennis inspired him!)

Today we peek inside Dennis the Menace #42 (May, 1960) and find some honest-to-goodness photos of Al & Fred! (Oh, then there's a photo of some guy named Hank. Apparently he also had something to do with Dennis the Menace.)

Below: Cartoonist Al Wiseman at the drawing board. Hey, there's no concentric circles in his eyeglasses! I guess that means the way Al drew himself in the Dennis story was somewhat less than photorealistic...
Below: Fred Toole attempting to write another classic Dennis the Menace story. (And he could finish it, too, if only that photographer would get out of his face.)

Below: Be the first kid on your block to become a talented cartoonist and work for Hank Ketcham's funnybook studio! (After plenty of practice, that is...)

Below: Keen stuff about Al & Fred!

Well, some of the facts seem a bit off in this article. Even though the Dennis comic book started in 1953, Al had already been working in Hank's studio (drawing the Dennis Sunday strip) for about a year by then. Maybe the writer felt the need to simplify things for this feature? Or maybe Hank just didn't want the children of America to know that he wasn't actually drawing the Sunday comic?

Sadly, we shall never know....

As far as the studio assistants mentioned, I've heard of Bruce Ariss. But "girl Friday" Tuesday Smith? Who was she and why don't we know more about her? What a swell name!



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.

"Safety Series" Matchbook Covers! (Part 1)

Yesterday we took a look at a 1956 Wiseman-drawn safety comic. Today? Why, we're going to keep the theme going with a 1956 Wiseman-drawn driving-safety matchbook cover.

Similar to yesterday's comic, this matchbook cover looks like it might appeal to kids. But it's obviously intended for a more mature consumer base. Most likely a consumer base consisting entirely of adult smokers who drive cars and may (or may not) be frogs.




Safety Series matchbooks:
Safety Series Set 2.2 (1952) "Drive As Though They Were Your Own"
Safety Series Set 4.1 (1955) "Slow Down at This Sign!"
Safety Series Set 5.5 (1956) "Don't Jump the Signals"

Hillbilly matchbooks:
Hillbilly Set 13.1(1960) "What's Brakes?"

Dennis the Menace On Safety (Part 1)

Dennis the Menace On Safety was a digest-sized comic book published by the National Safety Council in 1956. And who better to teach America about safety than our favorite pint-sized hellion and master of mischief, Dennis the Menace?


Apparently this giveaway was directed more towards an adult audience than the usual comic book readin' demographic. Maybe that's why the drawings consisted of newspaper-like single panels rather than funnybook-friendly multi-panelled stories. Well, at least the little kids who got a hold of this comic learned not to smoke around gas pumps. And to turn off their car engines.


The art is obviously by Wiseman, but since he worked with assistants in a studio situation, it's hard to tell the extent of his contribution. George Crenshaw told me that he'd sometimes pencil Dennis stories for Al (in Al's style), then Al would make it his own while inking it in. I'm bringing this up because some of the characters in this book (mostly the ones in extreme pain) remind me a bit of Crenshaw's drawings from this time period.

Dennis the Menace On Safety Posts:
Part 1
Part 2

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.

Charley Jones' Laugh Book Magazine- March 1951 (Part 2)

Al Wiseman art + futuristic big-headed humanoids= transcendent visual euphoria! (Or something like that.) Just look at these keen drawings!

OK, now that you're done looking at them, why not look at 'em some more?

We've got time...


If you read the story below, you'll find that it's somewhat similar to the Wally Wood drawn "Blobs" story from Mad #1 (which was published about a year later). Was this a common theme in science fiction at the time or could this tale have influenced Kurtzman's writing? I'd like to believe the latter, just because it would make this posting so much more interesting than if it was just a random coincidence. Hey, it's my blog, I'll grasp at straws if I want to!

Above: Robots! Who doesn't love robots? And Wiseman-drawn robots to boot!

Above: Awww... A futuristic big-headed humanoid baby and it's proud futuristic big-headed humanoid parents! I dare you to find a cuter scene of vaguely disturbing evolutionary parenting. I dare you!



Wiseman digest mags:

Charley Jones' Laugh Book Magazine:
August 1950: Part 1
March 1951: Part 1/Part 2
April 1951: Part 1/Part 2/Part 3/Part 4
June 1952: Part 1/Part 2
March 1953: Part 1/Part 2
"Pin-Up Stationery" ad: Part 1/Part 2
"The Latrine Gazette" column: Part 1

Smiles:
#45 (January, 1951): Part 1/Part 2

Charley Jones' Laugh Book Magazine- March 1951 (Part 1)

This is such a perfect cover that I'm not even going to sully it with my comments. What could I possibly say?

Coming up tomorrow:
Inside Charley Jones' Laugh Book Magazine- March 1951


Wiseman digest mags:

Charley Jones' Laugh Book Magazine:
August 1950: Part 1
March 1951: Part 1/Part 2
April 1951: Part 1/Part 2/Part 3/Part 4
June 1952: Part 1/Part 2
March 1953: Part 1/Part 2
"Pin-Up Stationery" ad: Part 1/Part 2
"The Latrine Gazette" column: Part 1

Smiles:
#45 (January, 1951): Part 1/Part 2

The Saturday Evening Post: 10/30/48

Wow! I ordered this magazine a while ago 'cause the seller said it had a Wiseman cartoon in it. Once it came in, I put it on a pile of other mags and forgot to look through it (believe it or not). So today I open it up and... Jeez! It's Dennis the Menace before there was a Dennis the Menace! (Well, personality-wise, anyway.)

No wonder Hank Ketcham hired Al to work on Dennis. Most pieces of the puzzle that made up Al's version of Dennis were already in this cartoon- the mischievous blonde-haired kid, the loving mother, the frustrated victim and the flawless artwork! All that was needed was for Al to mimic Hank's style and you've got the Dennis the Menace funnybook.

And it's in color, too! Not black & white like most Saturday Evening Post gags.

Makes you wonder how much more Wiseman stuff is out there- just hiding in the back of some magazine waiting to be discovered.

Ahh... It's a swell day in Wiseman-land, no?

Wiseman magazine gags:
Saturday Evening Post gags:
1/27/45
10/30/48
1/22/55
Liberty Magazine gags:
November 1947
Pic Magazine gags:
August 1948
September 1948

The Imported Ticky-Two (Part 3)

Hey, you're back! I wasn't expecting you folks so soon.

Since you're here, make yourselves at home. Open a cold beer and grab a slice of pizza while we take another look at Al's magnum opus of teeny-tiny little imported automobile cartoons!

Below: The inside of the front cover (Al marked out the old address after he moved).

Below: Page 23

Below: Page 25

Yeah, it's pretty much just more of the same this time. Very nicely drawn, though. About all I've got to say about this third installment is... um... well, I got nothin' to say.

Maybe I should dig out the Al Wiseman black-light posters. That would blow your minds...

Next week on the Al Wiseman blog: More on Al Wiseman!

The Imported Ticky-Two:
Part 1/Part 2/Part 3/Part 4/Part 5/Part 6/Part 7

Yay! It's Frank Hill! (Part 1)

One day in 1967, amiable cartoonist Frank Hill got a call from his buddy Al Wiseman with a helpful tip. Seems that Al advised Frank to call up Hank Ketcham immediately, 'cause Hank needed an artist to draw Dennis. Why the big hurry? Turns out that Al had had finally quit his Dennis comic book gig- right in the middle of an issue!

So Frank called Hank, Hank hired Frank, and Frank finished the issue. Thus the Dennis kingdom was saved! And so began the terrific run of Dennis the Menace funnybooks drawn by Frank Hill.

One of the nicest (and most humble) cartoonists you'd ever meet, Frank is still turning out exceptional work. In fact, his new kids' book just rolled off the presses. Ladies and gentleman, meet Clyde the Cable Car:


And while you're at it, say "hello" to Clyde's friends:


And, oh, what the heck, introduce yourself to Clyde's book:


Well, now that we all know each other, order a copy! (It's pretty new, so they probably haven't added it to the site yet. Ask for it by name!)

There's much more to cover on Frank's career. Like his current success designing characters for computer games & educational videos. And his upcoming "Frank Hill" website. Not to mention the nifty résumé of his career that he sent me. But that'll have to wait for another time ('cause it's late and I'm sleepy).

Coming soon: Frank talks about Al!
Yes, he's writing up some stuff for us to post about his fabled pal, Al Wiseman. Could life be any better?

"Clyde the Cable Car" is ©2006 Ron Berman & Frank Hill
"Dennis the Menace" & related characters are ©Hank Ketcham Enterprises, Inc.

Al & Fred Visit Hawaii! (Part 2)

Aloha, friends of Alvin Ray Wiseman! Many weeks ago, when we first discussed the Hawaiian adventures of Al Wiseman & Fred Toole, I posted a newspaper article that offered some background information on their world-renowned Dennis in Hawaii comic. Today, I'll follow up by showing you the inside front-cover of that beloved funnybook:

Dennis in Hawaii was first published in the Summer of 1958. The above image was taken from the 5th printing of the book (and that's why it say's "copyright 1962").

There's not much new information here, but the photos are entertainingly top-notch. In fact, the lovably staged hi-jinks of the first photograph reminds one of a publicity shot from some long-lost 1950's television comedy (starring the reliably exuberant Vaudevillian duo of Wiseman & Toole, of course).

Then, in the bottom picture, we see the same cheerful Hawaiian children who showed up in the earlier newspaper photo. And by the looks of it, they're still perilously trapped on the shaky grass rooftop. Hopefully someone found a ladder and helped these hapless tots down once Fred and Al were finished chuckling at their misfortune.

So, that's about it. I'm sure there are many more priceless photos from the Hawaiian odyssey hidden away somewhere, just waiting to be discovered. Perhaps they're even stashed away in the cavernous underground vaults of the Ketcham Industries compound, locked in their hermetically-sealed, temperature-controlled encasement capsules for historical preservation.

Seems logical to me...


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.

Golden State Dairy (Part 1)

This happy little fella (and his just-as-happy little mule pal) was created by Al Wiseman in the late 1940's for The Golden State Dairy Products company. The tyke went by the aptly descriptive moniker of "The Little Prospector". So what was he prospectin' for? Why, he was prospectin' for only the best dairy products to be found in the vast and mighty state of California!

And find it, he did. Thanks to the kindly assistance of The Golden State Dairy Products company. But since the neighborhood Golden State milkman could deliver these products to the Little Prospector's home on a regular basis, did he really need to keep prospectin' for his dairy needs? Assuming he even had a home (and wasn't just a vagrant), I'd guess not.

Shortly after Al Wiseman left the Golden State Dairy universe for the higher profile (but no less anonymous) Dennis the Menace universe in 1952, The Little Prospector ads were sadly discontinued. Then in 1954, the company was acquired by Foremost Dairies Inc. who eventually retired the "Golden State Dairy" name in 1962.


So what became of The Little Prospector when the Golden State Dairies were discontinued? Did he have to start prospectin' for dairy products all over again? I couldn't say. But I pray that he's still out there somewhere, now a grizzled old coot prospector, searching valiantly for that perfect glass of milk. And you know what? I hope he finds it.

I'd like to thank Al's daughter, Jan Pisciotta, for sending me this ad (from the February, 1949 issue of Sunset Magazine) a while back. Jan is a talented artist and writer herself, so it must run in the family. Thanks Jan!

Jan wrote:
"Here's a tearsheet for Golden State Milk Co. He created this character before he worked on D.T.M. and they really wanted him to develop it. He dropped it for Dennis.
-Jan"



Golden State Dairy Posts:
Part 1/Part 2/Part 3/Part 4/Part 5/Part 6/Part 7/Part 8

Trout Fishin' with Al (& Friends)!

Hey Wiseman fans- look! It's a self-portrait of Al in full-fledged trout-fishing gear (one of his favorite activities):


"Well," you might say, "that's quite obvious. But who's the freckled-faced girl in the polka-dot bikini?" "Funny you should bring that up," I would answer, "I have no idea."

But I do have an idea who the blonde-haired kid with the bow & arrow is- Al's son Jim! Yes, Jim keeps showing up everywhere. Last week he was "Dennis the Menace," this week he's practicing archery at the lake. That kid gets around.

But why do I think it's Jim? 'Cause Jim's wife Teresa told me so, that's why.

She wrote:
"This is a clip from a drawing that was published in Cartoonews. The fisherman being Al himself with Jim being the boy with the bow and arrow.  I have some pictures of Jim as a child that make it apparent that he was the "model" for some of Al's work."

Hmmm... Let's compare the above art with a photo of young Jim:


Yep, I'd say that's Jim in the drawing. But who's that with Jim in the photo? Maybe Teresa would know:

"This next one is a picture of Jim and his dog, Ruff.  Jim told me a story of being in the snow with his dad - up in the mountains when they lived in California Hot Springs (near the giant sequoias) when Ruff got lost in the snow - and how all of a sudden they saw her by her nose bobbing around."

Well, that answers that. Thanks Teresa!

Now here's the full image from the centerfold of Cartoonews #1 (April, 1975):

Not sure why this art was produced or where it originally appeared, but damn it's nice! The more I stare at it, the more new things I find. Like the tennis player stepping through the bottom of the fishing boat. Or the golfer smashing the very same boat with his golf club. Or the woman throwing a pan of water (at least I hope that's water) in the man's face. Or the duck hunter about to shoot the camper. And the merriment just goes on and on!

I do have to ask myself why people are bowling and snow skiing at a lake in the middle of Summer, though...

My favorite part of the drawing is the fat man floating in the water on the lower left. He's totally oblivious to the turmoil going on around him. And he's oblivious to the fact that he's just about to get rolled over by a fishing boat. And he's right in the path of the guy on snow skis. Poor fella.

Extra points if you noticed that the flying motorboat is named "Dorothy" in honor of Al's fourth wife! And if you did know that, how did you know that? (Other than she was mentioned in an article from a previous post.)

Al Wiseman- An Appreciation by Mike Lynch

Note: This is the first in a series of "appreciations" of Al Wiseman by professionals in the comics/cartooning industry. Mike Lynch is a Brooklyn-based cartoonist whose work has appeared in Reader's Digest, Playboy, Barron's, Harvard Business Review, Wall Street Journal, The New York Daily News, and many others.

Some Personal Dennis Comic Book Memories by Mike Lynch

(My version of Dennis -- done oh so quickly! The only thing I got right about it are the squiggles in the elbows! I would never have even attempted it if Bill Alger had not asked me nicely.)

It was another world and that was what I wanted. When looking at the Dennis comics as an 8 year old, I saw that the panels were not straight -- they were a little noodly and loopy! Occasionally, and for no reason, the characters would be in stark silhouette for a panel, returning to their normal state in the next. Elbows had a pig's tail swirl in them, noses were also, well, a little like pig snouts, and everyone had big round bold, black dots for eyes. The books did not look like other books. The Wiseman style was different. There was a nod to older comic strips; for instance, when Dennis would have that puff of smoke behind him as he ran. I remember noticing that. And I liked the way that folds were drawn in the clothing, very thin lines then, a very, very thick line. And the lettering would waver from comic book plain style (think arial), to something more fancy (times new roman). This was very much like some of the word balloons in my Dad's Pogo books that I had read and anything that smacked of Pogo was just fine with me!

The DTM comic books were bought at a little drugstore in the Hillcrest Shopping Center in Lawrence, Kansas in 1970-72 with my own money, thank you very much. They always had them, as well as Treasure Chest and sometimes Classics Illustrated comics. Dennis had 2 versions: a 25 cent giant and a higher priced digest sized comic. I would buy them before a family vacation. My family vacations were in the tradition of Jean Shepherd's short story Ollie Hopnoodle's Haven of Bliss; me and my kid sister, sweltering in the back seat of the Chevy Nova in a sea of comic books, toys, stuffed animals, books, coloring books, and drawing paper. My Dad, whistling some tune (something classical) as we drove through the plains and up and down the mountains of America. My Mother was alternately the navigator and kid-wrangler.

Comic books were still new to me then. Do you remember when comic books were new? The idea of a whole book of color cartoons was still a fresh novelty. I had discovered Harvey comics at my gramma's the previous year and liked Hot Stuff -- but the next year I saw that Dennis had a Vacation Special. I can't remember where they were going in the comic book. (Most of my comic books of that time are either long-since tossed out, or maybe they might be in my sister's attic. Penny? Are you reading this? Wanna take a look?) Most of the book involved driving, with Dennis in the back seat. Like me!

I learned about Jewish people via Dennis. In one Christmas Special there was a substitute milkman during the holidays and Dennis rode on the milk truck with him and his son. They explained that they were Jews and the regular milkman wanted Christmas off and they, you see, celebrated Hanukkah instead of Christmas, etc. They told Dennis about their religion. It was news to me. What can I say? We lived in a small town!

Most of my memories are kid memories. I was even a little vague on what a cartoonist did at that time. Comics were one of the few things I chose to spend my own money on. Dennis took me away, out of the backseat of the car, and into a very specific world. I remember looking at the chairs, the tables, the silverware, cars, offices; it was all delineated with precision. Wiseman ensured that Dennis lived in a real world with real details. Every book had drawing lessons in it about light and shadow, and point of view.

Let me close by showing these 4 panels. These kind of scenes are particularly challenging since it's all just dialogue with no explicit action. Wiseman keeps the angles changing, shifting from one side of the table and then the other. And then opts for a silhouette, and, finally, a low-to-the-ground Dennis-size-view for the final panel. The kid logic of Dennis once again visually overpowering Alice and Henry. Love those puffs of smoke as he eats his banana.

-- Mike Lynch
Hey Kids, Comics!
Mike Lynch Cartoons
Berndt Toast Gang


Al Wiseman Appreciations:
Bill Wray
Joe Staton
Terry Austin
Jim Salicrup
Mike Lynch

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.

Al Meets Dennis the Menace! (Part 3)

Although you probably already know, this story was originally published in Dennis the Menace #30 (September, 1958). Be sure to check here for part one and here for part two.

But now, for the pulse-pounding, spine-tingling conclusion to the greatest team-up in the history of the funnybook, look no further:


Whew! What a nail-biter, no? Looks like young Dennis emerged victorious in the legendary battle of Mitchell vs. Wiseman! But wait- Al & Fred also won because Dennis gave them the idea to create a character called "Dennis the Menace". And as history tells us, "Dennis the Menace" was a colossal hit that made both men into multi-millionaires many times over!

Um... didn't it?



"Al Meets Dennis the Menace!" posts:
Part 1
Part 2
Part 3
Part 4

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 (but not Al Wiseman or Fred Toole) are ©Hank Ketcham Enterprises, Inc.