Handy Pandy
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| "Handy Pandy" |
Hi Guys!
Today I've got something for you from the Shameless Ripoff Department! It's called "Handy Pandy" and you can find it in the ninth issue of All-Humor Comics for Spring 1948!
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| Because shooting at people is *always* funny! |
All-Humor was a typical mishmash of stories featuring different characters, both human and funny animal. The title itself was published by Quality Comics beginning in 1946. For the most part, the art is pretty good, even above-average. I don't have any complaints about the writing either.
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| Andy Panda |
What gets me is that nobody at Quality had any problems with swiping Walter Lantz's 'toon character, Andy Panda, and grafting him into All-Humor's motley lineup! That's Andy above, properly credited on the cover of a 1970s Whitman Gold Key Comic. As you can see, Andy was popular for decades after he was created in 1939!
Admittedly, All-Humor's character design is a little different -- in today's offering it appears that "Andy" has aged about 40 years and has gained some weight. But he's wearing the same red getup and, well, he's a panda. I mean, how many anthro pandas are out there, anyway?
OK, enough talk; take a look and see what you think:
Copyright shenanigans aside, this is a decent story. It holds your attention and some of the "safe" puns are pretty good. Handy's steam-powered solution to Mr. Gotrocks's problem is perfectly idiotic, which means that's it's kinda funny. And the crime doesn't pay moral is icing on the cake. My conclusion? I'm OK with Handy Pandy; I just wish he were some other kind of animal.
That's all for now guys; see you later!
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| More period laughs, coming your way! |
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Hmm... J.L. Gotrocks was a character on The Flintstones animated series -- about 20 years later! More grist for the mill.
ReplyDeleteYes indeed. My grandmother used to refer to people who put on airs of wealth as "Mr. (or Mrs.) Gotrocks." It must have been an expression of the time.
DeleteAnother great find-love the cover even though they're humans!Yes it does look like a rip-off of Andy Panda but the art is decent!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I thought that was a fun cover as well. Handy Pandy is not bad, either for art or for writing. It would have been very easy just to recast him as a giraffe or a skunk or anything else. They could have called him "Handy Andy" and that would have been perfectly fine. But... Andy Panda had the star power and I guess that's what they were after here...
DeleteHandy seems to have drifted off to the boneyard pretty quick. All Humor was acquired by DC when they bought Quality Comics. This is obscure even for an ephemeral artform. The only name I can locate involved with the art is Paul Gustavson, left comics to become a surveyor. Created The Human Bomb and The Angel. Sic Transit Gloria Mundi!
ReplyDelete"The Human Bomb?" Clearly invented in the days before mad jihadis were a Thing... Sounds kinda cool, though.
DeleteThe art in this particular issue of All Humor is, I think, pretty good. I would rank Handy Andy among the lesser offerings, quality-wise, but even so, it's not at all poor.
Panda's are fun to draw, I do one on occasion. It's not the Panda but the name that is a rip-off, I mean, c'mon guys, try, willya? https://youtu.be/1Ut00lXlFPw This commercial is as good as anything I have seen from Walter Lantz, and has Oswald the Lucky Rabbit in it shilling for Autolite. The voices are perfect. I always liked Andy and don't see why he isn't in revival now. Handy Panda isn't cute and is a saggy adult to boot, doomed from the start.
DeleteExactly -- and exactly. Handy Pandy could have been a good character if his name were different and we had no expectations of him. Love the Oswald commercial -- I'd like to see more of that kind of thing!
DeleteAnd I just noticed it's 'Pandy'. Dear lord, insult to injury -
ReplyDeleteIt began in Barrackpore in March of 1857, just before the summer heat of Hindustan arrived. Mangal Pandey, of the 34th Native Infantry, ran amok one evening, high off bhang (marijuana mixed with milk). He tried to raise a religious revolt against the British and attacked his British officers. He was arrested, then hanged. After this event, the term “pandy” was used by the British to describe any mutineer or rebel.
It also means 'To strike on the open palm of the hand with a cane or strap for punishment at school'. This is the comic that keeps on giving!
Ha ha! That's awesome -- I doubt the creator of "Handy Pandy" knew that, btw. But I'd sure like to see what happens when this panda gets high on bhang and Mr. Gotrocks has to hang him.
DeleteHandy is walking around with nitro and nobody thinks this is remarkable. Gotrocks is none too bright his ownself. The art is very good, and once again, I don't know where you find these. I just looked up bhang, it is indeed made with milk sometimes. It makes you high enough to where you try and kill your officers? Pass that stuff over here!
DeleteCannabis and milk sounds like a weird combination, but who am I to say? As for these comics, I got most of them at Fat Jack's Comic Crypt on Sansom Street in Philadelphia. Back in the '90s, when I bought them, they were just a few bucks apiece.
DeleteIt does sound weird, no thank you. http://www.comicrypt.com/ This place looks tickety boo!
Delete