Hambone
Hi Guys!
Here's a little something from the pages of Ha-Ha Comics number 75 for December-January 1950! You might remember that Ha-Ha was one of the bigger funny animal titles of the 1940s and early 1950s. And why not? They had a solid lineup of memorable characters and the art and stories were generally pretty good.
Today's tale concerns "Hambone," an anthro pig-boy. I'm not sure why his parents named him after a cut of meat, but I'm guessing it's because they couldn't resist the idea of "ham" and "bone" rolled into one. Most of us know what a "ham" is -- basically it's a guy who overacts and behaves in, well, a cartoonish fashion. "Bone" probably comes from "boner." No, wait! That's not what you think it is! Back in 1950, "boner" was common slang for "mistake" or "joke."
Anyhow, our story opens with Hambone in a real fix! He's desperate to pitch at the big baseball game, but unless he brings his grades up, he's gonna have to warm the bench -- at school! Like most kids at one time or another, he looks for the easy way out. Naturally, it backfires! Read on and you'll see what I mean. Oh, and hang your critical thinking hat on that peg over there -- You won't be needing it!
And there you have it! It's another case of "all's well that ends well" in the comics. I'm not going to pick apart all the things that don't make sense here, because I know you don't have the time to wade through all of that! Let's just say that I'm not surprised that they're still trying to teach a sixth-grader how to spell "dog" at this particular school!
OK guys, that's all for now -- See you next time!
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| So... Does that make Ogden Whitney America's finest artist? I guess that's cool... |
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The two artists credited in this comic are Dan Gordon and Ken Hultman. This sure don't look like Dan's work to me. Great find, but what is with the Ogden Whitney reference? Have you been reading (gasp)...Herbie? Say it ain't so!
ReplyDeleteHultman's stuff stands out to me and I'm not seeing it here. I don't know Gordon well enough yet, but if you say it's not his work, then I believe it. Hambone was not a center-stage character for Ha-Ha and I think some of these compilers just automatically assume that the lead artists did everything.
DeleteIf you look closely, you will see Ogden's signature on the front cover of that "Operation Peril" comic. Whitney seems to have done a lot of ACG's "realistic" stuff, notably Adventures into the Unknown and, as you say, Herbie. I have never read a Herbie, I am proud to say!
Ogden seems to have done a lot of that type of action pictures - https://dyn2.heritagestatic.com/lf?set=path[1/4/2/3/7/14237495],sizedata[850x600]&call=url[file:product.chain] Ron Goulart in his history of comics puts in some of Ogden's work that is just awesome. I am just saying this does not look like Gordon, it lacks the rubber faced humor that was his trademark.
DeleteAnd you really should read a few Herbies, then you will know where the paths of glory can lead to!
Ogden could definitely draw. I think he's one of the best, but to call his work "America's finest art" struck me as a bit hyperbolic... My only real complaint about him is that his figures lack the punch that one expects from comics -- It's like seeing newspaper fashion illustrations trying to act out a story. As for Herbie, I feel about him the way you do about veggie burgers -- just... why??
DeleteHerbie transcends us all - https://herbiepopnecker.com/stories/fc31
DeleteOh, and I think the cover is by Gordon. That is all.
ReplyDeleteCool -- They style is definitely distinctive. He seems to have done a lot of those covers, based on my personal experience.
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