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Interesting Links: February 1st, 2008

Posted on January 31, 2008 by STWALLSKULL

Crumbling Paper: The Katzenjammer Kids in Der Katzenjammer Princes Rescue the Captain (strip #13)

Posted on January 30, 2008 by STWALLSKULL

Here’s a Rudolph Dirks Katzenjammer Kids strip I scanned from May 6th, 1906 (with a delightful header by Sherlocko the Monk cartoonist Gus Mager). Watch as the Kids bravely rescue the Captain from certain doom so they will still have him around to torture.

Please note that this strip contains offensive racial depictions, common to strips of the era. If this sort of thing offends you, you may not want to view it.

Go here to see more Katzenjammer Kids strips on this site.

Click the image to view the full strip.

Here’s what Don Markstein’s Toonopedia has to say about the Katzenjammers.

Click here to go to the Barnacle Press collection of Katzenjammer Kids strips.

Read about the Katzenjammer Kids on Wikipedia.

Click here to the Toonopedia entry on the Katzenjammer Kids.

Click here to read about Rudolph Dirks at lambiek.net.

THE CARTOON CRYPT: Somewhere in Dreamland (1936)

Posted on January 30, 2008 by STWALLSKULL

Another Fleischer cartoon utilizing the rotograph. They use it very well here, having the mundane “real world” scenes take place in 2d, and the 3d scenes in Dreamland. The content seems atypical for a Fleischer cartoon… a sweet & cute little story, entirely free of violence and mayhem. Adult anxieties are present as usual for Fleischer cartoons, though… in this case an apparently single mother trying to support children in total poverty (from 1936, the depths of the Great Depression).

Interesting Links: January 31, 2008

Posted on January 30, 2008 by STWALLSKULL

Interesting Links: Hogan’s Alley Web Extras

Posted on January 29, 2008 by STWALLSKULL

Reader Paul Morris asked in the comments if I had any examples of the Smythes by Rea Irvin (the man who created Eustace Tilley). I don’t. But looking around a bit, Hogan’s Alley has a great selection of them. Apparently these are web extras to the 13th issue of the excellent comics/animation art and history magazine Hogan’s Alley (I don’t have a copy yet, alas), which has a feature on The Smythes.

Lambiek has this on the Smythes.

Here is an interesting article from a 1930 issue of Time Magazine on the strip’s debut.

Looking around the Hogan’s Alley site, they sure have been putting up a lot of great web extras lately… W.O. Wilson’s Madge, the Magicians Daughter is absolutely gorgeous… do yourself a favor and don’t miss that one. There’s a whole lot of other treasure there as well… have fun!

Issue 15 Extras
Issue 14 Extras
Issue 13 Extras
Issue 12 Extras

There’s a lot of other great stuff linked from the Hogan’s Alley homepage as well.

Crumbling Paper: The Katzenjammer Kids Want to Be Sailors (strip #12)

Posted on January 29, 2008 by STWALLSKULL

Here’s a thoroughly crumbled Rudolph Dirks Katzenjammer Kids strip I scanned from August 9th, 1903.

Please note that this strip contains offensive racial depictions… if that sort of thing offends you, you may not want to view it.

Go here to see more Katzenjammer Kids strips on this site.

Click the image to view the full strip.

Here’s what Don Markstein’s Toonopedia has to say about the Katzenjammers.

Click here to go to the Barnacle Press collection of Katzenjammer Kids strips.

Read about the Katzenjammer Kids on Wikipedia.

Click here to the Toonopedia entry on the Katzenjammer Kids.

Click here to read about Rudolph Dirks at lambiek.net.

THE CARTOON CRYPT: Dancing on the Moon (1935)

Posted on January 29, 2008 by STWALLSKULL

Here’s a fun Fleischer Studios cartoon that makes great use of the Max Fleischer invention, the Rotograph… it is an early example of the technique, as the cartoon is from 1935 and the patent wasn’t filed until 1936. The Rotograph was a technique of building a miniature set on a turntable that could be rotated while shooting cels in front of it to make it appear that the 2d drawings were in a 3d space.