Here’s a typically funny example I scanned of Barney Google, with header strip Parlor, Bedroom and Sink, which appears to have turned into Bunky eventually, from November 23, 1930 (the depths of the Great Depression) by the great Billy DeBeck. Hard to believe no one is reprinting Barney Google yet… it is truly one of the great strips of the last century. I was thinking I had heard about a reprint project for this a while ago, but if I did, damned if I can find any mention of it now. If there is a strip more deserving of a complete reprinting, I don’t know what it is.
Click the image to view the full strip.
Here are examples of Married Life by Billy DeBeck, courtesy of Barnacle Press.
Here are some assorted strips by Billy DeBeck at Barnacle Press.
Here are some Barney Google/Snuffy Smith strips courtesy of John Adcock at Yesterday’s Papers.
Here’s an old article about Billy DeBeck at The Stripper’s Guide.
Here’s another an old article about Billy DeBeck at The Stripper’s Guide.
Click here to read more about Billy DeBeck at lambiek.net.
Click here to read more about Barney Google at Don Markstein’s Toonopedia.
Click here to read more about Snuffy Smith at Don Markstein’s Toonopedia.
Click here to read more about Bunky at Don Markstein’s Toonopedia.
Here’s a self-portrait of DeBeck (among other cartoonist self-portraits) at entrecomics.com.
Here’s a gallery of fantastic Billy DeBeck sketches at comicartfans.com. Note that there is a lot of other fantastic Billy DeBeck art on that site as well if you do a search for his name (like this one for example… and this one)… for some reason, they unfortunately don’t make it so you can copy and paste a search there.
Here is a bio of Billy DeBeck courtesy of Sekvenskonst
Here is the Wikipedia entry on Billy DeBeck.
Here is Time Magazine’s obituary of Billy DeBeck.
