Review of Pogo

Walt Kelly, 1951, Pogo, Simon and Schuster. This is the first book of Pogo comics. Before the books, and the newspaper strips, there were Pogo comic books. This first book and the early newspaper strips duplicate a few of the gags from the comic books, although the art is better. I have a few of the comics, but I don't recommend buying them unless you are a completist. As for this book, the cover illustration is kind of odd, because as far as I can recall, Pogo almost never carries an umbrella. Deacon Mushrat does all the time, and other characters do occasionally, but not Pogo.<br><br>

This book features Strawberry Shortcut, the Baton Rouge bombshell, and assorted other denizens of the swamp. Some of them never appear in the strip after the early years, and are only found in this book. For instance, in later books, Albert Alligator has a nephew named Alabaster, who hangs out with the other kids in the strip. In the first book, Alabaster from Alabam is an ice cream vendor who is a large black bird. Many of the regular characters already have their mature forms here. Churchy the turtle has a fatter shell than he does in later books. Howland Owl's wizard hat changes from white with black-outlined symbols in the first part of the book to black with white symbols, which he wears to the very end of the strip.<br><br>

There was little or no political content in the early strips. This book includes Albert starting a newspaper, fostering three newly hatched grackles, and similar activities. The newspaper employs two legmen who don't appear in later books.<br><br>

Howland Owl reads a book on nuclear physics, which he says isn't too new and isn't too clear. He decides to make a nuclear bomb, but Porkypine objects. He says "bombs...is no good. They puts everything too everywhere and in li'l bits too."<br><br>

Various other things happen. Porky meets a French lady skunk named Ma'm'selle Hepzibah, and soon all the guys are crazy about her. Later, Pogo and Albert decide to go west, to Milwaukee, with a cow named Horrors Greeley. Miz Beaver is gravely insulted, and there is a duel to recover her honor, but not the one you might expect.<br><br>

A pup dog is found. Then he disappears. During the search some mysterious strangers show up. There is a trial, and somebody must be guilty! <br><br>

We meet the three bats, and the first few times the third one introduces himself he says he's Bewildered, but soon he becomes Bemildred. They rent Albert's mouth to live in, because when they get there he is asleep with his mouth open. Soon, they join the Boy Bird Watchers so the bird watchers won't watch them. Later, quite a few members of the regular crew almost go on a Vaudeville tour. And the book ends, as many of the later ones do, with Christmas, and with some nonsensical carols.<br><br>

Transfusion

they say 

I look much better 

whatever 

061926

tideless<br>

the moonless sea<br>

draws back from lifeless shore<br>

whence this unprecedented haste<br>

I ask

Review of Pogo's Body Politic

Walt Kelly, 1976, Pogo's Body Politic, Fireside Books and Simon & Schuster. <br><br>

One thing Kelly was known for, as has been remarked on by others, was his lush scenery. The backgrounds of the Pogo strip have probably never been equaled. The weird twisted trees, the birds, and everything about the swamp was simply beautiful.<br><br>

This book begins with Spiro Agnew, looking a lot like a hyena, conversing with a flea. He is reminiscing about his former greatness, such as it was. Bitten a few times by his new acquaintance he is then introduced to a spider. This is a shady fellow who bears a passing resemblance to Nixon, or a teapot. Read on, and the panels about Agnew and J. Edgar Hoover are interleavewd with those containing only the regular swamp characters, as well as some featuring a pig who shows up only every 20 years. But they all make the same point: if things have changed, it has not been for the better. Mostly we are speaking of politics, but really just any aspect of human existence.<br><br>

Moving on, we have secrets that are so secret they are super secrets, jobs that don't involve work, and businesses that don't involve work either. Success is assured! At least if everybody can evade the depredations of the insects.<br><br>

At this point it was time for the 1976 election and people started bustling around pushing candidates, and plotting what to do after the election took place. Women's liberation reared its head, although not by that name, and I have to say that Kelly's attitude towards equal rights was pretty old-fashioned.<br><br>

Sadly, as with my copy of Pogo's Bats and the Belles Free, this book is falling apart. The same is not true about the much larger reprints, that were published about the same time, and by the same publisher. I don't know what happened.<br><br>

Yryreéttettwer

Dreams and Nightmares 133

Contributor and subscriber copies of this issue were just mailed today. There are only two that needed special treatment and are still here. This is the May issue. The next issue is due out in September, and it's not full so send contributions at any time.

Review of Pogo's Bats and the Belles Free

Walt Kelly, 1976, Pogo's Bats and the Belles Free, Fireside Books and Simon and Schuster. I have to say that I am not impressed with the construction of this book. It was one of the last published, until several different companies started doing reprints, and yet the pages are already coming out. It's only 50 years old! Nevertheless, this is the first book, and I think the only one, to reprint these particular strips. So what are you gonna do?<br><br>

The book begins with the three bats, who seem to have great difficulty figuring out which house is actually theirs. Then, the subject of pollution comes up, and it's agreed that human beings are the cause of it and ought to be gotten rid of. On a voluntary basis of course. But then the question is, who is human, who is more human, and who is less human. Many of the swamp's denizens are  eager Wait would you help me get my books in there I'm coming dang it All right it's right here those light blue ones right next to to say they are not very human at all.<br><br>

The three bats are back in the polling game, and give an extensive explanation of just how they go about it. Not a good idea. They persist, nevertheless.<br><br>

Pogo gets jealous, which seems a little out of character. Then Seminole Sam and Wiley Catt decide to kidnap the pup dog, which doesn't seem out of character at all. The controversy about who is human and who is not continues, interspersed with various sidetracks, including quite a bit about the battle of the sexes. Also cannibalism. There doesn't seem to be any controversy about whether humans should be done away with to end pollution. Everyone who isn't human is on board with that! <br><br>

As the book lurches towards its end, Wiley Catt shows up, armed as usual. He invites himself into the government. Nearly everyone wants in except the newly elected president, Pogo and his best friend, Porky.<br><br>

These are some of the last cartoons that Kelly drew. He died young (60), and he had not yet run out of ideas. However, the book does contain quite a few variations on familiar themes. For example, Pogo does try to run away from home again, although the way it plays out is very different this time. I would say that the book is definitely worth reading, but it's more like a comfortable old friend than an exciting new one.<br><br>

Review of The Pogo Party

Walt Kelly, 1956, The Pogo Party, Simon and Schuster. This was the first Pogo book I read, my mother's copy, which I now have. This is an election-themed book, this one about the 1956 presidential election. In I Go Pogo, about the 1952 election, some of the characters had not yet acquired their final physical appearance or personality. By the time this book was published, they all had.<br><br>

I have not mentioned this yet, I believe, but one of the signature aspects of the Pogo strip is the skiffs that the characters are constantly poling about in and fishing from. The skiffs usually have names on them, and these are names of editors or other people that Kelly knew. But the most noteworthy thing about them is that from panel to panel the names frequently change. They're not the only things in the strips that change, but they are the most obvious. The scenery: trees, rocks, tufts of grass, etc., also morph from panel to panel. Another thing that changes is the pants worn by the three bats. They usually wear the same three patterns, but if you look closely every time you see them, every now and then one or more of the patterns will be different from the usual.<br><br>

Anyway, this book begins with various characters asking Pogo if he's going to run for president again. This is something he never actually did in 1952, but most people didn't notice. The Pogo Party features the three bats (Bewitched, Bothered, and Bemildred) in their most prominent role. They begin by deciding to go into politics. All three plan to run for president.<br><br>

Of course a book can't be all politics from end to end. As is often the case, Churchy is revising the calendar, and Grundoon the groundhog child talks to fish.<br><br>

Later on, we almost find out what owl-flavored cake would be like. The consensus is that it wouldn't be good. Next, people try to convince Ma'm'selle Hepzibah that she should marry Pogo and become first lady. Various things happen, mostly silly things, but then the political fervor in the swamp begins to heat up. Howland and Sam determine that Churchy is the most typical of voters, and so they decide to poll his opinions to indicate how Pogo should behave while running. <br><br>

A reporter and photographer are sent by Newslife magazine to the swamp to interview Pogo. They arrive burdened with false information and leave with even less. These two show up in one of the other books, there representing the magazine Dogs Life. They behave in just the same way and are burdened with the same kinds of misinformation. <br><br>

All the foofaraw about Pogo running for president and marrying Hepzibah finally pushes the two of them, as well as Porkypine, to run off in disguise.