Review of G. O. Fizzickle Pogo

Walt Kelly, 1957, G. O. Fizzickle Pogo. I am reviewing every Pogo book (yes, I have them all), but not in chronological order. This is because they are not on my shelf in order. This one is all about the Okefenokee crowd's take on the geophysical year. The geophysical year was 18 months long, so the book begins with a discussion about whether every month should be half as long as in a normal year or whether we need six new months to fill it out. Names are suggested for the new months, such as Septemberry (yum!). The expedition to measure the world runs into trouble a few minutes after it sets out, when Captain Owl accidentally sinks the boat. Subsequently, a flea claims that a dog is man's best friend, if that man is a flea: "Yum"! A short time later, Howland Owl develops a plan to occupy the moon before the Russians can get there. The flea will go up on a rocket, tied to a thread, which is tied to a string, which is tied to a rope. Then, Albert Alligator climbs up hand over hand. Well, this ends up not working out too well, but in the process much has been learned about algebra and movie stars After this, the book quickly descends into chaos, from arming butterflies to replacing the Suez Canal with a homegrown job. In the process it is learned that there is always somebody stupider. A struggle for mastery of the new canal ends as one might expect. Unlike some Pogo books, the humor in G. O. Fizzickle Pogo does not require knowledge of the politics of the day. An appreciation of slapstick and silliness is all you need. I found good copies available online for about 10 bucks.