082826

kraken's arms

embrace the carrier

starved crew think sushi!

082726

“shaving brushes”<br>

scuttle into the bush<br>

rows of eyes

082626

no FTL<br>

colonies out to <br>

the Oort

082526

humans begging <br>

in front of the hotel <br>

Earth simmers

Review of The Complete Syndicated Comic Strips volume eight

Walt Kelly, October 2022, Hijinx from the Horn of Plenty, The Complete Syndicated Comic Strips, Volume 8, Fantagraphics. A large format hardback, part of a planned 12-volume series. Color slipcover and Sunday comics reproduced in color. Edited by Mark Evanier. Forward by Lucy Caswell. <br><br>

This book contains the first of two sets of bunny rabbit strips. These were strips that were created as alternates for some with possibly too much political content for some editors or readers to stomach. The next set of bunny rabbit strips will be reprinted in volume nine.<br><br>

This volume begins with the daily strip for January 1st, 1963 and the last daily strip included is that for December 31st 1964. The color Sunday funnies begin with January 6th 1963, and end with December 27th 1964. Our story begins with secrets, secrets that are so secret, nobody knows them. Then, this problem is transformed to a reading contest, and then a seeing contest, between Albert and Pogo. <br><br>

The bats absent-mindedly eat up all their poker chips and decide that the best way to get replacements is to secede, declare war, and surrender so that they can get reparations. Sounds like a plan! Now that they have their own three-person country, they have to defend its borders. <br><br>

Kelly always made a lot of puns in Pogo, but I think the strips in this book have even more than usual. There is one sequence in which the mouse and two worms make pun after pun for days on end. <br><br>

This is followed by an interplanetary beauty contest, which ends with cheaters being run out of town. At least it didn't start a war, like the mythological beauty contest did in ancient Greece and Troy. The beauty contest was mythological, but the war was real. <br><br>

After that is the famous visit of the two-headed dog, and weeks of media mockery as a result. Kelly considered himself a newspaper man, and hung out with them in his free time. However, members of the media sometimes act like clowns, and Kelly portrays them that way at great length. He returns to this after quite a few pages of various kinds of nonsense. The swamp people are trying to get Pogo to run for President again, and the intrepid reporters from Newslife come to investigate. They ignore everything that Pogo tries to say, so they don't even know who he is. This happened every 4 years, beginning in 1952. Pogo doesn't want to be President, but plenty of other people do. And lots of people have opinions about who would be the best candidate. Candidates include Snavely the snake and Typo, the reporter from Newslife. The latter is backed by the weighty team of Deacon Mushrat and Molester Mole. PT Bridgeport is late to the polls, and he garners 0 votes. Well, you can't win them all.<br><br>

The Sunday comics are usually completely distinct from the dailies, including different stories that sometimes last for weeks and weeks. Late in 1963 Sundays contained what is at least the third parody of Little Orphan Annie that Kelly drew. And after that, one of several parodies of Chicken Little.<br><br>

This volume also contains a parody of Pogo that Walt Kelly drew for Mad Magazine, and an essay by RC Harvey about the language of Pogo. The essay focuses mainly on the numerous allusions to literature and events of the day, which the average reader might not be savvy to. He follows this up with some of his favorite quotes from this volume, and the book ends with an index.<br><br>

Walt Kelly was a really fast artist and, perhaps because of this, sometimes he forgot something. Like the stripes on Pogo's shirt, or the line on a fishing pole (see page 41). <br><br>

082326

wild strawberries <br>

on the hydroponics deck<br>

less than a handful

082226

electric death<br>

on American streets<br>

ICE mittens

082126

robotic probe<br>

warships materialize <br>

in Terran skies 

082026

in this light<br>

the spreading pool looks black<br>

his blind eyes

081926

humans land<br>

at deserted port<br>

city boots up

081826

broken time<br>

Kansas City Cretaceous<br>

seaway floor

081726

I<br>

hate<br>

that the<br>

time machine<br>

stranded me back here<br>

got no cataract surgery<br>

in the damn 16^th century<br>

medicine is the<br>

pits you catch<br>

something<br>

you're<br>

dead

081626

 

Available speculative poetry books by David C. Kopaska Merkel<br><br>

Contact information: 10055 Goodwood Blvd, Baton Rouge LA 70815, 205-246-9346, jopnquog@gmail.com (PayPal or questions)<br><br>

Available from the author:<br><br>

The Ambassador Takes One For The Team, diminuendo press, 2019, ISBN 978-1-936021-63-5. $13 postpaid<br><br>

Some Disassembly Required, diminuendo press, 2022, ISBN 978-1-936021-67-3. $16 postpaid<br><br>

Unwelcome Guests, Weird House Press, 2024. $22 postpaid.<br><br>

Risk Assessment, Island of Wak Wak Press, 2025. $8 postpaid. (senryu)<br><br>

The Edible Zoo, Hiraeth Press, second edition, 2025. $15 postpaid. (children's poetry)<br><br>

 

Contributors to 133

Some contributors did not receive their copies of the latest issue. If you are one of these people, please email me at jopnquog@gmail.com.

Review of The Pogo Sunday Parade

Walt Kelly, 1959, The Pogo Sunday Parade, Simon & Schuster. Our story opens with an intrepid band of Soviet explorers on the dark side of the Moon. The names have been changed, but you will recognize all of the players.<br><br>

The scene shifts to a battle of wits between two old friends. Who is better than who at what? Staring, screeching, the sky's the limit. If that isn't enough, fisticuffs lead almost inevitably to consumption of laundry and the heavyweight championship of the world. The story goes along and goes along and before you know it bear is on the menu. And then off it!<br><br>

Not one but two octopuses take up residence on pates, and a serious discussion of grammar ensues, at high volume. Sunday page nonsense continues all the way to the end of the book without let up. You have been warned.

Carrier crew on short rations

seaman eyes

the well-fed Captain

tests his knife's edge

Review of The Pogo Poop Book

Walt Kelly, The Pogo Poop Book, Simon and Schuster. In which the origin of the Jack Acid Society, representing all fascists everywhere, is investigated. Most of the denizens of the fortress are played by familiar characters. This tale is followed by a parable about stone-age people, flying dinosaurs, and religion. There is quite a bit of nudity. Next is a rather sobering tale of the Kluck Klams. It does have a hopeful ending, and the coolest pictures of goblins I have ever seen. Of course there's plenty of nonsense verse, a story of magic, mice, and mayhem, and a tragedy about a robot. The familiar story of Chicken Little is recounted, with a twist.

081326

the ship came down fast <br>

I felt the explosion even before <br>

it hit 

Review of Instant Pogo

Walt Kelly, Instant Pogo, Simon and Schuster. The book begins with some strips that were banned from newspapers in Canada and Japan. These strips feature Mr. Pig and Mr. Goat, who somewhat resemble well-known political figures of the day. They intend to invade the USA, but by mistake they end up in the Okefenokee. Their plan is to distribute counterfeit puce trading stamps, which could then be redeemed, crashing the US economy. One thing happens, and then another, and the invaders, the Jack Acid Society, and Wiley Catt, the mi-nute man, all seem to be dealing from the bottom of the same deck. At the end of the banned strips, the Okefenokee Glee and Perloo Union picnic is ruined, medical science provides a cure for a blown nose, and most people live happily ever after. <br><br>

Singing commercials, acting lessons, and other nonsense, originally published in color on Sundays, carry on to the end of the book. Like many Pogo books, this one has two parts. The banned political strips are interesting because of their history, and the rest of the book is just plain funny. 

081126

we<br>

go<br>

off-trail<br>

secluded<br>

I hope to have you<br>

up against a tree so surprised<br>

by your hollow fangs pressing into my carotid