A universal shorthand technique in creating a female counterpart to a male character - in animation and in comics - is to give that counterpart a HAIR BOW... usually pink!
But, how would that play out in real life? Well, Cici's here to show you!
...And doesn't she look CUTE? With or without the bow!
From the pages of BLONDIE #32 (Harvey Comics, Cover Date (July, 1951), we find this interesting promotion for Wheaties breakfast cereal...
Harvey Eisenberg also did the interior for "Mickey Mouse and the Stagecoach Bandits", so there are lots of unexpected pleasures to be found among these little gems.
And there were FOUR SETS of these (with eight mini-comics per set) released between 1950 and 1951. A worthy pursuit for any Disney comics completist!
EXTRA ADDED ILLUSTRATION:
In my response to our great friend Sergio's comments, I added the following illustration! ...To see why, go to the Comments Section and and soak-up some '60's cereal pop (...with no "snap" or "crackle") culture!
Happy New Year 2025!
...Or should I, as that famous TV game show goes, phrase it in the form of a question?
...Happy New Year 2025?
As far as my answer goes... I DUNNO!
I see some very bad things (or, at the very least, norm-shattering, chaotic things) ahead for 2025 for both our country and the world as a whole! Most of you can probably guess what, as I nonchalantly sidestep the specifics of a topic that is out-of-bounds at this humble Blog.
Of course, I'm referring to the sudden and unexpected cancelation of THE BATMAN & SCOOBY-DOO MYSTERIES...
On the other hand, looking inward (as opposed to the increasingly ominous view "outside", with no more BATMAN & SCOOBY-DOO MYSTERIES to enjoy every month), things are looking very bright - and that's where I will tend to keep my attentions focused!
Like HERE!
C'mon, sing it with me... "Who's the leader of the club that's made for you and me? M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E!"
Yes, MICKEY MOUSE... M-I-C-K-E-Y M-O-U-S-E! I daresay the most oft spelled character name in animation and comics history! ...Agreed? ...Sure!
Then how do you explain the cover of MICKEY MOUSE #159 (Gold Key Comics, Cover Date: October, 1975) and its unforgivably-flawed story-describing caption?
"MICKY explores an undersea pirate stronghold..."
Well, I'm not quite sure who "MICKY" is, but I hope "MICKEY", along with GOOFY, is close behind to rescue him if needed! Who knows, they might have to rescue "GOFY" as well!
A most uncharacteristic front-cover-faux-pas from a publisher not known for making "Charlton-esque" errors!
I can't just let Gold Key sit out there with such a blunder to its credit, so let's find reasons to get it off the hook...
Being underwater, the "E" that should have been in "MICKY" dissolved in the salty brine, or imploded from the intense undersea pressure? Maybe it even drowned!
Perhaps the caption was the work of a German-born copy-writer, from where they spell the character's name as "MICKY MAUS"?
It would seem that, as far back as 1975, these evil expeditors of exposition were plotting their eventual all out assault on Mouseton and our hero - and the unthinkable misspelling of his name on a cover was but a test run for something big that finally broke in WALT DISNEY'S COMICS AND STORIES #733 (IDW, Cover Date: July 2016)!
Since 1975, the captions were dormant "Sleeper Agents" just waiting for the right time to strike... and when CAPTIONS are "Sleeper Agents", they are literally LETTERED... "ZZZZZ!"
It's been too long since we showcased any artwork from our great friend Debbie Anne Perry and, with (one very specific version of) Mickey Mouse in the public domain, Deb has delivered her unique commentary on the subject - along with her wonderful characters FLUFFY AND MERVIN!
...Or a PILOT...
...Or a TIME TRAVELER...
...Or becomes an UNDERWATER EXPLORER...
...Or even a (sorta sloppy) LUMBERJACK!
But, especially when he meets THIS GUY!
...Um, "SteamBLOT Willie", anyone?
Until then, Fluffy and Mervin can probably put him to good use...
A short while ago, I received my contributor's copy of THIS MAGNIFICENT BOOK from Fantagraphics... and is it ever amazing!
At a whopping 256 pages and a size of approximately 13.5" by 10", its prodigious production values, combined with its super-size, make a fitting tribute for Disney's 100 Years Celebration!
It is a Target Stores exclusive, so you'll have to get it there rather than your usual sources of such books, but, having now held it in my hot little hands... YES!
...And a Casty Mickey Mouse story that features another of Casty's recurring characters that has yet to be seen in the United States - enthusiastic oceanographer Estrella Marina!
I did the Translation and Dialogue (for whatever that's worth) in support of a great story - and what may very well be Casty's BEST ART! Certainly the best I've ever seen! Some of it is actually breathtaking!
Aw, heck... THE WHOLE BOOK is breathtaking so, as unthinkable as it might be, I'm going to close by saying... stop reading my Blog - and start reading this book!
...You can always come back to the Blog later. Promise I'll be here!
Oh, and when you DO come back, take a peek at the Chip 'n' Dale post I put up this morning... which has become overshadowed by this BIG BREAKING NEWS!
One of the most fascinating aspects of the creatively fertile period of the mid-1960s for American Disney comics was - and continues to be - the three "subset" issues of Gold Key's MICKEY MOUSE title (issues 107-109) dubbed "Mickey Mouse Super Secret Agent"!
Covers and first page scans below...
The Gold Key/Whitman logo for Super Goof, remained fairly consistent over the 19 years and #74-issue run of the title.
...And it's peculiar attempt to simulate the SUPERMAN logo (in "Goofy-style"?).
