Six comic strip stars who lost the spotlight

As I learn more about comic strip history through my work on the U of C's comic art collection, it's interesting to see how many strips evolved over the years - in some instances by casting off their original protagonists in favour of a new one, sometimes with dramatically different results!

Here are six starring characters who found themselves diminished - or outright put out of work.

Barney Google

Began as the star of: Take Barney Google, F'rinstance, 1919, wherein our pint-sized hero debuted as a gambling sportsman; over the years he would acquire his famous horse Spark Plug, appear in animated shorts, become featured in one strangely-preserved song ("Barney Google Foxtrot") and have a search engine named after him.

Supplanted by: Snuffy Smith, a hillbilly who indulges in hillbilly antics; he entered the strip in 1934 and took it over in 1954; you may be surprised to learn this strip is still being published as Barney Google and Snuffy Smith, albeit Google's name is little more than a legacy.

Lesson learned: Horse racing jokes become dated; hillbillies are a bottomless jug of comedy.

Mitzi McCoy

Began as the star of: Mitzi McCoy, 1948, presented there as the glamourous heroine of a soap opera.

Supplanted by: Kevin the Bold, her swashbuckling 15th century ancestor who shamelessly took over the strip in 1950 and held on 'til 1968 (Mitzi is such a minor footnote I had tremendous difficulty finding just one image of her).

Lesson learned: Unless Geena Davis or Roman Polanski are involved, swashbuckling always wins out.

Castor Oyl

Began as the star of: Thimble Theater, 1919, wherein our pint-sized hero headed an ensemble cast in comical variations on melodramatic stories.

Supplanted by: A new ensemble player named Popeye the Sailor, who swaggered his way into the strip in 1929 and within a year made it his own and has remained so featured to this day; although Popeye served as the primary romantic interest of Castor's sister Olive, ensuring Castor would never be forgotten, his presence diminished to the point where Castor is as much a piece of trivia as anything.

Lesson learned: Beware the character whose personality is more outrageous than yours; you yam what you yam and that's that you yam.

Fritzi Ritz

Began as the star of: Fritzi Ritz, 1922, wherein our glamourous protagonist engaged in comedic/romantic escapades much like other lady "flapper" stars of the time (ie, Winnie Winkle, Tillie the Toiler).

Supplanted by: Nancy, her adorable niece who debuted in 1933 and took over by 1938, delegating her aunt to a subservient role as a "mother type." Nancy runs in papers to this day.

Lesson learned: The public's not interested in beautiful, independent women. Cute kids, that'll never get old.

G. Washington Tubbs III

Began as the star of: Washington Tubbs III, 1924, wherein our pint-sized hero went on largely comedic adventures, seeking to find his place in the world through the circus, acting and even soldiering.

Supplanted by: His pal Captain Easy, who helped Tubbs out of one jam during 1929 and - excepting occasional absences - never left. In 1933, Easy took over Tubbs' Sunday pages and by the 1940s, Tubbs had been virtually retired; the strip kept his name, but Captain Easy remained in charge 'til the end in 1988.

Lesson learned: We empathize with your everyman hero who struggles to make a mark in this world, but all told we'd rather be the muscular, no-nonsense tough guy sidekick.

Big Chief Wahoo

Began as the star of: Big Chief Wahoo, 1936, wherein our pint-sized hero with his hilarious mode of speech engaged in comedic escapades while brushing up against paleface society.

Supplanted by: Steve Roper, an adventurous photojournalist who began edging Wahoo out in 1944, then renamed the strip after himself in 1947 and kept it 'til the 2004 finale; along the way, Roper picked up his own subordinate, Mike Nomad, pushing the strip's original star even further into obscurity.

Lesson learned: Stereotyping the indigenous peoples will always be funny, so the lesson must obviously be the fickle public just aren't into pint-sized heroes.

Seven thoughts about Popeye#12

At the launch of Roger Langridge's Popeye comic book for IDW last year, I composed a list of seven thoughts about Popeye#1. With the cancellation of the series as of this month's Popeye#12, I felt it was appropriate to revisit the list format and mark the passing of one truly fun comic book series.

 

Thought#1: Publishing a Popeye comic book series in the 21st century was always Quixotic. If people of my generation just barely remember Popeye as a not-that-great live action film and very-forgettable Saturday morning cartoons, how must generations younger than I feel? Meanwhile, the generation older than me has barely any money left for a $3.99 comic book after purchasing the month's allotment of Muslix. Lasting twelve issues is no small feat, especially considering it was first conceived of as a four-issue limited series.

 

Thought#2: Speaking of the Muslix-munching crowd, this issue guest stars Barney Google; according to the indica, he and Popeye are both owned by King Features Syndicate. I only know of Barney Google through the song written about him (it was in a family songbook - my mother played it a few times). I can't speak as to whether Langridge portrayed Google accurately or respectfully, but it was a little fun to imagine the Popeye cast of characters brushing up against some other comic strip's continuity.

 

Thought#3: Langridge was joined by several artists during his Popeye tenure, beginning with Bruce Ozella in issue #1, who, in my opinion, was the best. It would have been fine to see Ozella on duty for this final story, but instead it's drawn by Langridge himself, who seems to have grown more comfortable with the characters as time has gone on. It's interesting to reflect on the fact Langridge's written-drawn series Snarked also completed on issue#12.

 

Thought#4: The plot concerns Castor Oyl winning Spark Plug the racehorse off Google in a poker game. Determined to win his horse back, Google hires Wimpy to find him a horse to race against Spark Plug; Wimpy being Wimpy, Google winds up with a racing-cow instead. There's also a back-up tale where Swee'pea roughs up a wrestler.

 

Thought#5: It's interesting to note how well Langridge can combine gags and plots; usually, each page starts setting up a gag to be resolved by the end of the page, but at the same time the plot of Google & Castor's rivalry continues. One really feels the economy of entertainment in a Roger Langridge comic book - you get value from every penny of the $3.99 price tag! It's similar to the sort of timing you would expect from a comic strip; perhaps more of today's comic book writers should take a cue from the pace of comic strips.

 

Thought#6: Of all the cast of Popeye characters, Wimpy seemed to be Langridge's favourite and I'll certainly miss the monthly dose of Wimpy jokes I've been favoured with for the past year. Wimpy's characterization - a single-minded individual who can place a square meal over his best friends, yet possesses a peculiar sense of honour despite it all - would be very easy to get wrong, I think. That Wimpy can perform despicable deeds while remaining sympathetic, funny and loveable speaks to Langridge's talent as a writer.

 

Thought#7: Roger Langridge can draw a happy cow like no one's business.

R.I.P., IDW's Popeye.