CHIP -N- DALE No. 24, December 1960

This issue of Chip –n- Dale has a couple of golden age giants keeping good–n-busy into the silver age: Al Hubbard and Jack Bradbury. Tom McKimson was the art director for this title and maintained a very high standard throughout C&D's 30 issue run (McKimson was a key Warner Bros. animator in the 1940s, working on Bob Clampett’s unit). This cover was penciled by Pete Alvarado.

By the time of this issue's publication in 1960, Al Hubbard had been either drawing comics or making cartoons for over twenty years. Suffice to say he had drawn a couple tons of funny animals. Despite this volume, Hubbard was incapable of drawing a panel without energy and variety – nothing ever looked stale. Just look at the catalog of poses and expressions in this next story. I don’t know who did the script, but it’s very funny!

This next story is all Jack Bradbury, his style camouflaged a bit by the Disney cast. It is hard not to gush about Jack Bradbury – so why try? Bradbury is simply one of the finest kids' comic book artists that ever held a pen and brush - his characters so rounded and bouncy. One can just feel the compact density of his little oinkers. This man was born to drawn funny animals.

This last tale is perhaps my favorite of the bunch. Pencils: Pete Alvarado. Inks: Steve Steere.

Steere was one of Western Publishing's premier inkers, doing the inking chores for much work by Harvey Eisenberg, Pete Alvarado, Phil DeLara, Jack Bradbury, and Tony Strobl (to name a few). Get the idea?

This ad is from the same issue and serves as potent verification: Yes. It was a different time.

DENNIS THE MENACE No. 62, Sept. 1962

This post is for Albie’s kids, Gideon and Haddie. Both like sitting with pop in front of the computer, reading Kids’ Comics. Guys, Dennis cracks me up, too, so this one’s for you two!!

Dennis was drawn by many great artists in this title, but talk of “best” always boils down to either Al Wiseman or Owen Fitzgerald (both can make your jaw drop). I am in the Fitzgerald camp (see below). His loosey-goosey figures send me. This is from Dennis the Menace No. 62, September 1962, and the dazzling writing is pure Fred Toole.

“That’s what I call psychology,” says husband, Henry, in this next story, so proud. “That’s what I call fibbing,” says wife, giving her husband a typical “Alice” look. What a mom! What a family.

One wish? Every human in the world could have one childhood memory of a day like the one in the following story. I said it before, and I’ll say it again. What a family.