Windy and Breezy via Pete Alvarado!

Good afternoon, Kids! So nice to visit with you all again!

“Windy and Breezy” were cartoon characters created by Walter Lantz making their debut in the 1957 cartoon Lantz cartoon, “Fodder and Son.” Here, the pair make their leap into a comic book story curtesy of the smooth work of Pete Alvarado.

Yes, I noticed how the pair compares with Hanna-Barbera’s far-more famous bears, Yogi and Boo-boo. Note: Boo-Boo made his first appearance in a cartoon with Yogi in 1958, whereas the pair Windy and Breezy made their appearance together in 1957.

In this fun story, we see that the relationship between the two pairs of bears was much the same as well (although Windy and Breezy were father and son).

This story comes from Comic Album No. 5 (March-May, 1959). And I almost forgot to mention! That sweet cover was done by John Carey!

Next up, a Woody Woodpecker story from the same issue with more art from John Carey!

I will see you all again very soon. Until then, I hope you are all warm, safe, and happy!

--Your friend, Mykal

THE FLINTSTONES No. 17, March 1964

It’s Yabba Dabba Do time! No. 17's cover was done by Harvey Eisenberg with interior story art by Pete Alvarado.

Pete Alvarado played in the bigs and, in the animation and cartooning league, he batted well above .300 season after season throughout his long and legendary career.

As an animator, Mr. Alvarado worked for Disney (where he recieved two Academy Awards for Best Short Subject), MGM, UPA, DePatie-Freleng, Hanna-Barbera; and many other studios. In concert with his animation work, he began doing comics for Western Publishing in the late 1940s drawing characters from Disney, Warner Bros., Hanna-Barbera, and Walter Lantz studios. Mr. Alvarado passed away in 2003.

For a fine article by writer, Mark Evanier, posted on the occasion of Mr. Alvarado's passing, just click HERE.

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 De Lara, 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.