Experience Thanksgiving 1948 in this classic from Al Hartley (Archie's One-Way) and others. Taking the Archie Comics formula and adding a family dynamic, The Kilroys was a sitcom on paper! Published by the basically now unheard of American Comic Group, the Kilroys were made up of Pop, Mom, son Natch, daughter Katie and rounding out the cast was Natch's kooky pal, Solid Jackson.
There are a total of 4 stories in this book. The first story is the only one set during the season of giving. Starting months prior to November, Mr. Kilroy brings home a turkey in hopes of fattening it up in order to save money on Thanksgiving dinner. But as Gertrude grows, the bird becomes a part of the family. Now with Thanksgiving just a couple of days away, who's going to be the one to give Gertrude the ax?
Story #2 is at least set during the winter. So, I felt that after the Turkey, I got to enjoy a lead up to Christmas with this farce involving Natch and Jackson attempting to go ice fishing. Tale #3 sees Mr. Kilroy needing to sell tickets to his lodge's barn dance. In order to meet his quota, Pop tasks his kids with selling his tickets- which they all do. Only, the tickets got sold on credit!
The final story doesn't star the Kilroys. Nor does it feature the art of Hartley. But that last story was also completed by a comic book legend. It's Milt Gross (Milt Gross' New York) and the story features one of his most beloved creations, the madcap Count Screwloose. In this story, the Count attends a fancy soiree as the self-appointed entertainment of the night. This yarn has typical Milt Gross screwiness and to a point that was fine. But the story felt like something was missing because at one point, the cops arrived and then they disappeared without any explanation. It's almost like 2 stories got mended together but in the process some of the plot gets jumbled.
The copy of this issue I bought was only a couple of dollars. As a result, this book, which is right around 75 years old, is fragile. The cover, which had a coupon on the back removed, was also detached. The center spread page had detached from the staples. And the edges of the rest of the book were really ruffled. Needless to say, this book will be a part of my permanent collection. But this will probably be the only time it ever leaves it's protective cover.
A fun look at post-war America. And pre-code comics! A few laughs and nothing overly cheesy. I did think the trio of one-page prose stories were lame. I understand why they needed to be included- in order to fulfill first class postage requirements. Still, I see them as the biggest thing detracting from the overall quality of this book.
Worth Consuming!
Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.
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