Dell Four Color #631- Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter (2026 Comic Book & Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

From December, 1954 to February, 1955, ABC aired 3 one-hour mini movies starring Fess Parker as legendary frontiersman, Davy Crockett. The programming was part of a deal with the television network to produce weekly family entertainment in return for funding for Walt Disney to build his dream theme park: Disneyland. This deal also acted as a weekly advertisement in which Disney would provide updates on the park's construction.

The trio of Davy Crockett episodes were produced to highlight Disneyland's Frontierland, the park's tribute to explorers and cowboys. The three parts were titled 'Davy Crockett, Indian Fighter', 'Davy Crockett Goes to Congress' and 'Davy Crockett at the Alamo'. These films ended up becoming a nationwide success and sparked a fad in children wearing coon skin caps as well as boosting interest in Westerns as a growing genre in post-war television and movies. 

Seeing dollar signs, Disney repackaged the 3 episodes into a feature length movie. In May, 1955 Davy Crockett: King of the Wild Frontier hit theaters and was an immediate hit. Grossing over $2 million dollars, that's about $30 million dollars in 2026 dollars. 

Historians know that Davy Crockett met his demise at the infamous battle of the Alamo. (Whether he died heroically in battle or was taken as a prisoner and executed at a later date is a subject for debate that will not be examined here.) After losing his Tennessee  congressional seat, Crockett sought to make a new start in politics further South. Texas was in the middle of a battle for Independence from Mexico and Crockett saw a chance to reap massive political and personal benefits should Texas win the war. He joined the garrison in San Antonio in the winter of 1836 and died a few months later at the regiment's last stand at the Alamo. 

As Fess Parker's character dies at the conclusion of the 3-episode miniseries, you would think that would be the end of Disney and the exploits of Davy Crockett. Never one to let a money making opportunity slip away, Walt Disney decided to produce another set of films based on the historical figure. Only they would be more fiction than fact and they would be set in between Crockett's time as a scout for the United States Army during the Creek Indian Wars and his brief stint in Washington DC. 'Davy Crockett's Keelboat Race' and 'Davy Crockett and the River Pirates' were brilliantly released in the fall of 1955, just in time to make Davy Crockett hats, bubble gum cards and pop-style muskets the most requested toys from American boys AND girls! An estimated $300 million in Christmas sales revolved around Davy Crockett themed merchandise.

The prequel episodes were edited and repackaged as another feature in the summer of 1956. Walt Disney's Davy Crockett and the River Pirates was released in July. It took earned over $2 million in ticket sales. However, by the time the film exited theaters, the fervor over Davy Crockett had become passé and American children moved on to the next fad.

This edition of Dell Four Color was published during the height of Crockett Mania. It adapts the first chapter of the Davy Crockett miniseries seeing Davy and his singing pal George Russel volunteering to join the U.S. Army under the command of General Andrew Jackson. They act as scouts and use their knowledge of animal tracking to procure food for the troops before returning home for the winter to hunt for their families.

Upon their return to the Army, Davy and George learn that Jackson has been transferred to New Orleans to help fortify the important port city against the British. The incompetent Major Norton is now in charge of the Army. His mission is to hunt down the remaining Creek warrior Chief Red Stick in hopes of ending the war. George is taken captive by Red Stick's men prompting Crockett to a tomahawk duel to the death! 

With the exception of 'Davy Crockett Goes to Congress', the other 3 segments of Disney's miniseries were given solo treatment in the Four Color series. Crockett's time in DC was included in the reprint heavy Dell Giant Davy Crockett, King of the Wild Frontier. Dell also produced a holiday special to cash in on the hoopla with Sears promo comic, the Davy Crockett Christmas Book that along with a dozen pages of comics including puzzles and games. 

The comic adventures of Davy Crockett would live on in reprint form through the 1980s in issues of Gold Key's Walt Disney Showcase and Walt Disney Comics Digest.

According to leagueofcomicgeeks.com Chase Craig scripted this issue. John Ushler is attributed by several sources for providing the pencils and inks. The front cover is a photograph image of Fess Parker as Crockett. Additional artwork for the background and the map of the Creek Indian Wars were provided by the staff of the Western Publishing Production Shop.

Completing this review completes Task #1 (Comic from the Golden Age (1938-1955)) of the 2026 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge.

Little Lulu, Vol. 7: Lulu's Umbrella Service

 A recent visit to a rather large area used book store uncovered this treasure. It's always fun to find something that you didn't even know existed. It's even better when you find it for a fantastic price and in excellent condition.

Dark Horse's compendium of the complete run of Dell/ Gold Key Little Lulu comic titles was published in the early 2000s. There are 29 volumes! And just my luck (in terms of trying to get the rest of the series), they've been out of print for quite a while. Believe me; if there were more books available for the price I paid for this one, I would have bought up the whole lot. 

I just wish that these were in color. Instead, these volumes are given the Essential Marvel treatment, being published in black and white to make them more affordable. However, there are at least 3 stories in which having color is vital to being able to understand the action better. I had the same issue with Showcase Presents Green Lantern volumes 1-3 because you have a superhero whose main weakness is the color yellow but you can't tell what is that hue because there's no colors to be seen.

My enjoyment of Little Lulu is a lot like a child and their palette as they mature. As a kid, Lulu and friends just weren't my style. But now as I enter middle age, I appreciate the subtle humor of innocent Lulu Moppet. I cackle at the absurd approach to life Tubby has,  especially when he assumes his role as 'the World's Greatest Detective!' Lulu's fairy tales to Alvin shows childhood naivety mixed with the brilliance of the creative mind. The children in these pages are truthfully how the children I teach and interact with every day: they hear things wrong, they think they are always right and they lack the ability to ask adults for wisdom. Any nuggets of insight are provided by their peers. 

Thank goodness I don't have to teach them!

The genius behind these stories is John Stanley. Another comic creator that it took me decades to appreciate. As a young, YOUNG comic book collector, I tended to favor the artists who used more complex lines and shadows. I went for realism. Yet I find in today's troubled world, simplicity is best. If only I could find more of these editions without having to take out a small loan.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10.

This is Little Lulu by Marge

I've really grown to become a fan of Little Lulu in the past couple of years. I credit A Smithsonian Book of Comic-Book Comics for that. As a kid, I just couldn't appreciate it's brilliance. That's because cartoonist John Stanley knew how to write as kids think and talk. Little Lulu and her pals have brilliant ideas. They just lack years of experience and wisdom for those ideas to always work properly. But when one of those ideas succeeds, it's absolute genius!

This 1956 Dell First Edition book features work from Stanley as well as Little Lulu creator Marjorie 'Marge' Henderson Buell. You can tell which works are the works of whom. Buell's Little Lulu is taller, thinner and has pupils. Marge's strips are also generally one panel jokes and done in pantomimes or minimum dialogue. John Stanley's Little Lulu is shorter, more cartoonish and full of masterful dialogue. Plus her best friend bears the name Tubby instead of Joe.

This book and it's reprinted content was written during a time when cartoonists, especially comic book creators, didn't receive billing for their work. Buell managed to keep credit as Lulu's creator after she gave up illustrating the strip with the birth of her first child, by becoming the franchise's creative consultant. I know for sure that one story is the work of John Stanley thanks to the Smithsonian book. It's a favorite of mine, starring Tubby as his super sleuth alter ego, the Spider, suspecting that the reason Little Lulu's father shaved his mustache is because he's on the run from the police!

The rest of this book is material that I've never encountered before. There's a variety of seasonal stories involving Valentine's Day, Christmas and Halloween. The best story of this bunch involves Lulu hosting a ghost party where everyone dresses as ghosts. One kid mentions that he's not wearing anything under his sheet and that's a plot device that leads to hijinks that made me chuckle so much. I was laughing at such a frequency at this yarn that I peaked my wife's attention by wanting to know what was so darn funny.

Finding this book was an absolute fluke. I was looking through a pile of old Archie digests and this book just happened to be stuck in the middle of the pile. The selling price was a little bit higher than I would normally pay. But I happened to purchase it with trade credit. One thing is for sure, I want more Little Lulu and Tubby adventures. I think I might be searching for a treasury on Amazon in the very near future. Getting a complete run of these works might complete with my search for Carl Barks, Don Rosa and Will Eisner omnibuses.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

The True Story of Smokey Bear (2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge)

Mandela Effect Quiz Time- How many of you thought the name was Smokey THE Bear? C'mon, lets see those hands!

Nope- It's Smokey Bear. Don't feel bad. I thought the same thing too. 

Now here's another Mandela Effect Quiz question- Smokey Bear the cartoon character was inspired by a cub found after a forest fire? If you raised your hands in agreement with this one, you are wrong again. But this time, don't blame a time traveler going back in time and screwing around with the time line. Blame the U.S. Forestry Service and a promotional comic book from 1959!

The character of Smokey Bear first appeared in ads in 1944. His first slogan was 'Smokey Says- Care Will Prevent 9 Out of 10 Forest Fires.' Three years later, Smokey came up with his now ubiquitous saying of 'Only YOU Can Prevent Forest Fires.' So where did the living symbol Smokey Bear originate from?

In 1950, a 17,000 acre fire swept through Capitan Mountains of New Mexico. A group of National Guardsmen were working in one particularly fierce hot spot when winds began to overtake the men. The soldiers found a rocky outcrop and safely rode out the fire. Afterwards, the men noticed a scene of total devastation. Animals and fauna were burnt beyond recognition. The only exception was that of a small cub clinging to the trunk of a partially destroyed tree.

The cub's hands and feet were badly singed. But he was alive. The guardsmen took the little guy to the nearest ranger station where a veterinarian was able to nurse the cub back to health. Originally the bear was named Hotfoot Teddy. He was renamed Smokey shortly after. 

As the cub regained his health, national news services picked up the story. Sensing a potential marketing windfall, the US Forestry Service adopted the cub as their real life Smokey Bear mascot. Little Smokey was sent on a PR tour all across the United States. People would flock to state fairs, festivals and local national parks for a chance to see the real life mascot. 

When Smokey got too big to tour, a special pen was set up at the National Zoo in Washington. Fan mail began pouring in to Smokey and his wife Goldie Bear to the point that the postal service had to create a new zip code just for them! 20252 is still used to this day. Those eager to learn about fire safety and prevention can still write to that address for free information. Though a lot of that stuff can now be found online.

So why do some of us think that the cartoon Smokey originated from a little New Mexican bear? In 1959 the Forest Service teamed with Dell Comics to produce a 16 page promotional comic titled 'The True Story of Smokey Bear.' To offset some of the cost, Dell released a 10cent comic called Smokey Bear: His Life Story (Four Color #962); which was filled with his biography, fictional adventures and fire prevention tips. The promo comic reprinted the biography from that issue and was given away to children for decades.

The True Story of Smokey Bear has been reprinted at least 7 times, including a Spanish edition. The last official printing of the comic appears to be from 1991. In the book, it's proclaimed that the Forest Services were inspired to create an ad based on the cub to warn against wild fires. Yes, for time, a realistic rendering of the cub was used in advertisements. However, Dell twisted the facts a bit to say that the cartoon bear we all know and obey evolved from that fire in 1950. 

Saying that you named a bear after a cartoon probably doesn't make for a good story. You might excuse Dell for using a little creative license. However, the legend of Smokey Bear, which was presented in comic book form for nearly 40 years, has now become the reality with TV shows, including History Channel's Pawn Stars going so far to state the the promotional icon got it's origin from a little bear that survived incredible odds.

Now you know the truth about Smokey. My apologies if I ruined childhood history. 

Smokey Bear passed away after a long life and legacy in November, 1976.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.

Completing this review completes Task #27 (About Nature) of the 2022 Comic Book and Graphic Novel Reading Challenge. 

Dr. Kildare #3

There's just something about the TV comic book adaptations from Gold Key and Dell. They're a little bit dated and yet I find them to be classic, wholesome, fun reads. Even though I might not have ever seen the TV series the book was based on, if I can find one for a good deal, I'm gonna get it. 

All of that is exactly the case for how I ended up with today's book: Dr. Kildare #3. I've never seen the show. My mom might have been a fan; I just don't rightly recall. I know star Richard Chamberlain right well from his starring in miniseries like Shogun and The Thornbirds. Yet upon a recent trip to a used bookstore, I found a copy of Dell's adaption of the young surgeon who often finds love with his patients or their loved ones, for less than $2! And since I had trade credit, I just couldn't pass it up. 

This issue is from 1962, during a time where America is riding a high wave of positivism. The Kennedy Camelot is in full swing. Vietnam is a distant blip down the road. And though dark days are ahead, an economic boom is making Americans feel euphoric and invulnerable right now. But that's not the case for Dr. James Kildare.

A shortage of doctors has Kildare working double shifts. Managing a few hours of sleep, the young surgeon is called back into the hospital to care for a young woman injured in a gruesome car wreck. The surgery is intense. But it's the drama outside the operating room that is boiling over. 

The girl's father doesn't approve of her boyfriend, a struggling playwright. Complicating matters is that the patient's injuries aren't properly healing. With Kildare needing to go back in to do some complicated skin grafts, can the doctor also heal the rift between his patient's loved ones?

As a secondary plot, Kildare's mentor, Dr. Gillespie, must amputate the leg of a very young boy. An act which really rattles the elder physician and Kildare uses as a learning opportunity.

Having watched the TV show Emergency! a ton of times with my wife, I am not very surprised at how technical the medical dramas of the 60s and 70s were. But I am surprised how detailed a 1962 comic book aimed at young readers was. In the first 1-2 pages, Kildare works on a gunshot patient. That in itself probably isn't too controversial for the time period. But the GSW was a head wound with a very gruesome wound. Even more surprising is that this book doesn't have a Comics Codes label on the cover!

Adding to the medical jargon that fills this story are 3 educational one-page comics that fill the inside covers and the back outside cover. Two of them are about doctors and their influence in military history and aviation lore. The third strip is about how researchers develop vaccines. The story is basically about Dr. Jonas Salk and one of the sketches is clearly that of the polio vaccine developer. But I'm stumped as to why they don't acknowledge Salk and his achievement in that segment...

The artwork was a pretty good representation of star Richard Chamberlain. Unlike with my experience with the Car 54... Where Are You? comics, it doesn't appear that the artist kept reusing the same 5 or 6 head sketches of each main character. But I am sure I'd need to see other issues of the series to know that for sure. 

As for the appearances of other characters in this book, I have no idea if they look like the actors they're meant to resemble or not. I'm just not that familar with them or the show. I do wish that whoever colored this book would have got Kildare's hair color right. He was not a man with raven colored locks.

I also thought that the plot was a bit too full. Dell was guilty of this a lot. They'd build up this really engaging story that was complex and rather intelligent. Then- BAM! They'd run out of pages and everything is sloppily wrapped up in 2 pages. We don't really find out what happened to the kid amputee and that might be Dr. Kildare in the last panel. It just doesn't look like him and it's not mentioned. 

I tend to be a little kind to these abrupt endings like when I reviewed that batch of John Wayne movie adaptations from Dell. But there's no excuse here. I understand that according to US Postal regulations, the publisher had to include a prose story in order to maintain their first class postage. So no complaints for that. But there was a very clunky 4 page story about a pair of doctors operating in the African bush that could have been set aside for a future publication in order to devote a little more time and energy to the main story. 

For the price I paid for a 60 year old comic from a publisher I hold dear in my heart and memories, I don't regret my purchase. It was very entertaining. But it wasn't perfect. You can still like things that have flaws to them. If only the rest of the world could be a lot less like the dad in this book and overlook the blemishes in others.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 7 out of 10 stars.

Car 54 Where Are You? #6

Almost exactly one year ago I wrote up a top 10 list. It was of the 10 comic book series based on TV shows that I wished to own at least 1 book of. It took about 3 months from crafting that wish list that I finally found a copy of this comic I am reviewing today.

I'm in my early 40s. But I can say with certainty that Car 54, Where Are You? is one of my all-time favorite sitcoms. It used to come on Nick at Night back in the 80s or way early 90s and I thought it was such a hoot. It starred New Yorker Joe E. Morris as Officer Gunther Toody and Fred Gwynne (The Munsters) as his partner Muldoon. 

Together, they patrolled the mean streets of New York taking down bad guys, helping old ladies cross the street and more often than not getting the two confused. 

One of my all-time favorite episodes is when the old couple move into a building under the guise of opening a legit business. But in reality, they are thieves who hope to access the vault of the jewelry store on the other side of the wall to their property. But thanks to the help of Toody, Muldoon and the rest of their precinct, the crooks end up going straight thanks to all the business that they're getting. The great end gag was that on the other side of the jewelers, another pair of crooks have 'opened shop' and you know that the process will start all over again.

In this issue, Toody and Muldoon are assigned to fill in for the local truant officer. Meanwhile, a baby-faced bank robber has arrived in New York looking for his next score. But the patrolmen of car 54 mistake the baddie as a kid and they end up chasing the lad back to school!

This book read so very much like an episode of that classic early 60s show. I laughed so many times. And the artwork was very, very good. Quite impressive for the time period when the work was done so fast (and without much research) that you often couldn't tell the difference between Lassie and Timmy. 

The ad on the back cover for a Car 54 board game and a pair of hand puppets was so cool. It was worth a couple of the extra dollars I spent on this book. 

I would have liked more Car 54. No. I am not being ungrateful for owning the one issue. There was a back-up story in this comic but it had nothing to do with the TV show. Instead, it's about this moppet name Marisa and all the mischief she gets her dad into after a recent snowfall. 

Car 54 had an amazing cast of characters. Al Lewis, who would go play Grandpa on The Munsters along with Fred Gwynne. Charlotte Rae who would become Mrs. Garrett on Diff'rent Strokes and The Facts of Life. Plus Nipsy Russell, Ossie Davis and Paul Reed. I had rather that 6 pages of Marisa be changed to a short about one or more of the impressive ensemble.

Man, this was a great read. Brought back a ton of memories. But above all, it provided some laughter and joy during a time in world history where there's very little job to be found.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 9 out of 10 stars.