Christmas Comic Covers: Dennis vs. Donald's Nephews, Halos For Hoops

Let's kick the month of Christmas off with a holiday-themed comic-book cover showdown between some master mischief-makers. Both Dennis the Menace and Donald Duck (and his nephews) regularly celebrated Christmas in their comic books, so perhaps it was just a matter of time before they ended up sharing a seasonal situation, as in Dennis the Menace Bonus Magazine Christmas Special #87 1970 (drawn perhaps by Ron Ferdinand) Walt Disney's Comics and Stories # 207 October 1957 (drawn by Paul Murry). Rather than call this a swipe, let's assume that it's a case of great minds thinking alike.

Some About Sleeping Beauty

I can't let 2009 draw to a close without posting something about Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty. One of my favorites, this beautiful film celebrates its 50th anniversary this year—that is, the year that's just ending. To celebrate, here's a charming article from the inside cover of the Sleeping Beauty and the Prince comic book issued for the original release of the film. The comic-book story itself is a cut-down version of the story run in the Giant Sleeping Beauty comic released earlier in 1959. The story was drawn by Al Hubbard, as was the front cover. The poster-like back cover is often attributed to Al, but I think it was drawn by Paul Murry. The style is definitely not that of Al's sketchy, illustrative comic art (well-matched to Tom Oreb's angular character designs seen in the film) but rather has the rounded, well-defined "cute" look of Paul's art. Look for more about Sleeping Beauty here at tulgey Wood in 2010.

Hey, Mickey, Come Over For A Party!

Today, November 18, is the date used as the anniversary of Mickey Mouse's introduction to the world, as it was on this day in 1928 Steamboat Willie premiered at the Colony Theatre in New York City. That's a mighty big place for such a little guy to make his debut but as we all know Mickey turned out to be a mighty big Mouse. In celebration of the day, here's a comic book (Mickey Mouse #188) from 1978 featuring a great and oft-reprinted cover (originally from #73, 1960) by Mouse comic-book master Paul Murry. Look closely (next to the unfortunate UPC code) and you'll see the fun "Happy Birthday, Mickey" logo that was created for Mickey's 50th that year. (Click on the comic cover for a larger view.) Happy Birthday to the Mouse who started it all.