Category: LOONEY TUNES-Related

Anonymous (No Credits Provided]

SUMMARY:

Published by Whitman (Western Publishing Company, Inc.) for February 1980, this issue consists of:

• Klondike Cat (6 pages): Sylvester’s dream puts him in Alaska searching for a rare, exotic Tweety in the Yukon.  An instant feud with his sled dog rapidly turns into a nightmare. 

• The Big Chase (6 pages): Sylvester’s hose prank unleashes a crosstown hot pursuit by the seething bulldog.

• The Ghoul and the Fool (6 pages): Granny’s new air freshener statue is an exact replica of Tweety.  The canary has some fun at Sylvester’s expense when the feline eats the statue by mistake.

• Olympic Chump! (6 pages): As he’s a natural athlete, Sylvester ineptly goes into training to join the upcoming 1980 Olympic Games.

REVIEW:

It’s a given that the humor in these four tales is pretty tame.  Of them, “Olympic Chump!” still offers a few fun gags, as does “The Big Chase.”  To Whitman’s credit (as seen in the cover), this issue’s visuals actually are far closer to the characters’ Looney Tunes look than earlier issues, especially in “The Ghoul and the Fool.”  For the sole purpose of amusing Tweety & Sylvester’s kindergarten-and-under fans, this inoffensive comic is a solid choice.

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

None.  

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                  5½ Stars

Anonymous (No Credits Provided]

SUMMARY:

Published by Whitman (Western Publishing Company, Inc.) for September 1976, this issue consists of:

• Test Flight (6 pages): Inspired by an aviation museum, Sylvester builds his own contraption to fly the unfriendly skies chasing after Tweety.    

• Magic Hat Cat (4 pages): Playing amateur magician, Sylvester tries conning Tweety into playing the ‘pull a bird out of the hat’ trick to impress Granny.

• Fishy Biz (6 pages): As Granny watches a goldfish for a friend, Sylvester bungles an opportunity to go fishing for his catch-of-the-day.

• Wrong Note (6 pages): Tweety’s new dog whistle means that Sylvester fights back with a ‘canary flute.’  

REVIEW:

It’s a given that the humor in these four tales is pretty tame.  Still, “Wrong Note’s” cute premise might have made a decent cartoon.  The same might be said of “Test Flight.”  Essentially, Whitman continues the same cheap artistic style as Gold Key used for earlier issues in this series.  Curiously, the likeness of ‘Granny’ varies (suggesting that “Fishy Biz” might actually be a Gold Key reprint).  For the sole purpose of briefly amusing Tweety & Sylvester’s ‘6-and-under’ fans, this inoffensive comic is a reasonable choice.

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

None.  

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                     5 Stars

Anonymous (No Credits Provided)

SUMMARY:

Published by Whitman (Western Publishing Company, Inc.) for June 1976 consists of:

• The Cat-Bird of Alcatraz (7 pages): Jailbird Sylvester explains how he was corrupted as a hungry kitten and set up by Tweety’s buddies for a long prison sentence. 

• Cat Caper (6 pages): Confusion reigns when Sylvester and the bulldog clash with a burglar.

• The Babbling Birthday Blues (4 pages): A dejected Sylvester goes on a road trip to celebrate his birthday, but the feline’s mishaps lead to a big surprise.

• Hi, Ho Sylvester (6 pages): This Lone Ranger spoof has Sylvester & Tweety as ‘The Strange Loner’ and ‘Pronto,’ with Yosemite Sam among their suspects for a stagecoach robbery.

REVIEW:

It’s a given that the humor in these four tales is super-tame.  Still, “Cat-Bird of Alcatraz’s” cute premise might have made a decent cartoon.  The same might be said of “Hi, Ho Sylvester.”  Essentially, Whitman continues the Gold Key’s cheap artistic style for earlier issues in this series.  For the sole purpose of amusing Tweety & Sylvester’s ‘6-and-under’ fans, this inoffensive comic is a reasonable choice.

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

None.  

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:               5 Stars

Anonymous (No Credits Provided]

SUMMARY:

Published by Gold Key for November 1975, this issue consists of:

• The Winning Number (6 pages): Sylvester dreams that winning the lottery means he can hire a staff to serve up his coveted Tweety sandwich. 

• Be Prepared (6 pages): Saved by a pair of young scouts from his latest predicament, Sylvester realizes that he has to go into serious training to pursue Tweety.  Of course, Tweety makes his own preparations.

• Play Ball! (6 pages): Recruited as a mascot by the St. Louis Canaries baseball team, Tweety is pursued by Sylvester, as the feline tries getting in on the action.

• Bad Tweety (6 pages): Trying to get Tweety into trouble with Granny, Sylvester’s sabotage tactics backfire.

REVIEW:

It’s a given that the humor in these four tales is pretty tame stuff.  Among them, “The Winning Number” comes off the least entertaining.  The cheap artwork is barely sufficient, as the generic likeness of ‘Granny’ just looks crummy.  For the sole purpose of briefly amusing Tweety & Sylvester’s ‘6-and-under’ fans, this inoffensive comic could be a decent choice.

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

None.  

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                      4 Stars

Anonymous (No Credits Provided]

SUMMARY:

Published by Gold Key for June 1976, this issue consists of:

• Tasmanian Goulash (6 pages): Bugs Bunny & Porky Pig scheme to win a $1,000.00 cash prize by entering the Tasmanian Devil in an all-you-can-eat contest.  The gluttonous Devil’s subsequent eating spree causes downtown havoc that Bugs & Porky try to contain.  

• Mind Your Manners (4 pages): Desperate to repay a $1.00 debt to a thug, Yosemite Sam struggles with Daffy Duck’s game re: proper etiquette.  He calls upon Elmer Fudd to formally introduce them.

• A Peachy Idea (4 pages): Foghorn Leghorn & Beaky Buzzard teach Henery Hawk a lesson about elaborate traps.

• Catnap Capers (5 pages): Tweety cons a gullible Sylvester into believing that he is dreaming.  Despite Tweety’s efforts to stop him, Sylvester takes it as creative license to do whatever he wants.

• Extra Long Division (4 pages): Looking to score a starring role in a TV nature documentary, Wile E. Coyote tries showcasing his ‘genius’ intellect.  He unwisely accepts the Road Runner’s (aka Beep Beep) challenge of a difficult math problem.

Note: Despite her appearance on the cover, Petunia Pig isn’t in this comic.

REVIEW:

It’s no surprise that the purported humor in these five tales is pretty weak.  At least, the cheap-looking artwork is sufficient.  Curiously, in “Extra Long Division,” the Road Runner is billed as ‘Beep Beep,’ and he actually talks in friendly conversations with the Coyote.  That element alone confirms that this comic is the equivalent of a kiddie picture book (or an used coloring book).  For the sole purpose of briefly entertaining the ‘6-and-under’ crowd, this inoffensive pap could be a decent choice.

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

None.  

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                              3 Stars

No Credits Provided

SUMMARY:

Published by Gold Key for October 1962, this 80-page magazine-size comic features ten short stories presented as acts for a Looney Tunes variety show hosted by Bugs Bunny.

1. Bugs Bunny: “Showtime.”  Stuck bunny-sitting his three nephews, Bugs has a series of mishaps with Elmer Fudd.
2. Daffy Duck: “The Magic Garbage Can.” Daffy and a duck pal try scamming Elmer Fudd with a garbage can supposedly containing a genie.
3. Pepé Le Pew: “Boat Bungle.”  Mistaken identity has the French skunk as a hired security guard aboard a bayou riverboat targeted by a pirate gang.
4. Beep Beep (Road Runner): “Beepers Weepers.”  The Road Runner and his three relatives trade dinner time double-crosses with Wile E. Coyote.
5. Porky Pig & Cicero Pig: “Gibraltar Jam.”  A grateful young monkey inadvertently involves Porky & his sidekick, Cicero, in a criminal gang’s diamond heist.
6. Henery Hawk: “Helpful Hawking.”  To avoid a spot on Henery Hawk’s dinner menu, Bugs helps the diminutive chicken hawk get some revenge on Foghorn Leghorn.
7. Mary Jane & Sniffles: “The Safe Place.”  The kind little brown mouse helps a young blonde girl, Mary Jane,  magically search for her lost piggy-bank.
8. Tweety & Sylvester: “Watch the Fur Fly.”  Sylvester’s excessive shedding problem is only exacerbated by Tweety.
9. Elmer Fudd: “Bird on the Brain.”  Elmer Fudd needs Bugs Bunny’s help escaping a little blue bird who wants to use his head for a nest.
10.  Speedy Gonzales: “Dinosaur Dinner.” Speedy and a mouse friend contend with a hungry purple dinosaur, who coincidently resembles a bigger version of The Flintstones’ Dino. 

REVIEW:

Anyone will readily deduce the tepid kiddie humor in a Gold Key comic.  This issue doesn’t disappoint in that regard.  As so few of these story premises are even faintly amusing, Gold Key’s super-dull execution makes for a very long slog.  Only the charming Disney-like “Safe Place” is worth spending time on.  What else comes to mind are dubious out-of-character sights: whether it’s Pepé and Porky sporting handguns against baddies in their respective stories, or the Road Runner/Beep Beep and Wile E. Coyote carrying full-on conversations (which just seems wrong).  As Gold Key ineptly demonstrates, Looney Tunes don’t translate to print well without witty dialogue.  Unfortunately, “Safe Place” isn’t enough of a reason to bother with Bugs Bunny Showtime # 86.

ADDITIONAL CONTENT:

Underneath a single illustration, a full-page written story entitled “Piñata Party” tells of a Latino child’s birthday party where a ‘bull’ may be a gift from his father.  Underneath an illustration, Beaky Buzzard’s love life gets a full-page write-up entitled “Beau Bumble.”  The back cover is a full-size Bugs Bunny ‘pin-up’ of the front cover.     

BRIAN’S ODD MOON RATING:                    2½ Stars