Following the custom of the times holman produced a second strip called a topper because it was printed on top of the main strip for sunday featuring spooky, a cat that he had been drawing into his. Smokey stover is an american comic strip written and drawn by cartoonist bill holman from march 10, 1935 until he retired in 19721 and distributed through the. You are bidding on a vintage smokey stover smoke alarm. Oct 27, 2018 alley oop was created in 1932 as a syndicated comic by cartoonist v.
The better little book 1481 from the famous comic strip on. Smokey stover fireday new bill holman comics posted every friday. The birth of smokey stover first puffs 1935 screwball comics. According to various online resources and maurice horns 100 years of american newspaper comics, william holman was born in crawfordsville, indiana in 1903. Smokey stover in stover and clark reynolds, the saga of smokey stovercharleston, sc. Smokey stover by bill holman from 9201936 tabloid size page. Sevenpanel comic strip in which smokey stover goes to the doctor to be cured of sleep walking. Jun 07, 2011 popular mechanics, june 78, ran an article featuring real, project, cars that were built along the lines of the two wheeled fire chiefs car from the old smokey stover comic strip, it had one wheel on each side, not one front, and one in back. Jul 05, 20 holman drew smokey stover from 1935 until 1973, making it the longest running comic strip of the slapstick screwball comedy genre. Hd has a zerotolerance policy against illegal pornography. Elisha terrill stover was born on 9 february 1920 in dallas, tx, the son of james spurgeon and stella terrill stover.
Among his regularly featured madeup words like foo and notary sojac, and inside jokes like 1506 nix nix, stover strips were layered with background jokes and puns about other puns, plastered into the. This is the most famous and appreciated style of the strip, a patchwork quilt of humor and surrealism. Foo fighter was a term that was used to describe the often unexplained red balls of fire sighted by world war ii aircraft pilots. Its not yet the torrent of audacious gags that the tribunenews promised. The cartoon was famous for putting little sight gags and puns in almost every frame, including the words foo, 1506 nix nix and the aforementioned notary sojac. The better little book 1481 from the famous comic strip. Born in crawfordsville, bill holman 19031987 moved to chicago, where he studied at the. He and his boss chief cash u nutt drove to fires in the foo mobile. The new york times has indicated the strip, currently in hibernation, will be revived in january. Also note the pasteover in the second panel of spooky. Smokey stover was probably the most screwball comic strip ever published.
Apparently the comic strip alley oop will not go extinct. Holman came to smokey as a fooly developed cartoonist. Smokey stover was the product of a unique mind, and didnt translate well into other media. Aug, 2017 the passage from jurikas intelligence briefing is from the diary of e. Smokey stover is an american comic strip written and drawn by cartoonist bill holman, from 1935 until he retired in 1973. Alley oop was created in 1932 as a syndicated comic by cartoonist v. It has comic strips from the new york daily news and the chicago tribune. Lt elisha stover flew wildcats off the uss hornet cv8 at midway, and wound up on guadalcanal after hornet was sunk at santa cruz in october 1942.
Smokey stover is an american comic strip written and drawn by cartoonist bill holman from march 10, 1935 until he retired in 1972 and distributed through the chicago tribune. Holman evidently loved firemen, and, after working on several newspapers as a spot cartoonist, managed to sell the concept of smokey stover to the chicago tribune syndicate the big league of any cartoonist of the day. Smokey stover was a 1930s chicago tribune comic strip character whose nonsense word foo evolved into the term foo fighter during world war ii. Note that this 1948 comic s topper on the bottom the spooky strip has the same bam. Smokey stover is an american comic strip written and drawn by cartoonist bill holman from march 10, 1935 until he retired in 1972 and distributed through the. Aug 03, 2012 the high style of smokey stover represents a conscious accumulation of techniques.
Holman drew smokey stover from 1935 until 1973, making it the longest running comic strip of the slapstick screwball comedy genre. Decades before will elder decorated the pages of mad with his chicken fat, bill holman was cramming the panels of his daily newspaper strip smokey stover to bursting with some of the most oddball, screwball and downright loopy drawings ever seen on the newspaper page. It features the misadventures of the titular fireman and had the longest run of any comic strip in the screwball comics genre. Although the early smokey comics lack the density of the later strips, holman is already working to create multitracks of gags. Vintage smokey stover smoke alarm comic strip ebay. I bill holman tilted the art of the comic strip on its axis with his nutty i smokey stover i, a pun filled cartoon commotion which careened out into the public e.
The box does have some tears that have been taped up. Note that this 1948 comics topper on the bottom the spooky strip has the same bam. Holman evidently loved firemen, and, after working on several newspapers as a spot cartoonist, managed to sell the concept of smokey stover to the chicago tribune syndicate the big. I bill holman tilted the art of the comic strip on its axis with his nutty i smokey stover i, a pun filled om heritage auction galleries. Distributed through the chicago tribune, it features the wacky misadventures of the titular fireman, and had the longest run of any comic strip in the screwball comics genre.
Media release hermes press adds to their slate of classic comic strip reprint editions with smokey stover and spooky the cat. Apr 24, 2012 still, overall this comic is sparse and tame, compared to what it would become. The cartoon was famous for putting little sight gags and puns in almost every frame, including the words foo, 1506 nix nix and the aforementioned notary sojac, all of which holman refused to explain. The smokey stover comic strip started running in march 1935 and ended in 1937 when bill retired it. The high style of smokey stover represents a conscious accumulation of techniques. Remembering lieutenant junior grade elisha terrill.
Even in a medium that welcomes masters like george herriman and milt gross, smokey stover is a nonsensical delight. Elisha terrill stover was born on 9 february 1920 in dallas, tx, the son of james spurgeon and stella terrill stover lt elisha stover flew wildcats off the uss hornet cv8 at midway, and wound up on guadalcanal after hornet was sunk at santa cruz in october 1942. Smokey stover was the result beginning on march 10,1935. The comic strips, several of which can be viewed on display in the nappanee center, featured the eponymous character in goofy situations with plenty of puns to boot.
The box and item do show some signs of wear and tear so please see pictures for. Jul 21, 2012 even in a medium that welcomes masters like george herriman and milt gross, smokey stover is a nonsensical delight. Please do not redistribute these images without our permission. I guess i remember it from the early 70s, possibly, late 60s. Remembering lieutenant junior grade elisha terrill smokey. Alley oop comic strip to be revived in january by new. Elisha terrill stover was born on 9 february 1920 in dallas, tx, the son of james spurgeon and stella terrill stover lt elisha stover flew wildcats off the uss hornet cv8 at midway, and wound up on guadalcanal after hornet was sunk at santa cruz in october 1942 in 1943 a documentary was made about the brand newessexclass. Bill holman smokey stover sunday comic strip and spooky. After seeing it in the great comics, book i looked for more smokey strips online and was pleased to find a whole site dedicated to smokey and gang with hundreds of comics. All materials on the are createdcopywrittenprotected by smokey stover llc. About 500 unnumbered pages, comic format with line drawings, also with images in the topright corner that create a movie feature when. A longrunning nonsense and screwball feature, smokey stover started spinning out its weekly string of outrageous gags and puns on march 10. Unfollow smokey stover to stop getting updates on your ebay feed.
When i was a kid it was one of my favorite comic strips, probably because it was so crazy, even a kid could understand it. Bill holman smokey stover sunday comic strip original art chicago tribune, undated. Feb 09, 1997 a longrunning nonsense and screwball feature, smokey stover started spinning out its weekly string of outrageous gags and puns on march 10, 1935, under distribution by the tribunenews syndicate. I took a picture of the strip and quickly posted it to twitter as one does, completely ignoring the obvious title on the left and opining that this was most likely dr. But there were a couple of big little books from whitman in the 1940s, a couple of comic books from dell in the 1950s, and a couple of tv cartoons, back segments in a show headlined by archie, in the 1970s. See more ideas about comics, comic strips and comic books. The back has stamps from the chicago tribune engraving room when they received it to make a printing plate. Aug 14, 2011 funny that you brought up smokey stover. Details about vintage smokey stover smoke alarm comic strip.
Beware, you are proposing to add brand new pages to the wiki along with your edits. Smokey stover was a comic strip created in 1935 by nappanee native bill holman and distributed by the chicago tribune. It was begun in 1935 and distributed by the chicago tribunenew york daily news syndicate. Comic strip and comic book historian extraordinaire jerry robinson described cartoonist bill holman in the pages of the comics as an outrageous punster and wordsmith, and holmans wit is on display in the volume due out in 2012. Spooky cat synopsis when the ball club puts up a fence around the field, smokey buys a woodpecker to drill holes in it so he can watch the game. Find great deals on ebay for smokey stover and bill holman.
The box and item do show some signs of wear and tear so please see pictures for examples of condition. Old comics, marvel comics, vintage ephemera, vintage books, character names, psychobilly, book 1, comic strips, at least. Odd bits of philosophy and a running gag involving ubiquitous signs with strange, incongruous nonsense words and phrasessuch as foo, notary sojac, scram gravy aint wavey and 1506 nix nixwere commonly featured in smokey stover. Five of the panels also contain visual puns that relate to action in the strip. Jocular jargon and peculiar phrases 1946 strip as reprinted in issue 64 of the smokey stover comic book. Smokey stover original sunday strip art, bill holman, april 2 1967.
Bill holman smokey stover sunday comic strip original art. As an adult he moved to new york city, where he submitted cartoons to. It was a sunday feature for most of its run, but for a brief time, starting november 14, 1938, it also appeared daily. This edit will also create new pages on comic vine for. It was full of stupid puns which mainly appeared in pictures on either the wall of smokeys house or. Smokey stover by bill holman from 9201936 tabloid size. In the fifth smokey stover comic to be published, spooky gets his own strip. Holman took madcap comedy, pumped it into a comic strip, smokey stover, and punned his way to everlasting infoomy. By the time he created his classic screwball comic at the age of 31, bill holman had written and drawn his own syndicated comics for eight years.
I bought an old book the other day called, great comics. Aug 18, 2016 smokey, created by cartoonist bill holman, was a fireman and the strip was about his crazy life. Apr 03, 2001 smokey stover was probably the most screwball comic strip ever published. Just foo you, girlies rare early holman comics, including the very first smokey stover and spooky in color paper scans. Seusss aka theodor geisels shortlived newspaper strip, hejji. From the famous comic strip better little books holman, bill on.