Love finds Woody Woodpecker: from New Funnies 90, 1944

I'm trying to post as much as I can now. Within weeks, we will be knee-deep in the final artwork for our graphic novel project, and I won't have extra time to spare...

Here is an unexpectedly charming early Woody Woodpecker story by John Stanley. Though the on-screen Woody had, by 1944, received a most attractive make-over by Walter Lantz layout artist Art Heinemann, the comic-book version retained the butt-ugly pre-1944 look.

Someone finally noticed that the funnybook Woody didn't match up with his most current screen version, and fixed the situation. About the only time Woody looked good in his John Stanley-written stories was when Stanley drew them himself. (You'll find some examples of Stanley-drawn Woodys throughout this blog's past posts.)

This story anticipates Stanley's soon-to-happen assignment to do the comic book version of Marge Buell's Little Lulu. Woody and his human girlfriend, Patricia, could be exchanged for Lulu and Tubby without altering much of the story.

Knowing so little of the facts, I still wonder: perhaps this story was a trial balloon for the Lulu series? Could be. It shows Stanley's ability to juggle hard-knocks comedy and a more sensitive emotional approach. The combination works very well.

The little kids in this story look like refugees from contemporary Famous Studios "Noveltoons" cartoons. Since most of New Funnies' content was generated in New York, it's possible that a Famous animator might have moonlighted on this story's artwork.

Woody's closing lines are pure, Grade-A "Tubby talk." Stanley was ready to write Little Lulu--whether he knew it or not!