Thursday, May 6, 2010

In Loving Memory of Miss Mollydog: "A One Man Dog," from Little Lulu one-shot #131, 1947--story and art by John Stanley

A dear canine friend of mine passed away today. Molly was a delightful individual--a kind and quizzical dog who could pull the "soulful eyes" routine at the dinner table with the best of 'em. A cheerful being, Molly made the world brighter, just by being there. No dog was a more accurate catcher of snacks-in-transit than Miss Molly. A thrown tidbit never finished its arc of motion when she was in the room!

My profound condolences to Molly's "person," Paul Tumey. Molly had become a bit gray in the muzzle, but no one was expecting her to pass away anytime soon.

It's to her memory that today's story is dedicated. I didn't have to search far to find a great dog-themed John Stanley story. This early "Little Lulu" piece is also drawn by Stanley. It's only been available, in recent years, in a poorly traced black and white version, via the 1980s Little Lulu Library, and in Dark Horse Comics' pint-sized reprints of those volumes.

The printing on this comic leaves something to be desired--this was obviously an end-of-press-run copy. The metal plates were hammered by the time ink kissed paper and made this particular edition come to life.

But it's the story that counts. I hope this will prove a fitting memorial to one crazy-cool canine. Molly, you'll be missed by many people. Hope Dog Hevvin is exactly the way you like it!

I'm going to forego the typical story dissection today. Just a story--and a tribute.

1 comment:

Myrrpage said...

First Lulu and Tubby, and now dogs. This really is my favorite blog. Sincere condolences to your friend Paul. And thanks for the classic story and art.