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Forgotten Comic Strips

@forgottencomics.bsky.social

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A home for newspaper comic strips that have fallen out of memory.

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · Dec 12

I go through a lot of newspaper archives for my job, so I end up reading a lot of funny pages. This is a home for comic strips that have been forgotten, either because they fell out of the public memory, or because they were never that successful to begin with.

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 17m

"Cokey" by Duane Bryers, 1945-1950
May 11th, 1945 as seen in the Austin American

Comic strip "Cokey." Pvt. Cokey stands while talking to someone on the telephone. When a woman offers him a seat, he says he can't, he's "talking to an officer!!"

Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 26m

"Captain Yank" by Frank Tinsley, 1940-1945
January 18th, 1943 as seen in the Daily Times

Serialized adventure comic strip "Captain Yank." American pilot Captain Yank learns of surprise Japanese movement in Siberia. A Russian officer insists that they fly to Chita to speak with intelligence officers, but Captain Yank won't do anything with word from his superiors. Captain Yank, the Sit Around and Wait for Orders hero of World War II!

Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 43m

"The Romance of America" by Larry Redner, 1926-1928
May 12th, 1927 as seen in the Great Falls Leader

Non-fiction comic strip "The Romance of America." A serialized telling of the life of showman P.T. Barnum. Full text: "When Barnum was 12 years old he had acquired in his own right a sheep, a calf and a small sum of money. At about this age he made his first trip to New York, helping a neighbor to take a drove of cattle to market. The trip by stage then took four days, by boat from eight hours to several days, depending on the wind. Barnum's grandfather, Phineas Taylor, was noted as a practical joker. One of his jokes was at the young man's expense. The grandfather had deeded to young P.T. a tract known as 'Ivy Island,' and boast that the boy was the 'richest in town.' Young Barnum's chagrin was heartfelt when at 12 years old he had his first look at 'Ivy Island.' It proved to be merely a bog, full of snakes and hornets. The boy's impression of the ways of the world here probably received a severe jolt. The young man proved a sharp bargainer when clerking in his father's store. (To Be Continued)"

Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 56m

"The Little Possum Gang" by Jack L. Gallagher, 1910-1918
September 13th, 1914 as seen in the St. Louis Globe-Democrat

Sunday comic strip "The Little Possum Gang." Subtitled "Like Cats They Always Come Back." Mistah Dawg, fed up with the possums that hang around his house, sets off a bomb under the platform they're standing on. He thinks he'll finally have some peace and quiet, but the possums end up crashing through his roof.

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Reposted by Forgotten Comic Strips

Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · Feb 26

"Star Trek" by various, 1979-1983
February 23rd, 1980 as seen in the Macon Telegraph

Serialized science fiction comic strip "Star Trek," based on the television show of the same name. Captain Kirk and Mr. Spock as on a river boat with a bearded man and an alien, speeding down an alien river. Kirk wants the boat to go faster, but Spock says it's as fast as it can go, and the Captain should just enjoy the scenery. Kirk says Spock is "as emotionless as Jovian Frost-Moss," which Spock takes as a compliment.

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Reposted by Forgotten Comic Strips

Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · Feb 26

"Twin Earths" by Oskar Lebeck and Alden McWilliams, 1952-1963
November 15th, 1956 as seen in the Carlsbad Current-Argus

Serialized science fiction comic strip "Twin Earths." A scientist shows off pictures of new construction helicopters, which he calls "Sky-Hooks," to two impressed women.

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 1d

"Word-A-Day" by Mickey Bach, 1946-1987
November 18th, 1982 as seen in the Patriot-News

Single panel comic strip "Word-A-Day." The word of the day is "guru." People gather around a desk, complaining that their Wall Street guru told them to dump their stocks, only for the stock value to go up. Caption gives a definition, "In Hinduism, one's personal spiritual adviser or teacher; any leader high regarded by a group of followers; sometimes used derisively."

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 1d

"Friday Foster" by Jim Lawrence and Jorge Longarón, 1970-1974
January 10th, 1971 as seen in the Fresno Bee

Sunday edition of serialized comic strip "Friday Foster." While in Granada, Spain, fashion photographer Shawn North is invited to meet an old friend, retired torero Juan Olvera, being told to come alone. When he gets there, though, Olvera is confused, he thought North had invited him there, not the other way around. Meanwhile, North's assistant, photographer Friday Foster, is dressing in her hotel room when a messanger knocks at the door, who tells her she's invited to meet North and Olvera in the cafe.

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 1d

"Life's Darkest Moment" by H.T. Webster, 1915-1954
June 4th, 1946 as seen in the Omaha World-Herald

Single panel comic strip "Life's Darkest Moment." A boy is embarrassed being made to wear an apron while helping clean the house, "mother's little helper."

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 1d

"Superman" by Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster, 1939-1966
April 21st, 1945 as seen in the Nevada State Journal

Serialized superhero comic strip "Superman," based on the... you know who Superman is. A professor panics when one of his students flips the switch to the professor's atom-smasher while Superman is inside. However, Superman is unharmed, seemingly proving the student's term paper on Superman's invulnerability. The professor is still not convinced, and assumes something is wrong with the atom-smasher.

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 1d

"In Our Office" by Wood Cowan, 1919-1921
October 3rd, 1931* as seen in the Cameron News-Observer

*reprint

Comic strip "In Our Office." Two boys argue over who was the first man, Adam from the Bible or President George Washington. They go to the office secretary and ask her, and she tells them that the first man was found in India. "Well who found him?" one of the boys asks.

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Reposted by Forgotten Comic Strips

Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · Feb 26

"The Story of Martha Wayne" by Wilson Scruggs, 1953-1962
February 19th, 1956 as seen in the Sedalia Democrat

Serialized comic strip "The Story of Martha Wayne." A man sees a doctor and is told he has an incurable disabling disease. Not trusting the doctor, the man asks what his diagnoses would be "if you hadn't just found out I'm marrying Martha Wayne?"

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Reposted by Forgotten Comic Strips

Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · Feb 26

"Ozark Ike" by Ray Gotto, 1945-1958
April 1st, 1952 as seen in the Wilmington News-Journal

Serialized baseball comic strip "Ozark Ike," incorrectly credited here to "Ray Grotto" instead of "Ray Gotto." After two strikes, a baseball player quits the team, saying he wants to play somewhere where he can see the pitches. Angry, the couch sends out the titular Ozark Ike as the man's replacement at bat.

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 2d

"Dr. Guy Bennett" by "Dr. B.C. Douglas"* and Frank Thorne, 1957-1963
May 14th, 1962 as seen in the Post-Crescent

*pseudonym for Dr. Michael Anthony Petti

Serialized medical comic strip "Dr. Guy Bennett." Dr. Guy Bennett has been kidnapped by gangsters to treat a gunshot wound. In the other room, the criminals try to decide what they're going to do with him. The strip's gimmick was that it was written by a real doctor to give it authenticity to its medical information.

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 2d

"Jungo" by John Duncan, 1954-1955
October 3rd, 1954 as seen in the Cleveland Plain Dealer

Sunday edition of comic strip "Jungo." Jungo the ape gets excited when a man comes by to put up wallpaper. After seeing how excited Jungo gets at the activity, the people he stays with agrees to let the ape wallpaper his own room. When they go up to see how he's done, they discover he didn't take any of his framed pictures down, wallpapering over them instead.

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 2d

"Buck O'Rue" by Dick Huemer and Paul Murry, 1951-1952
October 15th, 1951 as seen in the Cleveland Press

Serialized Western comic strip "Buck O'Rue." Hero cowboy Buck O'Rue holds up some outlaws at gunpoint in a saloon. A shady character named Skullface Skelly starts to explain that right now, Buck is in Mesa Trubil, a territory the United States government refused to accept into the union following the Civil War, making this technically not American soil. When Skullface asks for a passport, Buck shows him his gun and says, "This heah is th' on'y passport ah needs!" Which is about the most American response ever.

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 2d

"Adventures of Little Rodney" by Jimmy Caborn, 1937-1955
November 12th, 1939 as seen in the Cleveland Plain Dealer

Single panel comic strip "Adventures of Little Rodney." Rodney has the measles and has to quarantine, but assumes it'll be alright as long as he wears a big sign saying "MEASLES" around his neck.

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 2d

"Aladdin McFadden" by Jim Lavery, 1937-1937
July 19th, 1937 as seen in the Richmond News Leader

Comic strip "Aladdin McFadden." A woman shows Aladdin McFadden some photos taken of her, complaining that they don't do her justice. In a nearby barn, a parrot says how she doesn't need justice, she needs mercy. Upset, the woman assumes is was Aladdin's sidekick, Squeaky Shannon, who said that, so she throws a bucket at him. This comic only ran for five weeks.

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Reposted by Forgotten Comic Strips

Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · Feb 26

"Don Winslow, U.S.N." by Lt. Comdr. Frank Victor Martinek, U.S.N.R, 1934-1955
September 24th, 1935 as seen in the Commercial Appeal

Serialized navy comic strip "Don Winslow, U.S.N." Also known as "Don Winslow of the Navy." A Navy sailor searches for a friend who has gone overboard, but he appears to have drowned. Thinking that impossible, the sailor begins to wonder if foul play is involved.

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Reposted by Forgotten Comic Strips

Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · Jan 1

"Flapper Filosofy" by Faith Burrows, 1929-1935
January 24th, 1929 as seen in the Asheville Citizen-Times

Single panel comic strip "Flapper Filosofy." A flapper looks into her handbag. Text below reads: "Every cloud has a silver lining but you can't get much for it at a pawn shop."

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 2d

"Motley's Crew" by Ben Templeton, 1976-2000
October 18th, 1997 as seen in the Daily News

Comic strip "Motley's Crew." Two construction workers comment on a chef's hat and how it keeps the hair out of their food. They debate on if the presence of hair would make the food better or worse.

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 3d

"Boggle" by Mike Poore, 1989-1991
January 5th, 1991 as seen in the Troy Daily News

Comic strip "Boggle." At the Flat Earth Institute for Advanced Scientific Research, two scientists are hard at work. One asks the other to drink something and see if it'll make him barf, and the second scientist agrees enthusiastically.

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 3d

"Colonel Potterby & the Duchess" by Chic Young, 1934-1963
September 7th, 1952 as seen in the Tampa Tribune

Sunday comic strip "Colonel Potterby and the Duchess," a topper strip for Chic Young's "Blondie." Colonel Potterby buys perfume for the Duchess, but she finds the scent so bad that she starts using the perfume as bug spray, then sprays the Colonel. He returns to the store to complain.

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 3d

"Miss Information" by Hy Gage, 1924-1930
February 11th, 1929 as seen in the Long Beach Sun

Single panel comic strip "Miss Information." A man approaches the information desk. "They didn't ask me to sing at the store concert!" The woman at the desk, doing her makeup, replies, "Why don't you get even with them by singing anyway?"

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Forgotten Comic Strips @forgottencomics.bsky.social · 3d

"Those Folks" by Ken Kling, 1922-1923
March 26th, 1922 as seen in the Sunday Gazette

Sunday comic strip "Those Folks." Subtitled "Pa Never Gets Away with Anything but a Black Eye." A woman thinks they've been ripped off by the butcher, getting a chicken that's all skin and bones, so she sends her husband out to give the butcher a talking to. Realizing this is the first time he's been out of the house alone in months, the man reconnects with old friends and spends the evening playing poker, winning a lot of money. He comes back home and tells his wife how he tore into the butcher, only to learn that the butcher actually came to the house, having never crossed paths with the husband. The wife chases her lying husband up the stairs with a club.

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