Scribbly the Boy Cartoonist is a comic book character created in 1936 by
Sheldon Mayer
Sheldon Mayer (; April 1, 1917 – December 21, 1991) was an American comics artist, writer, and editor. One of the earliest employees of Major Malcolm Wheeler-Nicholson's National Allied Publications, Mayer produced almost all of his comics work ...
, first appearing in
Dell Comics
Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1974. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark"Wh ...
and then moving to
All-American Publications
All-American PublicationsThe name is spelled with a hyphen per its logo (pictured) and sources includinat Don Markstein's ToonopediaArchivedfrom the original on April 15, 2012. was one of two American comic book companies that merged to form the ...
. Scribbly Jibbet is a semi-autobiographical character, presenting the adventures of a young man starting out in the cartooning business, and working for the ''Morning Dispatch'' newspaper. His stories were told around the
Golden Age era, when
American Comic Books
An American comic book is a thin periodical originating in the United States, on average 32 pages, containing comics. While the form originated in 1933, American comic books first gained popularity after the 1938 publication of ''Action Comics'', ...
were primarily
anthologies
In book publishing
Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed work ...
telling more than one story in a magazine issue. Scribbly first appeared in the ''Popular Comics'' series, and then appeared in ''
All-American Comics
''All-American Comics'' was a comics anthology and the flagship title of comic book publisher All-American Publications, one of the forerunners of DC Comics. It ran for 102 issues from 1939 to 1948. Characters created for the title, including Green ...
'' from 1939 to 1944. He was then revived in his own series, ''Scribbly'', from 1948 to 1952.
All-American was one of the two companies that merged to form
DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
in the 1940s, and, like all of DC's
Golden Age
The term Golden Age comes from Greek mythology, particularly the ''Works and Days'' of Hesiod, and is part of the description of temporal decline of the state of peoples through five Ages of Man, Ages, Gold being the first and the one during ...
characters, Scribbly was later considered part of the "
Earth-Two
Earth-Two (also Earth Two or Earth 2) is a setting for stories (a "fictional universe") appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. First appearing in ''The Flash'' #123 (1961), Earth-Two was created to explain differences between ...
" continuity. In 2015, Scribbly was briefly revived in DC Comics continuity by
Paul Levitz
Paul Levitz (; born October 21, 1956) is an American comic book writer, editor and executive. The president of DC Comics from 2002–2009, he worked for the company for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles. Along with publisher Jenette Kahn ...
, in the miniseries ''
Convergence: World's Finest Comics''.
Publication history
Dell Comics
Sheldon Mayer began his career in cartooning at age fifteen, and he created Scribbly when he was nineteen.
Mayer later explained: "Scribbly was a thing I dreamed up during my lunch hour one day in the cafeteria... I followed the old rule of writing only what you know about. What was more natural than writing about the adventures of a boy cartoonist?"
In 1936, Mayer worked for
Max Gaines
Maxwell Charles Gaines (born Max Ginzberg September 21, 1894 – August 20, 1947) was a pioneering figure in the creation of the modern comic book.
In 1933, Gaines devised the first four-color, saddle-stitched newsprint pamphlet, a precursor t ...
, one of the pioneers of modern comic books, and the teenager's job was to cut and paste comic strips from the
Sunday comics
The Sunday comics or Sunday strip is the comic strip section carried in most western newspapers, almost always in color. Many newspaper readers called this section the Sunday funnies, the funny papers or simply the funnies.
The first US newspap ...
pages into a comic book layout, which Gaines would sell to
Dell Comics
Dell Comics was the comic book publishing arm of Dell Publishing, which got its start in pulp magazines. It published comics from 1929 to 1974. At its peak, it was the most prominent and successful American company in the medium.Evanier, Mark"Wh ...
, to publish in one of their anthology books. Along with the recut strips, Mayer included a one-page strip of his own, ''Scribbly the Boy Cartoonist'', and this was published in Dell's ''Popular Comics'' #6 (July 1936), alongside established strips like ''
Smokey Stover
''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''. It features the misadventures of the titular fireman and ha ...
'', ''
Winnie Winkle
''Winnie Winkle'' is an American comic strip published during a 76-year span (1920–1996). Ten film adaptations were also made. Its premise was conceived by Joseph Medill Patterson, but the stories and artwork were by Martin Branner, who wrote t ...
'' and ''
Harold Teen
''Harold Teen'' is a discontinued, long-running American comic strip written and drawn by Carl Ed (pronounced "eed"). Publisher Joseph Medill Patterson may have suggested and certainly approved the strip's concept, loosely based on Booth Tarkingt ...
''.
Jean-Paul Gabilliet said: "
ayer
Ayer may refer to:
Places
* Ayer, Massachusetts, United States
** Ayer (CDP), Massachusetts, the central village in the town of Ayer
** Ayer (MBTA station), commuter rail station
* Aller, Asturias, a municipality in Spain known in Asturian as A ...
presented all the pages as Sunday panels because, at the time, the fact that a strip had previously appeared in a newspaper was perceived as an indicator of quality". Scribbly strips also appeared in Dell's ''
The Funnies
''The Funnies'' was the name of two American publications from Dell Publishing (Dell Comics), the first of these a seminal 1920s precursor of comic books, and the second a standard 1930s comic book.
''The Funnies'' (1929–1930)
In 1929, George ...
'' later in 1936.
Andrew J. Kunka describes the way that the strip began: "In the earliest Dell-published strips, Mayer's series begins with Scribbly as a kid known in his neighborhood for drawing cartoons on any surface he can find, including walls and fences (something Mayer did in his youth, as well). These drawings are discovered by a famous cartoonist, Ving Parker, who happens to be Scribbly's hero. Ving takes on Scribbly as an apprentice and even introduces him to real-life cartoonists like
Lank Leonard
Frank E. Leonard (January 2, 1896 – August 1, 1970), better known as Lank Leonard, was an American cartoonist artist who created the long-running comic strip '' Mickey Finn'', which he drew for more than three decades.
Biography Early life a ...
(''
Mickey Finn'') and
Milt Gross
Milt Gross (; March 4, 1895 – November 29, 1953) was an American cartoonist and animator. His work is noted for its exaggerated cartoon style and Yiddish-inflected English dialogue. He originated the non-sequitur "Banana Oil!" as a phrase defla ...
. Scribbly's strip quickly catches on, and while he tries to work from home, his brother, Dinky, inadvertently gives him even more material. This early iteration of the series, before Mayer moves to ''All-American'', eventually shifts to pure slapstick and less about Scribbly's cartooning experiences".
[
A remarkable aspect of the comic is that Scribbly is creating his own autobiographical comic: "Why Big Brothers Leave Home", about his relationship with the pesky Dinky (himself based on Mayer's little brother, Monte). In most of the ''Scribbly'' comics, "Why Big Brothers Leave Home" strip appeared as a topper strip, either at the top or the bottom of the page, drawn in cruder form to indicate that it was a cartoon-within-a-cartoon. Readers were encouraged to send in ideas for "Why Big Brothers Leave Home", collaborating with Scribbly on his autobiography.][
At one point in the strip, "Why Big Brothers Leave Home" becomes so popular that Scribbly's principal creates his own autobiographical strip, "Scene in P.S. 83 as Seen by the Principal". A teacher in the school is unhappy with the way that she's portrayed in the principal's strip, and starts a cartoon of her own.][
]
All-American Publications
In 1938, Gaines struck out on his own, founding All-American Publications
All-American PublicationsThe name is spelled with a hyphen per its logo (pictured) and sources includinat Don Markstein's ToonopediaArchivedfrom the original on April 15, 2012. was one of two American comic book companies that merged to form the ...
. Mayer remained at the company as cartoonist and editor, and Scribbly appeared in '' All American Comics'', beginning with the first issue (April 1939) and continuing until issue #59 (July 1944). Scribbly appeared on the ''All-American'' cover only three times, including issue #2.[
Scribbly worked for the ''Morning Dispatch'' newspaper, although most of the action in the strip took place in his New York neighborhood. In issue #3 of ''All-American Comics'', Mayer introduced ]Ma Hunkel
Abigail Mathilda "Ma" Hunkel is a fictional character appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Debuting during the Golden Age of Comic Books, she first appeared in her civilian identity in All-American Publications' ''All-American ...
, the owner of a local grocery store.[ In another autobiographical touch, Ma Hunkel was inspired by the owner of a boarding house where Mayer lived, Mrs. Lindenbaum.][ Scribbly was also established as the brother of Mortimer "Dinky" Jibbet of the Cyclone Kids.
With the skyrocketing popularity of the '']Superman
Superman is a superhero who appears in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by writer Jerry Siegel and artist Joe Shuster, and debuted in the comic book ''Action Comics'' #1 (cover-dated June 1938 and publi ...
'' comic in 1938, comic book publishers began featuring their own superhero characters. ''All-American Comics'' responded in 1939 with Gary Concord, the Ultra-Man, and followed in 1940 with Green Lantern
Green Lantern is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. They fight evil with the aid of rings that grant them a variety of extraordinary powers, all of which come from imagination, fearlessness, ...
and the Atom
The Atom is a name shared by five superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of ...
. The superhero trend was so powerful that in the ''Scribbly'' story in issue #20 (Nov 1940), Ma Hunkel became a superhero herself. In the story, Scribbly's little brother and Ma Hunkel's daughter Sisty are kidnapped, and the police are unable to locate them. Scribbly tells Ma about the Green Lantern, and she's inspired to don a costume and fight crime, calling herself the Red Tornado. By issue #23, the Red Tornado was sharing billing with Scribbly, and in #24, Ma's two kids joined the fight against crime, calling themselves "the Cyclone Twins".[ The kids scared criminals more than the Tornado herself. The series continued for three more years as "Scribbly & the Red Tornado".][
Ron Goulart writes: "Anticipating ]Wonder Woman
Wonder Woman is a superhero created by the American psychologist and writer William Moulton Marston (pen name: Charles Moulton), and artist Harry G. Peter. Marston's wife, Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth, and their life partner, Olive Byr ...
, that monumental creation of William Moulton Marston
William Moulton Marston (May 9, 1893 – May 2, 1947), also known by the pen name Charles Moulton (), was an American psychologist who, with his wife Elizabeth Holloway Marston, Elizabeth Holloway, invented an early prototype of the lie detector ...
, possibly even influencing it, Mayer chose a woman to be his costumed avenger, remaking the formidable Ma Hunkel into the even more formidable Red Tornado. Actually the people in the strip never knew the true sex of the Tornado. They only knew that this bulky figure in the red flannels, bedroom slippers, cape, and inverted stew pot could be counted on to tackle all sorts of criminals from the biggest to the smallest".[
In fact, Ma Hunkel had a one-page cameo in the first JSA story, in '' All-Star Comics'' #3. The story, "The First Meeting of the Justice Society of America", has the heroes get together and swap stories about their heroics, and after hearing tales from ]the Flash
The Flash (or simply Flash) is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Harry Lampert, the original Flash first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1 (cover date ...
, Hawkman
Hawkman is the name of several superheroes appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. Created by writer Gardner Fox and artist Dennis Neville, the original Hawkman first appeared in ''Flash Comics'' #1, published by All-American ...
, the Spectre and Hour Man, the group notices that the Red Tornado is in the room. She explains that she wasn't invited to the meeting, but she came up on the fire escape. She gets a warm greeting from the group, but when they invite her to take her cape off and relax, she suddenly announces that she has to leave. The Flash laughs when he discovers that she tore her pants when she climbed in through the window. Later Justice Society stories established that Ma is an honorary member of the team, and in 2007, she returned to DC in ''Justice Society of America'' vol. 3 as the curator of the JSA's museum.
In ''All-American Comics'' #45 (Dec 1942), Mayer himself entered the comic strip. In "Sheldon Mayer Meets the Red Tornado", Scribbly, Ma Hunkel, the Cyclone Kids, and the neighborhood kids are complaining that their stories are boring and repetitive, so Mayer enters the comic panels to respond to their complaints. Disheartened by their criticism, Mayer tries to commit suicide by jumping from the top panel, but the Red Tornado rushes to catch him before he hits the bottom panel.[
Outside of usually appearing in ''All-American Comics'', Scribbly also appeared occasionally in '']Comic Cavalcade
''Comic Cavalcade'' was an anthology comic book published by DC Comics from 1942 to 1954.
Most American comic book publishers in the 1930s and 1940s Golden Age of comic books published anthology titles that showcased a variety of characters, usua ...
'' and also in the humor series, ''Buzzy''.
By issue #59 (July 1944), Mayer had grown tired of the characters, and openly admitted it in the introduction to that issue's story: "This goes on every issue — sometimes it's funny — sometimes it isn't — anyhow — I'm getting a little tired of it — just this once I'm gonna have some FUN! F'rinstance let's see what would happen if instead of people we draw these characters as animals..." Mayer then explained that Scribbly would be a horse in this issue — "maybe it's because I always know where to find a horse, but I go nuts finding an idea for Scribbly" — while Ma Hunkel would be a big fat chicken, Sisty as a chick and Dinky as a pony. This talking animal story was the last "Scribbly" story in ''All-American'', with Mayer presumably tired of the strip altogether. Mayer's next project was a talking animal humor book, ''Funny Stuff'', which launched with a Summer 1944 issue, with new stars the Three Mouseketeers
''The Three Mouseketeers'' is the name of two separate talking animal comic series published by DC Comics.
Golden Age version
The original ''Three Mouseketeers'' were published in DC's humor series ''Funny Stuff'', first appearing in ''Funny Stu ...
and McSnurtle the Turtle, the Terrific Whatzit.
One final "Scribbly" chapter was published in the one-shot giant ''The Big All-American Comic Book'', dated December 1944.
Solo comic
When ''Archie'' made teen humor comics popular, Scribbly was given his own bimonthly title, ''Scribbly'', which ran for 15 issues, starting in September 1948. Mayer continued to write and draw the title, which is a romantic comedy about Scribbly trying to find a steady job and win his girlfriend's affection. The Red Tornado didn't appear in this reboot of the strip.[ ''Scribblys sales were unimpressive, and Mayer was more interested in his new comic, '']Leave It to Binky
''Leave It to Binky'' is a teen-humor comic book series published by DC Comics that ran for 82 issues, first appearing in 1948 and wrapping up in 1977.
Publication history
The adventures of teenager Binky Biggs started in DC Comics' ''Leave It to ...
'', so the ''Scribbly'' comic was dropped in January 1952.[ Scribbly did appear as a backup feature in ''Leave it to Binky'', as well as ''Buzzy'', another DC teen comic.][
]
Convergence
In 2015, Scribbly was briefly revived in DC Comics continuity by Paul Levitz
Paul Levitz (; born October 21, 1956) is an American comic book writer, editor and executive. The president of DC Comics from 2002–2009, he worked for the company for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles. Along with publisher Jenette Kahn ...
, in the miniseries '' Convergence: World's Finest Comics''. In the series, he's depicted as transcribing the events of the Seven Soldiers of Victory
The Seven Soldiers of Victory (also known as Law's Legionnaires) is a team of fictional comic book superheroes in the DC Comics universe. They first appeared in ''Leading Comics'' #1 (Winter 1941), and were created by Mort Weisinger and Mort Mesk ...
by Paul Levitz
Paul Levitz (; born October 21, 1956) is an American comic book writer, editor and executive. The president of DC Comics from 2002–2009, he worked for the company for over 35 years in a wide variety of roles. Along with publisher Jenette Kahn ...
, Jim Fern, Joe Rubenstein and Shannon Wheeler.
In an interview by Comic Book Resources
''Comic Book Resources'', also known by the initialism CBR, is a website dedicated to the coverage of comic book–related news and discussion.
History
Comic Book Resources was founded by Jonah Weiland in 1995 as a development of the Kingdom Co ...
, Paul Levitz explained his revival of the character:
Reception
Cartoonist and satirist Jules Feiffer
Jules Ralph Feiffer (born January 26, 1929)''Comics Buyer's Guide'' #1650; February 2009; Page 107 is an American cartoonist and author, who was considered the most widely read satirist in the country. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1986 as North- ...
wrote in ''The Great Comic Book Heroes'' (1965) that "the single unique stroke in the pre ''Detective Comics'' days was the creation, by Sheldon Mayer, of the humor strip ''Scribbly'' — an underrated, often brilliantly wild cartoon about a boy cartoonist with whom, needless to say, I identified like mad. I regret that it is not within the province of this book to give Mayer or Scribbly the space both of them deserve".
The revival of Scribbly in ''Convergence'' got a negative review by Greg McElhatton in ''Comic Book Resources'', opining that it would have been better if the comic "focused more on what it's like to be a cartoonist in a superhero world". He also felt that some of the art for Scribbly was off.
In the 2013 book ''Comics About Cartoonists: Tales of the World's Oddest Profession'', comics historian Craig Yoe
Craig Yoe (born February 23, 1951) is an author, editor, art director, graphic designer, cartoonist and comics historian, best known for his Yoe! Studio creations and his line of Yoe! Books.
Early life
Craig Yoe was born in Des Moines, Iowa. He ...
described Scribbly as "the greatest out-of-the-inkwell cartoonist of all". The book reprints six pages of ''Scribbly'' comics.
Other versions
In DC Comics
DC Comics, Inc. (doing business as DC) is an American comic book publisher and the flagship unit of DC Entertainment, a subsidiary of Warner Bros. Discovery.
DC Comics is one of the largest and oldest American comic book companies, with thei ...
satire children's comic book, ''DC Super Friends'' #29, he is referenced by a young Batman
Batman is a superhero appearing in American comic books published by DC Comics. The character was created by artist Bob Kane and writer Bill Finger, and debuted in Detective Comics 27, the 27th issue of the comic book ''Detective Comics'' on ...
as a famous artist who draws his feet too small.
References
{{Reflist
Child characters in comics
Male characters in comics
1936 comics debuts
Fictional cartoonists
Dell Comics characters
DC Comics male characters
Comics characters introduced in 1936
Earth-Two