As more is revealed about the counterfeiter gang—Zoe, Gar, and Greenbax—the darker the chapter becomes.
Despite his strong reaction to being blindsided by the thuggish Gar—including a two-fer knockout punch—Tim Graham gets blindsided a second time by the blackjack-wielding Zoe.
Clearly the brains behind their operation, Zoe is also the gang’s secret weapon, with her arresting appearance. The cold-hearted Jezebel does show a bit of a conscience in a beautiful throwaway panel, but she immediately reverts to form, dosing Tim and Stub with barbiturates.
Sgt. Douma was a recurring character. His previous appearance was about a year earlier—shown in this half-tabloid from the New York Sunday Mirror. (I love those old advertisements!)
Knowing her car’s capabilities, Mitzi convinces the skeptical Sgt. Douma to take the wheel of Stub’s hotrod.
MITZI McCOY existed for less than two years, only enough time for 11 distinct chapters. The following story arc was the second-to-last chapter, and is one of my favorites.
All of the following episodes are taken from the Pittsburgh Press, which featured MITZI as the lead comic in its collection of Sunday funnies.
It’s a light-hearted affair, wrapping up the previous chapter. It features some slang I had to look up (“hay burner” = horse), and references the Winston Churchill’s painting hobby (a contemporary development; this episode appeared less than five years after the end of WWII).
Stub soon learns that landscape painting is a young man’s game—something that Kreigh Collins had discovered himself. He was 42 years old at this point, and had been working professionally for over 20 years. During the first fifteen years of hios career, he worked primarily as a painter. He started with landscapes, learning from the esteemed Michigan painter Matthias Alten. Later, in the Depression years, he produced numerous large murals as well as portraits, but his painting career was cut short by a shoulder injury suffered in the mid-1930s. His recovery led to his new focus on pen and ink illustration, which eventually led to his gig as a syndicated Sunday comic strip artist.
I haven’t seen any evidence of my grandfather having ever taken up etching, but for the purpose of the storyline, it makes sense for Stub to take up something “easier” than landscape painting.
While doing research for my MITZI McCOY book, I learned that Collins based Mitzi’s appearance on Rita Hayworth… I wonder who his inspiration was for his new femme fatale (whose name, Zoe, would be revealed in a later episode).
“The Lost Art of Kreigh Collins, the Complete Mitzi McCoy” features the entire run of Kreigh Collins’ first NEA feature.
MITZI McCOY ran from 1948 to 1950 and showcased Kreigh Collins’ skill as an illustrator and storyteller. His picturesque landscapes, lovely character designs, and thrilling action sequences brimmed with detail and charm, and the strip’s ensemble cast rotated in and out of the spotlight taking turns as protagonists in the dozen story arcs collected in this volume. The last story collected in “The Complete Mitzi McCoy” is the narrative bridge that set Collins and his characters off on a new journey, beautifully told for the next couple of decades in the much-lauded adventure strip Kevin the Bold.
The collection includes an introduction by Eisner Award-winning author Frank M. Young, an Afterward by Ithaca College’s Ed Catto, and previously unpublished artwork and photos. Longtime comics artist Butch Guice also provides a new pin-up of the character Mitzi McCoy.
The book is available for $30. For domestic shipping, add $4; for international orders, please add $25 to cover first class shipping. To place an order, leave a comment below or email me at BrianEdwardCollins1[at]gmail.com, and I will give you PayPal or Venmo information. Thank you!
I think pretty much everyone is a fan of CALVIN AND HOBBES. Even folks who don’t like comics probably like Bill Watterson‘s amazing creation. But is it possible that Watterson was a fan of KEVIN THE BOLD?
In the spring of 1991, Calvin assumed a new identity.
Calvin the Bold! Though it caused befuddlement in Calvin’s universe, the name sure rings a bell for me!
CALVIN AND HOBBES ran in 2,000 newspapers. To have been the (likely) inspiration for Watterson is quite an honor. KEVIN THE BOLD had been out of print for decades.
Would his new identity last? That would be so cool.
Well, yes, but for only three days (April 8–10, 1991). Besides, it’s bad form to give yourself a nickname. In polite society, sobriquets should be bestowed by others.
Kreigh’s Comics 
