Having recently celebrated a milestone birthday, today I present a 75-year-old comic section from New York Sunday Mirror (no, I’m not that old!).
As usual, Ham Fisher’s JOE PALOOKA ran on the front page, followed by Milton Caniff’s STEVE CANYON and MICKEY FINN by Lank Leonard. Next up are KERRY DRAKE (Alfred Andriola/Allen Saunders), SUPERMAN (Wayne Boring), an ad for Ludwig Bauman electric drill (boring in more ways than one), and Frank Miller’s BARNEY BAXTER IN THE AIR.
Then it’s the good stuff. No offense to THE FLOP FAMILY by Swan and Marty Links’ BOBBY SOX—I am, of course, referring to Kreigh Collins’ MITZI McCOY.
The June 5, 1949 episode of MITZI McCOY features the reunion between a runaway boy and his parents, and is notable for the absence of Mitzi herself. In lieu of the page from the Sunday Mirror comics section (which MITZI shared with a forgettable ad for Super Suds detrergent) is a version of the episode that I cleaned up for my MITZI McCOY book.
The second half of the comic section starts with a page with Roy Crane’s CAPTAIN EASY, drawn here by Walt Scott, and V.T. Hamlin’s ALLEY OOP, plus HENRY by Carl Anderson. Then it’s REX MORGAN, MD by Bradley and Edgington, BOOTS by Martin, and Merrill Blossar’s FRECKLES AND HIS FRIENDS (plus the topper strip HECTOR). Harry Hanan’s silent comic LOUIE, an ad for Camel cigarettes (I don’t think cancer sticks are advertised in the funnies anymore!), OUT OUR WAY by J.R. Williams, and OUR BOARDING HOUSE follow.
Taking its usual spot on the back cover is LIL’ ABNER by Al Capp.
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Want to See More of Mitzi?
“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introduction by Eisner Award-winning author Frank M. Young, an Afterward by Ithaca College’s Ed Catto, and previously unpublished artwork and photos.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!
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For more information on the career of Kreigh Collins, visit his page on Facebook.
Kreigh’s Comics 