Below are the title panels of the Sunday Dennis the Menace comic strips for October. One is not like the others.
“That’s different!” was my reaction to seeing today’s Dennis the Menace, and the difference continued beyond the title panel with the absence of those muted pastels of the past few years. Then toward the end of the strip was the reason: the usual “R. Ferdinand/S. Ketchum” signature had been replaced by “K. D. Matchette.”
After thirty years Karen Donovan Matchette has “returned” to the Dennis the Menace Sundays! Returned being in quotes because she has been here all along contributing gags daily and Sunday, but now she has drawn the Sunday for the first time in a long time.
Today’s Dennis the Menace Sunday page was drawn by me & my son helped me write it.
Nothing against Ron Ferdinand and Marcus Hamilton but I would really like to see an occasional Matchette thrown into the mix from now on.
While we’re on the subject of title panels…
Happy to see Mike continue the Manley tradition of at least one seasonal “postcard” of the Spencer homestead for Judge Parker per season (though I could have done without the word balloon, Ces). Mike Manley had been battling health issues which called for ghosts filling in on the art chores for a few months and I’m not sure they continued the practice. When Mike returned we got a Summer postcard but it wasn’t at the Spencer Ranch, which upset me to no end (no, not really; I was happy to see the midsummer day scene).
Another wonderful pastoral landscape is from Liniers and his Macanudo Sunday comic.
And another return:
This Patrick McDonnell Mutts Sunday should be in Websters to illustrate the word perfection.
The balanced layout design, the large center panel, the drawings of The Three Witches, the contrasting colors, even the gag. What more could you ask for?
The “return” is that this originally ran on October 31, 2004, but this time Comics Kingdom includes the title panel – a Charles Addams tribute.
I spy with my little eye…
Continuing with Halloween for the moment – how many comic characters can we find that Terry Beatty included in today’s Rex Morgan, M.D.?
Prince Valiant, The Phantom, Little Orphan Annie, Spider-Man, Popeye and Olive Oyl(?). Is that green costume meant to be Swamp Thing? At the far right of the rack in the first panel above is what may (or may not) be a Little Dot dress. Others?
Bob Scott timing his Molly and the Bear comic strip to line up with today’s Doonesbury was pretty good.
Though Garry Trudeau can hardly be accused of putting up wallpaper these days.
And now about Frank and Ernest. Today’s Frank and Ernest saw the return of our maladjusted malingerers after a two day absence, or maybe they hadn’t gone missing.
Do we have a new cartoonist on Frank and Ernest?
And if that is the new Frank, where is Ernest in Saturday’s panel?
More Sunday School lessons.
Gary McCoy, one of The Flying McCoys, took us even earlier into The Good Book:
That’s a great one page depiction of the first chapter of Genesis (and a couple verses of chapter two).
I dast you to tell me…
Tell me you didn’t start singing a Beatles song when you came upon Grand Avenue.
Or get an earworm courtesy of The Who when reading today’s Scary Gary.
Or that your first reaction on seeing today’s Pluggers was that the “brrapp” sound effect was coming from the rear – but not the rear wheel.
Note that the Pluggers strip was sent in by Ryan Estrada, himself a cartoonist – https://bsky.app/profile/ryanestrada.com
Good catch Charles.
Ryan Estrada also sent in another Pluggers strip for October 5, plus a Heathcliff “Kitty Korner” last Sunday
https://www.gocomics.com/pluggers/2024/10/05
https://www.gocomics.com/heathcliff/2024/10/20
Thanks for the shoutout, Charles! I’ve been pitching Pluggers since the 90s! https://ryanestrada.com/2023/pluggers
Over the past few weeks I have gotten sick and tired of being force-fed old (mediocre) Popeye cartoons by the Comics Kingdom website. It’s not just every time you visit the site, it opens a new frame (with a new stupid cartoon) every time you navigate to a new comic. The reason for this abusive misuse of the CK-website was not hard to find: King Features is working to develop a new live action Popeye movie. At least they waited until Robin Williams was dead before committing this atrocity.
Terry included Superman (panel one), Minnie Mouse (who I think you mistook for Little Dot), a Star Trek uniform (Kirk by the color), Darth Vader, and perhaps Uncle Creepy. There are likely to be others I just can’t make out online.
There’s an Orphan Annie dress in the fourth panel.
I see that you mentioned Annie. I somehow missed it. I always catch these goofs just AFTER I post a comment.
Maybe this could be a “Pluggers” cartoon.
Fun fact: the last time a Doonesbury strip featured four near-identical drawings of the White House was in 1988.
I had wondered how long it had been! But have to admit part of me misses the soothing, gentle regularity of a fixed camera with tiny changes in the foreground art.
In the strip’s defense, Dean is rather a cranky old guy (in tastes, not in body) with a pop culture mental map that’s pretty set in its ways.
Just a general note that this posting is one of many reasons I visit this site almost daily, (like the title!). Such an amazing array of talent and hand-drawn delights.
Thanks Mark. We really appreciate you, and everyone, dropping by.
Thanks for mentioning Molly and the Bear! A complete coincidence that a White House Doonesbury strip appeared the same day as my comic. Doonesbury is one of my all time favorite strips! I know that Gary doesn’t draw static panels anymore but his old strips came to mind. His redrawn White House comic panels never bothered me in the least! I love them. Molly’s Dad Dean is a throwback. Most of his pop culture references go pretty far back.