Walt Kelly’s 1971 Earth Day Essay
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In 1971, for the second year in a row, Walt Kelly
helped publicize Earth Day with special art:
Most seem to think that the two-panel comic strip was the regular comic strip for April 22, 1971, it was not. The Pogo comic syndicated to newspapers for April 22 was a continuation of that week’s satire.
The “Earth Day 1971” issue, like the Earth Day 1970 poster before it, really was special.
It was distributed to newspaper around the nation accompanied by a Walt Kelly editorial about pollution. The newspapers of course laid out the comic and column as they saw fit, and at times they felt best.
It appeared in newspapers from April 16 to April 22, 1971.
Those familiar with Walt Kelly know that he was a genius as a wordsmith as much as he was as an artist. So while his comic art for Earth Day 1970 and 1971 is ubiquitous at this time each year, we thought we would present, for the 50th anniversary, his seldom read 1971 Earth Day column.
(click on essay to embiggen, click twice to supersize)
Walt Kelly’s words and art © Okefenokee Glee and Perloo Inc.
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