Dennis the Menace-Fred Toole-1960

Ah, Dennis. The Dennis the Menace comic book stories are entirely a different breed than the daily single panel cartoons. And when they're written by Fred Toole, they're sure fine comics indeed. Often partnered with artist Al Wiseman, I'm not certain who the artist is here and neither is GCD (as always, it's done in the style of creator Hank Ketcham) but a fun story nonetheless with some colorful, expansive art and some very realistic holiday themes!

The Crusoes-Albert Micale-1941

The Crusoes was an original backup feature in CRACKAJACK FUNNIES, one of those many Golden Age titles that mainly reprinted newspaper comic strips. This holiday tale appeared in the final issue although the series itself transferred to POPULAR COMICS. Although no great shakes as a cartoonist, artist Al Micale was a popular pulp and children's book illustrator throughout his career as well as latterly doing CLASSICS ILLUSTRATED covers.

Mr. Bear's Reward-Mel Crawford-1956

From a late issue of Dell's SANTA CLAUS FUNNIES, here's renowned children's book illustrator and sometime comic book artist Mel Crawford with an original take on Santa that sees him actually losing his  trademark beard...just in time for Christmas!

Archie's Christmas Stocking-1950's-'60's

A bit of a change today as we present just a series of covers instead of one full story. As a kid, I never read the ARCHIE'S CHRISTMAS STOCKING title although I remember seeing it so often I began to think it was published year-round. By the time I discovered Archie Comics in the mid-sixties, there were already a whole bunch of back issues dating back a decade and waiting for me to discover them. Here they are now!

500th Post!--Batman-Jerry Robinson, et al-1942

According to Jerry Robinson, who died Wednesday evening, this early Batman Christmas story is by Don Cameron with art by Bob Kane, inks and backgrounds by Robinson with George Roussos. Jerry, of course, should have known but the whole thing looks pretty much like Robinson's work to me. Either way, it's a gorgeous example of the strip's style just as it was hitting its early forties peak.

Captain Marvel-Pete Costanza-1944

CAPTAIN MARVEL ADVENTURES is probably, as far as I'm concerned at least, the most consistently impressive comic book of the Golden Age in both story and art. C.C. Beck established the unique style of the strip early on and his stable of artists carried that straight though the end of the title's run. Otto Binder wrote most of the stories but even those he didn't write retain the wonderful characterizations he cemented for Billy and all the strip's wonderful supporting characters and evil villains. It's not a kids' strip and yet it's written and drawn like one. It's also the most original superhero concept since Superman.