Thursday, December 12, 2013

They said get back Cosmo Cat / Better get back to the moon

And now...Horrible Children of the Golden Age!


Panel from Cosmo Cat #10 (October 1947), script by Pat Adams, pencils and inks by Ellis Chambers (?)

Yes, death is too good for them.



Luckily, cats and all small fuzzy creatures (like me!) have a champion they can call upon, that Ferocious Feline, the Powerful Puss...Cosmo Cat! Yes, this super-powered cat, obviously created to capitalize on in the style of Paul Terry's Mighty Mouse, is the star of his own titular comic book during the Golden Age! (PS: do not Google "Cosmo Cat" unless you add the words "comic book" after it. Take it from me...you'll be glad you did!) And not only did Cosmo Cat stop what surely must have been the Hitler Kids from tormenting young kittens, he was also always on a never-ending watch for


attempted suicides and

WHAT DID HE JUST SAY


Yes, we repeat, Cosmo Cat has a


Still, really nice Leroy lettering on these. Much better than what the Charlton comics had. Still: A FUNNY ANIMAL STORY ABOUT SUICIDE that doesn't star Mickey Mouse.


But Cosmo Cat doesn't only wrestle with dire and dark intense psychological problems of human funny-animal depression; he also rassles with robots!


Holy cow, there's an awful lot of talk about killing in this kid's comic book, huh? And this seemingly innocent funny animal book also contains the basic plot of the classic 1984 sci-fi flick The Terminator. Yep, reader, for those of you who think James Cameron invented SkyNet...Cosmo Cat did it first.


Also, like comic book icons Hourman and Underdog, Cosmo Cat also battles a crippling addiction with non-presciption pills that "give" him "super" "powers." Surrrrrrre they do, Cosmo. Sure.


In sharp relief to the contemporary street problems that plague Cosmo Cat, his comic book also features the adventures of the Ursine Sad Sack Roscoe Bear, the funny animal from whom both Joe Btfsplk and Charlie Brown evolved. Nothing good ever happens to Roscoe Bear. Nuthin'.



Roscoe Bear gag pages from Cosmo Cat #10, creator unknown

I assume the final strip of the "Roscoe Bear" series involves him being shot, stuffed, and mounted on a hunting lodge wall.

So, let us take our leave of Cosmo Cat, triumphant once again over the forces of chemical enslavement, robotic overlords, self-injury, and the fourth wall.


Even with all its adult-oriented themes and ideas, Cosmo Cat was still marketed as a children's comic. Thank goodness it had this seal on the cover, the indicator of wholesome family entertainment!


So, kiddies, always remember:


4 comments:

  1. Great post! I consider myself something of a comics maven, but hadn't heard of this (bizarre) title, and I learned a little something about lettering too.

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  2. Why is the moon on fire? Ironically, it's trying to commit suicide.

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  3. So Teletubbies evolved from the Planet Titan?

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  4. What fantastically weird stuff, Bully!

    That's not the moon, though. Our moon is made of green cheese and this is Swiss charred.

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