365 Days of Defiance, Day 280: The Nazi or the Tiger

There's a famous story starring Captain Marvel — the Shazam! guy, not any of the later pretenders to that name — defending and fighting for the rights of Mr. Tawky Tawny, the intelligent English-speaking tiger, to live in a house in a neighborhood. I earlier spoofed this story in a post where I suggested that Mr. Tawky Tawny was a gay tiger (and there's absolutely nothing wrong with that if he is). But let me take this, a tale with a big speaking cat and a mighty magical mortal, absolutely at face value to remind you that when some persons don't want other tigers persons living in their neighborhood, it's a time to fight back.



Panels from "Mr. Tawny's New Home" in Captain Marvel Adventures #90 (Fawcett, 1948), script by Otto Binder, pencils and inks by C. C. Beck
Hoo boy. Jim Croce didn't have a chance to sing a lyric about this, but you can be darn sure he would have to say don't bitchslap Captain Marvel in a song.


The bigots and racists and anti-tigerists set up a hate rally (sound familiar, 2017?) to push their small-minded prejudice and drive Mr. Tawny out of town. Guys like this don't always wear hoods, but you can tell 'em when you see 'em.


Mr. Tawky Tawny to the rescue of the town!


My point (and I do have one) is just say no to supremacists and racists trying to keep their culture and neighborhood "pure." Or, as pal Andrew, who reminded me of this story recently (Thanks Andrew!), has often wisely said: be the Big Red Cheese you want to see in the world. I think that says it all, don't you?

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Welcome to Comics Oughta Be Fun! I'm Andrew Otis Weiss. You may remember me from such internet phenomena as "Armagideon Time," "You Chose Wrong," and "That One Mean Thing I Said on Twitter About Some Geeky Thing You Enjoy!"

When I heard that everyone's favorite little stuffed bull was experiencing technical issues, I offered to fill in as a guest host for this magnificent site.


The joyful focus of Comics Oughta Be Fun may make this gig seem like an odd fit, as I have a (somewhat deserved) reputation for being a buzz-killing crankypants. Truth to tell, my cantankerous nature comes not from hate, but from love -- an abiding yet tough love for a medium (take your pick of which one) that has produced some truly great things and even more terrible ones.


It's not a matter of "high/low art," but one of intent and execution. To this end, I figured I'd use this guest hosting opportunity to spotlight some characters and comics I truly adore.

Our first entry should come as no surprise to anyone familiar with my work at Armagideon Time:

(from "Mr. Tawny Seeks Happiness" in Captain Marvel Adventures #117, Feb. 1951; by Otto Binder and C.C. Beck)

More than just an obvious example of the child-like whimsy at play in the Golden Age Marvel Family comics, Mister Tawny the Talking Tiger served as a plaid-jacketed everyman whose fallibility was offset by a noble heart and supportive peers.

Though he often played the Goofus to Billy Batson's and the Big Red Cheese's Gallant, the intent was to offer him as an instructional example for self-improvement rather than an object lesson to avoid.  He slipped, he stumbled, yet always emerged from these lapses as a better person.

Whether Binder and Beck intended it to be the case, Tawny's predicament mirrored that of America's newly elevated post-WW2 middle class in his attempts to navigate a confusing environment without a clear roadmap.

His origin -- a beast of the wild who aspires toward civilized behavior -- gave a nod not only to the foibles of farm folk turned semi-sophisticated suburbanite(like my maternal grandparents) but to the process of child-to-adult maturation in general.

That's some serious semiotic baggage for a great cat in golf pants.

Friday Flashback: Hold That Tiger

Filling up Fridays: Fine Flashback Fosts Posts, re-presenting some of my favorite Comics Oughta Be Fun! entries that you might not have seen, or would enjoy seeing again! Anyway, because I have to go to bed early, I'm re-presenting a Bully classic originally published on June 1, 2012! (I was six then.) For topical context, DC had just announced a new gay character (who turned out to be Green Lantern of Earth-2).

Today DC Comics publicly announced that it was re-introducing one of its classic male characters and revealing him to be gay! Kudos for you, DC...nice to see you move with the times and present heroes of all orientations and inclinations! But who is this gay hero, you're asking? Well, the hints were pretty obvious: he comes from the Golden Age, he's never been married, and he's a classic favorite of everyone who enjoys comics. That's why I applaud the decision of DC to let this hero come out of the closet. Introducing the newest gay hero of comics:

Mr. Tawky Tawny!

Yes, Mr. Tawky Tawny, tiger pal of the Big Red Cheese himself, Captain Marvel. What's that? You never suspected Tawky was a gay man tiger? Clearly you've never read the classic tale where he was unable to get a home in a suburban neighborhood merely because of the love that dare not roar its name?


Remember: this was the late 1940s. People still had a lot of hang-ups about that sort of thing. Thank goodness we've gotten over all that today, huh?


Judging him only upon his sexual orientation, Tawky Tawny was banned from moving to the neighborhood, even though Captain Marvel agreed to co-sign his lease.


Anti-gay protests against the peaceful tiger begin to build as J. Q. Harsch begins a smear campaign against the new neighbor!


But the quiet and peaceful surroundings of Fawcett City's suburbia is not a peaceful as it might seem, as violent anti-gay-tiger activists threaten!


Even standing up against violence doesn't protect Tawky Tawny from exerting his rights to life, liberty, and a nice little stucco home, two up, two down. And he keeps his lawn so neat and clean, too!


Captain Marvel vows to stand by his friend no matter what! That's why Cap has been a symbol of the fight for gay rights for the past several decades!


The news quickly spreads: homosexuals are not wanted in this neighborhood! Luckily the kids of the area accept Tawny for what he is: a heckuva cool guy.


THE MOB ATTACKS!


In the end it all worked out when Mr. Tawky Tawny moved to Fire Island...


...and became one of the most valued members of the community!


Panels above from Captain Marvel Adventures #90 (January 1950), script by Otto Binder, pencils and inks by C. C. Beck
So kids: always remember the lessons of tolerance and acceptance that comics, and Batman, give us:


And Tawky Tawny lived happily ever after, able to indulge his flamboyant lifestyle.




Panels from (top to bottom) Captain Marvel Adventures #104, Captain Marvel Adventures #126, Shazam! #7
So three cheers for DC and Tawky Tawny, and hooray for the acceptance of more gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered comic book characters. And tigers too!

365 Days of DC House Ads, Day 228: I don't know, but I do know why he has stripes. (Answer in the hover-text.)

House ad for Shazam! (1973 series) #7 (November 1973); printed in Secrets of Sinister House #15 (November 1973)
Comic cover art: pencils and inks by C. C. Beck
Ad designed and lettered by Gaspar Saladino

Merry Christmas to you, my readers!

Panel from "The Year Without a Christmas" in Shazam! #11 (March 1974), script by Elliot S! Maggin, pencils and inks by Kurt Schaffenberger

Today in Comics History: At last a party in which Tawky Tawny doesn't get drunk and take off his pants

Splash page from "The Year Without a Christmas" in Shazam! #11 (March 1974), script by Elliot S! Maggin, pencils and inks by Kurt Schaffenberger

Hold That Tiger

Today DC Comics publicly announced that it was re-introducing one of its classic male characters and revealing him to be gay! Kudos for you, DC...nice to see you move with the times and present heroes of all orientations and inclinations! But who is this gay hero, you're asking? Well, the hints were pretty obvious: he comes from the Golden Age, he's never been married, and he's a classic favorite of everyone who enjoys comics. That's why I applaud the decision of DC to let this hero come out of the closet. Introducing the newest gay hero of comics:

Mr. Tawky Tawny!

Yes, Mr. Tawky Tawny, tiger pal of the Big Red Cheese himself, Captain Marvel. What's that? You never suspected Tawky was a gay man tiger? Clearly you've never read the classic tale where he was unable to get a home in a suburban neighborhood merely because of the love that dare not roar its name?



Remember: this was the late 1940s. People still had a lot of hang-ups about that sort of thing. Thank goodness we've gotten over all that today, huh?



Judging him only upon his sexual orientation, Tawky Tawny was banned from moving to the neighborhood, even though Captain Marvel agreed to co-sign his lease.



Anti-gay protests against the peaceful tiger begin to build as J. Q. Harsch begins a smear campaign against the new neighbor!



But the quiet and peaceful surroundings of Fawcett City's suburbia is not a peaceful as it might seem, as violent anti-gay-tiger activists threaten!



Even standing up against violence doesn't protect Tawky Tawny from exerting his rights to life, liberty, and a nice little stucco home, two up, two down. And he keeps his lawn so neat and clean, too!



Captain Marvel vows to stand by his friend no matter what! That's why Cap has been a symbol of the fight for gay rights for the past several decades!



The news quickly spreads: homosexuals are not wanted in this neighborhood! Luckily the kids of the area accept Tawny for what he is: a heckuva cool guy.



THE MOB ATTACKS!



In the end it all worked out when Mr. Tawky Tawny moved to Fire Island...



...and became one of the most valued members of the community!


Panels above from Captain Marvel Adventures #90 (January 1950), script by Otto Binder, pencils and inks by C. C. Beck

So kids: always remember the lessons of tolerance and acceptance that comics, and Batman, give us:



And Tawky Tawny lived happily ever after, able to live his flamboyant lifestyle.




Panels from (top to bottom) Captain Marvel Adventures #104, Captain Marvel Adventures #126, Shazam! #7

So three cheers for DC and Tawky Tawny, and hooray for the acceptance of more gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered comic book characters. And tigers too!