Little Lulu!

mega-classic!

john stanley = the pg wodehouse of comics

bow down to Marge too:

The creator of Little Lulu is Marge Henderson Buell. Marge was a pioneering female cartoonist who had a long career working on various one-panel gag strips and illustration. She created Lulu in 1935, and landed the plum position in the back of the Saturday Evening Post. Buell's Little Lulu was a rascal who let nothing stop her from getting what she wanted. Buell created the cast of characters that the comic book run later expanded, but mainly Little Lulu was a one panel gag strip with little character development or story continuity. The popular of Little Lulu lead Buell into a long term relationship with Kleenex, as Lulu was the spokesperson for the tissues for over a decade. Buell also solid rights for Little Lulu animated cartoons, dolls and comic books, also with other products though Buell kept final "creator control" over all Little Lulu items. She approved all the comic books and animated cartoons until she sold all rights to the character in the late 1960's. She stopped drawing the Little Lulu for the Post in 1947 and all Little Lulu work after this point was the work of other creators following Marge Henderson Buell's vison
John Stanley was the creator of the Dell comic book Marge's Little Lulu from 1945 to 1961 or so (--the date of Stanely's departure is still debated). Originally Stanley was the sole creator of the comics, story and art. His art originally mimiced that of Buell, but as the comic became more successful and Dell increased the publishing schedule of the comic, the art chores were handed to Irv Tripp, who devolped the more "cartoony" style for Little Lulu that continues to this day. Stanley and Tripp worked as a team, Stanely writing and laying out the stories, and Tripp contributing the finished art, for over a decade. The Stanely /Tripp run of Little Lulu is often considered by comic book historians and fans to be some of the classic comic books every published for the youth audience.
Randy Henderson was the primary artist on the Little Lulu synidated comic strip of the 1960's. The strip was never extremely success, though Henderson did add his own unique touch to the strip.

yeah the original marge cartoons are great all by themselves. but then stanley's comix did a whole other thing with it. particular favorites are the ones where lulu tells alvin stories. and also the ones where tubby tries to nail lulu's dad for assorted imaginary crimes. oh hell they're all good.

I sure wish these were being reprinted in color. They were so obviously drawn with color in mind and when I look at the black and white reprints it just feels lacking. Also with the covers - which were always so great.