Tuesday, February 23, 2016

2016 Comic Challenge 089 Sad Sack and the Sarge #101

TITLE-Sad Sack and the Sarge #101
PUBLISHER-Harvey Comics

This has to be the first time I have read any Sad Sack since the early 80s.Issue 101 came out around summer of 1973. So  bit before I was born. But this was when Harvey was still at it's peak sales wise. Flipping thru the issue I see ads for lots of other Harvey titles. And just from these ads they seem to be publishing 8 Sad Sack titles in the next 6 weeks. 10 Richie Rich and who knows how many Casper and Hot Stuff the lil Devil issues. Before the direct market took over comics the newstands would always have a nice sampling from the big 3 all age companies.Which was Harvey,Archie and Gold Key/Whitman.

Sad Sack is pretty much a Beetle Bailey like character,even though Sad Sack started right at 8 years before Bailey. So you get a nice assortment of 1 page gag strips and 3 to 7 page more developed stories. The art isn't bad for a comedy comic. All the characters have a kind of cartoony look which works.

The only two stories really stood out. The first was Sad Sack and the Sarge in World of Gloom and Doom!Sad Sack develops a zit gun. Which is non lethal. And takes about how if you removed the killing and injuries war would be fun. Of course Sarge doesn't agree.Then the General shows up. And in a comic from the summer of 1973 meant for kids admits that hell let me take a picture of this page BRB.
Yeah.... didn't expect that at all.

The other story is one were either Sad Sack is out of the Army and married with a young son. Or the young son is Sad Sack as a kid. It is never made clear which is right. And that is what really made the story stand out.

Other things that are of interest.The cover price is 20 cents.The comic has 23 pages of comics,a couple page long text story about Lil Sad Sack. A handful of house ads. The few non-house ads are definitely targeted at younger kids. I do wish someone would get the rights to all the Harvey characters and do new stuff with them. Even if it is just say one double sized issue every 4 months.


Sad Sack and the Sarge #101 gets a borrow.

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