This is an in-universe article with out-of-universe material.
Scribbly #9 is an issue of the series Scribbly (Volume 1) with a cover date of February, 1950.
Synopsis for Scribbly: "Frontier Daze"
Prologue…:
Scribbly has shown up to Clover's house to give her a small bouquet of flowers, but her father unreasonable tells him to basically fuck off, leading the Boy Cartoonist to grouse in the gutter until Littul Snoony and Dizzy show up, telling them that Mr. Cooley doesn't “appreciate” him. Snoony offers he needs a press agent (with a natural implication it's him,) stating that he needs someone who can “sell” him to Mr. Cooley and that Scribbly is too modest to speak on his finer points. Snoony offers he's an expert for hire of the high cost of a whole quarter and he can straighten out his love life. To prove as such, he approaches a rich woman, Mrs. Snootfeather and her young daughter, Wheatina, speaking sweetly to flatter them, earning Mrs. Snootfeather picking him up and kissing him on the cheek and invites him to come over for dinner at their house. Dizzy seems to fall for Snoony's polite human words and Scribbly is convinced, forking over a bit to his brother. Meanwhile, Clover tells her father that Scribbly isn't just a “lazy drugstore cowboy” since he works at the Morning Bugle, but Mr. Cooley instead shouting that Scribbly gives him a headache. Before he can say more though, Mrs. Cooley tells him that he can't just throw out Clover's friends and if he has a headache, he should just take some medicine, urging him to be more lenient with Scribbly, who is approaching with Snoony. Snoony rings the doorbell while Scribbly hides behind a tree in their front yard. Snoony whistles him over and Mr. Cooley tries his best to be nice and pleasant with him, asking about his job at the Bugle, only for Snoony to start exaggerating how important his brother is, embellishing that his salary comes in an armored car every week, drives an absurdly long car and that President Truman consults him all the time. Scribbly tries to pull him aside and tell him not to just lie to his girlfriend's father, but Snoony insists he's using salesmanship and crams a banana down his brother's throat. When Mr. Cooley asks if he has a cold and is coughing, Snoony embellishes this too, claiming that Scribbly has no mere cold, but triple pneumonia and is usually in an oxygen tank to survive. Even he realizes that this may be a bit much as the entire Cooley family gang up on the two of them, leaving them pinned to their clothesline by their clothes, much to Clover's surprise.
Chapter I:
We flash back to the distant past of 1849 in the western town of Poison Valley. The menfolk are naturally all trying to shoot each other in the dead of night, only until a woman leans out of a window to tell them there's a blizzard coming in and they'll likely freeze to death. A horse nearby is already covered in snow and an hour later, the woman leans out her window again to find that the snow has piled up to her second-story window and the gunfighters insist that they're fine being completely submerged in snow and that it won't stop them shooting each other. A week later, the news comes in that Poison Valley has somehow been completely lost to the snow. A random man named Zeke exclaims “Good riddance!”
A century later, it is 1949 and O'Hara calls for Scribbly, since he has the biggest story this century and his phone seems to have gone missing. It seems that Poison Valley has unfrozen after a whole century, leaving them all preserved in time like bears in hibernation. He soon finds that Scribbly is hiding in a filing cabinet and calling Clover to discuss that her father still doesn't like him, but Clover corrects him that her father actually said “if everyone in the world were like you, the oxcart wouldn't have been invented yet” until O'Hara cuts him off. Clover hears his shouting over the line and somehow confuses this for Scribbly being rude to her and hangs up in a huff. She tells her father that she's not answering and she's through with him… but dives for the phone the second it rings again, assuming it's him. Scribbly tries to tell O'Hara he needs to make this call or he'll die an “old maid” and when O'Hara says he's fine with that, Clover hears this and hangs up on him again. O'Hara manages to wrestle the phone from him, but falls out the open window behind him. Mr. Birdnest manages to spot him before he falls and says that they've lost six reporters trying to cover the Poison Valley story, prompting O'Hara to decide to send Scribbly into the breach, pretending he's giving him an opportunity to prove himself. Later, he arrives at home with a loud yellow cowboy outfit with purple chaps that O'Hara bought for him. He worries to his mother that O'Hara, usually one that hates whistling, was whistling Goodbye Forever that day and laughing fiendishly.
Chapter II:
Scribbly finds out his train is stopping at Oakland, since no one would want to build a train going to Poison Valley, but Scribbly insists that he knows there's a dude ranch there he's being sent to. The conductor throws him off by the seat of his pants and says it's a 60 mile walk to Poison Valley and that he must be a lot tougher than he looks if he's calling Poison Valley a “dude ranch.” Scribbly assumes this was a cold joke and asks an older man nearby if he can get a taxi to Poison Valley. The gent offers what he will really need in Poison Valley, giving him a loaded revolver and casually offers that he just shoot himself, since it'll happen there anyways and then at least he'll have saved himself the arduous trip. Later, he manages to borrow a goat to ride to town, musing on how the old man is a fool since “no bad men” are out west at all.
In the city, this is immediately disproven when “Dirty” McGuire harasses an unnamed cowgirl rancher, deciding he's just going to steal her entire ranch. She goes for her gun, but finds three of his bandit friends pointing back at her. McGuire puts her on a horse and sends her off, firing potshots to mock her further. The Rancher decides to enlist the help of the only man in Poison Valley big enough to stop him: “Iron-Jaw” Joe, a cowboy in a green shirt with red polka dots and a comically jutting chin. She asks for his assistance, but he curtly refuses, saying he's “very busy” doing low energy bounty-hunting by just people-watching outside the general store, hotel and dance hall. He offers that he might help her if there's a reward, but when she says she's broke, he brushes her off again. Scribbly soon arrives in town on his goat and is immediately shot at by a newborn baby holding a pistol, losing him his mount and putting a hole through his hat. The Infant Gunfighter openly mocks Scribbly to do something about it and Scribbly challenges him to come down and say it to his face, but the Baby points out he can't walk. Despite this, he starts shooting at Scribbly's feet to make him “dance” like the Oklahoma Kid until his mother, the hotel owner, strikes her own infant son in the head with a saucepan and chastises him not for shooting at Scribbly, but for missing the mark. He complains that he couldn't get a car to drive him there, but the woman is confused, not knowing what automobiles are, casually giving the revolver back to Little Abernathy to shoot the seemingly rambling Boy Cartoonist until he scarpers away. He soon runs into Joe, asking for a place to hide, but Joe points out that Little Abernathy can't hit anything of consequence just before he manages to wing the handle of Scribbly's valise, toppling it open.
Joe takes a peek at the newspaper he brought in his case and starts to look it over, then pulls his gun on Scribbly. Since his is illiterate, he presumes that Scribbly's face on the front page (which states he's going to Poison Valley to report on things there,) and that this means he's a wanted criminal! What's more, he points out everyone else in town is illiterate, demanding he march. Scribbly thinks on using a Dale Evans move to try, reasoning internally that is is an old trick… but he's from a time when those were new! He attempts to trick him into thinking he has something on his face, offering he lean down to meet him and knocks him in the jaw with his fist… only for him to ask if he got the dirt off his face, insisting he make sure he looks nice. Little Abernathy hands Scribbly a large club to crack against his head, but Joe is just as easily nonplussed by it. Little Abernathy hands him a large mallet instead and Scribbly acquiesces, saying this is only for self-defense. Iron-Jaw Joe manages to still pull a gun on him, but when the Cowgirl shows up, he's uneven enough that Scribbly knocks him over. The Cowgirl decides that this means that Scribbly is the toughest hombre in Poison Valley and mildly flirts with him to get him to follow her on her horse to her ranch and dumps him in front of McGuire and his gang!
Chapter III:
Littul Snoony dashes in with Dizzy to show off that Scribbly is on the front page of Morning Bugle, but Clover isn't interested in him just now. Sisty insists on seeing it instead, shocked to find that Scribbly is in Poison Valley, a deadly western town. Clover demands to see it, saying she isn't interested, but she is curious and stomps off while reading it. Snoony is worried that since the US military are scared of going to Poison Valley, Sisty calls up her numerous chaotic cousins to go with them to Poison Valley. The smallest of them asks how they're going to get there and Sisty shouts down this “silly” question, since “in comics books you can do anything! C'MON!” Back in Poison Valley, the Cowgirl orders Scribbly to fight the bandits and shoves her gun in his face when he refuses politely. He tries to run towards them and the bandits all fire at once, making him immediately retreat and leap into the Cowgirl's arms, saying they won't “cooperate!” She drops him in anguish that he's just a coward, dropping him on a log set on top of another two logs, knocking a bucket hanging on one end of the top log, hitting each of the bandits in the head, defeating them instantly. Scribbly starts to admit that he isn't certain he's against it and she takes this as confirmation, peppering him with tiny kisses on the face. He walks over to try using his apparently powerful finger and finds he can easily knock over “Dirty” McGuire & his outlaws in a single touch! The Cowgirl and Scribbly take the gang to the tiny jail and the Sheriff promptly resigns, saying that Scribbly has done an infinitely better job and can seemingly defeat deadly bandits with a single touch.
Words gets around Poison Valley of Scribbly's supposed fighting prowess until they're terrified by a giant “bird” that is an airplane dropping paratrooper “eggs.” The former Sheriff rides in to town and shouts that “little” bandits are wrecking town, so Scribbly saddles up his new goat, Gertie, and rides in to see that Snoony, Sisty & the Hunkel Cousins are just violently assaulting everyone in town with a log and a baseball bat. When they don't stop despite Scribbly pointing out he is the Sheriff, he arrests them all! Days later, O'Hara gets a letter from Scribbly from Red that says he managed to fix the entire town and become Sheriff, making him spill some water at the cooler and offers they may just need to get him back. However, Red points out they don't need to, since there's a parade outside for Scribbly, the Hero of Poison Valley, returning to New York City. Later still, Scribbly pouts on his finest cowboy duds to impress the Cooley Family. He challenges Henry Cooley by removing his gloves and unleashing his destructive touch… only to find after some usage that it isn't working, Mr. Cooley hangs him outside on the clothesline again, saying that he'll never get anywhere!
Appearing in Scribbly: "Frontier Daze"
Featured Characters:
Supporting Characters:
- Littul Snoony
- Sisty
- Red Rigley
- The "Pore, Defenseless Gal"
Antagonists:
- Mr. Henry Cooley
- "Dirty" McGuire
- The McGuire Gang
- "Iron-Jaw" Joe
- "Little" Abernathy's Mother
- "Little" Abernathy
Other Characters:
- Mrs. Cooley (First appearance)
- Clover Cooley
- Mrs. Snootfeather
- Wheatina Snootfeather
- O'Hara
- Red Rigley
- Mr. Birdnest
- The Hunkel Cousins
- Zeke
Locations:
- New York City
- Poison Valley, CA
- Oakland, CA
Items:
- A Banana
Vehicles:
- Gertie the Goat
- A Train
- A Plane
Synopsis for "Teeny"
Teeny sees a stage magician make a table disappear with a swipe of a cloth and tries to do it later at home, destroying a vase on his dining room table, eradicating a bowl of fruit and takes a break to eat an entire piping hot apple pie cooling in the window sill. His mother soon comes home from errands and asks about the pie's whereabouts, but Teeny is hiding in cowardice, but also in pain, as eating an entire pie has afflicted him. He thinks about how he would like to disappear much like he has made the pie disappear, clutching himself in regret.
Appearing in "Teeny"
- Teeny
Supporting Characters:
- Teeny's Mother
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- A Magician
Locations:
- Teeny's Home
Items:
- An Apple Pie
- A Vase (Destroyed)
- A Bowl of Fruit (Destroyed)
Vehicles:
Synopsis for "Lora"
Lora's Father tells her to take care of a brand new yellow coat and not to crease it by sitting down, pull out the pockets or put it on a hook instead of a hanger. She heads off with boyfriend Johnny, who says that her father really takes an interest in what she wears… only for her to reveal it's her father's topcoat!
Appearing in "Lora"
- Lora
Supporting Characters:
- Lora's Father
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
- Johnny
Locations:
Items:
- The Brand New Yellow Topcoat
Vehicles:
Synopsis for Littul Snoony: "Rummage Sale!"
Littul Snoony is running a lemonade stand level rummage sale. He offers her a lady's folding fan for a nickel, but Sisty lashes out at such a ridiculous price, so he instead offers a smaller one for a penny instead. She walks off fanning herself with it… only to find that it's detached at the bottom and extending from one end. She demands a refund from Snoony and he asks what she did with it, but she insists she only waved it. Snoony says one cannot merely wave a penny fan. A nickel fan, you can wave as like, but a cheap penny fan, you need hold it perfectly still… and wave your head in front of it!
Appearing in Littul Snoony: "Rummage Sale!"
Supporting Characters:
Antagonists:
Other Characters:
Locations:
- Littul Snoony's Rummage Sale Stand
Items:
- An Expensive 5¢ Red Fan
- A Less Expensive 1¢ Yellow Fan
Vehicles:
Notes
- "Frontier Daze" is a four-chapter story, with each chapter being as long as a standard Scribbly story.
- This issue also includes:
- "Superboy Says 'Give Your Town a Present!'", a one-page public service announcement starring Superboy that appeared in many DC Comics in this time period.
Trivia
- Despite the cover, Scribbly doesn't encounter a runaway horse near a precipice. He has a stunning lack of equine antics in general despite the Western setting.
- "Iron-Jaw" Joe bears a significant resemblance to famed Western film star Marion Robert "John Wayne" Morrison, who was known for his trademark squint and heavy jawline.
- In this issue, Mr. Cooley is first revealed to be named "Henry"
See Also