Welcome to Rotten Ink once again as we take a look at another icon of the cartoon world, Porky Pig. When I was a youngster, the stations had battles to get young viewers to watch their shows over the others. They packed in lots of great programs to get the ratings; from cartoons to horror hosts, they did whatever they could to get those eyes glued to the TV and pump our young minds full of commercials for toys, snack food and video games that you had to have to be cool like all your friends. I miss those days, and it’s sad that Saturday Morning Cartoons are a thing of the past and most parent groups and hipsters with a twitter account have blocked so many fast food mascots from being used to promote products all cause they are making kids fat…not the bad parenting of buying said food all week for kids. But while some things are gone with no signs of returning, some things remain timeless, and that’s how I feel about Looney Tunes which is why to break up all the negative news in the world, let’s travel down memory lane and hang out with that hip pig Porky! So grab your acme chair and sip on some Hi-C, it’s time to have some silly fun!
Porky Pig is the longest active Looney Tune character in use and predates Bugs Bunny by 3 years! So we should talk about who this strange cartoon pig is who made many Saturday mornings fun for kids who enjoyed his silly stuttering antics. Porky Pig is a walking and talking pig who wears mostly red bowties, a blue jacket and sometimes white gloves who also has a stutter when he talks. He has a laid back attitude for the most part and is the butt of many jokes from friends like Daffy Duck who loved to drive him crazy. Porky is a hard worker who has worked for many different places in many different trades including a baseball announcer! Porky is also an uncle as well as a ladies man as he has a girlfriend named Petunia Pig who he loves. Warner Brothers in the early days really pushed Porky Pig as one of the premiere Looney Tunes characters, but by the time my generation came around, the focus was on Bugs Bunny and Road Runner. But even with that said, his impact was still around as he was a favorite of many of my friends at school and the old ads in comic books showcasing him made it apparent to many young minds just how important Porky was to the cartoon series and beyond. TV Guide had a countdown of 50 top Cartoon Characters, and he ranked in at 47. While a little low, it still showed that he had some popularity lefty in his chubby body. I should also say WB must have had some love for him as he became the poster boy for the end of the cartoons as he would bust his way out of a drum and stutter “That’s All Folks,” creating a phrase that is used by many still to this day. Porky was never my favorite of the Looney Tune characters but I still owned many of his VHS tapes as well as always enjoyed his toons on TV playing mostly on WGN, but this update is for all you Porky fans out in the world of the web as you help keep this character alive in pop culture.
Friz Freleng is the man who created Porky Pig in 1935 for the cartoon “I Haven’t Got A Hat,” and while Porky was only a minor character, his popularity grew fast. For those wondering, his name was inspired by nicknames of two schoolmate brothers that Friz grew up with. By the time that Tex Avery was hired in 1936, he featured an adult Porky Pig in his toon “Gold Diggers Of ‘49” While in a minor role, Porky got many of the laughs, and they knew they had a new star on their hands. Voice actor Joe Dougherty was chosen first to voice Porky as he had a real life stutter, but when his recording sessions took too long, the studio brought in Mel Blanc to be the new voice of their star pig. Blanc started his voice in 1937 with the cartoon “Porky’s Duck Hunt” and continued to voice Porky until his death in 1989 then Bob Bergen took over the duties. During the early years, the character of Porky would change from young to old and his attitude and such would change depending on the director of the cartoon. This helped and hurt Porky at the same time as it was hard for people to latch onto him when he kept changing, but this did not slowdown P. Pig as he starred in many cartoons. But his time at the top was short lived, and he quickly became a sidekick character alongside the likes of Daffy Duck and Sylvester Cat, pushing this one time kingpin Piggy out of the spotlight and into the supporting cast. Porky Pig would however be pushed again towards kids as in 1964 he was the star of “The Porky Pig Show” that ran until 1967, and in 1971 he had another show called “Porky Pig And Friends” that was geared towards kids to attach themselves to the character and a way to repackage the old cartoons of the past. Unlike Bugs Bunny, who is WB’s top character, Porky would end up as a character in some Hollywood movies like “Who Framed Roger Rabbit” and “Space Jam” to name a few. While Porky might have taken a backseat and was the butt of many jokes for the likes of Daffy, his straight man approach is what makes many of the cartoons he’s in enjoyable. Thanks WB, Friz Freleng, Mel Blanc and all the other creative people who made Porky Pig a household name and a character we all know and love!
Like all good cartoon iconic characters over the years, Porky has got many amazing pieces of merchandise made in his image, and if you’re a child of the 60’s all the way through the 90’s, it’s very possible you or a family member had something that featured Porky Pig like: Halloween costumes, drinking glasses, dolls, action figures, t-shirts, posters, buttons, scissors, jewelry, video games, VHS tapes, cards, cars and so much more! Porky was everywhere and was sure to please the fans of his antics. Growing up, my favorite Porky Pig things I owned were the Pepsi drinking glass that I would drink Kool-Aid and chocolate milk from, the VHS tapes I bought form a Dollar Tree that I would watch lots and the Arby’s figure that I had gotten from my cousin Nathan. If you had a favorite Porky Pig merchandise item, please share in the comments below.
James Rolfe who plays The Angry Video Game Nerd during the month of October does Horror Movie reviews once a day and calls it Monster Madness. They are one of the things that I look forward to every Halloween, and in 2009 he covered the 1932 film Freaks and made a very solid point when he showed a stuttering character who sounded just like Porky Pig and wondered if this was the inspiration. Looking at it, I think he might just be right as Porky didn’t come around until 1935, a total of three years after Freaks played the cinema. Was the stuttering sideshow worker the blue print used to make Porky Pig? Is it just an odd coincidence that the two sounded the same? What ever the case is James Rolfe brought this very interesting comparison to the light for me as a good topic to chat with friends about who know and respect both the film and the Porky. If I had to guess whether the stuttering character from Freaks was the inspiration for Porky Pig, I would have to say yeah, probably, slightly as the patterns of how each talks and change the word they are having issues with is just too close to say it was not. Make sure to give Monster Madness’ episode of Freaks a watch and see what you think of the connection when it’s done.
So now that we have refreshed ourselves on all things Porky Pig, we should pour ourselves a big bowl of cereal like Golden Crisp or Lucky Charms and get ready for the reviews of Porky done by Whitman and Gold Key! This time around, I dug deep into the box of comics I bought from Jason Young and his mother and pulled out every issue of Porky Pig. While most are done by Whitman, I did find a few Gold Key and decided to just go ahead and review them all as the Whitman issues are just reprints of the Gold Key ones. So I must send a big thank you to Jason and his mom for selling me these comics as I have had a blast digging through them and picking out cool Loony Tune issues to review here at Rotten Ink. I should also remind all you readers that I grade these issues on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comic stays to the source material, its entertainment value and its art and story. So let’s stuff our faces and pig out with the one and only pig of the hour, the swine with the belly laugh power, Porky Pig!
Porky Pig # 68 **1/2
Released in 1976 Cover Price .25 Whitman # 68 of 110
“Misadventures In Tacoland” In this adventure, Porky Pig and his nephew Cicero Pig are taking a trip to Tacoland and take Tweety Bird along with them after he is chased by Sylvester Cat. Tacoland is a place filled with temples, jungles, small towns and tons of Tweety Birds as it’s the homeland for the species. Sylvester Cat sneaks into the luggage and upon arrival finds out that the locals hate cats, and they run him off. Porky goes to the temple with Tweety and Cicero, and Sylvester follows. The groups stop a couple of illegal treasure hunters, and in the end Sylvester gets a treat of all he can eat tacos! “Disguise The Limit” Porky and Petunia Pig are on a date to a costume ball for charity at the mansion of Mrs. Giltstone when Juciy James steals all the money as well as everyone’s wealth. Porky goes after him and by luck stops the criminal and returns the money. “Star Performer” Cicero is practicing tight rope walking and Porky thinks it’s too dangerous and urges his nephew to get a small part time job. Cicero gets one at the circus, and Porky thinks his nephew is the new tight rope walker and risks his own life to try and stop him but soon finds out his nephew is only selling ice cream!
This is the first issue of Porky Pig I have read in over 30 years, and I found it to be a good refreshing classic kids comic that was packed with lots of familiar Loony Tune faces and really showcased Porky Pig as a character as I got to see lots of his sides from protective uncle all the way to worry wart. The first thing I must point out is that Porky’s stutter is gone as this comic has him talking normal without a stammer. This was kind of odd as the whole appeal of Porky Pig for many kids was his stutter that was used for comedic moments. It’s odd, even without the stutter as I read this comic in my head ,I could hear his voice and the dialogue was complete with the stutter. I also found myself very much attached to Porky and liked seeing what he would do in each of these adventures. Cicero Pig, while a youngster, is not annoying and adds some level of youth to the comic as Porky is a adult who is not prone to some of the excitement his nephew leads him into. Petunia Pig is a caring woman who is in charge of a charity in this issue and is clearly very proud of her boyfriend. The issue’s bad guys are two treasure hunters and a robber who dresses like a crook from the old west, and while all are up to bad things, none of them are super threatening. It was really cool to see Tweety and Sylvester make a cameo appearance in the opening story and even cooler that they stop a major crime alongside Porky and Cicero. The comic had a fantastic rotten ink smell and took me back to the good old days of working at Mavericks and pricing old comics from the back room. The cover, like all Whitman/Gold Key Looney Tune tie in comics, is misleading as Bugs Bunny does not show up in the issue but Porky and Petunia Pig do indeed eat ice cream in the final story. The comic’s art is well done but sadly no credits are given to who the artist is! If I had to pick a favorite story from the issue, I would have to say Misadventures In Tacoland as it was a cool adventure that took Porky into a jungle and had him along with friends be the heroes. Plus I wish Tacoland was real….man, now I want tacos….sigh, I guess Taco Bell for lunch. Over all while they changed Porky in a major way by dropping the stutter, I still really enjoyed this comic and found it to be a solid kids comic that I am sure the Young brothers enjoyed just as much as I did.
Porky Pig # 69 **1/2
Released in 1976 Cover Price .25 Whitman # 69 of 110
“The Return Of Awful Alfie” Porky Pig and Bugs Bunny are in the town of Awful Mountain when one time train robber Awful Alfie returns and threatens the whole town that if they don’t leavem he will squash them with a giant bolder he will roll down his mountain home. The Sheriff quits and appoints Porky as the new one, and he and Bugs try to talk to Alfie but soon find out why they call him awful! Porky and Bugs use an old train as bait to capture Alfie who in turns uses sneezing powder that causes them all to have a sneezing fit that echoes and causes the bolder to roll down the train tracks toward the town and toward Porky, Bugs and Alfie on the train! Porky uses his head and saves the day as Alfie also turns over a new leaf and is elected the town’s first mayor. “Snow Job” It’s summer time and hot outside, and Porky buys a snow machine from Daffy Duck. Porky decides to use it and charge kids .50 to cool off in a winter wonderland he created with the machine. Daffy Duck gets mad that Porky will not cut him into the deal and ruins the business with heaters sending all the kids home. But in the end, when one door closes, the pair team up and make snow cones and make extra money. “The Poultry Pig” Once more, Porky and Petunia are dressed up after a costume ball. Porky is dressed as a chicken and this makes Henry Hawk the Chicken Hawk think Porky is a big old chicken that is ready to be eaten! Henery chases Porky all over town, and it takes Porky showing him his license before the chicken hawk finally stops trying to make P. Pig his meal.
This another fun issue that has Porky Pig in all types of silly adventures! Porky once more has no stutter and is showcased as a pretty stand up guy who doesn’t back down from danger when it comes to a gun shooting midget mountain man but runs in fear from a tiny chicken hawk! The best adventure in this issue has to be the opener, Return of Awful Alfie, as I love the fact Porky becomes the sheriff of a small mountain town and with the help of Bugs Bunny they return law and order to the community. Petunia Pig makes returns and for the most part is just a background player in a story that has her once more returning from a costume ball…man, does all she do is party? The comeos from other Looney Tunes characters in this issue include Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Henery Hawk. The main bad guys in the issue are Awful Alfie, a small outlaw with a bad attitude who ends up turning good at the end and Henery Hawk, who is just confused and hungry. The artwork just as the last issue is well done and credit-less, and the cover on this one, while on track with showing Bug Bunny, is way off as the pair do not treat sick trees. I know this is odd, but I am really finding myself enjoying these Porky Pig comics and after reading these issues I find myself looking forward to seeing what adventures await this chubby cartoon pig! So to sum it up, this issue is a fun read and is one I would recommend for the young and young at heart to check out if they are a fan of Looney Tunes.
Porky Pig # 70 **1/2
Released in 1976 Cover Price .30 Whitman # 70 of 110
“The Farm That Wasn’t” Elmer Fudd has just bought a ten acre farm and takes Porky Pig and Bugs Bunny to take a look at it. The downside is that while he bought it for a cheap price, he did so sight unseen. When they get to the farm, they find out that it’s a fraud and nothing more than a dollhouse made to look bigger! While Fudd has a breakdown, Porky and Bugs find the crooks and bust them and get Fudd’s money back. “The Nightwatcher” Porky Pig is working as a late night security guard at a toy factory. Tweety Bird is running from Sylvester and they set off the alarm! While Porky breaks up the two, a real robber comes in and tries to steal the new toy line and Porky, Tweety and Sylvester team up to save the day. “The Indian Givers” Two Native Americans, Standing Bull and Big Skunk, have come to town with a deed that entitles them to the whole town, and they kick Porky and everyone off their land. The two Indians turn out to be crooks who are fakes and are there to rob and loot, but Porky talks to real Indian Chief Little Owl and he learns of the swindle and along with the real Native Americans bust the robbers and take the town back.
Porky Pig as a nighttime security guard for a toy factory is one of the coolest ideas and should have been used in many other issues as it was clearly the best story of this issue. Something about a gun carrying none-pant-wearing talking pig guarding top secret toys is the stuff fun kid comics and cartoons are made of! Porky Pig, in the issue, is a savior or the town, stops Elmer Fudd from being ripped off and protects toys. In other words, he is a pig of all trades. I should also note that in a modern kids comic, no well-loved cartoon character would have a gun, so it shows how much comics have changed and how parent groups and social media warriors have impacted the way comics are made. Petunia and Cicero have a cameo in the final story and are not given much to do. The cameos in this issue are Bugs Bunny, Elmer Fudd, Tweety Bird and Sylvester, and all are used really well and help add to Porky’s adventures. The way the comic portrays Native Americans is a little suspect as its shows that “palefaces” traded useless beads for land and that they would not want the land back as they like living on the reservations. The art work is great, and I really like the way the artist draws Porky. The cover is once more misleading as Porky and Bugs don’t play golf in any of the stories. Over all this is another great comic and had a slight rotten ink smell, and was well worth the read.
Porky Pig # 71 **1/2
Released in 1976 Cover Price .30 Gold Key # 71 of 110
“Operation Deep Freeze” Porky Pig and Bugs Bunny are in a sub on a quest for Hamm University to track down the 200 year pirate ship that belonged Redbeard in the arctic. When they get to the arctic, they not only find the ship but also a hot springs that houses the Great Great Grandson of Redbeard along with other descendents. But when an earthquake sparks an avalanche, Porky and Bugs must use the sub to free the pirate ship as well as all the pirates from a snowy grave. “Monkey Business” Porky must babysit the son (Mildew) of his boss and brings Cicero along with him. The kid is a brat and a tattletale and keeps threatening to get Porky fired! But when a batch of monkeys escape into the woods, they all use teamwork to capture them and return them back to Monkey Island, and Mildew learns a lesson in friendship. “The Stand-In” Petunia Pig is a stunt woman for Pam Pig on a popular police TV Show and while she’s giving Porky and Cicero a tour of the set and sample of her stunt work, Cicero by accident knocks out a thief who is trying to steal Pam’s jewelry and once more a crime is stopped and pig justice prevails.
Okay, we are four issues into the Porky comics I own and they all have some sort of thieves in them, which makes me wonder why Porky, Cicero and Petunia have to stop so many crimes! I mean is their town that overrun with scumbags who want to steal from others to buy their addiction of choice? Porky, as always,is on track of being one stand up kind of Pig who wants to make sure he does all the right things to help out those who need it. Cicero not only helps show a rich spoiled brat the meaning of friendship and teamwork, he also showcases that he doesn’t listen to grownups and still ends up stopping a robber in the process. Petunia gets a job of being a stunt pig for a famous actress and shows she does not fear danger and is very proud of working for a paycheck. The only cameo in this issue comes from Bugs Bunny who once more is helping HAMM University alongside Porky Pig. I would say my favorite story in this issue is the opening Operation Deep Freeze as it was cool to see Porky and Bugs in a sub saving the lives of pirates who could have died under a pile of snow. While this issue is a good one, it did slip slightly from the past three issues as this one seemed more like the comic series b-game and not the a-game of the others. The art is fantastic as the cover once more lies as no baseball is played. It’s a standard fun issue – not much more to say so let’s move onto the next.
Porky Pig # 79 **1/2
Released in 1978 Cover Price .35 Gold Key # 79 of 110
“The Hypnotic Eye” Porky and Cicero are on vacation when a crooked hypnotist named Knich tries to con Porky out of money with the help of a circus performer and his business partner. In the end Porky under a trance along with Cicero perform in the circus and help the police capture Knich and his friends. “Every Drip Counts” For a school project Cicero learns about saving water so he and Porky go around the house and do what they can to save water from leaky sinks, but things get out of hand when Cicero starts saving even shower water and dishwater to use in Porky’s tiny garden that is quickly growing as he planets more and more to keep up with the water. In the end, Porky comes up with a better way to use the saved water and that’s to open up a dog washing business. “Escape From Time” Porky and Petunia are traveling looking for antiques and stop by an old man’s house. They touch an antique locket that transports them back in time where they come face to face with some evil pirates and must out step them in order to return home. After reopening the locket they return home and are done antiquing for awhile.
This issue is pretty good but is slightly less enjoyable than all the others that have come before it. While it’s not bad, it just seems like it’s missing something that made the others feel more fun. While I liked both Escape From Time and The Hypnotic Eye and found each to have a classic Looney Tune cartoon feel to them, Every Drop Counts comes off as a PSA for saving water that has some gross moments that include washing dogs with water that was used in Porky’s shower as well as his dishes. In this issue, Porky shows that he cares about the environment as well will do what he can to make Petunia safe and happy. Petunia in this issue is now into collecting old antiques, and Cicero loves to save water and relax on vacations. The bad guys of this issue include pirates and Knich, a hypnotist who loves to steal money, While cool, none are that threatening towards Porky enough to make you worried about his health. The cover is as misleading as ever as this issue has no Bugs Bunny and no ice skating. The inside art is as good as all the others. Over all, it’s a good issue that did its job of entertaining a 36 year old comic book reader.
Porky Pig # 84 **1/2
Released in 1978 Cover Price .35 Gold Key # 84 of 110
“ Sir Coss And The Dragon” Porky and Cicero are camping in the woods near an old castle when they witness a knight on a horse disappear before their eyes! That night they share legends of Sir Coss, the brave knight. In the morning they head to the castle ruins and soon find themselves in a time warp and are stuck in the time of Sir Coss and his feud with a dragon. Soon Porky and Cicero trick Coss and the Dragon into being friends and find a way back to the time warp and return home knowing they changed history. “Computer Date” Porky is mad at Petunia and decides to break up with her and take his chance of finding a new girlfriend via a computer dating service and meets Patty Pig, a rough and tough woman who scares Porky so much he runs back to Petunia and patches things up. “Shaker Breaker” It’s Porky’s birthday dinner, and by accident he breaks Petunia’s prized salt and pepper shaker and must rush to the late night department store to replace them. Along the way he runs into Bugs Bunny who goes along to help find the replacement shakers, but what they find is a store jewel thief who has hidden his loot inside the shakers Porky has just bought! With the help of a shotgun carrying Elmer Fudd, they bust the crook, and Porky makes it back in time for a nice dinner with his lady.
This issue was lots of fun, and each story had a charm that made me feel as if I was watching Saturday Morning Cartoons! Porky sadly does come off as a jerk in the story called Computer Date as he throws away his relationship with Petunia over her being afraid of a bug on the wall that causes Porky to drop his pie and spill his milk. He is so cold when he breaks up with her and wastes no time in trying to find a new girl to wine and dine. Of course once he finds out that Petunia is a perfect woman for him, he comes crawling back with some cheap flowers. The one thing that’s cool with these comics is while the characters stay the same, they also evolve and change after almost every adventure. The Looney Tune guests in this issue are Bugs Bunny and Elmer Fudd both, who help once more bust a crook, and once more showcases that Porky’s town is filled with crooks who are fiending for some drugs and will steal what they can. I should also mention Patty Pig, the butch woman Porky took on a date. She was scary as she beat up a biker gang on her own and seemed like she could have been a man in drag! My favorite story has to be Sir Coss and The Dragon as I love the atmosphere of Porky and Cicero camping and being put back in time via a time warp. And I know this is weird, but I also for some reason kept thinking about Porky Pig and Cicero being attacked by The Blind Dead near the old castle. Now that’s a comic I would love to read! I should also say I was happy to see them use Cicero and Petunia well in this issue as they seemed very important to each story they were in. The art is great. The cover is once more misleading, but this is another great issue in this run of Porky Pig comics I have thanks to the Youngs.
Porky Pig # 86 **1/2
Released in 1979 Cover Price .35 Whitman # 86 of 110
“The Queens Quaker” Porky, Cicero and Daffy Duck head to Ducktoria, a place where ducks are treated like royalty, and the Queen’s duck has been kidnapped and held for ransom! But the royal duck lands in good hands as she escapes her captures, and Porky and friends out smart the kidnappers and return her to the Queen and help aid in the capture of the crooks. “Troll Mountain” Porky and Bugs Bunny are on a trip and stop to visit Porky’s Uncle Hamfat, who owns a gold mine whose workers have quit because of trolls that live in the tunnels. Bugs and Porky decide to enter the tunnel and mine for gold and come face to face with the trolls lead by King Trog who tells them they eat the gold nuggets. But soon the Trolls find a new food source as Bugs introduces them to carrots, and the Trolls start to work for Hamfat as he gives them carrots for the gold they bring up for him. “The Vase Chase” Porky and Daffy Duck buy a vase from a auction and soon find that two crooks want the vase as well as it holds a combination to a rich man’s safe! Porky and Daffy think fast and set the pair up and save the riches of a millionaire!
This is another fun Porky Pig comic adventure that proves that Whitman/Gold Key knew how to make entertaining kid comics that showcased popular characters from cartoons of the time. The best story out of the three hands down has to be Troll Mountain as I like that Porky and Bugs are deep into a gold mine and become prisoners and put on trail by trolls. This is the stuff of cheesy b-movie horror films! Porky’s uncle Hamfat is a man who owns a gold mine who is behind on bills but will not go into his own mountain to get gold and instead cons his nephew and his friend into going in for him, what a lazy butt. Porky once more is a crime stopper and loyal to his family and comes off a good guy like always. Daffy Duck and Bugs Bunny are the cameos in this issue and both add to the adventures they appear in. The bad guys in this issue are crooks, ducknappers and King Trog and his troll subjects, and out of them all the main threat was King Trog cause if he didn’t like carrots, I am sure he would have killed them for stealing his gold food nuggets. The art is fantastic, the cover is a lie and as always it’s a fun solid kid comic.
Porky Pig # 94 **1/2
Released in 1980 Cover Price .40 Whitman # 94 of 110
“Klondike Porky” has Porky Pig and Bugs Bunny visiting Alaska. They buy a map to a gold mine and a work moose from a man named Sourdough Sandy, but they soon find out that the mine is bare and that he has sold this same combo to another person! Porky, Bugs and the other Man in turn trick Sandy into buying back the mine with a fake bag of gold that turns out to be carrots! “Unwelcome Guest” Caesar is another of Porky’s nephews who comes over to spend time with him and Cicero, but Caesar is a prankster and pulls many pranks and tricks on Cicero that causes him to be in trouble. When Porky’s TV is stolen and Caesar was the only witness. He is not trusted and has to trick his uncle into following him, and they bust a ring of crooks. The final story in this issue is “Finders Reapers” has Porky Pig being too poor to take Petunia out on dates and this is taking a strain on their relationship. After finding a missing dog and getting reward money, Porky starts trying to find missing animals for extra cash but his good deeds leads him into the arms of jewel thieves and with the help of his dog friends he busts them and once more saves the day and is able to take Petunia out on a date.
Yet another solid issue and once more shows that the town Porky lives in is filled with crooks and people who will steal whatever they can! I mean really how bad is the drug issue in this town? Porky in the issue is a miner, an uncle and a finder of lost animals, and as always does each of these with piggy style. The dark side of this issue, besides the growing crook population in town, is the fact Petunia is down right rude to Porky as she wants to be taken out and wants no dates at home no more. I would guess Porky could not charm her with Netflix and Chill as she clearly more an IMAX and Climax kind of woman! Besides Petunia, regular nephew Cicero makes an appearance as does another nephew named Caesar who is kind of a prankster and while all in good fun, is the kind of kid in school who would do something bad and blame it on a fellow classmate. Bugs Bunny stops by and adds to Porky’s Alaskan adventure, helping lock another fun good old cheap kids comic. The cover is a lie, and Porky never paints a picture and there are no mice, but the inside artwork is great and once more done by unknown as they are not credited. This marks the end of the issues I got from the Young’s but I have one more issue up my sleeve!
Porky Pig # 96 **1/2
Released in 1980 Cover Price .40 Whitman # 96 of 110
“Forest Adventure” Porky Pig and Bugs Bunny are on a nature walk in the woods when they go off the trail and become lost. They find a tiny village of elves who are being tormented by goblins, and Porky and Bugs act as the tiny town’s aid. The second story is “The Cookie Caper” and has Porky buying stock in a cookie dough company, and he is worried about his stock dropping. Daffy and Cicero pull a prank on Porky with a fake headline about a Cookie Batter Beast, and this prank leads to Porky falling into some batter and making people think he is indeed this made up monster! In the end, with the help of Petunia and Cicero, he is able to pull a prank over on Daffy. “The Smashing Success” Porky quits his job as a janitor all because of a self-help book and goes to a jewelry company to apply and gets the job of Vice President and also gets to back a suitcase full of rare jewels. But he soon finds out his boss is really a crook who has tied up all the real workers, and once more Porky stops the crook and gets a job as the janitor of the jewelry company.
I first must note that this issue was not part of The Young Family comic buy and was one I picked up at Game Swap in Kettering. Secondly I want to say this issue had a very strong rotten ink and cellar smell to it. But onto this final issue for me to look at, I must say that just like the others it was three short fun adventures of Porky Pig who throughout the issue was a janitor, savior of tiny elves and a stock investor and shows that Porky can and will be whatever he wants! The issue was packed with guest stars as Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck both made appearances and series regulars Petunia and Cicero also were shown and added to the stories they were in. My favorite story in this issue was a tough one to pick as all three were lots of fun, but if I had to pick one I would say The Cookie Caper as it was fun to see Porky scaring people covered in cookie batter and for Daffy to be a butt and pull a mean prank on one of his “friends”. The artwork in this issue is great and keeps the same mark of quality that ran through out these issues I read. The cover as always is misleading and Porky and Cicero never paint a fence in the whole issue. I want to also point out that once again the town Porky lives in is over run by crime as this time around he runs into a jewelry thief that he must stop. This is a very solid series that brought lots of joy to this comic reader and took me back to a time when Saturday Morning Cartoons, Commander USA and weekend adventures were the most important things to look forward to every week. Below is the piece of artwork that I think sums up this fun time we just had with Porky Pig as he hopes he doesn’t shoot himself in the foot with his own gun….Porky Pig and a gun something kids comics of today would never showcase in a issue.
That was lots of fun, and I am really glad I bought that long box of comics from Mom Young as many of the issues have and will be great updates for Rotten Ink, and it gave me a chance to talk a little about Porky Pig and his impact on cartoons and culture. For our next update, we are leaving the safe silly side of Porky and heading to Raccoon City for a zombie outbreak! That’s right, I will be taking a look at Resident Evil not only in the video games but also the Marvel Comics promo Iissue so make sure to come back and join me on that one! Until then, read a comic or three, support your local horror host and stay young at heart, my friends.
Rotten Ink 