Comic Strip of the Week - The Kiss

Last week's comic strip featured one of many encounters Scarlet had with children. Some, such as Beansie, were mischievous and need to be taught a lesson. Others were poor and in need of help. However, one of her most popular featured a young boy named Hobble-De-Hoy. It is even documented in Crawford's Encyclopedia of Comic Books by Hubert H. Crawford.

"Perhaps the strangest episode - and one that rates as a Golden Age classic in creative fantasy - occurred when Scarlet discovered her invisible power was contagious. It began with a casual stroll down the street during an invisible state when a youth, coming the opposite direction, bumped into her and knocked himself silly. Thrown to the ground, the dumbfounded lad scratched his head and tried to figure out what had happened. As a gesture of apology, Scarlet kissed the boy on the cheek. Result: the boy became invisible!"

Here's that very strip from March 5, 1944.

In Memoriam Al Williamson 1931 - 2010

This week saw the passing of another great artist, Al Williamson, who IMHO defined the term illustrator. There are too many credits to list here, but below are just a few samples of his long and varied career. I strongly recommend seeking out his work, and a great place to do so online is the Golden Age Comic Book Stores blog.

Comic Strip of the Week - Little Orphans

Yesterday, after 86 years in newspapers around the globe, the last Little Orphan Annie comic strip was published. You can see the final strip at GoComics.com. There are plenty of online articles detailing the importance of Annie in American comics, and I do recommend in particular Phil Rosenthal's column in the Chicago Tribune. Although she was published in the crosstown rival newspaper, we salute Annie's incredible run and humbly offer this week's strip featuring Scarlet's encounter with an orphan not nearly as nice, Beansie. Leaping Lizards Scarlet, be careful playing cupid! You don't have a trusty dog like Sandy to save you!

HeroesCon 2010

No comic strip this week, as I've been recovering from the awesome craziness that was HeroesCon! It is easily my favorite convention of the year and I strongly suggest placing it on your schedule for 2011. I did not have a booth (maybe next year), but spent the weekend visiting with various fans and pros and the subject of Invisible Scarlet came up quite a bit. I think there's some real interest in this character not only from the folks who remember her, but by those just learning about her as well. I would like to thank Shelton Drum, the hard working con staff, and all the guests and attendees for a wonderful weekend!

Of course, I did not come home empty handed! I always try to get at least one sketch of Scarlet at each convention I attend. The piece below is by Stephanie Gladden, artist with many years of experience drawing licensed characters (Looney Tunes, Ren & Stimpy, Wolf & Red, The Simpsons, Powerpuff Girls, and many Cartoon Network characters). Most recently, she pencilled Paul Dini's Jingle Belle in her last couple of adventures. Please visit her website for more information.


Love her take! To view visions of Scarlet by other artists, feel free to check out my gallery.

Speaking of conventions, I will be a guest at SciFi Summer Con this Saturday at the Crown Plaza NW at Powers Ferry in Atlanta, GA. I'm expected to be on a comics panel and possibly a few others. Will Scarlet come up in the discussion? Well, she did venture into outer space at least once (kinda sorta)! In any case, I look forward to seeing you there!