The Cartoon Show That Never Was: New And Upcoming ODDBALL COMICS!

[Scott Shaw!]

New Today: ODDBALL COMIC #1,259 -- MONDAY, JUNE 8, 2009 -- Here's an ODDBALL COMIC that's based on a Saturday morning TV cartoon show from 1969, a faithful adaptation in every possible way…except for the fact that THE COLOSSAL SHOW was never, ever broadcast! Meet Mister Colossal -- ancient Rome's greatest talent agent -- and his staff, all brought to you by the cartoon studio behind UNDERDOG and TENNESSEE TUXEDO! You've never seen anything like it (unless, of course, you've seen Hanna-Barbera Productions' THE ROMAN HOLIDAYS!) Plus, a revealing excerpt from Mark Arnold's upcoming book about Total TeleVision Productions that unveils the true story behind THE COLOSSAL SHOW!

New Next Monday: ODDBALL COMIC #1,260 -- MONDAY, JUNE 15, 2009 -- It's time to get re-acquainted with the udderly ODDBALL star of ELSIE THE COW COMICS, a bovine commercial spokescharacter who was once synonymous with the American housewife! Then meet her cud-chewing family, including her husband Elmer, their teenage daughter Buelah and their young son Beauregard! Plus, “America's Most Talked About Comic” presents a pin-up portrait of Elsie's French ancestor, “The Marqui Of Charlotte Russe”! But what're the Fox and the Crow doing in this funny animal funnybook?

Please drop by and stay awhile!

Aloha,

Scott!

[_OM_]

...One correction to a misconception that a lot of people make about The Roman Holidays: while the show did continued the quasianachronistic style that made The Flintstones work, the core of the show itself was based more on Make Room for Daddy. This can easily be seen in how Gus Holiday resembles Danny Thomas far more than he does either Fred Flintstone and/or Jackie Gleason.

...Still, thanks for reminding us of Mr. Colossal, Scott. I remember buying this book hot off the spinner rack when it first came out, and actually liked it enough to be somewhat disappointed when it turned out to not be a regular series instead of Gold Key trying to knock off Brother Power with Zody the Mod Rob.

[Scott Shaw!]

I've never seen an episode of THE ROMAN HOLIDAYS, but have read all four issues of the funnybook adaptation. I never heard about any MAKE ROOM FOR DADDY connection/influence/thievery, but Joe Barbera told me that "a modern Bronze Age family" was among the concepts that eventually became THE FLINTSTONES. (For that matter, Bill Hanna once gave me this "advice": "Don't create anything if you can steal it, kid." And he WASN'T joking!)

Hey, didja know that THE JETSONS were an appropriation of the BLONDIE movies of the 1940s? WACKY RACES were "inspired" by THE GREAT RACE?
That RUFF AND REDDY was a copy of CRUSADER RABBIT? I think that the only early H-B character who WASN'T based on a prior character or concept was Quick Draw McGraw. (And no, other than the name being a reference to "Babalu", Baba Looey wasn't based on Desi Arnaz!)

Aloha,

Scott!