As it turns out Wally Wood worked on several spy themed comics in addition to the THUNDER Agents. I will look at the hard-nosed Cannon later, but today we're looking over The Adventures of Pussycat. These are the zany misadventures of a ditzy but sexy young lady named Pussycat who ends up working for an organization called S.C.O.R.E. (Secret Council Of Ruthless Extroverts)fighting a gang dubbed L.U.S.T.(Legion of Undesirable Sinister Types). Turns out most if not all of the lust from both sides is directed at our lovely Pussycat who will in the fight against worldwide crime slip out of her duds at a moment's notice, in the cause of justice of course.
This one was developed by Wally Wood and later produced by Bill Ward and later still by Jim Mooney for some of men's magazines that Marvel's parent also produced. Wally Wood's debut story hit the stands buried up in Male Annual #3. That sounds like stuff too good to remain hidden and this is one comic with its Bill Everett cover that needs a larger modern audience. Despite today being filled with "woke" folk, I'm all for a bit of this old-fashioned misogynistic Dadaistic entertainment!
Turns out these stories have been reprinted twice. Once by Marvel in 1968 as The Adventures of Pussycat, and much more recently by Mini-Komix under the title of Pussycat Tails. The reproduction ain't the greatest but the stories are bursting out with frothy inappropriate and mildly naughty entertainment.
Pussycat Tales, a reprint of Marvel's vintage Pussycat magazine reprint keeps the tasty Bill Everett cover and all. It's a nifty package (ahem) and despite the somewhat smaller dimensions is still a bargain for anyone with a hankering for wacky misadventures of a well-drawn dame. Wally Wood leads the way, but it's the artwork of Jim Mooney and especially that of Bill Ward which makes this one a dazzler. I never get tired of looking at Ward's distinctive interpretations of modern women, women who are hyper sexual and almost always extremely powerful in their way. And Jim Mooney ain't no slouch either.
In addition to the eleven little stories in this tome we also get some pin-ups. First a gallery dedicated to Lily St. Cyr, the real life inspiration for Pussycat according this tome. Also there is art by Wood, Mooney and especially Ward. They don't make comics like this anymore in these "woke" days but part of my caveman mentality wishes they did, especially as well crafted as these.
Check out this link for more details. It looks like there are a few versions.
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Wally Wood is a fantastic artist, I recently got his Woodwork retrospective book. And this era of pinup art is a personal fav...so this goes on my 'Stuff I Want' bookmark folder :)
ReplyDeleteI don't have that Woodwork book, though I've been tempted. The era of the classic pin-ups is certainly sexist, but unlike so much of the smut of the modern day idealized women at least.
DeleteThe second page by Jim Mooney reminded me a bit of Gwen Stacy.An interesting if somewhat dated piece of comic book history.
ReplyDeleteShe does rather. Nobody drew prettier women than John Romita and his Gwen was ravishing, as was his Mary Jane. I never could figure out why Peter thought he was a loser when Gwen was his girlfriend. Sheesh.
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