Bob Bolling & Little Archie
Comics
 Probably
the best comics creator that you've
never heard of!
This
week IDW released a gorgeous
book on the history of Archie
Comics and
mini-spotlights on some of
the
best Archie creators ~ including one of my
all time favorites Bob Bollling - creator
writer, artist best known for his work on
Little Archie
What's so special about Bob Bolling Little Archie comics?
Easy, they're the best damn kids comics ever made...
Born in 1928, Bob
Bolling is the creative genius behind LITTLE ARCHIE. Having
worked on issues #1-38 (roughly) plus the two LITTLE ARCHIE
MYSTERY comics and the four LITTLE ARCHIE in ANIMAL LAND
comics plus one cool mail away coloring book.
 Bob
abruptly left his Little Archie work to contribute to the
regular Archie titles, both in writing and drawing - and
turned in some memorable work there but didn't return to
Little Archie work, with any consistency untill issue #140.
While a good chunk of his work was reprinted in various
Archie Digests, I spent YEARS searching for his early work.
It literally took me 10 years to find a Little Archie #1
(this is pre Internet), and nothing beat the thrill of
opening an issue and finding a story I'd never seen before!
Try visiting a local comic shop and see how many issues they
have - good luck with that. Most 1950's kids comics
were enjoyed by kids to the point of falling apart and most
kids got rid of them as they grew older and discovered
Super-Hero books.
I was fortunate to have been exposed to most of his work via
the DIGEST reprints in the mid 70's and from there tried to
track down the original issues. Unlike the often compared to
Carl Barks Donald Duck books, Bob's Little Archie's had
never been collected in any kind of comprehensive editions,
though Archie did finally publish a LITTLE ARCHIE trade
paperback collecting some of Bob's work (see
here) -- but there are still many Bolling stories that
have yet to be re-printed.
 What
makes Bolling's work stand out for me, compared to other top
notch creators like John Stanley (Little Lulu) and Carl
Barks is Bollings ability to wildly change his writing style
and even his art style, and to still pull it all off.
There were no limitations on what type of story you might
get from a Bolling Little Archie. What Bolling was
able to achieve were great slapstick stories, science
fiction/fantasy/drama or even a thoughtful serious piece -
yet still making it accessible for kids. No small
task.
Most writers/artists talk down to their audience when
they find out they'll be writing a story for young children
- but Bolling's work can be appreciated at any age.
If you have any Archie digests lying around in your
collection or home, here's a few ways to spot a Bob Bolling
story...
 The
easiest way: Bob signed it.
It sounds ridiculous, but during the early to
mid-1960's very few Archie artists were allowed to sign
their work. Yet Bob was. Go figure. If you are lucky enough
to have an old LITTLE ARCHIE comic (#1-38), take a look -
Bob's stories will be signed yet the other artists work will
not. You'll usually find Bob's signature surrounded
by a box in the story's first panel on page 1.
You'll meet:
Weasel Williams, Beefy Brawnson, Clyde Crimp, Fangs Foggarty,
Dewey Lippersnipper, Evelyn Everner or any of the classic "Bolling"
names that either share the same first initial, or mimic a
tongue twister that you can't say 10 times fast.
Other signs of a Bob Bolling work to look for:
Flim Flam Film Studios,
Kindly Mother Kellers Pies
Mad Doctor Doom & Chester (no one seems to be overly
concerned that the Dr. has green
skin and a forked tongue)
& the Pride of Walvis Bay, (the boat that Mad Doctor Doom & Chester
always end up on)
Bob's classic line:
"HA!HA! THASSA JOKE!"
After one of the good old gang tells a bad joke, they inform
you that they have, in fact, just told a joke. The recipient
is usually making a face or outwardly groaning. Always a
tell-tale sign that you are reading a great Bolling work.
The story title has a second sub-title:
While not EVERY Bolling story will be sub-titled, in fact
they are harder to track down than I thought originally. I
do believe that Bob was the only guy to use this fun device.
Sometimes it will even have 3 titles when Bob's really on a
roll!
example: Little Archie in 'PAPER BOY' or
'The Strange Case of Mrs. Skratchlow's Cat' or
"Nobody's Purr-Fect"
The lesson learned at the
end of the tale will be a play on words.
Many of Bob's stories had a
moral story at the end (and usually really good) - quite
often Bob would take the time to have the moral lesson be a
play on words, like the examples below.
"
Now that you know what to look for - start digging
through your old digests & comics and find out how many of
your favorite stories were Bob Bolling works!
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