Li'l Abner, by Al Capp

LI'L ABNER

by Al Capp

Lena the Hyena, by Al Capp
Meet Wolf Gal, by Al Capp
Al Capp, by Wikipedia
Skunk Works, by Wikipedia

"Body of Secrets -- Anatomy of the Ultra-Secret National Security Agency," by James Bamford wrote:

Eventually the ASA built its own codebreaking computer, which they named Abner. "We chose the name from Li'l Abner Yokum, the comic strip character who was a big brute, but not very smart," said Snyder, a longtime NSA computer expert, "because we believed that computers, which can be big and do brute-force operations, aren't very bright either; they can only follow simple instructions but can't think for themselves." Abner was originally given only fifteen simple programs, or "instructions" (later doubled to thirty). Nevertheless, when it was secretly completed in April 1952 it was the "most sophisticated computer of its time. One could enter or extract information not only with the standard keypunched computer card but also with punched paper tape, magnetic tape, a parallel printer, a typewriter, or a console.

The sexy but dangerous Wolf Gal returns with her animal kingdom allies to declare war on the entire human race. Ten years before the first Earth Day Al Capp delighted readers with this wild environmental fable. Fearless Fosdick gets fired from the police force. Capp also skewers the rich and famous with satires of a Park Avenue plastic surgeons (such as Dr. Burl Hives), and high falutin' art collectors. Plus: Hairless Joe and Lonesome Polecat, Lower Slobbovia's Adorable Snowman and the Abominable Snow-Hams. Finally--- contestants in this year's Sadie Hawkins Day Race must run blindfolded! Introduction by Prof. M. Thomas Inge titled, "Al Capp's South: Appalachian Culture in Li'l Abner."

A great send-up of '50s youth culture and Elvis Presley parody (Daisy Mae almost marries Elvis!) Li'l Abner eats mud mushrooms and becomes the size of a blimp. The Lizard of Ooze menaces Manhattan in a spoof of '50s monster movies. And Fearless Fosdick goes to Paris. Moonbeam McSwine catches Tiny Yokum in the annual Sadie Hawkins Day Race. Also in this volume: Lower Slobbovia, Senator Jack S. Phogbound, Lonesome Polecat and Hairless Joe. Plus a surprise appearance by Phil Silvers (TV's Sgt. Bilko). And don't miss the very entertaining introduction by James Vance which focuses on "cartoonist feuds," a special form of publicity stunt mastered by Capp, pitting himself publicly against such fellow creators as Will Eisner (The Spirit), Allen Saunders (Mary Worth) and Milton Caniff (Steve Canyon). Harvey Kurtzman ultimately parodied the feud schtick in a "Hey Look!" strip reprinted here

In this year Madame Lazonga teaches Daisy mae how to woo, and Abner comes terrifyingly close to marrying her. Sir Cecil Cesspool visits the colonies, and brings a monster with him. Patricia Hallroom, the girl with the hottest lips in the world, enters the annual Sadie Hawkins Day race, making it more dangerous than normal. Introduction, "The Fastest Strip on Earth" is by the late Don Thompson, comics journalist, while editor Dave Schreiner adds the usual thorough background and context.

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