Mixed Nuts

The Mixed Nuts section of our blog will, from time to time, feature cartoonists who produced notable screwball comics for a only a brief part of their careers. While not quite screwball masters, these cartoonists and their screwball comics merit inclusion. 

This section will also occasionally include the work of well-known screwball masters (such as Basil Wolverton and Jack Cole) that is currently well-represented in print and digitally. In these instances, I will either be sharing with you new insights on their work, or exciting new finds.

This page will include biographies-in-progress of these artists, as well as additional examples of their  comics not found in the blog articles.

Basil Wolverton

Basil Wolverton (July 9, 1909 - December 31, 1978) is one of the true masters of screwball comics. Wolverton pushed screwball comics into the grotesque in a way that few others have dared. This blog has not focused on him because much of his work is currently available in handsomely printed books with excellent commentary. Nonetheless, I've managed to dig up a few obscurities that can been seen here and in this post:

Scoop Scuttle & Rarities by Basil Wolverton

As a special treat for visitors to this page, here's an additional Basil Wolverton rarity, his grotesquely outrageous 2-page feature from Famous Monsters of Filmland #9 (November, 1960):

Famous Monsters of Filmland #9(November, 1960)

Famous Monsters of Filmland #9(November, 1960)

And here is an extremely early Basil Wolverton piece -- an advertising graphic from 1929 that tries to play it straight, but still feels slightly screwy -- dis guy had screwball in his blood!

Basil Wolverton advertising art, circa 1929

And here's Basil's own brief bio from the National Cartoonists Society (NCS):

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E.C. Segar 

Early Pre-Popeye Screwballism in Thimble Theatre

Here's a few BONUS examples of pre-Popeye Thimble Theatre strips by screwballism genius E.C. Segar:

December 25, 1920

December 27, 1920

December 28, 1920

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C.D. Small

C.D. Small and Salesman Sam

Salesman Sam: 12 Classic Screwball Dailies From 1930

A Few SMALL Steps For Mankind: Salesman Sam 1931

C.D. Small's Salesman Sam In The Comic Books

Yeoman cartoonist C.D. Small took over Salesman Sam from Swanson
in 1927 and continued it  the strip's demise in 1936.

from The Funnies #1 (Dell Comics) October 1936

from The Funnies #7 (Dell Comics) December 1937 

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Art Huhta

Art Huhta and Dinky Dinkerton (1938-44)

Art Huhta - 1970s

Art Huhta in his later career as a cartooning and animation teacher at the
Chicago Academy of Fine Arts (CAFA) c irca 1970

From Tops Comics #1 (Consolidated Book Publishers, 1944) 

From Tops Comics #1 (Consolidated Book Publishers, 1944)This is a later comic book reprint of a Sunday page. The original Sunday page is directly below. 

Dinky Dinkerton by Art Huhta - June 14, year unknown

From Tops Comics #1 (Consolidated Book Publishers, 1944)

From Tops Comics #1 (Consolidated Book Publishers, 1944) 

From Tops Comics #1 (Consolidated Book Publishers, 1944)