The Toves, They Were Slithy

Posted on November 29, 2009 by Howard
His nights may have been spent portraying a scary colonial-era barroom drunk (see my October 24 blog entry), but during the days my husband Eddie took on a very contrasting role for last month’s Haunted Williamstown festivities: playing the ghost of Oxford don Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (a.k.a. Lewis Carroll, 1832-1898) for children who flocked to the Milne Library for Halloween observances in a more literary vein.

Though impersonating a thoroughly dead historical personage, Eddie refrained from scaring the kiddies and opted instead to mess up their minds by reciting Carroll’s nonsense poem "Jabberwocky," leaving no borogove’s mimsiness undramatized.

(Truth to tell, Eddie doesn’t bear much resemblance to Carroll; but then, Meryl Streep doesn’t look like Julia Child, either, and that didn’t stop Streep from playing Child in a movie!)

"One, two! One, two!
And through and through
The vorpal blade went snicker-snack…"

Above: Eddie’s audiences were generally respectful, with the exception of one little know-it all who thought it would be cute to bring a pig to the show.

Dr. Seuss and Me: The Sequel

Remember the note I got from Dr. Seuss in 1957 in response to a fan letter I sent to him when I was thirteen? Y’know, the one I shared with you in my December 6 blog post a couple of years ago?

Well, I recently came across a carbon copy of a follow-up letter I sent to him in 1985, to which he responded with a similarly gracious reply. Both are reproduced below.

Maybe it’ll take a cartooning rebel like Abby Denson to inspire the next generation of plastic Barbies to think outside of the box and seize the reins of their own destinies. With the subversively childlike drawings in her graphic novel Dolltopia, Ms. Denson does her part to further the revolution.

Mr. Millidge Weighs In

In his new graphic novel trust/truth, Tim Fish delivers a romantic comedy built on the less-than-romantic tribulations of gay lovers James Michael and Terry, who are doing their damnedest to end their relationship and move on. But who gets custody of the dog?

Doll Liberation

Now it’s time to salute a few of the worthy new comics-related books that have been settling onto my bookcase shelves of late.

Can This Breakup Be Saved?

The award-winning British comics creator Gary Spencer Millidge (famed for the Strangehaven series), has collected a career’s worth of insights about how comic book pages are built into the lavishly illustrated volume, Comic Book Design. The keenness of Gary’s visual taste is demonstrated, of course, by his decision to include a few pages from my own Stuck Rubber Baby in his book. But no kidding, my own fleeting presence in this book is but the least of its attractions, which include work by an international who’s who of comics masters, past and present, most of whose work is displayed in beautiful color.

(You may notice, by the way, that the version of Gary’s book that’s available from Amazon has different cover art than the one shown above. That’s because the American version comes from Random House, whereas the copy in my bookcase comes directly from the book’s British publisher, Ilex. They do that kind of thing just to confuse you.)

I thought I was going to be unable to show photos from Eddie’s rendition of Carroll. Eddie’s sister Susan, however, belatedly sent us these snapshots of Eddie in action, thereby enabling me to belatedly share them with you.

About Howard

I'm a cartoonist and writer, best known for my graphic novel, Stuck Rubber Baby, and my comic strip from the 1980s, Wendel.
This entry was posted in A Tip o' the Hat, Books in my Bookcase, Family & Friends, Life & Art, Me, Me, Me!, Yesterday & Today. Bookmark the permalink.

4 Responses to The Toves, They Were Slithy

  1. Howard says:
    December 11, 2009 at 10:09 am

    Hi, Mimi. In case you return here, I’ve just discovered your great comment about Scott Wiscamb. I’d like to respond directly, but the link to your name here only gets me to a web site for Fredericksburg, TX, where I haven’t spotted any way to email you.

    If you see this, email me at howard@howardcruse.com and I’ll answer your questions. Unfortunately, no digital version of the ABOUT SCOTT script exists; otherwise getting a copy to you would be a breeze. But I do have a photo or two of Scott stashed away somewhere that I can scan.

  2. mimi taylor says:
    December 9, 2009 at 6:31 pm

    Scott Wiscamb was my very best friend in high school – we had the most incredible times together!!!! I miss him so very much! I would like to read the play – where can I find a copy! Also, does anyone have photos of Scotty? I would absolutely love to see them!!!! Our last phone conversation was followed by a letter from Scott – when I opened it all these sparkles fell out all over the floor, still he did not confess that he was dying! And, in a dream I saw him flying in the catwalks of some huge theater – it was a GRANDE opera, he was costumed, delighted, laughing that precious laugh of his – and…then I knew. I called his sister Eve, but he was gone! I just want to talk to someone who loved him too!!!!

  3. Pingback: abbycomix » Blog Archive » More Dolltopia mentions!

  4. Martha Thomases says:
    November 29, 2009 at 4:58 pm

    Dr. Seuss (and Mr. Rogers) understood kid. I wish there were more adults like that. Like you, I try to channel that insight whenever possible.

    Thanks for sharing.