A Date with Judy | The Final Six Issues | Non-Series Works
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A Date with Judy
These best stories of the comic books are preceded by their issue number.
The characters also were featured in a long running comic book spin-off (1947-1960). By 1960, these radio and TV versions were history, but the comic book persisted.
Other comic books of the era with a radio-television-movie background, are the excellent detective comic books Big Town and Mr. District Attorney.
I thought those boys were supposed to be chasing you, Judy (1959). (first line of the story). Judy brings home four boys as dates, all of whom drive her father crazy- as planned.
Oh, Sir Oogie! I'm so glad you came to save me from this prison tower (#73, October-November 1959). (first line of the story). The best parts of this mild tale show Oogie as a knight in shining armor. His splash panel portrait is particularly good.
This tale does not include a back-story for Nervous. So while it is Nervous' first appearance, it is not quite a full "origin story" for him.
In this first tale, Nervous' most interesting attribute is his expertise with musical sound equipment.
THE LAST SIX ISSUES. This is the first of the last six issues #74-79 of A Date with Judy. These seem designed to introduce edgier material.
Along with the edgier treatment, comes the idea that the characters are now adult. The tale "Eloped" (in the last issue #79) certainly seems to imply that that the characters are adult. This would mean they are 18, and in their final months of high school.
SPOILERS. Nervous goes out with two women at once, in "Introducing "Nervous". Although this is played for comedy, the idea that Nervous is into non-standard sexuality is established.
Hi, Judy! What class are you going to? (1959). (first line of the story). Nervous gets in (mild) trouble at school.
This episode introduces two new series characters: high school teacher Miss Sloan and Principal Mr. Blake. They will return for one more outing: "Homework and the Science Teacher", in the next issue. There they will get first names: Mary and Tom.
Serena (1960). (Title supplied by me to this untitled story.) The new girl, Serena, sets her cap at Oogie.
The stories in A Date with Judy often seem like comic versions of the stories that appeared in romance comic books. They take the romantic feelings of their characters seriously, and explore them in detail. But they also maintain a cheerful comic tone.
This story is most memorable for two occasions when Oogie speaks up. He expresses ideas that come from within his feelings (pages 3, 12). They express his world view about himself. Both are comic moments. But both also contain a grain of truth. Neither is at all mean. Both have a refreshing quality.
Serena briefly recites a poem she's written (page 7). Around 1960, poetry recitals in coffee shops were a big deal. Serena's recital perhaps reflects this.
Homework and the Science Teacher (1960). (Title supplied by me to this untitled story.) Nervous scatters the science homework Judy and Oogie worked so hard on into the wind.
Nervous is the beat-talking friend of Oogie. Nervous has a crew cut, glasses, and some of the mannerisms of the beatniks of the late 1950's. He also seems like an ordinary American teenager.
This story has an unusual plot structure. SPOILERS. Revelations at the tale's end, gives a new meaning to events seen in the background earlier in the tale (pages 3, 4). When I first read the tale, I didn't notice these background events at all.
The young principal is a figure of romance, for the woman science teacher. He's exceptionally handsome and smooth. He anticipates such young Authority Figures as the wardens in tales of The Flash:
The Painting Contest (1960). (Title supplied by me to this untitled story.) The high school sponsors a painting competition for its students. The paintings we see in this tale, are realistic art.
Lanny Lip (1960). (Title supplied by me to this untitled story.) Judy and Oogie gat into an argument, after seeing a romance film starring Hollywood heartthrob Lanny Lip. Funny story, that also explores feelings and attitudes with some sensitivity.
I like the little kids seen in the background. Especially the pair on the splash. They are quite funny.
The Hollywood actress who eventually shows up (pages 5, 6) is highly glamorized. SPOILERS. But she turns out to be a surprisingly decent and normal person. This sort of sympathetic portrait of a Hollywood actress sometimes appears in Lois Lane tales. Please see "Lois Lane's Darkest Secret" (Lois Lane #25, May 1961).
The soda jerk is in a spiffy white mess jacket and bow tie (pages 5, 6). It's cut to make his shoulders look as broad as possible. This tuxedo-like uniform anticipates Oogie's sharp tuxedo two issues later, in "A Rented Car". The soda jerk is one of the more sensible characters in the tale. He's quite likable.
Eloped (1960). (Title supplied by me to this untitled story.) When Judy goes out to buy a bottle of perfume called Eloped, her family and friends all think she has actually eloped.
Ooogie's white shirt and black sleeveless sweater vest anticipate the look of Pete Ross, whose first story appeared two months later in Superboy. See "The Boy Who Betrayed Clark Kent" (Superboy #86, January 1961). Oogie looks broad-shouldered and muscular in the outfit.
UNIFORMS. Uniformed police play a big role in this tale, and in the same issue's "A Rented Car". They are friendly here in "Eloped", and comically threatening in "A Rented Car". This effect is enhanced by blue uniforms in "Eloped", and bulky brown leather jackets in "A Rented Car". Both stories have more than one cop in identical uniforms. This underscores the "uniform" effect. The police work as a team in both tales. We get a detailed look at many police activities in "Eloped": it is an extensive, inventive portrait of police work.
The police uniforms in "Eloped" sport high-peaked uniform caps (page 7). These have badges, and shiny black visors.
A police Sergeant at headquarters has Sergeant's chevrons on his uniform (page 11). This indicates the police are part of a uniformed Chain of Command.
PLOT DEVELOPMENT. "Eloped" is the first story in issue #79. This is the last issue of A Date with Judy. The finale of "Eloped" has a happy plot development in Judy and Oogie's personal life (page 12). It seems designed to form a pleasant, satisfying end to the comic book.
A Rented Car (1960). (Title supplied by me to this untitled story.) Through a mix-up, Oogie Pringle takes Judy and her scheming cousin Susan to a dance in what he thinks is a rented Le Mans sports car.
Much of the good vibes comes from that fact that Oogie is such a good guy. He is always in there, trying to be nice. Because of this, the world of the characters tends to be sunny. He treats Judy well, her friends well, and the other characters well.
Nervous shows his loyalty and decency in this tale.
COSTUMES. Oogie starts out in black swim trunks, and winds up in a really spiffy black tuxedo. This was during an era when American men wanted to wear tuxes, especially to parties and dances.
The matching tuxedos Oogie and Nervous wear in "A Rented Car" also make them look uniformed.
The police uniforms in "A Rented Car" are spectacular. They have big, bulky brown leather jackets, that exaggerate their wearers' builds. Leather police uniforms were fairly uncommon in comic books of the era. The jackets have large shearling collars, that stand up in the back of the officers' necks: also unusual in comics. The officers wear them with white gauntlets. The officers' high-peaked police caps match their jackets in color. Just as Oogie and Nervous are in heightened clothes, their tuxedos, so are the police in heightened uniforms.
Tall Tales in Fashion plus Short Stories (1960). Two page comics non-fiction "essay" about a tall girl and a short girl, and how they dress to maximize their appearance. Very interesting combination of visuals and text, explaining fashion ideas in vivid detail.
I think I understood woman's clothes better here than I have ever done in my life. Woman's fashions have always been a complete mystery to me. But this article, which combines text and illustration in creative ways, really makes clear how women's clothes are designed. The text and pictures build on each other, each making the other clearer, and explaining the other's ideas in more depth. This essay is an example of what comics can do as a non-fiction medium. It shows how comics can convey ideas.
On the Beach (1960). This brief, half-a-page item consists of three one-panel cartoons. The one about ripples in the water is fascinating and inventive.
The other two cartoons feature men with perfect builds. These include their abs. My impression: showing abs was unusual in 1960's comics.