Sock It To 'Em

Tuesday Comic Strip Day.

When Tony DiPreta first took over Joe Palooka from Moe Leff (whio had started out as Ham Fisher's assistant and had taken over the strip in the early fifties), he showed much more of his own unique style. I like these early years (but not enough to set aside the time to scan the long run I have - mainly because I am already scanning four other strips from that aprticular paper and want to get on with it). But here are a couple of stray ones, I came across.

Fighting Chance

Thursday Story Strip Day.

In the early sixties long time comic ook artist Tony DiPreta took over the newspaper strip Joe Palooka. Palooka had been a huge hit in the thirties and forties, but after the unfortunate death of it's creator Ham Fisher it had settled down in a predictable comedy adventure series by Fisher's former assistant Moe Leff. DiPreta adopted Leff's style, but added his own elements. He must have done something to the stories as well, because the strip got a succesful second life. Overshadowed by the super status of it's earliest incarnation (helped by the fact that Fisher 'discovered' Al Capp, who went on to create Li'l Abner and famously feud with Fisher), it has never been reprinted and I am not even sure it deserves that. I have been secretly clipping and scanning samples here and there,, but I have never been able to find a longer run so I could read any longer continuity. Thankfully the Sundays are stand alone gags, that showcase DiPreta's art beautifully.