What Man Doesn't Enjoy a Good Lie Down?

February 21, 1966

I actually laughed out loud at this. I don't really know why. I do find it funny seeing Brutus open his mouth wider to make fun of his wife. I mean, who does this?

And I immediately go to something dirty and sexual about why he wants his wife's mouth a certain size so what does that say about me?

For the love of Jeezum Crow, it's Saturday! Let a goddamn working person lounge around on Saturday! Do you want to go do something, Wilberforce? Then just say so! Quit lazy-shaming a person!

17 Years Entertaining Maybe One or Two Dozen People!

2008 - 2025

Chris Welkin, Planeteer #1

I have been doing commentary on The Born Loser for 17 years. I know more about these characters than I ever thought possible and about the life and family of Art and Chip Sansom, mostly thanks to the Official Born Loser Facebook Page where Chip comments quite a bit and posts behind-the-scene stuff that his father did.

One of the things I learned was that before Art created The Born Loser, he was a staff artist for NEA (Newspaper Enterprise Association) so he would do basically anonymous fill-in stuff for the syndicate. His, I guess you could say, big break came in 1951 when he began doing the art for Russ Winterbotham's Chris Welkin, Planeteer. Chris Welkin was a science fiction soap opera comic and I don't have any point of reference for it. It showcases a different look for Art's style, a more serious and human-like look unlike The Born Loser where everything is cartoony and a bit exaggerated.

Russell R. Winterbotham, going by the pen names R.R. Winterbotham, Russ Winterbotham, J. Harvey Bond, and Franklin Hedley, was born in Salina, Kansas in 1904. He wrote westerns and science fiction, his biggest claim to fame being writing on the comic strip Red Ryder. He would pass away in 1971 in Bay Village, Ohio. When he wasn't writing, Winterbotham was the fiction editor for Scripps-Howard NEA news service.

This is the first month of Chris Welkin, Planeteer which ran from November 5, 1951 to November 30, 1951. The next month will be a future post.

👅

February 19, 1966

Thornapple can take a baseball to the mouth which is pretty good. He's going to need medical attention to remove the baseball and fix his teeth, but at least that doesn't affect his playing.

The Cleveland Spiders were a real team!! A very old team. They competed between 1887 and 1899. Apparently, the Spiders were a very good until 1899 when most the roster (which included a name I actually recognize, Cy Young) were sent to other teams. The Spider finished the season 20-134, which is still a major league record. The next worst team win-loss record is the 1965 Mets 40-120. The Spiders returned for a 1914-1916 season when the Toledo Mud Hens moved to Cleveland becoming the Bearcats (1914-1915) and then the Spiders (1915-1916) before moving back to Toledo.

Another interesting thing, the Cleveland Spiders reportedly have the distinction of employing the first Native American baseball player, Louis Sockalexis. He played for the Spiders from 1897 to 1899. According to Cleveland fans, Sockalexis was the person who suggested naming Cleveland's new major league baseball team the Indians, though that is disputed. Sadly, Sockalexis was not appreciated during his time and was called racial slurs and confronted with war whoops and dances when at bat. Sockalexis was also an alcoholic which hurt his image due to the stereotype of "Indian weakness". Sockalexis would die of tuberculosis in 1913 at the age of 42.

me: *keeps looking around, trying to peer around the borders of the panel* WHO ARE YOU TALKING TO??!!

It's a stupid comic strip pet peeve of mine. If your character is going to essentially talk to themselves, put those words in a thought bubble. I know thought bubbles aren't something this strip does, but still...

Even assuming the Thornapples have a coffee maker that has a schedule and can immediately go downstairs and pour herself a cup of coffee right away, the toothpaste taste doesn't last that long. At least for me. Maybe I'm doing something wrong.

Which Day Would the Pointless Meetings Be?

February 18, 1966

It's nice that the United States government allowed this Native to keep a fairly substantial part of his land--even if it probably isn't his original land. It's not nice that all the other Natives has been killed due to disease or violent conflicts with said government.

"I would love it, but the chief would never go for that!" Yeah, that's the point. Veeblefester has been gunned down on the street like CEOs should be and now I'm in charge. I'm in charge. It's literally the first thing I said.

If I only work Tuesday and Thursday, do I still get paid like I'm working five days a week? I'm not working 20 hours on those days am I?

Another Late Post

February 17, 1966

Is it even raining, or are they just all standing around with their umbrellas open?

I love how Art includes at least one woman in the bus stop crowd. It's 1966 after all. Women's equality and being in the workplace and all that claptrap.

Brutus hasn't been at the diner since early December. Brutus has a chance to dramatically change his life and he botches it. Maybe in 2025, he can at least stay away from ordering fish from this place.

Late Tuesday Quickies

February 16, 1966

This guy's mother was a tree! Hey, everybody! This guy's mother was a tree!!

Brutus should call Gladys and ask her if Wilberforce still has his hair, because this woman's hair looks suspiciously like it.

On a Mission

February 15, 1966

Oh, look how happy he is in the third panel. Poor guy. And he doesn't even have a volleyball to talk to. I guess he can now just talk to the parrot. Teach the parrot some new words. It does worry me that the previous guy who was stranded on this island only got to "Hi there!" but that's life. And death.

Veeblefester is on some kind of high. Which means he is probably going to do something abominable. Rich people tend to do that. Which is why we need to storm their mansions, take their money, and spit roast them like pigs.

This Is All Arnie's Fault

Felix is definitely not doing dry January. I mean, you've seen this month. Enjoy this special Pat Sullivan Felix strip, one of the few original illustrations of Felix he did.

August 24, 1986

Women, amirite?

What is Gladys complaining about? Look how easy it was to board this airplane! Shut up and enjoy the flight. Unless, she's not nagging and Brutus is just assuming she is. Maybe she's angrily asking why Wilberforce isn't coming with them. He doesn't get dinner or a vacation.

Someone on GoComics asked why the plane was delayed so long. I would assume it's because of the snow that's up to their knees.

It will never not amaze me that Brutus takes a plane from Cleveland to Pittsburgh which is, at most, a two and a half hour drive. I guess if Veeblefester is willing to pay for it, then who am I to question it?

As I move away from social media, more things that were exclusive to my social media will be posted here. The first entry was an updated and expanded post on Trail Park in Baldwin City, Kansas, a small park commemorating the Santa Fe Trail. If you would like to support me or this website, you can buy me a cup of coffee over on Ko-fi.

The Games Would Be Shorter

February 14, 1966

How did that ladder get over this light pole? I don't know, but I'm enjoying the ride.

It's like with football. Those damn last five minutes.

How many TVs do the Thornapples have? Wilberforce looks like he's being held hostage watching basketball. If they have 2 TVs then maybe Gladys is watching something Wilberforce wants to watch even less. Like K-dramas.

Riddle, Riddle, Who's Got the Riddle?

February 12, 1966

Ha! Women! Can't play golf! Look at how she's holding the club. Perfect!

Everything I learned about golf is, interestingly, from comic strips. It's so weird how cartoonists all golf. But I also learned about golf from "The Golf Game" episode of I Love Lucy. Check it out and either impress or piss off your friends with your new golfing style.

Can't those guys just ask to play through?

Come on, Wilberforce. You didn't even try to guess the riddle!

I'm on day five of snow day which extended our winter break. No one--staff and students--is going to know how to do anything when we go back.

You know what doesn't help Wilberforce get to his bus on time? Distracting him with stupid riddles.