Ask the Archivist: HI AND LOIS ON SUNDAY
Dear Loyal Royal Readers,
Today we take a peek at the start of Hi and Lois’s early years as a Sunday feature.
Dik Browne was a terrific cartoonist, and all the praise he received for his work over the years was not enough. When he joined forces with Mort Walker to produce Hi and Lois, a great strip was born, in humor and art. Here’s more about the back story:
http://comicskingdom.com/blog/2012/06/06/ask-the-archivist-the-iodine-t-diet-mystery
http://comicskingdom.com/blog/2014/10/09/ask-the-archivist-genesis-hi-and-lois
The writing was witty and fresh, with some real human insight. Also, Browne’s skillful, intricate imagery sometimes reached real beauty, which could really come out in the Sunday version. It began two years after the daily, sixty years ago this week. I present for your approval some choice examples of 1956-1960 today:

Below: 28 July 1957. Browne was always great at nostalgia.
He could rely on memories of his youth for thoughtful inspiration.


A lot of the gags center on Hi’s desire to hang onto his boyhood…

Hi’s sense of responsibility can sometimes be irresponsible. Dot and Ditto rule the supper table.

A funny gag at the office with boss Mr. Foofram, and
a look into the wistful daydreams of a man reaching middle age.


It would be great if a full-book treatment of Hi and Lois reprints could come out some day. It’s all worthy of collecting.
Your friend,
The KFS Archivist.