June 24th, 2018

Timeline – 1997 Part 3

by Mort Walker

Beetle Bailey Sunday page digital proof, November 16, 1997.

In the nighttime scene above, all the characters are shown in silhouette.  It is easy to recognize Killer, Sarge, Plato and General Halftrack just by their outlines.

In The Lexicon of Comicana, Mort Walker explained that body shapes or “morfs” should be designed distinctively so the characters can be identified in silhouette.  He showed some examples.Among the characters in the graphic above are Mickey Mouse, Sarge, Krazy Kat, Snuffy Smith, Popeye, Buster Brown, Annie, Jiggs, Beetle, Boner, Little King, Nancy, Smoky Stover, Andy Capp, Dagwood, Dick Tracy, Happy Hooligan, Ferdinand, Tiger, Hagar, Batman and Charlie Brown.  Can you identify some of the ones I missed?

– Brian Walker