More "Wart."

I'm actually seeing some Dick Moores in this strip that I didn't see before. Entirely possible as an influence at this time (um, I think) although almost certainly not the man himself. Look at those silhouettes and horizontal hatching.

I like this strip because I feel like it really captures that kind of "let's build a fort or spend all day pretending we're astronauts" feeling that is all about being a kid. Yeah, the mixup at the end is hokey (classic 50s/60s sit-com) but the comic is clearly drawn and really captures time and place and how it feels to be that age (in any era.)

{UPDATE: Vigilant Jeet Heer does the research and finds out that Moores actually worked for Western (Dell) for a few years up until he was hired to work on Gasoline Alley. So, actually, it is entirely possible that Moores did draw this strip if not the entire comic.

UPDATE 2: Jeet has spoken with Moores' daughter and her recollections say her father did not do these pages. While he did start work on Gasoline Alley the following year ('56), she claims he hadn't arrived at the style he became known for. The Grand Comic Book database claims that the artist on these pages was Neg Cochran who was J. R. Williams' assistant in his later years.}

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