Adventures of Jerry Lewis #105 (1968)

Adventures of Jerry Lewis #105 (March-April, 1968)
"Superman Meets Jerry"
Writer - Arnold Drake
Penciller - Bob Oksner
Letters - Ira Schnapp
Cover Price: $0.12

Now what's the best way to get over a week spent dealing with... The Darkness Within?  Well, I can think of no better way than to enjoy a nice lighthearted comedy-filled weekend, and so... here we are!

Today and tomorrow will feature coverage from a couple of DC's real-life comedians.  Today's Jerry Lewis, and for those following me on Twitter, you probably have a pretty good idea who's coming up tomorrow.

Figure it's a good time to cover some lighter books... we're presently sandwiched between #BestEventEver and... the Five-Hundredth Daily Post here at the humble blog!  If I'm not hit by a bus first, Post #500 will hit this Tuesday (June 13).

--

We open with Uncle Jerry, nephew Renfrew and their, I dunno... kousekeeper (?) W. Kraft... the "W" stands for Witch, natch.  They're watching televised coverage of Superman fighting a "cosmic creature", which looks like a scrawny dragon... perhaps a variation on the DC villain I love to hate... "the nameless lizard man"... only with wings.  Initially I thought they were watching the George Reeves program, The Adventures of Superman, but no... they're actually watching the real-steel-deal here.  We know what that means, right?  This gets filed with my DC Universe titles!  Anyhoo, as they watch Renfrew and Jerry have a difficult time opening a bag of generic-brand potato chips.

We shift to the fight scene itself, where the news reporters comment that for the past three days Superman has done nothing but fight creatures from outer space.  Finally, the Man of Steel hurls an automobile at the beastie, and then... tears its head off!  Wow, that's pretty hardcore.  Of course, by now he'd already deduced that this was more machine than monster, so... no harm, no foul.  Elsewhere the monster-maker himself, Lex Luthor smiles... Superman has fallen right into his trap!

Ya see, that robot was stuffed with high quantities of a, get this, low-grade Kryptonite... probably the kind you get at the dollar store... which has now covered Superman's costume.  This will slowly, and will be unnoticeable until it's too late!  Lex intends to use his, heh, "Kryptonite Counter" to track Superman and find out his secret identity before he dies.  That's pretty sporting of ol' Lex, I mean, why not just put high-grade K in the robot and kill Superman on the spot?  Also, it turns out that Superman is already feeling the effects... 

... in fact, after slipping into a phone booth to change... he falls asleep!

Later on, he returns to work at the Daily Planet.  He's hopeful he'll get a minute or two to rest, however, Perry has different plans... Clark's going to have to take point covering a present crisis... the pre-teen jungle!  Ya see, teen-agers (with a hyphen) are currently the number-two public enemy (after China, of course).  Jimmy on the spot provides some hard data... and, lemme tell ya... it's pretty sobering.  Did you know... 72% of all parents of pre-teens are frightened of them?!  Did you know... 58% of music recordings are purchased by them?!  I mean, this is horrifying... 

 

Clark knows when he's beat... and he wouldn't want to have to forfeit his "Superman of America" membership card, so he agrees to visit with, who the Planet's computers have identified as... the most typical, average, representative pre-teen... Renfrew Whatshisface (maybe it's Lewis)?!  He rings their doorbell, which interrupts "fall cleaning".

Clark enters to see the house in shambles.  He introduces himself and informs Jerry that Renfrew is the most average, yadda yadda yadda.  Jerry's intrigued, and invites Clark to take a seat... if he can find one among the mess.  Jerry himself sits down on their destroyed television set... which is, unfortunately still plugged in.  Before he knows it, Jerry's seeing "the colors"... maaaaaaan.

As the "grown ups" chat, Renfrew goes about being an all-around nuisance... giving Clark a hot-foot, then dousing it with a pan of water... both things which, somehow... Clark feels!  But how could that be?!

Jerry guides a now-soaked Clark to the bathroom so he can get out of his wet duds.  He decides to stash the Superman costume at the bottom of the hamper... which, is probably a terrible idea.  Anyhoo, Jerry offers Clark some of his clothes to wear while his dry...

... and, wouldn'tcha know it, Jerry's maid Witch Kraft chooses right this moment to do some laundry!

She presents the costume to Jerry, who does... well, exactly what any of us would do in the same situation... tries that bad boy on!  I can't say he fills it out as good as Superman... or, hell... even as good as I would... least I have some roundness around the middle!

At this very moment, Clark's superpowers have started to return... remember, that low-grade K had covered his costume... with his costume off, the effects have lessened.  Anyhoo, he can see, via his x-ray vision that Lex Luthor (and a mook) has arrived.  After a quick turn of the head, Clark can see Jerry Lewis wearing his Superman costume!  Uh-oh... if he doesn't act fast... Jerry gon' die!  Unfortunately, while his x-ray vision has return... his super-speed and strength have not... Clark kayos himself trying to run through the wall.

In the bathroom, Lex starts threatening Jerry... to which, Jerry bites his (Lex's) finger, wraps him in the shower curtain, and runs away.  You'd think he really was Superman, until you realize he just left an armed man with an itchy trigger finger in the same house as his young nephew!  The whole thing's moot, however, Lex (and the mook) give chase, firing shots with every step... shots which are being deflected by the Superman costume!

Renfrew must have heard the gunshots, because he runs to Witch Kraft to inform her that Uncle Jerry's in a whole mess'a trouble.  Meanwhile, Clark comes to... and with the costume even further away, more powers have returned.  With the grace of a hippo on a lily-pad, he fumbles through the wall of the Lewis home.  Just then, Kraft and Renfrew have (already?) caught up with Lex and the mook... neither of whom have any qualms about unloading a gun in the direction of a woman and a child.

One of Lex's bullets hits Kraft's broom... remember, she's a witch... sending them both flying.  Kraft being an accidental altruist, takes the brunt of the landing.  Renfrew bounces off her belly, at which point, Clark has regained his powers... and flies through an entire city block to catch him.

We return to Jerry as he makes it to the junk yard... where he decides to "hide" under a tub full of potato soup?  Okay.  Well, the tub allegedly weighs 100 lbs., and Jerry lifted it without any trouble at all... how can that be?  Well, lucky for him, Clark Kent is hiding in a nearby tree performing some super-suction with pin-point accuracy... that is, until he sucks up a bird!

Anyhoo, by now Witch Kraft has come to... and has also arrived at the junk yard.  She whips up a mighty wind to send Luthor and the mook flying!  At the very same time, the feathers of the bird that Clark inhaled begin tickling his allergies... and so, he super-sneezes the thing right into Kraft's dome!  It's funny, half of Clark's sneeze is in the thought balloon... I gotta start sneezing like that!

With Kraft kayoed (again), Lex and the mook hit the ground.  In the distraction, Clark sucks the Superman costume off Jerry's body... and, yeah... I know how that sounded.  After catching it, he blows the Kryptonite dust off of it... and he's back in action, socking Lex in the mush before calling it a day.

Our tale concludes with Jerry reading the latest edition of the Daily Planet whose headline reads "Clark Kent, Star Reporter, Missing" (they use almost as many commas as I do!  Gotta work on their ellipseseses, tho)!

--

Now this is where it's at!  The last time we discussed a Jerry Lewis book, it wasn't half as fun as this... it was actually, not all that great.  It's hard to really "critique" (if that's in fact what I do here) a comedy book... I've got a short-stack of old comedy and funny-animal books I'm really wanting to cover here... but, it's challenging to come up with with any sort of analysis besides saying "this was/wasn't funny".

Now this book... was pretty funny.  I'm about 100% positive that much of that had to do with the inclusion of Superman... I mean, sight gags are kind of a "thing" in this book... to see those gags happen to Superman (rather than Jerry) was a lot of fun.  I mean, we're used to seeing Jerry Lewis fumble and stumble... but Superman?  We actually saw Superman suck a bird in while using his super-breath!  How funny is that?  What's perhaps funnier is that... that sort of thing never happens... though, it probably ought to!

The storytelling device here was well used.  Having the costume riddled with low-grade K was a great idea, which facilitated the entire affair without feeling terribly gimmicky.  I joked about Lex going this route rather than just killing Superman... but, c'mon... this is the Silver Age... a time where Lex Luthor would build a billion dollar robot, just to steal a fifty-grand from a bank.  I think we can allow this.

Anyone whose read this blog for an extended period of time (or has lucked upon just the right posts) knows that I am a big fan of "lore".  I love the concepts of inter-connectivity, continuity, and world-building.  Seeing Jerry Lewis as being an actual part of the DC Universe... even if it's just "here and again" makes me so much happier than it should.  I mean, this counts as an official appearance of Superman.  If we were to chronologically index every "canonical" appearance, this would be among them (at least if you ask me)!  Love it.

My main take away from this issue is... damn, now I gotta track down the Flash Meets Jerry, Wonder Woman Meets Jerry and Batman and Robin Meet Jerry issues... and I'm sure at least one'a those ain't coming cheap!  I can't say with 100% certainty that this hasn't been collected in trade... but I really doubt it.  If you happen across this one for a few bucks, I'd say snag it.  If you happen across the other "Jerry Meets..." comics for a few bucks, er... lemme know!

--

Et-Cetera:

--

Interesting Ads:

Adventures of Jerry Lewis #121 (1970)

Adventures of Jerry Lewis #121 (November-December, 1970)
"Schnook and Ladder"
"Pizza Pie in the Sky!"
"A Boob in the Woods"
"Low I.Q. High SNAFU"
Sole (signed) Credit - Bob Oksner (artist)
Probable Writers - Alan Riefe & Howie Post
Probable Editorial - Murray Boltinoff & Carmine Infantino
Cover Price: $0.15

Never let it be said that we are not purveyors of some pretty strange comic books.  As if comics aren't strange enough... today we're going to discuss quite a pip.

I don't have much of a history with humor comics... nor Jerry Lewis.  Growing up, outside of his annual MDA Labor Day Telethon signalling that Summer vacation was over and my return to school was imminent, I didn't really know much about him... still don't really.  Most folks who know me "in real life" know it's pretty hard to get me to sit down for any period of time to watch a movie... though, I did see a bit of that really uncomfortable interview with him that was floating around the internet a few months back.  That was a rough few minutes!

As with many books of the time, the credits are a bit nebulous.  I was able to deduce Oksner's involvement because... well, he signed his work.  The rest of creative comes from the wonderful resource, The Grand Comics Database.  I figure they'd know better than me!

--

Our first story, Schnook and Ladder, begins with Jerry meticulously oiling and over-securing his brand-new bicycle to a lamppost outside the fire station.  He is invited in to play checkers for money, mostly only because he sucks at checkers.  Wouldn'tcha know it, just as soon as he heads inside... his bike is swiped!

Jerry heads down the fire pole to give chase... with his super-oiled hands, making it rather slippery.  Wouldn'tcha know it... at that very moment the fire-alarm goes off and he is soon piled under a gaggle of firefighters.  One burly fireman grabs him by the seat of his pants to throw him out of the station... and unfortunately, right into the back of the fire engine.  Our man can't drive... hell, he can hardly ride a bike!

It's a wild ride as to be expected, including Jerry steering the rear into a whole mess'a stuff... including a pickup truck full of chickens!  One such bird lands on our man's head... and lays an egg in his mouth.  Umm... glad this isn't in first-person!

Finally Jerry and the gang arrive at the sight of the fire.  The engine screeches to a halt sending Jerry flying, and... wouldn'tcha know it, he winds up atop the ladder as it ascends all the way to the top of the building... where he meets the source of the "inferno", a fire-eater.  Whoops.

The two dangle from the top of the ladder... they're both afraid of heights, ya know.  Jerry looks into a convenient skylight to see the thieving thugs with his bike!

They both fall... the fire-eating lady safely lands in the life-net below, Jerry falls through the skylight where he finds the baddies spray-painting stolen bikes.  He suddenly shows some uncharacteristic bravery and threatens the goons!  I'm not sure if Jerry had some sort of brave-guy alter-ego any time he bonked his head or anything... either way, he starts blasting them with paint!

Before we know it, we're in full-blown Splatoon! mode, paint everywhere.  Jerry knocks over a crate that conveniently (?) had a lit torch resting on it... it falls and starts heating up a box...

... of popcorn!  The sound of the popping corn is mistaken for machine gunfire, and the baddies give themselves up.

We wrap up with Jerry not recognizing his own bike because it's covered in paint.  Though, to be fair, he hasn't had it all that long yet... he's repeatedly said he's only made one payment on the thing.  The Fire Chief turns the hose on him... and the bike before telling him to get out of his face.

We follow up with the short subject, Pizza Pie in the Sky!, and in it Jerry applies for a job at a pizza place.  I'm thinking a lot of these shorter pieces have to do with Jerry taking on new jobs... we've got another one ahead of us.  Anyhoo... he's about as adept at making pizza as you might expect.

A couple of tiny children arrive and start giving him a hard time.  When their pie winds up in the belly of a bird, they threaten to beat the hell out of our Jerry... and I'm not sure that's an idle threat!

The story ends with Jerry tossing dough with such a severe "spin", that it takes flight... with him attached to it!  He flies away from the pizza stand as his boss informs him he's fired.  No duh.

A Boob in the Woods begins with Jerry attempting to play the guitar, much to the annoyance of his nephew, Renfrew.  Jerry, as we might expect, is terrible... so terrible in fact, young Renfrew kicks him out of the house.  Not sure it oughta work that way... but we'll play along.

Jerry winds up in the (back)woods, and starts a'strummin'.  As soon as he plucks his first string, he finds himself in the middle of a hail of gunfire.  He attempts to flee, and finds himself running smack into Shacknasty and his family of odd cretins.  They inform him that he's a'comin' with them.

They take him to their creep-cabin, and make him play with their jug band.  It's almost like we're watching one of those awful episodes of Andy Griffith where they sit around singing, hooting, and hollering.

Outside we meet Maw Jugbender and her three sons (all named Irving) as they wrap up a sing-along.  They are at odds with the Shacknastys (Shacknasties?), and now that Jerry appears to have joined them, they are out-gunned by one.  As they run off with their rifles a strange fellow emerges from behind a rock.  He has a tape recorder, and he has designs on the Jugbenders.

The Shacknastys wrap up their jam session, and head out to kill them some Jugbenders.  Jerry uses this opportunity to make a hasty escape.  As he flees he hears the horrid twang of Shacknasty music, which causes him to freeze.  Lucky for him, it's not the 'nastys, it's that strange fellow from earlier (we now know he's Wardell Schvetz)... he taped the Shacknasty jams (on a second tape-recorder).  He offers $200 to Jerry to help find them, but our man insists on $140 so he might pay off his guitar.  Master negotiator!

They decide the best way to draw them out is to continue playing the recording of their "music"... and whattayaknow, they immediately start shooting!  This causes Jerry to trip and fall on top of both tape recorders... causing the Shacknasty music to sync up with the Jugbender vocals!  It's hillbilly music magic!

Jerry and Wardell are able to smooth out the differences in both back-woods families.  Schvetz offers to become their agent, and make them all rich and famous.

They all load up into the Schvetz-mobile, and Jerry is handed his dosh.  We wrap up with Jerry returning home to his disappointed nephew.  He's decided to spend his earnings on... a tuba!  Renfrew runs off to the deep woods... and is never seen or heard from again.

Our final short is Low I.Q. High SNAFU, and is another "Jerry gets a job" story.  This time he applies to a hardware store, and unfortunately the gig isn't for "sign-tearing", because he's pretty good at that!

The job is painting a flagpole, which is no biggie for our man.  Before we know it, he's sitting atop a freshly painted pole.  That sounds dirty, I apologize.  The joke here is that he should have started from the top and worked down... but he didn't.

Unfortunately for Jerry, his jerk-ass boss gave him slow-drying paint... so he's gonna be stuck up their all night.  Mister Boss tosses him a sandwich... and Jerry spends the night getting pecked by birds.  Whoops.

--

I was prepared to dislike this.  I thought it was going to more annoying than entertaining... and I was (mostly) wrong.  This was so much more fun than I expected... despite the cover copy, it wasn't quite ha-ha funny, but comfortable and inoffensive enough to enjoy.

I really thought there'd be more to say about this... but there isn't all that much.  This is a humor book... the art was on-point, even if many of the gags were not.  The jokes were hacky, but had a bit of a charm... and I swear if I squint hard enough, it's as though I'm reading a comic starring Pee-Wee Herman.

I do appreciate that Jerry is something of a menace to just about everyone around him.  Nobody seems to wanna give him the time of day... unless they can scam a cool couple bucks off of him.  I think we all know that one person we kinda wince when we notice, and hope they didn't notice us... and that's Jerry Lewis... at least the comic book version anyway.

I like the way this book is formatted.  The longer bits separated by shorter-subjects really breaks things up.  It gives the reader a breather and change of scenery, and it's definitely a net-positive for the book.  The shorts are just a single gag stretched over a few pages... the payoffs were silly, but it was a nice break from his longer-form misadventures.

If you're interested in checking this out... you'll probably be shocked to find that this has... not been collected, nor is it available digitally.  I can't say you need to go out of your way to track this bugger down, however if you're a fan of comics history and odd novelties, I wouldn't sway you against nabbing an issue of Jerry Lewis (or Bob Hope) if you come across them for a good deal.
--

Letters (from Jerry!) Page:

--

Interesting Ads: