Back in the early 1960s somebody named Pat Roberts, who might have lived near Lake Simcoe, bought this issue of THE PARENT TRAP. It languished in obscurity bundled with 49 other comics in an antique mall somewhere north of the 401. Recently unearthed by a team of STUPID COMICS archeologists, it provides an amazing glimpse of the cultural mores and rituals of comics based on Walt Disney live-action films of the early-to-mid part of the latter half of the 20th century. This we now do.


As we all know THE PARENT TRAP is about identical twin sisters whose parents divorce. Judge Solomon, presiding, determined that the family should simply be split right down the middle. As this happened when the girls were infants, they forget they each have a sibling, and the parents never mention it. Judge Solomon is also not very big on visitation rights. Anyway, the sisters meet at summer camp and are shocked at the exact resemblance. Not that you could tell from this illustration or anything.


After an amazing cat fight utilizing cutting-edge optical printing technology and the clever use of doubles, the sisters realize their consanguinity and team up with a daring plan to force their divorced parents back together. Because who better than a couple of 13 year old girls to solve adult relationship problems that happened before they were born? Note the use of photo reference in panel 2 - that's the last time you'll see anything resembling Hayley Mills in this comic.


"Pussyface?" If somebody called ME that, it wouldn't help if they were smiling when they said it, lemme tell ya something! Note the early 60s "bundle of matches" propulsion system for jet planes.


A gold-digging tramp has her sights set on Daddy and his millions! Who's the first to mention pre-nuptial agreements? A 13 year old girl who's pretty much a total stranger to the whole situation. I think Daddy could use a lawyer, actually.


Here we see how well Mommy and Daddy get along and why they got divorced. It's not "spousal abuse" if you're not married, right? What is that, assault? Assault. Daddy in the film is played by Brian Keith, and in the comic he seems to be an extra from "Terry & The Pirates" cosplaying as Mister Rogers.


The girls are amused to see their father's one chance at hottie action dismissed with such a harsh display of cutting insults. I think "Baby-Faced Child Bride And The Electric Hips" opened for Jefferson Airplane at the Fillmore.


You've heard of bad hair days? Here's Hayley after a bad HEAD day. Jeez, Dell, it's called tracing paper and photo reference, let's get it together here.


After tricking Electric Hipped Child Bride into a family camping trip and abusing her with potentially dangerous "pranks", the twins succeed in ruining their father's upcoming marraige. The film ends with Brian Keith remarrying the twins' mother - the deposit on the caterer was non-refundable - and enduring right hooks to the face for the next 20 years. Or does he? Twins and firey colleens are noticeably absent from Brian Keith's next family oriented series:


Hopelessly typecast as "father to precocious youngsters", Keith battled for roles for the rest of his career, until a tragic auto accident racing to an open casting call on the set of "Family Ties" ended his time in Hollywood. Or was it "Different Strokes"? Maybe it was "Full House".

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