When Marvel Comics got a new distribution deal in the late '60s, suddenly they were able to expand their line tremendously. Some of their new titles were solo books for Captain America and Iron Man, some were innovative comics like Conan The Barbarian, and some were, like LIL' KIDS, reprints of Marvel children's comics from the 1950s. This is a new cover though - again, by the Hardest Working Man In Comics, Stan Goldberg.


Most of Marvel's (then known as "Atlas") line in the early 50s was similar to this LITTLE LIZZIE sample - crude ripoffs of more popular characters from other companies. Harvey's LITTLE AUDREY or Marge's LITTLE LULU got nothin' to worry about here.


Later in the 50s Atlas got a bit more sophisticated and with the help of more competent artists (like Joe Maneely) their ripoffs got a lot more polished. Note how well Maneely swipes Al Wiseman doing Hank Ketcham's DENNIS THE MENACE. PETER THE PEST was originally called DEXTER THE DEMON, and before that he was MELVIN THE MONSTER. Make up your freakin' mind! Note the lettering of his name is different. Note also that unlike DENNIS, PETER is a complete asshole.


Maneely does Wiseman doing Ketcham again with LITTLE PIXIE, who originally was called something else (note lettering). I can think of a few things to call her.


Probably the most astonishing children's comic character, Patty Pinhead is a microcephalic little girl starring in crudely drawn adventures that are one step above office mimeograph cartooning. Who greenlighted this character, and who thought that these reprints would entertain anybody in 1970? Patty's older brother Zippy would go on to fame and fortune in the funny pages, courtesy Bill Griffith.


OH DON'T TELL ME YOU WEREN'T THINKING IT.

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