Sugar&Spike - Volunteer Repairmen

The Chronicles of Sheldon Mayer's Sugar & Spike

Volunteer Repairmen
Sugar & Spike #18 [1958]
6 pages
Reprints: None
Dedication: Ann Charamak (age 14), Rye, NY [interestingly, Mayer settled in Rye for at least part of his retirement]

Spike gets put in the yard for playing with the window-box toy (TV), so Sugar invites him to her place (after the usual man-handling) to play with their window-box.  For some reason her mom objects to that, so they do some exploring and find a radio, which they interpret as a broken TV, since it has music but no picture, and proceed to try and fix it in the only way they know how, with Mr. Plumm's fix-it toys (tools).  Before they can act, they find Mrs. Plumm's laundry machine, and see the clothes jumping inside as another broken TV, with a picture but no music. Logic only dictates that you put the two together... And somehow for that they get put in a corner.

I did like that in the last panel the radio is still somewhat working, playing now-wobbly musical notes, but also making "glub glub" noises.  Because that's logical...

Well constructed story of the classic theme of seeing what a kid might do and figuring out what kind of baby-logic might have led them to that think their actions are perfectly justified.  

Characters: Sugar, Spike, Mrs. Wilson, Mrs. Plumm, Mr. Plumm
Damage: That radio might survive, but uncertain
Punishment: Initially just put in the yard, eventually into the corner
Sugar's treatment of Spike: The old trio, pushed over, stood on and dragged around by the feet.  But at least he complains about it...

"Why is it, the the cleverer we get, the angrier they get??"
"They're just jealous of our brains!"

Sugar&Spike - Photo Finish

The Chronicles of Sheldon Mayer's Sugar & Spike

Photo Finish
Sugar & Spike #2 [1956]
6 pages
Reprints: Sugar & Spike #96 [1971], The Best of DC #47 [1984], The Sugar And Spike Archives #1 [2011]

Yes, that's right, the long-awaited reprint of Sheldon Mayer's classic should be in comic stores today, and no doubt shipping from other sources soon after. If requesting it from a comic store that doesn't have it in stock, tell them to use order code JAN110334, use ISBN-10 1401231128 or ISBN-13 978-1401231125 for other sources.

Among many highlights of the book will be this story from the second issue, where Sugar's mother hires a photographer to get a decent photograph of her alone and not crying.  You see, a traumatic early incident with a joke camera has left Sugar with a fear of cameras, which is only abated by the presence of Spike making funny faces. Spike hears the fuss and comes to Sugar's rescue, and various misunderstandings occur until the photographer finally manages to snatch defeat from the jaws of victory.

A great little story, one of the best of the over 400 Sugar & Spike stories Mayer wrote and drew (and may we one day have a whole shelf with books collecting every single one of them). Mayer was especially on his game with the body language in this story, in that page above I especially like Sugar lecturing the photographer for daring to pull a camera on her, her affection towards the photos of Spike and her excitement at him coming to the rescue.

Characters: Sugar, Spike, Mrs. Plumm, A. Shutter, cousin Alvin (flashback)
Damage: various photography equipment, Mr. Shutter's nerves
Sugar's treatment of Spike: Extremely affectionate, for once

Sugar&Spike - Horse Sense

The Chronicles of Sheldon Mayer's Sugar & Spike

Horse Sense
Sugar & Spike #9 [1957]
4 pages
Reprints:  The Sugar And Spike Archives #1 [2011]
Dedication: Dana Brown (age 9), Idaho

The Wilsons take the kids to an amusement park, even though Mrs. Wilson isn't sure they're old enough even for the "kiddy section".  Of course the kids manage to get loose, and soon find a baby pony. Of course, it being a baby means they can talk to it, since baby-talk is the same for all species, and the three of them go off on a little adventure around the park, which ends up being quite costly for the Wilsons.  That'll teach 'em to pay more attention when taking care of the kids.

Cute little story, I especially liked the presence of a lot of one-shot people (and animals), which gave Mayer a chance to show off some of his other cartooning skills.

Characters: Sugar, Spike, Mr. Wilson, Mrs. Wilson, a pony, various park employees and visitors

"Boy! I wish my mommy was a baby pony! She doesn't understand a word I say!"

Sugar&Spike - Thumbs Up!

The Chronicles of Sheldon Mayer's Sugar & Spike

Thumbs Up!
Sugar & Spike #1 [1956]
2 pages
Reprints: Sugar & Spike No. 1 Replica Edition [2002],  The Sugar And Spike Archives #1 [2011]

A little taste of what you'll see in the upcoming SUGAR AND SPIKE ARCHIVES, the second story from the first issue. Kind of an interesting look at Mayer's technique, as the basic gag of this story is the same as that used in the cover to this issue. With three times as much room to play with it, Mayer adds some nice visual bits, including the kids playing in the trashcan in the park, and also makes a lot more hay out of Spike's incredulity that Sugar was able to find a new and painless way of scamming some candy from her mother.
 
Characters: Sugar, Spike, Mrs. Plumm, Mrs. Wilson, Mr. Wilson
Damage: Not much, maybe Spike's pride and his faith in the power of books...


"They kept pulling my thumb outa my mouth, so naturally, I kept putting it back in!"
"Naturally!"

Sugar&Spike - Speech Lessons

The Chronicles of Sheldon Mayer's Sugar & Spike

Speech Lessons
Sugar & Spike #8 [1957]
6 pages
Reprints:  The Sugar And Spike Archives #1 [2011]
Dedication: Wayne Posz (age 8), Indiana

A classic look at the eternal failure to communicate theme that the series featured, this time the kids put some clues together and realize that their parents don't actually understand their baby-talk. Naturally their solution is to try to teach them, starting with the easiest word they know, "GLX", meaning "Hello". When that doesn't have the result they expect, they attempt to reconcile the various reactions they get to the word to figure out what it means in grown-up talk, but their perfectly logical conclusions only get them in more hot water.

Lervly story, especially the baby logic, and some wonderful expressions on the kids.  This also features one of my favourite S&S scenes ever, a bit where Spike helps Sugar escape from her playpen "prison", only to wind up in it himself, with the final reveal that they can just lift it up and get out anytime.  Throwaway bit that isn't even referred to in the dialogue, just a cute visual to enjoy on a second level to the main plot.

Characters: Sugar, Spike, Mrs. Wilson, brush salesman, various neighbours
Damage: Many, many dishes, a fruit bowl and a plant
Punishment: a sentence in the "pokey" (a playpen) and various trips to the corner

"I think that when we're talking good, clear baby-talk to them, they think we're just making silly noises that don't mean anything!"

Sugar&Spike - Archive imminent

Just a quick reminder that Sheldon Mayer's SUGAR AND SPIKE ARCHIVES Vol. 1 is on the way from DC, probably with a cover looking like the one to the right.  September 14 is the currently advertised date for it to be available in comic stores, which can probably still order a copy for you using order code JAN110334. Other retailers should have it around then as well, use ISBN-10 1401231128 or ISBN-13 978-1401231125.

You can find a listing of previous posts about the series over here, in particular these entries on stories which will be in the upcoming book:

Sugar & Spike #1 [1956] - Thumbs Up!
Sugar & Spike #1 [1956] - Busy Corners
Sugar & Spike #2 [1956] - Photo Finish
Sugar & Spike #6 [1957] - Winter Sunday
Sugar & Spike #6 [1957] - Cats? Meowch!
Sugar & Spike #8 [1957] - Speech Lessons
Sugar & Spike #8 [1957] - Trip to the Zoo
Sugar & Spike #9 [1957] - The Fix-It Machine
Sugar & Spike #9 [1957] - Horse Sense
Sugar & Spike #10 [1957] - The Big Word Mystery
Sugar & Spike #10 [1957] - Beach Nuts

Happy Sheldon Mayer Day

94 years ago today, Sheldon Mayer was born. How do Sugar and Spike feel about that?

It's always about the cake with kids, isn't it?  This year, of course, in addition to the cake his virtual kids can join us in celebrating the upcoming release of SUGAR & SPIKE ARCHIVES v1.  Just don't let the kids get too close to the book unattended, they'll probably try to eat it...

Sugar&Spike - Valentine Cards 1967

Valentine Card feature page from SUGAR AND SPIKE #69 [1967], by Sheldon Mayer.

Sugar&Spike - Busy Corners

The Chronicles of Sheldon Mayer's Sugar & Spike

Busy Corners
Sugar & Spike #1 [1956]
6 pages
Reprints: The Best of DC #47 [1984], Sugar & Spike No. 1 Replica Edition [2002],  The Sugar And Spike Archives #1 [2011]
Dedication: None

One of my favourite Sugar & Spike stories is from the very first issue, this story that introduces Sugar's Uncle Charley, her mother's younger brother, a traffic cop who frequently visits to play with his niece, who adores him because "he's only grown up where it shows".  Spike is initially jealous, but is quickly won over by Charley's charm.

This story sets the pattern for most of the future Uncle Charley stories, where his ideas of how to handle children infuriate Sugar's mother, then seem to work, and then ultimately backfire because for all his trying, the children don't really understand what he's saying, but love him anyway.

Among other things, this story has the first appearance of one of my favourite lines, one Mayer liked enough to use a few times over the years.  "If people don't want their things busted, they shouldn't leave 'em lying around on the ceiling!"

Characters: Sugar, Spike, Mrs. Plumm, Uncle Charley
Damage: one new chandelier and everything on the living room table
Punishment: Two trips into an increasingly crowded corner

"What's he talking about?"
"I don't know, but pay attention or you'll hurt his feelings!"

Sugar&Spike - Little Giants

The Chronicles of Sheldon Mayer's Sugar & Spike

Little Giants
Sugar & Spike #27 [1960]
6 pages
Reprints: The Best of DC #47 [1984]
Dedication: Mrs. Marjorie Lane (age 21 plus), California

Spike is a bit of a pest while his mother tries to talk to Sugar's mother.  Sugar's mother suggests something that she learned from the baby-book that works for Sugar, letting the kids play as giants in a miniature world.  They decide to let Spike try it, and then Sugar explains her interpretation of the toys, and how she feels about their mothers ignoring them. All of this serves to dissipate the anger the kids have, though perhaps not for the reason the adults think.

This was among the earliest Sugar&Spike stories I read, through the 1980s digest reprint, and not really one of my favourites back then.  Not sure why, but I do like it a bit better now, especially some of Sugar's dialogue when explaining things to Spike.  There are also some clever bits in the art which are much easier to appreciate at full size.

Characters: Sugar, Spike, Mrs. Plumm, Mrs. Wilson
Damage: Hopefully the dolls are waterproof
Punishment: The dolls get treated harshly
Sugar's treatment of Spike: He gets a doll smacked out of his hand and yelled at a bit, but suffers much more from the coffee dumped on his head

"Whenever I'm in the mood to play with it, I make a real pest of myself until she gets it out"

Sugar&Spike - FLRJ!

Oh sure, I like the "GLX", and always get a chuckle out of "SPTZL", and don't mind "GLAAH" one bit. Even the lesser known "SHMZL" and "GLBSH" I have affection for. But my favourite bit of Sheldon Mayer created baby-talk, by a long shot? No competition, it's:

In case you have trouble with Spike's accent, here it is from Sugar:

Ah, FLRJ! I don't know what it means, but it's a word the kids usually use when they're upset and arguing. Whatever it means, I suspect when they say FLRJ that's one of the rare times they're lucky their parents don't understand the baby-talk, because that would be a one-way trip into the corner.

Sugar&Spike - Unused 1971 book proposal

Back in 1971, Mayer did some material as a proposal for a book collection of comics as THE POCKET-SIZE TREASURY OF SUGAR AND SPIKE STORIES.

It didn't come out, of course. Too early, I guess. Just had to wait another 40 years. Still, a nice cover. This copy of it is from COMIC BOOK ARTIST #11 [2001] from TwoMorrows, a flip-book issue with one side devoted to Sheldon Mayer (guest edited by Bill Alger) and the other to Alex Toth (an artist who Mayer hired back in the 1940s). You should try to find a copy if you're interested in Mayer's work. TwoMorrows is sold out of the print edition, but has a digital version available.

Sugar&Spike - Little Arthur Becomes a Mad Professor!

The Chronicles of Sheldon Mayer's Sugar & Spike

Little Arthur Becomes a Mad Professor!
Sugar & Spike #42 [1962]
6 pages
Reprints: None
Dedication: Carol Chernoff (age 12), Illinois

One of the major recurring characters in the series is Little Arthur, a slightly older boy whose mother Myrna often brings him over.  Arthur first appears in #17, returns in #22 and then shows up every few issues for the rest of the series, including the new material drawn in the 1980s.  Arthur is quite a terror, so the kids learn to dread his visits, which usually consist of Arthur pulling Sugar's ponytail, which leads to Spike biting him.  Arthur is old enough that he speaks grown-up talk rather than baby-talk, so he lie about what happened, getting the kids punished (as Sugar once says, he doesn't so much speak in grown-up talk as he fibs in it).  Of course, his plans always backfire (I don't think the Comics Code allowed them to show success through lying).

In this variation, Arthur has a new interest in medicine, and pretty much ignores Sugar and Spike as he works on his plans for a self-propelled stretcher. The kids figure he must be sick, and are quite happy with that, until Arthur tries to put his ideas into practice, converting a coffee table to a stretcher and trying to use them as test patients.

Characters: Sugar, Spike, Mrs. Wilson, Mrs. Plumm, Little Arthur, Myrna
Damage: That coffee table is history, all Arthur's fault.  The lamp, that was all Spike



"He should be sick more often! It improves him!"

Sugar&Spike - The New Vase

The Chronicles of Sheldon Mayer's Sugar & Spike

The New Vase
Unpublished
1 page
Reprints: None

Most of the unpublished Sugar & Spike stories are those that Mayer drew in the 1980s. However, there are occasional bits like "The New Vase", a 1-page story that seems to date from fairly early in the run of the series (maybe 1960 or earlier), but which wasn't used for whatever reason. It's a cute enough gag, nothing special, notable for being one of only a handful of stories to only feature one of the kids. Pretty unusual, since a lot of the charm of the series is how the kids interact with each other.

I did want to point out the alphabet building blocks that Spike is playing with.  They were a common prop in the stories, being a ubiquitous toddler toy and endlessly useful for comedy purposes.  What I always like about them is how they frequently spelled out the common baby-talk words that Mayer used when presenting the speech untranslated, GLX, SPTZL, GLAAH and the rest.  Nice touch, I thought.

Characters: Spike, Mrs. Wilson

Sugar&Spike - One Good Deed

The Chronicles of Sheldon Mayer's Sugar & Spike

One Good Deed
Sugar & Spike #87 [1969]
1 page
Reprints: None

Cute little single page story about how the kids react to the doorbell.  I like the logic of Sugar describing ringing the bell as punching the door in the face, and the action that results from that interpretation is both sensible and silly, and the proud expressions on their faces for thinking of it are adorable.

Characters: Sugar, Spike, Mrs. Plumm, Mrs. Wilson


"It was my mommy who punched its nose!"

Sugar&Spike - Strip Proposal 1980s

In the 1980s, Mayer did another proposal for a Sugar & Spike comic strip. There are around seven weeks worth of daily strips, and possibly one Sunday strip, for this proposal, in various stages of completion. Most of them are fully inked, with the lettering still in pencils. Others are in rougher stages, and sometimes there are multiple versions of the the same strip, which are a nice look at the creative process.

In this strip, for example, Mayer tried the joke two ways, one with most of the baby-talk dialogue translated, and then revised to leave it as baby-talk.  I think he made the right choice.  You can also see some other changes, like in panel three where it was changed to Sugar climbing up on books to reach the sharpener.  I can't make out all the notes, but it looks like there's one sketch where Mayer's trying to work out the expression of Spike's face in the last panel. I also find it interesting that often when Mayer does strips with the baby-talk untranslated he'll note what they're saying in the margins.  I guess that was for his own benefit, to more easily make sure the expressions and body language match what they're saying.

Sugar&Spike - Feature Pages - Cards

In addition to the Write Your Own Comics and Pint-Size Pin-Ups features that ran in the majority of issues of SUGAR AND SPIKE, Sheldon Mayer ran cards featuring the characters for Valentine's Day and Christmas in the appropriate issues from 1960 to 1967.  Yet another excuse for kids to cut up their comics and vex future collectors...

This is one of the four Valentine's Day cards from Sugar and Spike #27 [1960].

Sugar&Spike - Strip proposal c1960

The Chronicles of Sheldon Mayer's Sugar & Spike

Around 1960 Sheldon Mayer prepared a two week sample of a strip proposal for Sugar and Spike. Above is the first strip, which begins a brief storyline of the kids and their parents meeting for the first time, which is a bit different in comic strip continuity from how it was shown in the comics. The end result is the same, though, the beginning of a beautiful friendship.  After the introductory storyline (including one that adapts the gag on the cover of #11), the dailies then go on to begin a story based on "Lobsters Away" from #3.  There's also a page out there that may be a sample Sunday page from that proposal, which is based on a story from #4 ("One Sunday Afternoon"), along with some paper-dolls that appeared in #21.

Sugar&Spike - New Method

The Chronicles of Sheldon Mayer's Sugar & Spike

New Method
Sugar & Spike #11 [1957]
1 page
Reprints: None

Well, you know this isn't going to end well for Spike's dad, sleeping on the beach with his bare feet sticking out when his son finds a crab.

Nice quick little story, something to look forward to if the upcoming reprint is followed by a second volume.

And Spike's dad even brings his pipe to the beach...

Characters: Sugar, Spike, Mr. Wilson
Damage: That toe's going to be sore for a while



"It's good for waking up sleeping daddies"

Sugar&Spike - The Fix-It Machine

A reminder, if you're planning to get the upcoming SUGAR AND SPIKE ARCHIVES VOL. 1 from a comic book store, right now is the best time to let them know of your interest. Order code JAN110334, page 115 of January 2011 Diamond Previews. They'll probably still be able to order it later (the book isn't due out until August/September), but the initial numbers they order in the next few weeks probably count for a lot, and early interest may encourage them to order shelf copies in addition to special orders. You can also order it from other sources, like Amazon, not sure if early orders on places like that have any effect, but the price they have now is pretty good, so good idea to lock it in now.

The Chronicles of Sheldon Mayer's Sugar & Spike

The Fix-It Machine
Sugar & Spike #9 [1957]
6 pages
Reprints:  The Sugar And Spike Archives #1 [2011]
Dedication: Linda Mayer, Washington DC

Hm, no idea if that dedication is related to Sheldon Mayer...

Anyway, Spike gets a new scooter, and plays with it by sitting on it upsidedown and rolling the wheels with his hands.  Sugar realizes this is wrong, and correctly surmises that it's a "bump toy", which is exactly what it sounds like.  The scooter doesn't last long under that abuse, which leads to Sugar teaching Spike about how to use his father as a fix-it-machine.  Things escalate from there, to an entertaining finish.

Clever little story, especially the looks of pure joy as the kids think they're finally starting to learn about how the world works, contrasted with exactly how far off they are.

Characters: Sugar, Spike, Mr. Wilson, Mrs. Wilson
Damage: The scooter, multiple times and Spike's clothes

Sugar's treatment of Spike: Very rough, dragging him around, standing on him, although oddly the most damage is done when she's trying to keep him from hurting himself

"Are you sure you're playing with it right?"