If you have ever taken the time to peruse the backlog of stories on this site, you may have run across a few older posts that had collections of newspaper comics that include a fencing reference. Well, it’s that time again! And if you haven’t checked out the older ones, feel free to do so if you enjoy today’s offering. Just search for “comics” with the magnifying glass icon and you’ll find a bunch more.
As with the earlier posts, these all come from the Halberstadt Scrapbooks. Hans collected newspaper clippings, magazine articles, advertisements, comics like these – basically anything that some hint of a fencing component. In his scrapbook, they tumble from year to year in no order other than what an empty page and some handy glue or tape made possible as things came his way. I wish I could have seen the original books before floodwaters forced an heroic re-mounting effort by Halberstadt club members. Ah, well.
Forward, into the past! Today’s offerings are all from the earliest of Hans’ scrapbooks, and date from 1949 to 1951.
This James Thurber comic must have come to Hans as a gift. At a guess, I’d say from a Mr. Thives who, apparently, struggled with the spelling of Hans’ last name. Halverstadt, indeed.
In 1950, when this was published, skirts were still to be seen, albeit infrequently, in some ladies fencing circles. Within a few years, they were gone for good. As for the balance of this comic and the poor example of behavior exhibited by “Little Sport” (I’m guessing the blonde) and her friend, I can’t see officials today tolerating this sort of behavior. Or at least, not very often.
Just like on the internets, CAPITALIZING YOUR LETTERS DENOTES SHOUTING, even in 1950.
No caption for this one. Does it need one?
This one doesn’t.
Perhaps one day I’ll tell the tale of what may have happened in the parking lot of the now long-gone Positively Front Street pub in Santa Cruz, CA after a night of imbibing when a challenge was thrown down. All I can say is that Michael D’Asaro Jr. was witness to the event and he called it “the craziest thing I’ve ever seen in fencing”. Today is not that day.
Finally, two with Donald Duck.
That’s all for today! Bring on the week!
