Like the classic cartoons that influenced them, underground comix of the ’60s could combine slapstick and political commentary in unexpected ways. Witness the Hog of Steel! Your Major Spoilers Retro Review of Wonder Wart-Hog #1 awaits!

WONDER WART-HOG #1

Writer: Joe Brown
Penciler: Gilbert Shelton/Tony Bell
Inker: Gilbert Shelton/Tony Bell
Letterer: Gilbert Shelton/Tony Bell
Editor: Gilbert Shelton
Publisher: Millar Publishing Company
Cover Price: 50 Cents
Current Near-Mint Pricing:
Release Date:

Previously in Wonder Wart-Hog: Though his first appearance came in Gilbert Shelton’s college magazine, Bacchanal half a decade earlier, Wonder Wart-Hog popped up in various places throughout the decade, including Harvey Kurtzman’s legendary humor mag, Help!. But it was in DRAG Cartoons (a strange amalgam of Mad and Hot Rod magazines) that he made the most appearances, which led to publisher Pete Millar putting out this book in ’67.

Born on planet Squootpeep, Wonder Wart-Hog was rocketed away when his father discovered that the planet was about to explode. (It didn’t, but that’s mostly because Daddy Wart-Hog was an idiot.) Landing on Earth, Wonder Wart-Hog was adopted by “rednecks” who raised him as their own because his invulnerable skin wouldn’t cook like a regular pig. He eventually established his secret identity, mild-manned reporter Philbert Desanex, and started punching evil. This issue opens with the shocking sight of mayors, senators, and other public servants being knocked down a few pegs with pies in the face. But when he successfully targets President Johnson, the perpetrator then breaks the fourth wall to explain to readers what his goal is.

Having lost faith in his Secret Service, LBJ calls in the last line of defense in the form of the Hog of Steel! Wonder Wart-Hog leaps into creep-tastic action, flying to the White House, where he is given an envelope to deliver to the pie-sassin. He finds the secret Pie Cave, which leads to a hot rod chase between Wonder Wart-Hog’s Hogmobile (a Mustang Fastback with a snout) and Pieman’s custom dragster, because Pete Millar knew on which side of the bread his CARtoons were buttered.
Our hero delivers the Pieman to LBJ’s ranch, where he admits that he only wanted to make politicians look like fools, only for the President to remind him that “it’s a well-known fact that most people think politicians are fools anyway!” The Commander-In-Chief isn’t interested in motives anyway, all he wants payback: Fresh-baked strawberry rhubarb at 20 paces!
As a fan of comics, Shelton’s intricate cartooning is endlessly appealing to me, especially his use of cross-hatching, but I have to admit that I’m bothered by the conflation of “warthog” and “hog” in every story. Still, that’s clearly part of the joke, building on the slapstick and cartoon physics of the stories. But Gilbert Shelton isn’t just comedic, instead combining the goofiness with unexpectedly trenchant commentary on life in the turbulent 1960s. An encounter with the bad beatnik known as The Masked Meanie turns into a psychological analysis of secret identities through the lens of multiple personality disorders, followed by a rather uncomfortable brush with religion.
The afterlife involves a conversation with God, a brush with the devil, and a clear copyright violation in an appearance by Marvel’s Mighty Thor, and it’s both deep and incredibly silly. I’m kind of impressed, especially when there are TWO “Only A Dream” fake-outs in the story before the final stinger. Shelton’s art is remarkably delicate throughout this sequence, making even the ridiculous idea of an alien warthog superhero contemplating the afterlife amusing and beautiful. It’s also not the last time this magazine addresses issues beyond the usual funny book antics. Wonder Wart-Hog Visits The Ghetto follows, examining the race riots of the era and asking whether or not Philbert, in writing florid, sensationalistic stories about the tensions, is partially responsible. Naturally, he has a categorically stupid answer to the problem of media bias.
After two pages of various comic strip characters being sent to fight the Vietnam war, the final story in this issue sends Wonder Wart-Hog to Mississippi, where he encounters Freedom Riders, lynching, and the open racism of the deep South circa 1967, and… Boy is it hard to read. It manages to be funny, in a South Park kind of way, but it leaves me feeling guilty and uncomfortable for appreciating Shelton finding humor in even the darkest moments. Wonder Wart-Hog #1 is a product of its time, much like his later work on The Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers, and while its humor hasn’t all aged perfectly, it’s weirdly thought-provoking for a funny animal superhero book, earning 4 out of 5 stars overall.

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WONDER WART-HOG #1

80%

80%

Same Family, Different Species

The lens of absurdity herein makes a great many horrible realities more palatable, which spurred me to think about the place of satire in society, then distracted me with another couple of puns.

It earns its classic reputation.

• Writing

  7
• Art

  9
• User Ratings (0 Votes)
  0