Number 361


Dudley is no dud


Boody Rogers tried his hand at an Archie-style strip with Dudley. It lasted three issues, which shows his readers probably preferred his funny take on super-heroes with Sparky Watts, or Babe, Darling of the Hills, his bizarre version of Li'l Abner.

This is story number one from Dudley #1, Nov.-Dec. 1949

I love looking at Rogers' artwork. Dudley has the Boody beauties, the cuties he drew so well. The only thing I don't like about this strip is the attempt to make it unique with some made-up teenage jargon: "Gosh from Oshkosh!" and "Sam from Alabam!" Otherwise he hewed pretty close to the Archie template, with his versions of Reggie, Veronica, et al. But Dudley had that Boody Rogers artwork, instantly recognizable, even without his signature.