Number 607


"Try this on your piano!"


In this story from Crime and Punishment #2, 1948, the story is short, but the dialogue is long. That was a trademark of the Lev Gleason/Charles Biro and Bob Wood comics. If the characters weren't shooting each other they were talking each other to death.

I love Francis' line when shooting it out with the policeman: "Try this on your piano!" I haven't ever heard that expression. I cogitated on that line, and promise if I'm ever under fire from the cops I'd like to have fun with it, use variations on that smart-ass remark: "Try this on your tuba!" "Try this on your Hofner bass guitar!" "Try this on your contrabassoon!" I don't know about you, but bullets whistling past my ears bring out my sarcastic side.

Fred Guardineer is the artist. We've seen a few crime stories by him on this blog. We've also seen some other work by him. He's someone who was there in comics from the very beginning. I love him because his line is so precise, and I'm sure that's just how his brain worked. Fred did Western comics, also, and his line never varied.

I also love that splash panel and specifically David's hair. Are all those little folks reacting to David's hairdo?