Wednesday, October 25, 2023
Obscurity of the Day: Doctor Spook's Explorations
Any long-time reader of this space knows that I am a big fan of Albert Carmichael, who in my humble opinion was one of the premier cartoonists in the category of those who simply Draw Funny. Drawing Funny isn't about technical expertise, though it doesn't hurt, it's just a knack some cartoonists have for injecting a sense of fun, animation and joyfulness into their work. In Carmichael's case, his ability shines through even in a series as otherwise lame as Dr. Spook's Explorations.
In this short-lived New York Evening World strip we have a typical nebbish (his profession as a doctor is never really a plot point) who thinks he has found something wonderful (like a well-behaved child, a car that doesn't break down, etc.) and in panel four is disappointed. That fourth panel always ends with the caption "DID HE?", a sort of rimshot that succeeds in adding nothing. Yet I gladly suffer through each episode just to enjoy Carmichael's playful handling of people and settings.
Dr. Spook's Explorations was a weekday strip that ran from September 7 to 30 1909. There were a total of seven episodes.
Labels: Obscurities
