Looney Tunes: June 2001
Cover
An artistic Daffy was painting one of his favorite subjects - money. But much of the cover has been eaten by a now-stuffed and burping Taz, revealing part of the first page inside the comic. Turning the cover reveals that the scene shown actually does match that of the first page.
Credits
Synopsis
Wile E. Coyote reads a book, Self Help for the Fanatically Obsessed. A line about always being a good sport gives the coyote an idea: using sporting gear to catch Road Runner. His first attempt involves hockey, with a grenade rather than a puck. Road Runner stops short of the net, and the rather elastic net sends the grenade back to Wile E.
The coyote next tries to use a giant cricket bat. A giant cricket quickly puts an end to that idea. Wile E. then tries combining dynamite and bowling, but throws a gutter ball. Worse, the desert seems to be equipped with a ball return. Persistent, the coyote turns to baseball, hoping to bean Road Runner. The bird neatly deflects the ball and Wile E. clobbers himself in spectacular fashion.
The results of pole vaulting are no better, the coyote flying over a truck only to be hit by it a moment later. Basketball is tried, with the addition of a bowl of birdseed and a giant steel trap. Road Runner appears as referee and startles Wile E. into his own trap, causing him to finally give up on sports in his endeavor.
Did You Notice...
Page 1: It's a bit surprising to see Wile E. Coyote reading a book "for the fanatically obsessed" as it suggests he considers himself fanatically obsessed.- Page 3: Wile E,'s sign parodies the hockey announcer line, "He shoots, he scores!"
- Page 4: Cricket is a bit unusual, not being very popular in the U.S. It does, however, avoid using a baseball bat and leave baseball for few pages later. It also allows the use of the giant cricket gag.
- Page 5: Dynamite comes "in handy stick form." It gives one pause to think of what other forms of dynamite might be supplied by Acme.
- Page 7: The box with the cap and glove proclaims, "Sparky style" and is right. Charles "Sparky" Schulz drew Peanuts character Charlie Brown being clobbered by a returned pitch just the way Wile E. is in the sixth panel. Charlie's cap, glove, and shoe would go flying. Here, the cap, glove, and Wile E.'s fur (in sock-like fashion) fly. Wile E.'s sign, "Oh, favorable grief!" is also almost Charlie Brown's exasperated utterance, "Oh, good grief!"
Technical Nits
Page 10: Road Runner's claim of traveling isn't right. In basketball, traveling is the taking of two or more steps without dribbling the ball. Wile E. no longer had the ball when that the call was made, and was dribbling the ball when the first call startled him.
Credits
Synopsis
Foghorn Leghorn, using a magnifying glass, focuses the sun's rays onto Barnyard Dawg's nose. Dawg jumps at the pain, but doesn't even try to go after Foghorn. The rooster asks what's wrong and Dawg tells him he's lonely and can't seem to attract a lady. To Foghorn, this is a challenge... or at least an opportunity to abuse Dawg some more.
First, Foghorn reshapes Dawg's snout with an iron. Then the rooster tosses him in with the pigs for an extended mud bath. After that, weight reduction with a steam closet, which is set to so high a temperature it explodes. All this does change Dawg's look to a darker, sleeker form.
Foghorn isn't done, though, and has Dawg practice his poise by walking while balancing books on his head. Since he can't look down, he clobbers himself when he steps on a hoe. Dawg is just about to wring Foghorn's neck when he's all but bowled over by a dark, sleek, and very female dog that fell for him on sight. Mentioning the rooster's abuse, she soon has Foghorn up a tree while she feeds grapes to a very relaxed Dawg.
Did You Notice...
- The title puns My Fair Lady, though the only part of the story that might match it is the book balancing for posture.
- This story is a bit unusual, being written but not inked by Mike DeCarlo.
- Page 4: Schwarzenegger refers to strongman actor Arnold Schwarzenegger who, at the time of printing, was not yet even running for Govenor of California.
Technical Nits
- Page 2: Dawg's footpad in the fourth panel is not colored in. Notice that on page five, after all of the treatments, the footpad is a different color from the rest of Dawg's foot..
Credits
Synopsis
Elmer Fudd is ready for a day of duck hunting and spots a reclining Daffy right away. As Elmer is about to fire, Daffy holds up a book which is open to a page showing that he isn't allowed to shoot a sitting duck. When Elmer points out that the duck is not sitting, but sleeping, he's shown the book again. He can't shoot a sleeping duck, either. Fudd tries to wake Daffy, but even without opening his eyes the duck twirls Elmer's rifle into a bowtie knot. How takes very close aim again, and this time Daffy inflates the gun like a balloon and makes a balloon animal out of it. The balloon-gun explodes in Fudd's face.
Taking a different approach, Elmer pours a huge sack of coffee beans into the water. Soon the water is jumping with hyperactive fish and overly outgoing crabs, but Daffy snoozes on. Fudd then tries a duck call, and Daffy answers a phone saying not to call him. Another try and the call itself demands payment as if it were a pay phone. Next Elmer has a stereotypical Swiss play an alphorn to wake the duck, but the huge note is so heavy it sinks Elmer's boat.
Fudd tries one last idea: waking the duck with explosives. Instead, the explosion wakes a hibernating bear who clobbers Elmer. Daffy appears to sleepwalk past Fudd, but this time the angry Fudd starts chasing the duck. Both Elmer and Daffy soon tire and both start napping. The sound of a butterfly alighting is enough to wake the pair up and get them to demand silence.
Did You Notice...
- Page 1: The book Daffy shows Elmer is Duck Hunting For Morons 101 which is both a parody of the ...for Dummies books and 100-level course numbers. Such courses are introductory and generally not considered difficult.
- Page 4: Elmer gets the coffee beans from Starducks Coffee, clearly a Looney version of Starbucks Coffee.
- Denning has done quite well with this story. It's a new twist to have Daffy sleeping and rather zany at the same time.
Technical Nits
- Page 1: Duck hunting is done with shotguns rather rifles. A duck rifle would be a very rare thing indeed. Also, it would require amazing markmanship.
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Last update 14 May 2004