Riffraff and Rhyming

 

As we continue our journey through Dell's Animal Comics #4 (Aug-Sept 1943), we come to a story whose writer and artist are uncredited, but who introduced us to a precocious little puppy named Riffraff

He's found in a flour barrel by Tom Drake, who (along with his parents) inexplicable speak in rhymes. 

I'm tempted to call the rhyming dialogue a weakness of the story. The rhymes are workmanlike in their construction, but I think we were all spoiled by Dr. Suess while growing up. Knowing how clever and funny rhymes can be when written by a master, the tale of Riffraff can't help but suffer in comparison.

Still, we must remember that this comic was written for children. I can see a parent having a lot of fun reading this story aloud to his or her child, even if it does fall short of Suessian cleverness.

Back to the story: Riffraff appears to be a white dog at first, but after he's washed, we find out he's black. And getting stuck in a flour barrel is a precursor to just how much trouble the little puppy can get himself into.

Soon, Riffraff has gotten beaten up by a cat and chomped on by a turtle. Overall, he has a rough day.

And then things get DANGEROUS. That evening, Riffraff sees a fire starting in the attic of the Drake home. He tries to warn the family, but they just think he's being rambunctious. So the clever puppy ramps up the rambunctiousness until the family is mad enough to chase him back up the stairs to the attic.

They see the first and put it out in time to save the home. 

So Riffraff (despite getting a paw stuck in a mouse trap moments later) is a hero and knows he's found a home.

I like the art a lot, especially that fantastic panel in which the cat is beating up poor Riffraff. The unidentified artist gives the puppy a lot of personality, though he arguably fails to do the same with the human characters--they are pretty generic looking.

As for the script--well, as I already mentioned, I'm not sure the rhyming scheme adds anything to the story. But it is a fun story and Riffraff is a fun character. You can read the story online HERE. 

Next week is the week of my first wedding aniversary, so we'll take a break from the Wednesday and Thursday posts as I pay contractually obligated attentions to my wife. We'll be back in two weeks with another visit to Project Pegasus.