Sappy the Sportsman

 

cover art by John Walworth

As far as I can determine, the only appearance of Sappy the Sportsman is in Barnyard Comics #1 (June 1944). And perhaps that's all he should have. In that one story, Al Pross' lively art and the unknown writer's decision to give Sappy and his manager Pug Brooklyn accents lend the story charm and humor. But Sappy is pretty much a one-joke character.

He's a skinny, clumsy dog who craves being a successful athlete. His overly optimistic manager Pug keeps getting him try-outs, but Sappy isn't any good at anything. In baseball, he throws a wild pitch so softly, the catcher doesn't know he's thrown it. Then he gets beaned when the ball is thrown back to him.

He knocks himself out when he tries boxing. 

He gets tangled in the net when playing tennis.

And he gets tangled with the TABLE when trying ping pong.

Well, that's enough for Sappy. He finds one thing he's good at, which is knitting. It's safe. Or at least it should be--in the last panel of the story, he pokes himself in the finger with a needle.

It's a story that brings you a smile, but doesn't necessarily have you laughing out loud. As I said before, it's Pross' art that makes it work. And the decision to have Sappy and Pug speak Brooklynese just seems... right. It gives the story a Damon Runyon-meets-Tex Avery vibe that the art alone couldn't carry. 

And even if the story isn't a classic by any definition, characters like Sappy are a part of comic book heritage and should be remembered.

You can see if it brings you a smile by reading it HERE.

Next week... well, next week will be an important announcement about the fate of this blog that will shake the very foundations of Western Civilization.