Friday Fun Link: Outbursts of Everett True

From the "I Love Comics" site, a smattering of repros of one of the most amazing comic strips of all time, "Outbursts of Everett True," an early 20th century British [nope--my mistake--American as rhubarb pie] creation. As accurately described at the beginning of the thread:

The plot:

Panel 1: Someone yells at, bugs, bothers, or generally inconveniences Mr. True in some way.

Panel 2: Everett responds by beating the living shit out of him and screaming (unless it's his wife, in which case she beats the living shit out of him).

Would that reprints of this should replace "Love Is... " in classified sections across the globe. For a larger collection of Everett True links (most of poorer repro quality) go here.

Comments

Marcvs | May 11, 2007, 4:34pm | #

I like how he beats some poor bastard for standing on a corner and looking at women's ankles on a windy day.

jpok | May 11, 2007, 4:43pm | #

That might be the funniest thing I've seen in a month. What's so great is there's no punch line (no pun intended). Just someone going about their lives not doing anyone serious harm and then a stripe-oanted Winston Churchill beats the ever-living shit out of them while screaming incoherently. Brilliant.

mediageek | May 11, 2007, 4:47pm | #

Dig the style of the older strips. Very kinetic look to them.

de stijl | May 11, 2007, 4:51pm | #

I not up on my Edwardian phraseology. When he says "race suicide" when the guy won't rent him the apartment, does he mean "It's my duty to have replacement kiddies"? Or does it mean "It's my duty to have white, English kiddies"? Was England going thru a population decline then?

SugarFree | May 11, 2007, 4:52pm | #

It's so much like my daydreams that its down right spooky.

mediageek | May 11, 2007, 4:52pm | #

[url=http://www.barnaclepress.com/cmcvlt/OutburstsOfEverettTrue/oet029.jpg]Wow. Evidently Grammar Nazism isn't a new thing.[/url]

mediageek | May 11, 2007, 4:52pm | #

sigh.

Evidently Grammar Nazism isn't a new thing.

Lamar | May 11, 2007, 4:55pm | #

Awesome post. Those cartoons remind me of the song "Clancy Lowered The Boom." Here's a typical verse:

Mulrooney walked into the bar and ordered up a round.
He left his drink to telephone, and Clancy drank it down.
Mulrooney said "Who drunk me drink? I'll lay him in his tomb!"
Before you could pat the top of your hat,
Clancy lowered the boom!

ProLib: Bonus if you know which sports team used the melody as the fight song.

John Zipps | May 11, 2007, 4:56pm | #

As someone commented on the page itself, "It's the Edwardian 'Milk & Cheese'!"

http://www.amazon.com/Fun-Milk-Cheese-Evan-Dorkin/dp/0943151074/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/103-6727936-5727037?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1178916925&sr=1-1

mk | May 11, 2007, 5:03pm | #

I have an Everett True t-shirt in my closet. I don't wear it much as I tend to get strange looks.

On another topic, did anyone else see the blurb in the Washington Post about the Cato Institute softball team being caught red--handed using a non-regulation baseball bat? I lolled.

joshua corning | May 11, 2007, 5:12pm | #

The King Pin has a wife?

jf | May 11, 2007, 5:16pm | #

Wow, it's like that comic predicted the existence of Russell Crowe. Awesome stuff.

mediageek | May 11, 2007, 5:19pm | #

Sadly, no Tugger, though.

Trevor Blake | May 11, 2007, 5:21pm | #

Some Everett True comics in PDF form at www.ovo127.com (along with much else in PDF form).

joshua corning | May 11, 2007, 5:45pm | #

Sadly, no Tugger, though.

Worse still, i got the reference.

Rhywun | May 11, 2007, 5:46pm | #

Was England going thru a population decline then?

And was it fashionable to reference American currency and presidents...?

SugarFree,

Me too.

Pro Libertate | May 11, 2007, 5:51pm | #

Lamar,

My ignorance knows no bounds. Notre Dame?

Incidentally, is it just me, or is Everett True an early rendition of the Urkobold? Sure acts like Him.

Lamar | May 11, 2007, 6:06pm | #

Tampa Bay Rowdies.

The Rowdies are here, the Rowdies are there,
They kick the ball around,
The Rowdies are here, the Rowdies are there,
Then the fall on the ground,
Oh the Rowdies, oh the Rowdies,
The Rowdies are....a kick in the grass!

So clever I wanna puke!!

highnumber | May 11, 2007, 6:09pm | #

Mr Doherty,

Can you fix the link for "Love is..."



It really links to a "Love is..." cartoon.

Pro Libertate | May 11, 2007, 6:10pm | #

Oh, wow! Yeah, I know THAT song. We were big Rowdies fans when I was a kid. Later on, incidentally, my brother was good friends with Rodney Marsh's son.

Stevo Darkly | May 11, 2007, 6:30pm | #

OMG, I hadn't seen "Love Is ..." for years and had forgotten all about it.

How is it that it can depict two naked pre-pube juveniles of the opposite sexes and not be indicted as an example of the Ultimate Crime of Our Age? (No, I don't mean opposing a raise in the minimum wage. The other one.)

Kris | May 11, 2007, 7:15pm | #

That comic is better than Andy Capp

Pro Libertate | May 11, 2007, 7:20pm | #

If there's any comic more disturbing than "Love is. . ., I don't know what it is.

South Park should totally do a spoof of that, ahem, strip. Love is. . .respecting my author-i-ty!

alkali | May 11, 2007, 7:27pm | #

Definitely an American cartoon (but I can see why you'd think it's British).

Brian Doherty | May 11, 2007, 7:47pm | #

Alkali--You are so right. My first exposure to Everett was in a used collection at a store that for some reason convinced me the strip was British--perhaps the book was? This was a long time ago. Fixed.

Akira MacKenzie | May 11, 2007, 8:42pm | #

Essentially, he's a early 20th century version of this fellow.

BakedPenguin | May 11, 2007, 10:57pm | #

With all the comic book movies Hollywood is making these days, how did they miss this? Everett seems like a modern alienated anti-hero, although he'd probably beat the shit out of me for saying that.

Jeff P. | May 11, 2007, 11:13pm | #

The brevity of the plot reminds me of what Warren Ellis wrote when asked to outline a possible Transmetropolitan/Judge Dredd crossover.

Panel One: Spider Jerusalem lights a cigarette.

Panel Two: Dredd kills Spider.

dd | May 12, 2007, 4:44am | #

Yep, just as I've always thought. Violence solves everything worth worryin' about.

That war in Iraq is for pansies and wet-behind-the-ear rear guard sloths. We should open up two fronts. One to the east, the other west. Punch Iran and Syria right in the kisser. Whamo!! That'll show 'em! Knock some sense into 'em, I say.

P Brooks | May 12, 2007, 10:15am | #

Amusing, in an juvenile, unsophisticated way; perhaps this was one of George W Peron's primary formative influences (See? Everything can, and should, be tied to The Eeevil That is GWB). But Krazy Kat is, and always shall be, the best comic strip evah!!

James Anderson Merritt | May 12, 2007, 1:39pm | #

# Brian Doherty wrote:

# Panel 2: Everett responds by beating the
# living shit out of him and screaming
# (unless it's his wife, in which case she
# beats the living shit out of him).

Kinda gives a new meaning t' the phrase "True Love." Am I right?

guy in the back row | May 12, 2007, 5:07pm | #

Thanks for posting this!

Homer Simpson | May 12, 2007, 5:32pm | #

You know what you two need? A little comic strip called Love Is.... It's about two naked eight-year-olds who are married.

Mark Lambert | May 14, 2007, 7:55am | #

That is the best comic I have ever seen. I mean, ever. Everett True: Fury in Striped Pants!

T | May 14, 2007, 10:29am | #

I found Everett True years ago and I'm with SugarFree on this one. I would aspire to that level of indignant rude insanity if I wasn't convinced I'd end up in jail.

Unfortunately, the wife has already expressed to me in no uncertain terms that Mr. True is not a role model for my declining years. There go my retirement plans. Maybe I'll take up some pointless hobby instead, like politics.

Holmes! | May 24, 2007, 3:24pm | #

Hey! No fair saying the Barnacle Press strips are of poorer reproduction quality! All of the images on the I Love Comics page are hotlinked from BP!