The early art of Walt Kelly -- "the Adventures of Peter Wheat" part one

Before the glory days of Pogo, Kelly was (along with John Stanley and Carl Barks) part of the great but nameless trio at Dell Comics that produced what are still widely considered the best children's comics ever made. It was around this time that Kelly wrote and drew a promotional comic book to be given away at bakeries. "The Adventures of Peter Wheat" should have been awful, but Kelly manages to pack considerable charm and a surprising amount of actual adventure into these stories.

For students of Kelly's art, Peter Wheat offers great examples of the artist's ability to anthropomorphize animals without simply making them people with funny ears and noses.