Sunday 24 August 2008

WHEN THE BIG BAD WOLF REALLY MEANS TO BE GOOD...


There have been a few instances where the Big Bad Wolf has went out of his character and acted nicely towards the Three Little Pigs, but, in most cases, these were either due to a spell or some other involuntary situation. In one story from the early works of Gil Turner, however, he really means to be nice, 'though his good intentions do not last very long.
In Walt Disney's Comics & Stories no. 100 (dated Jan. 1949), to the suprise of his son who knows his father's aversion to Christmas, the Big Bad Wolf, for some inexplicable reason, finds himself caught up with the "Christmas spirit". After a few funny instances where forest animals are equally amazed at the Big Bad Wolf's good manners, he even....

The real strength of this story (scripted by artist Turner himself) with a simple plot lies in its wonderfully worded lines written for the wolf, as in the above panel with phrases like "joyous yuletide season", which, arguably, hint at the phony nature of the nice manners that the Big Bad Wolf usually represents the other of.
Despite his good intentions, the pigs do not welcome him, and the wolf quickly gets over the Christmas spirit. However, in the meantime, Li'l Bad Wolf persuades the Practical Pig that his dad had meant no harm -and hence:


PS: This post with scans of images with a snowy setting was written with the hope of feeling a refreshment in this burning-hot summer day..

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