Mickey, Minnie, Morty

MEDIUM: Original Sunday Comic Strip, Drawing, and Proof
IMAGE SIZE: Pencil on 10.625" x 15.5" paper; Image size: 9" x 13.5"; Proof sheet: 20.5" x 15.25"
COMIC: Mickey Mouse, 1969
SKU: CCV2608

ABOUT THE IMAGE: This is artist-writer Del Connell's original drawing in pencil for the Sunday comics page plus one of the black-and-white proofs of the final version that was issued by King Features Syndicate to subscribing newspapers for publication on September 14, 1969. In this episode Mickey paints himself into a corner to be "rescued" by Minnie. The proof sheet includes the installment of Uncle Remus and His Tales of Brer Rabbit that was published on the same day. "Sept 14" is written in red pencil above the title panel. There are editor's corrections in the word balloons in two panels.

ABOUT THE ARTIST: Artist/writer Del Connell began working in the model department at The Walt Disney Studios in 1939. A studio writer and storyman from 1941 to 1954, he joined Western Publishing as a comic book writer and eventually became an editor-in-chief. From 1968 through the late 1980s he wrote the Mickey Mouse newspaper comics daily strip and Sunday page. In writing the strip, he drew a preliminary version of the feature for that day in pencil; it was then approved (and/or changed) by editors in the Disney Publications Department and turned over to Manuel Gonzales, who drew the inked, published version. Just prior to Connell's passing at age 93 in 2011 he was honored at the San Diego Comic-Con with the Bill Finger Excellence in Comic Book Writing Award.