Welcome back to Rotten Ink. As you can see, it’s Thanksgiving 2024, and I think it’s time to once more take a walk into the world of cartoons and more specifically Looney Tunes as these cartoons were such a big part of so many people’s childhood and make for a fun holiday update. Who doesn’t want to talk about the likes of Bugs Bunny, Porky Pig and Daffy Duck, all characters we have covered before here on Rotten Ink, but for this Turkey Day update, we will be talking about Sylvester and Tweety, who are some of the biggest stars in the world of cartoon duos. This will be a fun and silly update that will add some fun and silliness to your Thanksgiving, and as the turkey and ham are still in the oven and the potatoes have yet to be mashed, let’s sit back enjoy this holiday and see what Tweety and Sylvester have in store for us. I also want to thank you all very quickly for spending apart of your Thanksgiving with me here at Rotten Ink, and I truly hope that these Thanksgiving Day updates make your holiday just a little more fun.

Sylvester Pussycat Sr. first appeared in 1939 as an early version of the character in the cartoon “Naughty But Mice,” and the Sylvester we all know and love came around in 1945 in the toon “Life With Feathers,” and the character was created by Friz Freleng. Sylvester is the sworn enemy of Tweety Bird and is a tuxedo cat whose fur is black and white with a red nose. He has a speech impediment and has several different personalities. Sometimes he’s sneaky and other times he’s more of a caring feline. He is has son named Sylvester Jr. and also is the mentor for Furrball. Besides starring in the regular Looney Tune cartoons, he is also featured in the films “Who Framed Roger Rabbit”, “Space Jam”, “Lonney Tunes: Back In Action” and “Space Jam: A New Legacy”. Sylvester over the years in his many different appearances has been voiced by the likes of Mel Blanc, Bill Farmer, Jeff Bergman, Terry Klassen and Eric Bauza, to name a few. Tweety is a yellow canary who has a high pitched voice, big blue eyes and long eyelashes and made his first appearance in 1942 in the cartoon “A Tale Of Two Kitties” and quickly became one of the series most loved characters. Tweety is a sweet character for the most part, but also really does love getting cats that are trying to eat him in trouble or even causing them harm! Tweety was created by Bob Clampett and over the years has been voiced by such actors as Mel Blanc, Jeff Bergman, Bob Bergen and Billy West. Tweety has appeared in films as well as many other merchandise and even at one point a very popular tattoo for women. So as you can see, both Tweety and Sylvester are very iconic and popular characters in the Looney Tune universe and are at the top of the pack just behind Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck and Porky Pig for most toon fanatics.

Both Sylvester and Tweety have had their fair share of cool merchandise for fans to collect that include shirts, posters, trading cards, action figures, plush dolls, drinking glasses, board games, video games, coloring books, key chains, home media, comic books, candy, masks, hats, stickers, buttons, school supplies and so much more! No joke, if you are a fan of either of both of them you can have so many cool things to collect. Growing up I had lots of cool things that mostly were Sylvester as I was never a fan of Tweety, but I do know I had a Tweety drinking glass from Pepsi. For Sylvester, I had the Pepsi drinking glass, a big plush doll, a figure from an Arby’s kid meal, an eraser and trading cards. And stuff that featured them both I had the comics, coloring books, giant Sylvester stuff doll as well as some video games, they appeared in as well as home media releases of the cartoon. I have lots of great memories of being a kid and drinking chocolate milk from my Sylvester glass! So if you are a fan and a collector, make sure to check out some of the stuff I mentioned above.

Growing up I watched lots of Looney Tune cartoons on TV as well as on VHS that we would rent from the public library as well as buy at garage sales and dollar stores. I always enjoyed the antics of Sylvester as I am a cat person and his silly lisp and plans on how to capture and eat Tweety always cracked me up…and come on, we all know that Tweety was a pain in the ass and we all wanted to see him get eaten. Sylvester is in my top 5 favorite Looney Tune characters of all time! There was always something very special about pouring a bowl of cereal as a kid and watching a Tweety and Sylvester cartoon, and even to this day when I see an episode it makes me remember back to those days, and I get really nostalgic for not only them but for Looney Tunes in general as they were a big part of my childhood as the cartoons and comics always seemed to be on and around. In fact, I can even remember reading a Tweety & Sylvester comic one year right before a SuperBowl Game, and right before we chowed down on some chicken wings…while I can remember the comic, I cannot remember who played and won the game that year, showing that Sylvester and Tweety was bigger than the NFL Superbowl that year for me. The thing is Looney Tune characters like Sylvester & Tweety are kind of immortal when it comes to their impact and longevity in the world of entertainment as they seem to always be able to reinvent themselves in new cartoons or films that make that day and age kids become fans.

One of my favorite episodes of Sylvester and Tweety was called “Hyde And Go Tweet” that is super funny and ads a dash of horror to the humorous nature of a Looney Tune Cartoon. And honestly when you think about it Horror and Looney Tunes have crossed over lots in the classic days of the series with all types of monsters and ghosts making appearances and scaring the characters silly. But back to the cartoon at hand in this one Tweety is being chased by Sylvester and finds himself in the lab of Dr. Jekyll and after drinking some of a formula Tweety turns into a giant Hyde like monster bird and laughs and chases Sylvester around all the while turning back and fourth between regular Tweety and Monster Tweety. In the end it turns out have been a terrible nightmare that Sylvester was having but while awake it looks as if Tweety could get into the lab and turn into the monster and this cause Sylvester to run through a brick wall in order to escape the situation. Such a goofy spooky watch as Tweety as the Hyde Monster looks crazed and like he really could kill a cat and laugh while doing it. It’s great that Sylvester at the end of the cartoon is so overtaken by fear that he is willing to run through a brick wall in order to get away from a possibility. If you have never seen this episode, make sure to do so as you can find it on DVD, VHS and even streaming. Also they made a figure of the Tweety Hyde Monster and it was awesome as well.

As you can see, Tweety And Sylvester are true icons when it comes to the world of cartoons and just American culture in general as they have entertained for decades now and have proven to still be popular to this day. And talking about them both really has brought me back to my childhood and made me feel like a kid again, and reading these comics will also be a flashback to my youth as between my brother and I growing up we had so many of these Looney Tune comics that we would get from garage sales. I would like to thank Bell Book And Comic, Game Swap Kettering and Mavericks for having these issues in stock and making this update possible. I would also like to remind you that I grade these comics on a star scale of 1 to 4 and am looking for how well the comics stay to the source material, their entertainment value and their art and story. So with that, let’s get ready to laugh at the zany adventures of these two cartoon icons.

Tweety & Sylvester # 21   **1/2
Released in 1971     Cover Price .15     Whitman     # 21 of 121

“Survival School” Sylvester is a nervous wreck as Tweety has opened a school for birds to be able to defend themselves against cats and every time Sylvester tries to capture a bird with his old tricks, the birds fight back and always escape with him looking like the fool. Sylvester gets an idea to dress as a bird and enroll so that he can have a chance to capture and eat some birds, but during classes Tweety uses the disguised Sylvester as an assistant and beats him up as it’s clear he knows its his enemy. “South Pole Cat” winter is coming and Tweety is about to head south to stay warm. Sylvester is upset that he has to stay and freeze so he buys a bird call whistle to use and keep Tweety around as he knows he will try and help a fellow injured bird! Tweety dodges Sylvester’s attacks and finds out that his feline friend is making the calls with the whistle and messes with it’s settings and this causes Sylvester to call all types of birds, who end up taking him south with them…but his joy in the sun is short lived as the larger birds run him off and he ends up in the South Pole running from penguins! “The Relaxed Cat” poor Sylvester is stressed and not sleeping well, and after reading a book he finds out that the tweeting songs of a Tweety Bird will help relax you, so he tries to force Tweety to sing for him so he can sleep. Tweety refuses to do so and gets Sylvester to all types of favors for him, from getting him seeds to taking him to the bird bath. Finally Sylvester climbs under a table and Tweety is about to sing and lets out a loud screech that causes Sylvester to jump and bump his head on the table and knocking him out cold.

This issue has three silly tales that features Tweety and Sylvester doing what they do best and that is entertain! And what is shocking is that this issue has zero guest appearances from any other Looney Tune characters and for this time for these comics, that is very shocking! Tweety in this issue is a teacher of self-defense, a would be savior to an injured bird, a tool to relax to and a little bird who is able to hold his own against a very hungry and angry cat. Sylvester in the issue tries his best to trick, capture an eat Tweety and is foiled at every attempt and even gets beat up by not just Tweety but other birds. The best of the three stories is South Pole Cat for me as I found it fun that Sylvester does not want to be the only one having to suffer through the cold weather of winter and tries to trick Tweety into having to stay and deal with it as well, and instead he gets taken south with the birds and gets bullied by them and forced to hide out in the South Pole that is colder than the winter he fled from. To be honest, I could not pick a weak story as I found the other two stories to be very fun as well and were on equal ground of fun. The cover for this issue is cool and has Sylvester trying to eat a plate of spaghetti as Tweety is playing a pungi and making the noodles act like hypnotized snakes. The unknown artist does the interior artwork and who ever they are they did very good job of bringing Tweety and Sylvester to the pages of comics. Reading this issue for this update was a lot of fun and made me feel like a kid again, and I am looking forward to reading the next issue.

Tweety & Sylvester # 33   **1/2
Released in 1973       Cover Price .20      Whitman      # 33 of 121

“Look Before You Leap” In the living room of Granny, she and Tweety watch as Sylvester shows them is dance moves as he is going to ballet dance classes. As Sylvester and Tweety take naps after he danced for them, Granny heads out to try and get a surprise for her well behaved cat. But when she is away, Sylvester goes after Tweety who uses a firecracker to hurt his hand and this causes Sylvester to leave the home and blow off steam. As Sylvester dances down the ally, two cats trick him into jumping over a fence and get chase by a guard dog so that they can get inside the house and steal food from the refrigerator, and this causes him to even crash into the home owner and hurting the man. Meanwhile Granny gets home and tells Tweety that she has signed Sylvester up to be on a TV Show’s talent show…and Tweety finds him and once at the station Sylvester leaves in a hurry when the injured home owner was the sponsor. “Good Friend Charlie” Sylvester is hanging out with his owl friend Charlie Wiseowl in a tree, and Charlie tells Sylvester that the stars say that today is going to be his day and this causes the feline to go after Tweety who keeps dodging his attacks and causing Sylvester to be an annoyance to the people around him, all who end up beating him up! When Tweety makes it home to Granny’s he finds that a giant red parrot is in his cage as Granny is babysitting the mean bird for the neighbors, and Sylvester going on the good luck statement from Charlies rushes in and grabs the Parrot thinking it was Tweety and the mean bird beats him up! In the end Sylvester, who is injured, is told by Charlie Wiseowl that he misread the stars and that today is a bad day for him. “The Model!” Tweety is going to model for a marble statue for artist Jim, and Sylvester is hungry and tries to eat Tweety but things goes wrong for the feline as he keeps getting crushed by the chunks of marble, but in the end Jim wins a contest an the Tweety statues is now on display at the local museum.

Man in this issue poor Sylvester gets beat the heck up by so many different things as besides Tweety he also gets beat up by a dog, a red parrot, normal humans including a baby and he gets crushed by lots of marble. It is almost like in this issue Sylvester has switched place with Wile E. Coyote on the amount of abuse he takes throughout it. Tweety also goes from being a “friend” to Sylvester to being kind of cruel to him and enjoying watching him get smashed. It is nice to see Granny in this issue as she was a big part of many of the cartoons we all grew up watching so it was nice to have her in the mix. The best story in this issue for me had to be “Look Before You Leap” as it is a really zany story that has Sylvester learning how to dance and by accident ruins his chances of winning a contest all because he allowed some ally cats to con him into being a distraction while they steal food and the main judge is the man the cats robbed and Sylvester by accident is injured. And for my least favorite, while it is a fun read, it would be “Model!” as it is a very basic and quick story with a silly ending of Sylvester being booted out of the museum cause he wants to eat the marble statue of Tweety. The cover this time around has Tweety stealing the cherry off the top of a cupcake that Sylvester is trying to eat, and the unknown artist returns and does another great job of drawing these characters. Two issues in, and so far these comics hold up how I remember them and while they are different from the cartoons, they do have that touch that makes them feel like they sort of fit in.

Tweety & Sylvester # 54   ***
Released in 1976      Cover Price .25     Whitman      # 54 of 121

“Afraid Of Flying” both Tweety and Sylvester are watching the news and they show a new roller coaster ride and this causes Tweety to be afraid to fly as he is dizzy and don’t want to crash! Sylvester comes up with an idea to keep scaring Tweety from wanting to fly again that way he can capture him and eat him! But all attempts backfire on the hungry cat as he keeps getting hurt in trying to chase the running Tweety. In the end Tweety is cured of his fear of flying, and Sylvester becomes afraid of walking but is cured quickly by the smart ass Tweety who gets the cat to once more chase him. “Door To Door Dummy” Sylvester decides that he wants to become a door-to-door salesman as he applies for free samples of the product that is little birds. Sylvester does not want to sell the samples but eat them and when the box arrives inside is one mean and angry vulture who is wise to the cats plan and picks him up and drops him off in front of a bulldog who wants to beat up the cat, and as the vulture flies off Sylvester is running from door to door trying to sell himself to a safe home to get away from the dog. “Nine Lives To Live” after chasing Tweety for around three hours Granny yells at them for making so much noise and Sylvester decides to watch some Soap Operas with Granny and falls asleep while watching them, and in his dream Tweety is like Cinderella and being mistreated by others and keeps getting bad news and when he wakes up he feels bad for Tweety and treats him well and stops chasing him around. “In The Middle” has Tweety being chased by Sylvester who is being chased by a dog when a scientist uses his change gun on the running animals that changes them in size it soon turns into Tweety chasing Sylvester who is running after the dog and poor Sylvester is still in the middle of this chase! Tweety then wakes up from his dream and feels bad for Sylvester and brings him some cat food for not even winning in dreams. “Don Catsonova” Sylvester is dressed in a Don’s outfit and captures Tweety in a box to give away to Chi Chi Cat a feline from Spain that he has fallen in love with, and when he tries to win her heart her bodyguard Diego tells Chi Chi that he loves her and goes after Sylvester who is saved by Tweety who bashes the bigger cat over the head with a vase and the two are able to escape as Chi Chi checks on the dazed Diego.

This issue of Tweety & Sylvester features five stories featuring the two frenemies with only Granny being the other Looney Tune character to make an appearance. This issue’s stories all flow really nice together and delivers a really fun read and I would say the best issue I have read up to this point as I feel all five stories are silly good reads with I think my favorite being Don Catsonova as seeing Sylvester dress up and try to win the heart of a Spanish lady cat only to be challenged for her heart by a bigger meaner cat was classic cartoon stuff. Plus I like how when Sylvester is on his way to his lady the other cats around the area make fun of his outfit that is until he pulls his sword on them and they back down and praise his look. Imagine if Sylvester would have been able to swoon Chi Chi, makes you wonder if she would have been featured in more comics? I also like that Tweety saves Sylvester from the bigger cat and as they flee from the fight he alerts him that Granny and himself love him and they should get home…very cool. If I had to choose my least favorite story in this comic I would pick In The Middle, as it is a one-page gag that is based around a silly dream that Tweety is having. This issue has lots of silly laughs and the cover features Tweety taking a bath via a water hose that he has poked holes in as Sylvester looks annoyed, and like before unknown artist does the interior and is great stuff as they once more captured the look of the characters so well. Let’s see if the next issue will continue the great work that these comics have showcased this far.

Tweety & Sylvester # 84  ***
Released in 1978      Cover Price .35   Whitman    # 84 of 121

“First Class” Sylvester is crushing on Wanda, a cat who was born with class and is way out of his league, so he heads to be taught class by his friend Sissy Fenwick who teaches him the basics and even dresses him up in the finest hipster gear. Sylvester ends up talking Sissy into going with him when he tries to ask Wanda out. The next day Sylvester comes home and is happy and Tweety asks how it went and Sylvester says well only after he punched Sissy in the eye after he tried to flirt with Wanda and she was so impressed with Sylvester’s manly attitude that they have a date for that weekend. “Cat And The Giant” the chores are all done around the house and Granny sits in the living room to read Tweety and Sylvester the story of Jack And The Beanstock and as the story starts Sylvester drifts off to sleep. In his dream Sylvester and Granny are poor and live in a small shack and Tweety has been missing for days…and this makes Granny sad and she gets mad when Sylvester uses their last dime to buy a bone. But Sylvester ends up being a hero when he finds that the giant dog Butch has Tweety and thanks to tossing the bone and having Butch chase it he is able to save Tweety and return him to Granny! But when Sylvester wakes up he is back at it chasing Tweety around the house as he is now hungry. “Back Seat Driver!” Granny has to re-take her drivers test, and Sylvester and Tweety are worried about her passing as they think they will starve to death if she cannot drive to the store, so they two hide in the car to try and help her pass but they really end up helping her fail! And its Tweety and Sylvester that end up having to walk to the store to get the food, as she was to wait a week to take the test again. “Save Our Cats!” a representative for the group Save Our Cats is visiting the Knights Of The Alley Cats as they want to spread the message that cats need help, and they need volunteers to hand out flyers. Sylvester and Weezy are selected and have a terrible time doing so as people rough them up and they both end up getting hit by a car putting them in the hospital!

This is another really good issue that has a total of four stories featuring our star duo and each of them bring their own humor and entertainment! The thing about these comics is that after running so many issues, you know that the creators had to be stressing over ideas to make them fresh and funny and with this being issue 84 it seems that they still had their minds working on making one solid kids comic series based off of popular cartoon. I also like in this issue that many of the stories have Sylvester and Tweety working together and while at times they do have the chase around the house in a odd way it’s clear that they are friends of sorts. Plus this issue has Granny around again and she always helps add to the wacky stories. The best story for me is Cat And The Giant as I find it to be a fun one and I like how it had a basic retelling of Jack And The Beanstalk just missing the Beanstalk and its Tweety that the giant has taken. And I could not choose a bad one as I think these all are great takes and none of these are lacking in the entertainment department and all brought on some chuckles. And to be honest First Class almost took the top spot as I love that Sylvester gets a date after punching another cat in the eye as the lady feline thanks that he his macho! The cover for this issue is pretty cool and has Tweety sleeping on a TV Set, and the unknown artist strikes again with his great interior artwork. Over all another great issue that made me feel like a youngster again. Also Weezy Cat is a cool side character as he has cool hair and sleeps lots.

Tweety & Sylvester # 87  **1/2
Released in 1978      Cover Price .35   Whitman    # 87 of 121

“Cat Encounters Of The Bird-Kind” Tweety is sitting with his young relatives and tells them about a time when the Earth was ran by birds and this was long before man and cats came to be, but something was making birds disappear and it was the first cat! The cat is tricking all the birds in order to eat them, but one Scientist Tweety figures it out and saves the others. And as the story ends Sylvester tries to attack Tweety and he tells his young nephews how easy it is to out smart cats. “Hans Clicker And The Silver Skates” Tweety and Sylvester are in Holland and chat about Han Clicker a feline relative of Sylvester who was strange and wore wooden sneakers, but when he gets a pair of ice skates he by accident saves the town and becomes a hero when he plugs a whole in the dame with his thumb. “The Catnapper” Granny’s friend is going on vacation and his cat Reginald is staying with them until he gets back, and Reginald is a help around the house, plays chess with Tweety and even makes meals for them to eat and this attention is getting under Sylvester’s skin so he decides to attack this new cat at night only to get beat up himself as he did not know that Reginald knew Judo! “Merry Music Maker” Sylvester is being made fun of by his cat friends as well as Tweety for his guitar playing and singing and every time he starts people leave, but he swears that he will make money with his guitar and does when it bonks a robber on the head and he collect the reward money.

This issue is a really mixed bag as I did not fully enjoy the first two stories as I found them a little bland and generic, but the last two stores were super fun and silly and is what I would want from a comic book based on Tweety and Sylvester! This issue showcases the origins of cats trying to fake UFO’s in order to eat birds, showcases the hero relative of Sylvester who lived in Holland, has Sylvester getting jealous of another cat and getting beat up for it and lastly shows our feline friend’s lack of musical talent that still gets him paid! Tweety besides in the first story is very much a supporting character as most of this issue showcases Sylvester and his strange life, and I am ok with that as I think he is the more interesting character between the two. My favorite story is Merry Music Maker as I enjoy the fact that Sylvester is walking around town with a guitar and trying to make money by street performing and only buy luck does he make any money and that is cause a robber runs into him causing his guitar to flip in the air and bonk the crook on his head and knocking him out and then comes the sweet reward money. My least favorite story is Hans Clicker And The Silver Skates as its really kind of boring and while silly just does not bring in any laughs. The cover is cool and has Sylvester playing golf but Tweety is pranking him by putting gum on his club causing the ball to stick to it. With the unknown artist once more doing the interior art and doing a great job as one of my favorite panels in this issue has Sylvester and Tweety by a campfire and Sylvester calling his friends cowards! While not the best issue in the series I have read for this update, it still had two really good stories.

Tweety & Sylvester # 87  ***
Released in 1978      Cover Price .35   Whitman    # 87 of 121

“Guests Not Pests” the owner of a small traveling circus has fallen sick and while he is in the hospital Granny takes in the animals as guests! And while Tweety likes having them there Sylvester does not and keeps trying to escape the house so he does not have to do any chores. And when Sylvester finally escapes he runs into Linda Cat who is hiding in some bushes as some mean kids have been throwing things at her and chasing her around the streets, Sylvester saves her and gets back to Granny’s house and the Circus Animals come outside and scare the kids away! In the end when an alley cat mocks the Circus animals Sylvester punches him in the eye as he respects them now for their help. “Jar Wars” Granny is making preserves and has to run next door to get a missing item as Sylvester goes after Tweety and by accident spills the preserves on himself and the chase continues into the near by woods where Sylvester is grabbed by a massive bear who wants to lick the sweet preserves off him, as Tweety mocks him as he knows that when they get home Granny is going to be really ma about her preserves being spilt. “Matter Of Habit” Sylvester is watching TV and sees about habits and learns about a boy who when he hears a bell will climb over pillows to find cookies to eat, so he comes up with an idea of using a gong to leave bird seed for Tweety in order to capture him and make him into a sandwich, but when the gong goes off bother Tweety and Sylvester snack and they figure out to never use the gong again besides for regular meal times as they both have gotten chubby and into a bad habit. “Friendly Fellows” Sylvester has built a skateboard and while learning to ride it looses control and crashes into the cat Friendly Fred and this causes Fred to break his glasses, later Sylvester is carring lumber to Granny’s house as he wants to build himself a small home outside to relax in and once more by accident smacks Fred in the face with the lumber knocking him out and when trying to help Fred, Sylvester drops him into the lap of a female cat who’s boyfriend punches Fred knocking him even more silly. In the end Sylvester gets his little house built but Fred appears with an axe and chops it down out of rage.

This is yet another fun issue and I really do think the creators behind this comic series deserve some praise for bringing the classic Looney Tune characters to the pages of comics and while the core of the cartoons are present the comics also kind of build a new world around them, like I feel that the stories in the comics is what took place between the cartoons. And I need to point out that in this issue a group of kids are tormenting a cat by chasing it and throwing object at it, and those kind of kids are terrible and if you have any of them in your neighborhood who do things like this call your local authorities on them as they are clearly youths who need mental help. And I like in this issue that once more most of the stories are about Sylvester as Tweety is more of side player and this issue our feline star goes from being lazy, to learning respect, to trying to be a protector, to being covered in food and being a treat for a hungry bear, becoming a jerk and of course chasing Tweety around as he wants to eat him for a snack. While Tweety showcases that while he does sometimes bait Sylvester into chasing him he also clearly looks at him as a friend and even tries to get him out of trouble. The issue also introduces use to a few more the neighborhood cats as we meet Linda Cat and Friendly Fred, and I like that in all these issues so far we do get to meet these other cats that roam around and know Sylvester. The best story in this issue for me was Friendly Fellows as I enjoyed the story of poor Fred getting beaten up and Sylvester being kind of a jerk about all the pain he has caused his fellow feline friend, only for Fred in the end to be pushed to far and armed with an axe he chops down a small home Sylvester spent time and money on to build. While the rest of the stories are good if I had to choose the weakest I would say Jar Wars as it is a short and silly story, but I do like that when the preserves fall on Sylvester he looks like a gooey version of the Pink Panther. The cover is goofy and has Sylvester and Tweety standing behind a photo stand, and yep you guessed it the interior art by unknown artist is great stuff and has that classic Looney Tune comic look that is iconic for those who grew up reading them. So with that lets see what the next issue has in store for Tweety and Sylvester.

Tweety & Sylvester # 94  ***
Released in 1979      Cover Price .40   Whitman    # 94 of 121

“Count Me Out” Tweety and Sylvester are walking down a street as they find a poster that says if a cat can survive three rounds with Slugger Sam they will win $100! And after some pushing Sylvester takes the challenge and steps in the ring with Sam who wants to knock out his opponent fast. Sylvester acts silly for two rounds and is able to survive but the third round he runs into the fist of Sam and is knocked out, and while Sylvester did not win the prize money he does win free dance classes! “Color Scheme” Granny wants to get a new oil painting for the living room and as she goes for a walk to get it, Sylvester and Tweety think that she means to paint the walls an the two start doing so and cause a massive mess and the walls look terrible and once Granny get back home with the painting she is mad over the mess made of her walls. “Movie Buffs” Sylvester opens up a movie theater in the garage and is showing old bird watching videos that Granny made, but when the mean alley cats show up they refuse to pay and Tweety goes and gets a dog to be the door man and makes them all pay as they leave the showing. “Sleepwalker” in this one Sylvester is sleepwalking through the city as Tweety follows and makes sure he is not hurt, and in the end Tweety gets Sylvester back home safe so he can nap some more.

This issue has four adventures starring Tweety and Sylvester and is another really fun and entertaining issue that has some of my favorite stuff mixed into the stories as you long time readers know that I am a fan of seeing films in the theater and one of my favorite sports in boxing! And we also meet a few more of the alley cats around the town with most not having any names but they are bullies and try and steal movie tickets and the other is Slugger Sam a very strong cat who is a boxer. And my favorite story in this issue is Count Me Out as I love that Sylvester tries to box a massive cat named Sam to win some prize money and only takes the match cause Tweety is the one pushing for him to take the match and last the three rounds. And man Sam with one stiff punch knocks Sylvester silly and causes our favorite feline to not win the cash. The weakest of the stories is also one of the shorter ones as Sleepwalker while fun it is also very basic and has been done even then many times in cartoons and comics as one character sleepwalks around dangerous sites while the other character tries to keep them safe. The cover has Sylvester mowing the grass as Tweety is mowing the welcome mat and it’s a fun sight gag. The interior artwork is done by Unknown Artist again and is like before very cool stuff and I like the way they drew bother Sylvester and Tweety as well as all the side characters. And once more I have to say that I am shocked we have yet to come across a cameo for such other Looney Tune characters as Porky Pig, Bugs Bunny or even Daffy Duck! With that lets get to the next issue I own and see what’s next.

Tweety & Sylvester # 95  ***
Released in 1979      Cover Price .40   Whitman    # 95 of 121

“Making Dough” a group of crooks run a bakery and in the back of the shop they are making fake money, but the mice are eating the money and this causes one of them to nab Sylvester off the street with orders to kill the mice! But Sylvester notices the counterfeit machine and money and with the help of the mice and the outgoing cakes he is able to get the attention of the police and the crooks are arrested. “Out With The New And In With The Old” Sylvester is damaging furniture to try and make it look like an antique cause he thinks he can sell it for lots of money, so Tweety follows and had his woodpecker friends help damage some furniture. “Tough Mutt!” Sylvester is watching a hypnotist on TV and falls under his spell as he watches and thinks he is dog and the TV is turned off by Tweety and this causes Sylvester to not be snapped out of it and he walks around barking like a dog and even starts a fight with Butch the bulldog! And after walking around town as a dog it is Butch who snaps him out of it when he snaps his fingers and Sylvester ends up running away a scare cat! “My Life As A Cat” Sylvester is sitting down to write a book about his life when both Tweety an Butch demand to be in it, and when Sylvester is done and leaves the pages on the table both Butch and Tweety add to it and this causes the book to be mostly about them and even the Publisher changes title name to feature their names. “A Lazy Crazy Day” it is Sylvester’s day off and when Granny calls for him he hides for her as he does not want to do any chores, and it’s Weezy that alerts him that he has seen Granny an Tweety drive away before Sylvester goes back home and falls asleep in his bed! But a little later Tweety awakens Sylvester and tells him Granny was looking for him to go to the amusement park with them and he of course missed out going by hiding.

In this issue we are treated to five stories with many of them once more being a bigger showcase for Sylvester with Tweety playing the supporting character. And you have to love the fact that Sylvester is catnapped in one of the stories and with the help of some mice and cakes is able to bring down a criminal counterfeit ring and be a hero as well as truly show that while he wants to kill his friend Tweety he still is a good feline…for the most part. And also in this issue Butch the Bulldog plays a bigger part and alley cat Weezy Cat also returns for a small cameo, and it was cool seeing both in these roles as they both now feel like apart of the series with Butch being in many issues up to this part. The best story in this issue is Making Dough as I like the fact that Sylvester is a reluctant crime fighter and uses his mind in order to stop crime! While the other four stories are good I would say Out With The New And In With The Old is the weakest as it was only a one page gag story over furniture and woodpeckers, but keep in mind this one page gag is even really good and is more cleaver than most modern kids comic being released in these modern times. And it is clear at this point that the creators of this comic series new that they could do more and better stories with Sylvester than Tweety and that is why he is given more panel time and more stories that revolve around him. The cover is cool and is a gag on exercise with once more the Unknown Artist bringing their great artwork to the interior pages of this comic. And with that let’s head to the next issue and see what it has in store for us.

Tweety & Sylvester # 110   **1/2
Released in 1981      Cover Price .50   Whitman    # 110 of 121

“A Case Of Canary-Itis” Sylvester is walking down the street and sees Alfie Cat passing him by with a extreme tummy ache and Professor Cat tells him that he thinks Alfie has Canary-Itis a sickness that felines get after eating canary birds! Once home Sylvester sees Tweety and tries to avoid eating him as he does not want to get sick, but later in the day Sylvester and Tweety see Alfie and he is fine and Tweety tells Sylvester that the reason Alfie had a tummy ache was no sickness it was cause a canary he was chasing punched him in the gut! And this news gives Sylvester relief and he once more starts his chasing Tweety was back up. “Soft Landing” its snowing outside and Tweety wants Sylvester to go ice skating with him, but the feline refuses as last winter he slipped in the ice and got hurt…but after some encouraging words and some tied on pillows Sylvester heads to the ice with his friend Tweety. “Keep Calm!” Sylvester and his friend Bernie Cat are hanging out and before they part Bernie lends him a book about how to stay calm, and Sylvester rushes home to try and read it. But while at home Tweety keeps annoying him and no matter how hard he tries to ignore him the pesky bird just keeps getting under his skin. In the end Sylvester snaps and throws the book at Tweety and wants to have him for lunch! “Not For Sale” Granny is on the phone talking about selling some items at a bazaar and Tweety and Sylvester miss-understand her and think they are for sale and run away, but after wondering around trying to find a new home they are picked up by Granny a few minutes later who settles the misunderstanding and they all head to the sale to have fun. “One Life To Go” Sylvester is chasing Tweety around town and has an accident that has him hit by a truck and Tweety alerts him that he is on his last life of his nine! Sylvester runs home and hides in a closet as he does not want to die, but after chasing Tweety around the house and a bookshelf falling on him Sylvester thinks his nine lives have reset and is now wearing hockey pads in order to protect his next nine lives better.

This issue of Tweety and Sylvester is a pretty fun one but is a little basic when it comes to the five tales featured here as they bring some laughs but they also just seem like all are really just backup stories. And like before Sylvester is the main star of the comic but I will say Tweety also seems important in many of the stories. We also meet the ally cats Alfie Cat, Professor Cat and Bernie Cat with all of them being friendly with Sylvester and it’s clear that Bernie is one of Sylvester’s friends. The issue also features Granny and Duke with the later being super mean as when Sylvester and Tweety run away from home when they think they are being sold and need a place to stay Duke will let Tweety stay with him but not Sylvester. The best story in this issue is One Life To Go as I like that Sylvester is worried about his last life when he lost most of the others doing silly things like trying to get an apple from a tree and even gets killed four times by Butch the Bulldog! Plus the end laugh of Sylvester’s nine lives starting over again and him now wearing hockey gear to chase after Tweety is just fun cartoon stuff. The one story that did the least for me was A Case Of Canary-Itis as it was just kind of rushed to build the story of Sylvester being scared of eating a canary, but I do think the payout of the sickness really being that a mad canary punched a cat in the gut. The cover is great as I like that it has Sylvester and Tweety eating Chinese Food as it looks like Sylvester himself is eating some fried rice and that is one of my favorite things to eat! And you guessed it unknown artist once more did the interiors and killed it as they made them look like the cartoon characters but also have their own comic style and look. Over all a good issue that did it’s job as I was entertained reading it.

Tweety & Sylvester # 111  **1/2
Released in 1981      Cover Price .50   Whitman    # 111 of 121

“Butch’s Party” Sylvester gets a letter in the mail that is a invite to the Birthday Party of the bully cat Butch who is so mean that if he does not like his gift he will beat you up! Sylvester goes and talks to some of his alley cat friends like Weezy and Norris to see what they are getting him, and then he panics when they have good gifts and he only has .36 for a gift! So he tries to make him a kite that ends up flying away and Tweety comes up with an idea to make it look like Sylvester was in an accident and can not attend the party, but it backfires for everyone as Butch now is going to have a second party later so Sylvester can attend! “ The Funaways” Granny has taken Sylvester and Tweety to the beach and as she takes a nap Sylvester chases Tweety around as he wants to have a juicy snack! But Tweety tricks Sylvester into following him into the beach’s amusement park and this causes Sylvester all kinds of pain and excitement and once back to Granny she is mad that Sylvester is passed out, as she wanted him to stay awake and watch Tweety. “The Photo Story” Sylvester has found Granny’s old box camera that only has three pictures left to take as he wants to enter the Knights Of The Alley Cats Photo Contest and his three subjects are Butch The Bulldog, Weezy and Tweety and all three end up getting hurt when the pictures are taken. And in the end Sylvester wins a prize that is about what not to do when you take photos. “Black Belt Birdie” Sylvester walks past a window and sees birds learning karate and gets scared of the idea of Tweety taking classes and beating him up! While walking home he finds that bulldog Butch’s house is destroyed an his arm is in a sling, and once inside Tweety’s cage is smashed up and this scares Sylvester silly. Sylvester goes to the basement and tries to learn to defend himself but when he finds out that Tweety does now know karate and that Butch’s injury was just an accident…and this means Sylvester chases Tweety around as he is hungry and doesn’t have to fear being beaten up! “Flight Of Fancy!” Tweety is outside in his cage with the door open in order to get some fresh air and Sylvester is trying to figure out away to capture him so that he can eat him! Sylvester uses all types of tactics from being fired out of a cannon, to swinging on a rope and even springs on his feet and each attempt ends the same way and that is with Sylvester being hurt! In the end covered in bandages Sylvester kicks some rocks that end up hitting Butch the Bulldog who chases the injured Sylvester up a tree. “Pills And Spills!” Granny has decided to give Tweety some vitamins to help him grow and Sylvester mocks it and even by accident knocks himself out while beating his chest. Meanwhile a tired and injured eagle crashes into a bucket of yellow paint and decides to rest on the roof of Granny’s and when Sylvester wakes up he thinks that the Yellow Eagle is Tweety who had already grew thanks to the vitamins, he uses a rope to wrap around the eagles leg that ends up taking him for a ride that see him crash through a window of a house that a realtor was showing who looses the sale and punches Sylvester for the lost house sell.

For this issue we are treated to six stories featuring Tweety and Sylvester and they are up to all types of mischief from heading to the beach to trying their hand at photography and of course sometimes the pair are friends working together and other times they are under each others skin and Sylvester is trying to have a birdie sandwich! And that is one of the more fun aspects of these comics as each issue from story to story the friendship between Sylvester and Tweety is present even when they are trying to annoy the other, as always when one is in need of help the other is their to do so. This issue also has cameos from Granny and Butch The Bulldog who both at this point are clearly supporting characters. For me the best story of the bunch was Butch’s Party as I like that the neighborhood bully cat throws himself a birthday party every year and makes all the alley cats attend and give him gifts, and this year Sylvester has no money to get a gift so he and Tweety try and figure out a way for him not to attend the party and get beat up…great silly stuff. If I had to pick the weakest story I would say Flight And Fancy and while it is a funny tale, it is also the one that feels like you have seen the gags many times in other kids comics. The cover is fitting for this issue as its about photography and yep Unknown Artist was at it again doing the interior art, but I will say you can tell different artists worked on this issue as many of the stories look different from each other. Over all another solid issue and one that I enjoyed reading!

Tweety & Sylvester # 113  ***
Released in 1982      Cover Price .60     Whitman     # 113 of 121

“Elecronicat” Sylvester has created a robot cat to use in his attempt to capture Tweety, but things get crazy when Sylvester looses control of the robot cat and it destroys the house and even knocks down Granny as Tweety leads it outside! Finally Butch the Bulldog breaks the robot cat and stops it’s rampage as Sylvester is in big trouble and is forced to clean up the house. “Quarantined” Sylvester is chasing Tweety around and they end up in the kitchen when Tweety uses pepper to make his feline attacker sneeze and this triggers Granny to take him to the vet, and later Sylvester uses the pepper trick on Tweety and now Granny thinks both her pets are sick and place them in a room together! But Tweety thinks fast and uses the vents to get more pepper and uses it on Granny and now the three of them have to quarantine for 10 days together and this saves the birds life as Sylvester wanted to eat him! “World’s Fastest Feline” Sylvester is chasing Tweety around the block when the feline is asked to join a race for cats were the winner gets their face on a cat food box and gets me meet the companies female feline spokes lady! And in order to stand a chance Sylvester has Tweety fly in front of him in order to gain the speed, but things turn south when Tweety goes off the track in order to talk to a friend and this causes Sylvester to loose as well as all the other cats who end up following his lead! In the end in anger the cats are chasing Sylvester who is chasing Tweety. “Meating With Defeat” Sylvester is craving meat and cannot stand to eat anymore dry cat food, so he attempts to steak a steak from Butch the Bulldog and on his first attempt he gets tossed over a fence and his second one he by accident pulls the hot grill on himself with a fishing pole! In the end out of anger he once more starts chasing Tweety around the alleys. “Hooligan’s Island” Sylvester and Tweety have grabbed some snack food to sit an watch their favorite TV Show but the picture is bad, so Sylvester and climbs to the roof and tries to move the antenna around but things go wrong when it gets hooked in a helicopter and carries the frightened feline away. “Magic Madness” Sylvester is reading a book about witchcraft and learns that cats are the favorite pets for witches and he thinks that he has magic powers and when trying to use them things around start to move around! In the end Tweety figures out that the construction next door is what is causing the items to move and Sylvester still believes he has powers and walks around like a goof trying to use them. “It’s Okay, Chief” tiny aliens come to Earth and meet Tweety and Sylvester and by mistake both of our stars get stuck in the UFO and fly around town! And in the end the Aliens think that Earth and its people are silly and head back home.

Holy Cow we have seven stories in this issue and shocking all of them are really fun and many of them are all about the chase between Sylvester and Tweety and then a few others have them being friends and going on adventures together! And lets us also not forget to mention that this issue also has a few Horror and Sci-Fi elements as they add one story that is about witchcraft and another that is about aliens and UFO’s and this is what also made this issue very cool for me! And of course Granny and Butch The Bulldog show up and add to the humor and each have their moments to shine. When it comes to the best story in this issue it was really hard to pick as I liked several of them lots but I think I would choose Quarantined as my favorite as you can not go wrong with the classic pepper causing people to sneeze bit, plus I like the fact it was a war game with that pepper as using it at the right time is what made this story move and bring the chuckles. Almost taking the best was Magic Madness as it was so cool to see Sylvester thinking he was a witch and had magical powers, it was fitting to have a dash of Horror in kids comics at this time. And if I was forced to pick the weakest I would say Hooligan’s Island as while it was fun and silly it was very short and the payout was cheesy. The cover for this issue is bright and eye catching and classic comedy stuff and I know you are sick of hearing this but Unknown Artist did a great job on the issues interior art. So with that ,let’s head to the next issue and see what is in store for us.

Tweety & Sylvester # 119  **1/2
Released in 1984      Cover Price .60    Whitman    # 119 of 121

“The Cat On The Flying Trapeze” Jenny Lush is a canary who works for the circus and Sylvester decides that he wants to eat her for dinner and tracks her down to a hotel and ends up getting beat up by her Hawk bodyguard. Meanwhile Tweety has fallen in love with Jenny and the two have dinner, and while having dinner Sylvester tries to attack the two but falls out of the window and is sent to the hospital as Tweety and Jenny end up having a relationship. “Canary Clean-Up” an alley in town is messy and Tweety and the Canary Scouts decide to clean it up and when Weezy and the other alley cats show up they find their home clean and all their trash food gone. They find Tweety’s scout cap and head to threaten Sylvester that he better have Tweety mess the alley back up or they will mess him up! Sylvester does not know what to do as Granny is happy with the alley being clean but he don’t want to be beat up by his fellow felines. Tweety heads back to the alley for his hat and meets the alley cats and shows them that they moved their old cans to a better location and all is well between them…well besides Sylvester who gives chase to Tweety once he figured out that he made him stress for no reason. “One Night Stand” Sylvester is trying to join a feline singing group and his voice is bad, and this causes him to not get the gig but as one of the cats goes to his house to tell him he stinks, Tweety is listening to an album and the cat thinks that the singing is Sylvester and he is hired in the group. But when they play their first gig Sylvester sings and they are booed off stage and he is quickly fired. “Final Fate” Sylvester finally captured Tweety and is heating up the oven and getting all his spices ready, and while this is happening Tweety reminds him they are friends and all the bad things that will happen if he eats him, and this gives Tweety enough time to escape and for Sylvester to fall out a window and wind up in the hospital.

Okay, first thing I need to say is this issue also has three shorter stories just called “Sylvster and Tweety” that are clearly reprints from another Looney Tunes comic book, one of these has Sylvester and Tweety on a farm and it’s a funny read. But it is clear by this point that this comic series was running a little low on stream as each stories are a little shorter and seem to rush to a ending with many at this point ending with Sylvester getting hurt and winding up in the hospital or wrapped in bandages. Also with them reprinting old strips shows that they were just trying to fill the pages. But with that said this issue still is really good and almost all of the stories bring a few chuckles and laughs as we go along with Sylvester as he tries to become a singer as well as try and kill a celebrity bird! While we also see that Tweety is super smart as well as supportive and a friend to Sylvester no matter how many times the feline tries to eat him. The best story in this issue for me was One Night Stand as watching Sylvester sing terrible and yet do to a miss understanding somehow able to join a singing group and in one night with less than one song gets them booed out of a feline night club is funny and epic. I would say the weakest would just be the reprinted stories as they are fun just a letdown that they took this route. The cover is cool and has Sylvester and Tweety listen to records and the interior art by Unknown Artist is great like before. Over all another fun issue that did its job of entertaining me, but up next is the final issue I have ready for this update.

Tweety & Sylvester # 120
Released in 1984      Cover Price .60    Whitman     # 120 of 121

“The Jolly Joker” Sylvester has sent away for a Genie in a bottle in order to help him capture Tweety, but he soon learns that the Genie is a prankster and uses his magic to help but in weird ways that always ends with him getting joy out of the anger and chaos it is causing. Finally Sylvester and Tweety team up and trick the Genie back in his bottle to end his silly ways as they send him back. “Cat With A Hat” Sylvester is watching a magic show and returns home wanting to learn magic, and by mistake Tweety takes a nap in a box and Sylvester thinks his magic made him appear! But after a few tries Tweet ends up trying to help Sylvester with his magic but his help causes him to get be up by a bunny thats kids wind up in his hat. And Sylvester mad after getting beat up chases Tweety through the woods who ends up finding a bulldog to protect him. “School Daze” Sylvester decides to go to school in order to learn and use what he does learn in ways to capture Tweety, but of course Tweety comes to the school and causes trouble and Sylvester is blamed for it and ends up by the end being apart of the football team as he is a kicker and the team paints pictures of Tweety on the ball! “ Borrowed Trouble” Sylvester has lost his money purse and is now in need of cash and tries to borrow some money from Tweety who in turn plays up that he has lots of money and makes Sylvester get him food, draw a bath and even fight off another cat! In the end the money he gives Sylvester is his own as Tweety found his money purse and this causes Sylvester to be mad and chase him around! “Birdwatcher” Granny has Sylvester watch after Tweety while she is gone for the morning and Tweety acts as if he is sleepwalking in order to get outside and see his bird friends, and when Tweety gets away Sylvester buys a new cage and captures him at the pet store, but because he bought the cage he gets a free gift that is another canary and the two are now driving the feline crazy.

This is the final issue I currently own of Tweety And Sylvester and this issue is also the one before the series would come to an end at Whitman Comics and I have to say this issue was lots of fun and it seemed like the creative minds behind the series knew that it was coming to an end and tried to deliver a very fun and entertaining issues for the readers. And that is one thing I have to say that Tweety and Sylvester as well as all the other Looney Tune comics that was released by Whitman and Gold Key Comics were very well done kids comics as they did the characters justice and kept them close to the cartoons but also did a great job of building a comic book world around them. Sylvester throughout this series really is the star as we follow him through many adventures as well as his weird friendship with Tweety as well as the alley cats that live around his home. Tweety in this series loves to push the buttons of Sylvester but also very much looks at him as a friend as he does what he can most of the time to help him out of trouble as well as point out that they are friends. And their friendship that is on and off again is what makes this comic work as it brings lots of the humorous situations throughout the series. This issue featured five stories with all of them being really fun and for me the best being The Jolly Joker as I like that both Sylvester and Tweety get sick of the Genie and his pranking ways and team up to get him back in the bottle and sent back via the mail were he came from. But I also really liked School Daze as Sylvester going back to school and joining the football team reminded me of the Adam Sandler films “Billy Madison” and “The Waterboy”. I would say that Birdwatcher was the weakest story as while it had some great cartoonish moments I feel the payout of the new canary joining the house was just kind of meh. The cover for this issue is fun as it has Tweety and Sylvester playing with a train set, and the blue background makes it very eye catching. The interior artwork was done by the Unknown Artist as was the whole series and I like the different styles used throughout while some times I was not a fan of how the artist drew Sylvester as some would make him look super chubby I have to say over all I really dug the art in the series. So as you can see, Whitman comics back in the 70’s and 80’s really did bring great comics to the hands of Looney Tune fans and delivered some very fun and silly reads. Check out the artwork below to see some of the styles used by the Unknown Artists.

The Tweety and Sylvester comic series by Whitman and Gold Key Comics is lots of fun and reading these made me feel like a kid again as my brother and I use to read these all the time growing up, and these comics are truly great Kid Comics that are based on cartoons of the time. And thank you for spending a little part of your Thanksgiving with me here at Rotten Ink as doing these updates I hope make your holiday just a little more fun. And before we end this I also really want to say if you like Sylvester and Tweety track down a few of these issues and give them a read. Well for our next update and the start of our countdown to Christmas Eve 2024 I will be taking a look at ManTech a forgotten toy series from Remco that got the comic treatment from Archie Comics! So until next time read a Looney Tune comic or three, watch a Looney Tune Cartoon or two and as always support your local Horror Host! See you next update and eat a little more mashed potatoes for me today and I hope you are ready for some ManTech in your life next update.