One of the all-time great comic books — and a rare example of individual style and statement over a long run — was Sheldon Mayer's Sugar and Spike.
Mr. Mayer was one of the pioneers of the industry as an editor. He was one of the first to see the potential of a little thing called Superman and he later presided over some of the best super-hero titles, like Flash and Green Lantern. But he came to hate editing and wanted to get back to his first love, which was cartooning, and DC Comics finally allowed him to do so. He did wonderful work with Scribbly, The Three Mouseketeers, Doodles Duck and a few others…but Sugar and Spike was his magnum opus. He wrote and drew the tale of two baby-talking children for 15 years.
For years, a small but fervent band of fans have lobbied DC Comics to reprint the strip, preferably in some kind of fancy "keeper" volume. They're not going to do that but, next May, they're coming out with a facsimile reprint of Sugar and Spike #1. And the same month, their toy/novelty division (DC Direct) will be releasing soft toys of Mayer's irresistible moppets. The pic above is not of the final versions, but it's close, and I'll sure be buying the set. You might want to alert your comic shop owner that you want one, too.