15 October 1998: Zippy Far and Near

The other day a coworker showed me a couple of books he'd just bought at the Tattered Cover for his sprouts. People often do so, knowing my love of books, particularly children's books. One was a Syd Hoff that I didn't know but whose illustrations I instantly recognized, without even glimpsing Danny and the Dinosaur for years. The other I squealed at with glee after the merest glance at the title. The title itself, an average picture-book title, meant little to me. What I recognized in the font told me as much as the author's name would. Toad on the Road, by SMS and Buller! "Do you really know them?" No, I'm faking this delight.

Buller drew Bob Blob for the Old Lyme Gazette but scrapped it and began Captain Connecticut. (I preferred Bob.) By the time he had stopped drawing Bob I was working at PGN and knew SMS better than I had as a mere patron, so I asked why. Apparently no one liked it, neither in town (stuffy old town) nor in publishing. He said he'd received a lot of rejection letters saying things like "This doesn't meet our current needs." So he gave me a manuscript collection and inscribed it: "I hope this meets your current needs." Over the years I have shown Bob Blob to various of my friends, who have all loved it. Buller tells me I must have weird friends. I certainly hope that is true, but I know to be true that the only friends I showed it to have been a select group, already comics fans.

Over breakfast in Whitney one junior-year morning, PLT read the day's comics, including of course Zippy the Pinhead. He had tried to convert me to Zippy nearly from the day I met him, giving me a book our first Christmas. In a collection, Zippy was slightly more coherent, but still not appealing. "Hey," he exclaimed, "Bill Griffith [the artist] gives a tip o' the pen to Buller of Lyme, Connecticut. Do you know him?"

"Know him? Of course I do. He's one of PGN's librarians' husband. He's an author and a comic strip artist. I love him and SMS both." I showed him my Bob Blob, and PLT loved it. When next I saw Buller, I told him Bill Griffith of Zippy had given him a tip o' the pen and asked if he knew him. Certainly he knew him; they'd been friends since the '60s. Then I told him PLT had enjoyed Bob Blob, and he gave me the one-eyebrow speculative look that he and SMS share. That summer, I happened to be at their house one afternoon and met Griffith himself, who was visiting. He looked like Griffy, only older. I 'fessed about preferring Zippy in a collection to daily doses, and he said he would rather people read the strip in books. I realized only later that not only might Zippy thus make more sense but Griffith make more money too. He signed a psychedelic '60s poster he drew, a copy of which Buller had around the house, for me. Wow. I considered giving it to PLT but never did. Selfish.

This summer, at home at the lake, coming out of a lake-long swim, dazed and without corrective lenses, I looked up and saw someone wading in who could only be SMS. In much surprise, I exclaimed her name. She lives on the hill between two lakes and faces the southern; to get to this northern one means a six-mile drive instead of down her driveway; plus she doesn't like to swim. So I was surprised to see her. She was surprised I recognized her, but I was only surprised I had done so without glasses. I'm pleased that I still notice and remember people's gaits, so much more idiosyncratic and self-determined than faces. So finally she and RDC met, and Buller too, and once again Griffith was visiting so I introduced them also, and Griffith's wife.

Here happened a strange thing. They insist that on that day I met Griffith, nine years before, we had all gone out to a movie. It was odd enough for me to go to SMS's house, as we had never socialized outside PGN; and I almost never forget occasions like this; but I have no memory of this. And they didn't remember what movie it was. I have to dig out that journal and see what I see.

In addition to swimming, the four of them had driven around looking at houses because Griffith was thinking of moving to the area. So last week PLT emailed me, having just read in the paper that Griffith was moving away from the Bay Area and had bought a house with a lake in Connecticut. He asked, "So has Griffith bought up your lake?" (No, my lake remains safely part of a state forest.) I bet Griffith goes to the annual Friends of the Library Book Sale with Buller, though; so PLT could finally meet him if a) I still lived there (to introduce them) and b) PLT hadn't moved too. Oh well.