Credits
Writer(s):
?
Colorist(s):
?
Letterer(s):
?
Subject Matter
Genres:
anthropomorphic, superhero
Character(s):
Mighty Mouse; wagon train settlers (mice); Cat Indians; stampeding buffalo; The Great God Bartsch
First Line:
Stirring tales have been told about the men and women who won the west but none have noted the heroic efforts of the staunch MICE who starved and sacrificed...
Synopsis:
In pioneer days, a wagon train of mice (three tiny wagons, pulled by a grasshopper) slowly makes its way to California facing an attack by "Cat Indians", who intend to sacrifice the prettiest young mouse to their "Great God Bartsch". Mighty Mouse battles what a caption describes as "millions and millions and millions of ferocious felines" to save the day.
Reprinting
Reprint Notes:
Miscellaneous
Pages:
7.5
Notes:
In an old Terrytoons cartoon, this idea would have been played fairly straight with just a few visual gags thrown in for some levity. But, as with many of the Tyer-drawn Terrytoons comics, it becomes a wonderful exercise in nonsensical silliness. The captions in the first two panels set the tone, before any of the absurdist action begins.
The first line itself is [A:] almost endless (it goes on much longer than that entered above as “First Line of Dialogue or Text”) and [B:] reads as if it’s going to be played straight… until you come to an unexpected kicker at the end:
“Stirring tales have been told about the men and women who won the west but none have noted the heroic efforts of the staunch MICE who starved and sacrificed mid hunger, fatigue and merciless sun – bested the terrible Cat Indian tribes and strove, whisker, tail and claw to clutter up the Golden State of California.”
The same sort of kicker awaits us at the end of caption two:
“Yes, in 1846, these westerning rodents were as brave and hardy as many of the pioneer humans that they sought to plague and pester.”
The tale’s meta-momentum reaches its height with the introduction of the Cat Indians’ ruler – The Great God Bartsch! Drawn by Tyer as a large, stony-faced, squinty-eyed, sitting human, rather than as a cat, this character (incongruously inserted into an already-incongruous series of events) is clearly a parody/tribute reference to prolific Terrytoons animator and comic book artist Art Bartsch – whose work appears in this very issue!
Detail
St. John
1 
Mighty Mouse #12 published November 1949
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