Rick O'Shay
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Rick O'Shay is a comic strip created by Stan Lynde in 1958. It depicts goings-on in the Western town of Conniption, notably the adventures of Rick, who is a deputy sheriff (the town being too small to have a full sheriff) and his best friend, gunslinger Hipshot Percussion. Other characters include the mayor, Deuces Wylde, the owner of the dancehall, Gaye Abandon, the doctor, Basil Metabolism, and a kid named Quyet Burp. The neighboring Indian tribe includes Chief Horses Neck, his ugly daughter Moonglow, and her persistent suitor Crazy Quilt.
Rick O'Shay started as a Sunday strip on April 27, 1958 and the daily strip began on May 19 the same year.
The backgrounds are realistically drawn, the characters were originally cartoons (Rick's nose was pure cartooning), but have become more realistic over the years. There are surreal themes mixed in (such as the names). The strip was originally a humor strip set in the present day West, but in 1969 the setting was changed to the year 1869, and strong elements of adventure, philosophy, morality and even tragedy were added to the story line.
Stan Lynde left the syndicate in 1977 but the Rick O'Shay strip was continued by others: Marian Dern (writer), Alfredo Alcala and Mel Keefer (artists). The strip was discontinued in 1981.
Stan Lynde and his wife formed a publishing company, Cottonwood Publishing, which has published reprints, posters, collectables, and a new two-part comic book story ("The Price of Fame" 1992 featuring Rick and Hipshot). They reprinted all of the dailies from the beginning up through 1964, except for one week in December 1963. Sadly, much of the original art was lost in a fire.
Comics Revue magazine has reprinted the missing week mentioned above, and also dailies from 30 September 1968. The Menomonee Falls Gazette reprinted dailies from 24 September 1973 to 13 March 1976.
[edit] Reference
Lynde, Stan, Rick O'Shay, Hipshot, and Me -- A Memoir by Stan Lynde, Cottonwood Graphics, 1990, ISBN #1-9622999-0-X.
