Abbie an' Slats

Abbie an' Slats is an American comic strip which ran from July 12, 1937 to January 30, 1971, initially written by Al Capp and drawn by Raeburn van Buren.

“Abbie” is Abigail Scrapple, a spinster who lives with her sister Sally. “Slats” is Aubrey Eustace Scrapple, their younger cousin who lives with them in the small town of Crabtree Corners. Belying his given name, Slats is a stubborn, streetwise city kid. Arriving in town, he makes an enemy of Jasper Hagstone when he drives into Hagstone's limousine while trying to avoid running over a dog. Other important Crabtree Corners residents include Slats's later sweetheart, Becky Groggins, and her father, J. Pierpont “Bathless” Groggins.

"Abbie an' Slats" was the idea of Al Capp, who intended to start a second strip after the success of his popular "Li'l Abner". Instead of drawing it himself, Capp recruited well-established freelance magazine illustrator Raeburn van Buren. Initially, van Buren turned down Capp's offer, but he was lured by the prospect of steady work. The strip was widely syndicated, but it did not equal the popularity of "Li'l Abner". Capp abandoned the strip in 1945, turning the writing chores over to his brother Elliot Caplin.

Taking on Andy Sprague as an assistant in 1947, Van Buren continued to draw the strip, and it ended with his retirement in 1971. Van Buren's work from 1954 to 1968 (160 items) is kept at the Syracuse University Library's Special Collections Research Center. In 1984, Van Buren sent a gift to "Dear Abby" columnist Abigail Van Buren (Pauline Phillips), she wrote back on November 30, 1984, thanking him and then commented on the name similarity::Yes, I remember our meeting very well. I also recall that every once in a while we'd get our mail mixed up... I at one time (when I first began, I spelled my name "ABBIE"... Then it became even more confusing because of the VAN BUREN... remember?) Abbie and Slats... and the Van Buren. I selected my own name... so perhaps it was an unconscious choice, with you in mind all the while. Be well, Darling One... and stay well. And I hope to heaven you're dangerous!

Most books collecting vintage comic strips suffer a loss in reproduction because clippings from newspapers are the usual source, but two "Abbie an' Slats" books displayed a higher quality because they were compiled from original proof sheets by publisher Ken Pierce.

External links

* [http://www.toonopedia.com/abnslats.htm Toonopedia entry]
* [http://library.syr.edu/digital/guides/r/RaeburnVanBurenCartoons-Des.htm Syracuse University Library]