This one-shot strip that ran in the World Color Printing Sunday comics section of December 4 1904 generates so many questions. Why does the wizard turn a snake into a watermelon? Why does he finger a mysterious case labelled “Goo-Goo From India”? Why does the wizard turn George Washington White into a chicken particularly? I’m so confused…
This one-shot is signed Morris. He was not an artist in World Color’s regular stable; in fact this seems to be the only strip he contributed to the syndicate. Nice art, but that gag needed some polishing.
Ah, because the stereotypical rural black character steals that which he craves; watermelon and chicken. So, to become the object of his desire would seem a grimly ironic punishment indeed. But this is really a terribly plotted strip. A really basic cause-and-effect gag is hard to muck up, but this one is.
What's the snake about? It's introduced to no effect; and why was transforming into watermelon done? More questions can be considered as well, but it's more than it's worth.