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If you didn’t think the hippo gag was funny, look at Comments and see what I wrote to James B. What is humor? What is it that makes people laugh? Part of it, at least, is that you are led down a path, and your experience makes you expect a certain outcome. But you are tricked and surprised. A lot of the gags that I wrote worked this way. Characters were in an absurd situation. The outcome was outrageous or silly, but everyone behaved exactly as his or her character dictated. Does this make sense? 
While I’m on the subject of Billy Graham, I met him once when I was a senior at Manatee High. Kind of. He came to Bradenton to preach at the Fighting Sea Cow football field. That day I was walking downtown, came around a corner and almost slammed into him. I had never, and never since, seen a person with such immediate charisma. He was very tall, his rosy face, beautiful blonde hair , and most of all, his eyes, his shining bright blue eyes blew me away. That night I took my girlfriend, Jenny J, to the stadium. He preached. She was enthralled. The next day she dumped me.
BTW, The Salvation Army is my favorite charity.
Which reminds me of this great cartoon by Paul Crum. It appeared in Punch in 1937.
I published lots of cartoons in Punch before I started Ernie. Many of them can be found in my single panel magazine cartoon books.
8 more shopping days to go. I haven’t started.
