The Daily Comic Book Coffee, number 30: The previous entry was from a very dark story, so this time I’m going with much lighter fare. “Neil the Horse Meets Mr Coffee Nerves” is written & drawn by Arn Saba, from Neil the Horse Comics and Stories #3, published by Aardvark-Vanaheim with a June 1983 cover date.
Here is another series and artist that I was previously unaware of that I was introduced to by group moderator Jim Thompson. I guess this is our second 1000 Horses / Comic Book Coffee crossover. Regular contributor Cheryl Spoehr is a fan of Neil the Horse, as well.
What is Neil the Horse about? As described by Quill and Quire, “Saba spent more than 15 years combining his love of cartooning with his love of music to produce the adventures of Neil and his friends: Soapy, a feline grifter, and Mam’selle Poupée, a living doll in search of true love.” Saba wrote & illustrated the adventures of Neil and friends for 15 years, from 1975 to 1989, first in a newspaper strip and then in comic books. Saba also wrote a Neil the Horse musical comedy, Neil the Horse and the Big Banana, broadcast in 1982 on CBC Radio in Canada. In 1993 Saba began transitioning into a woman, and is now known as Katherine Collins.
Conundrum Press published The Collected Neil the Horse in April 2017. I may have add this to my already-lengthy list of books to buy. It looks like a fun read.
“Neil the Horse Meets Mr Coffee Nerves” sees Neil, curious about everyone’s love for coffee, discovering both the joys and the dangers of hot caffeinated beverages. I would undoubtedly be one of the people in that crowd enthusiastically declaring “Coffee time!” Hopefully not that guy crawling on the sidewalk desperately searching for coffee!