| Neil the Horse | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Neil the Horse Comics and Stories #1 (1983). | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Publication information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Publisher | Aardvark-Vanaheim Renegade Press Conundrum Press | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| First appearance | Newspaper strip: 1975 Comics: Charlton Bullseye #1 (June 1981) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Created by | Katherine Collins (as "Arn Saba") | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In-story information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Species | Horse | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Partnerships | Soapy Mam'selle Poupée | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Neil the Horse is a comic book character created by Canadian cartoonist Katherine Collins (as "Arn Saba") in 1975. Neil is a happy, singing and dancing horse who likes bananas and milkshakes. Neil's adventures were syndicated in Canadian newspapers, published in a comic book series, and adapted for a radio musical.[1]
The comic book series featured Neil and his friends Soapy the Cat and the romantic marionette Mam'selle Poupée.[2] All three of the characters sing, dance, and play music. The more developed comics stories primarily revolve around the trio's attempts to attain show-business success. While existing as a fantasy with nostalgic style, Neil the Horse also pays tribute to the era it was made (the 1980s). A typical issue included a story in prose with illustrations, a few short comic strips, and a longer comic-strip adventure.
As the motto of Neil the Horse was "Making the World Safe for Musical Comedy", all issues also included original sheet music for the songs sung by the characters in the course of their adventures.
A complete reprinting of the series, The Collected Neil the Horse, was published by Conundrum Press in 2017.[3]
- ^ Markstein, Don. "Neil the Horse". Don Markstein's Toonopedia. Retrieved 2 April 2020.
- ^ Rovin, Jeff (1991). The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Cartoon Animals. Prentice Hall Press. pp. 190–191. ISBN 0-13-275561-0. Retrieved 8 April 2020.
- ^ Collins, Katherine (2017). The Collected Neil the Horse. Conundrum Press. ISBN 978-1772620153.