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<HEAD><TITLE>Don Markstein's Toonopedia: Rags Rabbit </TITLE> <script language="JavaScript"></script> <META name = "author" content = "Donald D. Markstein"> <META name = "description" content = "Hypertext encyclopedia of comics and animation"> <META name = "subject" content = "Hypertext encyclopedia of comics and animation"> <META name = "keywords" content = "comic books animated cartoons animation comics comix syndicated comic strips"> <META name = "publisher" content = "Donald D. Markstein"> <META name = "format" content = "text/html"> <META name = "language" content = "EN"> </HEAD><BODY> <body onload="if (self!= top) top.location = self.location"></body> <BODY BGCOLOR="FFFFFF" TEXT="000000" LINK="0000EE" VLINK="551A8B"> <TABLE><TR><TD WIDTH=310 VALIGN="CENTER"><IMG GALLERYIMG="NO" ALIGN="LEFT" HEIGHT=366 WIDTH=300 ALT="Rags gets his life preserved. Artist: Marty Taras." SRC="ragsrab.jpg"> <TD VALIGN="CENTER"><H1>RAGS RABBIT</H1><FONT SIZE=4> <B>Medium:</B> Comic books <BR><B>Published by:</B> Harvey Comics <BR><B>First Appeared:</B> 1946 <BR><B>Creator:</B> Marty Taras <FONT SIZE=3> <! BEGIN DONATION CODE> <HR><FONT SIZE=2 COLOR="993366"><CENTER> If this site is enjoyable or useful to you, <BR>Please contribute to its necessary financial support. <BR><A HREF="http://s1.amazon.com/exec/varzea/pay/T1237L0BCY25QA" TARGET="_blank">Amazon.com</A> or <A HREF="https://www.paypal.com/xclick/business=don%40toonopedia.com&no_note=1&tax=0&currency_cod e=USD" TARGET="_blank">PayPal</A> </FONT></CENTER><HR> <! END DONATION CODE> <P><A NAME="cont"> A regular cover blurb proclaimed Rags Rabbit to be the funniest member of his species in comic books — which may have stood a chance of being true, if the field had been a good deal more limited. As it happened, his competition for the honor included not just <A HREF="marvel.htm">Marvel's</A> <A HREF="superrab.htm">Super Rabbit,</A> <A HREF="disney.htm">Disney's</A> <A HREF="brerrab.htm">Brer Rabbit</A> and  <P ALIGN="RIGHT"><A HREF="#cont"><FONT SIZE=2><I>continued below</A></FONT> </TABLE> <CENTER><! BEGIN ADSENSE "LEADERBOARD" CODE> <script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> <! END ADSENSE CODE></CENTER> <P><TABLE><TR><TD VALIGN="TOP"> even <A HREF="sh_mayer.htm">Sheldon Mayer's</A> Bo Bunny, but <A HREF="bugs.htm">Bugs Bunny</A> himself. Poor old Rags had to get in line behind some very high-power hares. <P> But he wasn't completely lacking in assets. Rags was created by animator/<A HREF="glossary.htm#cartoonist">cartoonist</A> Marty Taras, whose <A HREF="babyhuey.htm">Baby Huey</A> ensures him a minor but permanent place among cartoon notables. Rags's comic books came from the same publisher as the vast majority of Huey's comic books, <A HREF="harvey.htm">Harvey Comics,</A> but he long predates the association of Harvey with <A HREF="famous.htm">Famous Studios,</A> where Huey got his start. <P> Rags debuted in Harvey's <I>Nutty Comics</I> #5 (1946). Debuting with him were his only supporting characters, twin younger brothers Pesty and Jesty, his answer to <A HREF="donald.htm">Donald Duck's</A> <A HREF="nephews.htm">Huey, Dewey and Louie.</A> But <I>Nutty Comics</I> folded three issue later, with a July, 1947 cover date, and that could easily have been the end of him. <P> But Rags got his own comic, dated June, 1951. It was a continuation of another title, probably <I>Babe Ruth Sports Comics,</I> tho <I>Little Max</I> has also been cited as its original name. The latter is unlikely, however, as <I>Little Max,</I> which starred a <A HREF="palooka.htm">Joe Palooka</A> supporting character, remained continuously in print for another ten years. Before Rags's second demise in March, 1954, Harvey published #s 11-18. <P> After a couple more years in limbo, Rags re-surfaced in <I>Harvey Hits</I> #2 (October, 1957). The purpose of the first issue of <I>Harvey Hits</I> seems to have been to establish <A HREF="phantom.htm">The Phantom</A> as a recurring star — he was in seven subsequent issues, but never did get his own title at Harvey. The one after Rags tried out <A HREF="richie.htm">Richie Rich,</A> who had started in <A HREF="littldot.htm">Little Dot's</A> back pages, for his own title. But Rags's issue seemed to be mostly an excuse to claim him as a current star — that same year, they used him to fill up three commercial comics promoting Tasty-Freez ice cream stands. They didn't use him again either in <I>Harvey Hits</I> or in a title of his own. <P> But he did turn up decades later, reprinted as filler in <I>Harvey Wiseguys,</I> a <A HREF="glossary.htm#digest">digest</A>-size comic book available at supermarket checkout stands. <I>Harvey Wiseguys</I> lasted four issues, dated November, 1987 through November, 1988. <P> Which does show a certain tenacity on Rags's part. But it's quite a comedown for a guy once cover-blurbed as the "Funniest Rabbit in Comics". <P ALIGN = "RIGHT">— DDM <P><A HREF="index.htm">BACK</A> to <I>Don Markstein's Toonopedia</I> Home Page <BR><A HREF="today.htm">Today in Toons:</A> Every day's an anniversary! <P><! BEGIN ADSENSE BANNER CODE><CENTER> <script type="text/javascript"></script> <script type="text/javascript" src="http://pagead2.googlesyndication.com/pagead/show_ads.js"> </script> </CENTER><! END ADSENSE CODE> <TD WIDTH=10><TD WIDTH=180 VALIGN="TOP"> <! 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