From The Comics Journal 135, April 1990

General Halftrack Mooned

Mort Walker had an idea for a Beetle Bailey strip; but this one was a little more, uh, colorful than the usual newspaper strip fare. It showed bare buttocks.

Walker said that after holding off on the idea for awhile, he decided to offer two versions of the Sunday strip, the original and a "cleaned up" version, and let newspapers decide which one to run. Unfortunately, it didn't work out that way; Jay Kennedy, a King Features editor, nixed the idea. According to Walker, King Features was unable to offer both versions of the January 21, 1989 Beetle Bailey since newspaper editors don't see color Sunday strips before they're printed. Sunday strips, unlike daily strips which are pasted up by the individual papers, are sent directly to Greater Buffalo Press, printed, and shipped to newspapers ready to be inserted in the papers.

Walker said that although most editors "like to play it safe," he knows of at least one who would have printed the original strip, C. Kerry Slagle of the Sarasota Herald Tribune.

[The strip features Beetle going to Sarge with orders from the general. Sarge: "I Don't believe this!" Lt. Fuzz: "What?" Sarge: "At formation today the general wants to inspect everyone's buns Fuzz: Oh that's just a typo. He means guns Sarge: Are you going to defy his order? Fuzz: No, but... Sarge: Okay, here's the phone. You tell the general he goofed <cut to formation. General Halftrack looks askance and says "Now what?" In the first version of the strip, all of the soldiers have their pants pulled down and are mooning the general. In the second, "cleaner" version, each of them is holding a plate with what looks to be a muffin on it.]