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40 Winks to Freedom |
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A tribute to Buddy Schwartz |
| The untapped
talent of Buddy Schwartz was forever snuffed on a cool November
evening in 1987, when his 200 series Volvo Sedan was careened off a
rural road in Greene County, Indiana and into a flooded ditch. By the time the authorities
arrived with high tech rescue equipment, Buddy had drowned. It was
only two feet of water, and the only other sign of injury on Buddy's
person was the chafe marks on his neck from his seat belt. But Buddy
had never been much of a swimmer. We may never know a full accounting of what the world lost on that night. We can only estimate his lost potential by the few scraps of his artistry left behind. Avenging Simian is proud to present the lost comics of Buddy Schwartz, found by his widow Evangeline and delivered to us via an email attachment prior to her death by heartbreak. At the moment, these are the only four extant "Winky's World" strips. But there is hope for the small but growing cadre of Schwartz fanatics. Late last year, archaeologists with the University of Lower Indiana discovered a vault buried under the site of Buddy's old woodshed. Expert locksmiths are working day and night to break Buddy's nefarious locking mechanism. It might contain a lifetime of nail clippings. We mustn't think such things, really. Our dream is that one day, the vault will be open, and out will flow more examples of Buddy's genius. And on that day, we will share them with you. We will share them with the world. Until then, savor Winky's World, One through Four. |
