Research into my ongoing analysis of the true emotional depths of Hank Ketcham’s Dennis the Menace, and the insights it provides into the lives of “quiet desperation” the American middle-class of the post-war era lived, continues at a rather glacial pace. But in the course of my studies, I took a look again at some of the Ketcham-inspired color comic books based on his existential opus. While not up to the high standards of searing insight as Ketcham’s own work, they do offer telling glimpses into the lives of these desperately unhappy suburbanites.

Alice Mitchell would rather live a life where she is in constant danger of being killed by poachers than spend one minute more with Henry or Dennis.

George Mitchell’s frequent outbursts of anger have so concerned his wife that she has begun periodically checking his recall for signs of Alzheimer’s Syndrome.

Alice was so heavily dependent on alcohol to make it through her pregnancy, she still sometimes is convinced that Dennis must have some form of physical malformation or mental disability.

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