It’s Beetle Bailey’s 75th Too

D. D. Degg Published: June 9, 2025 1 minute 4 comments

*detail from Beetle Bailey for September 4, 2020*

While Charles M. Schulz’s Peanuts 75th Anniversary is getting the bulk of publicity this year, a month before that October 2nd, 1950 day is September 4th, 1950 – when Mort Walker’s Beetle Bailey debuted. And Beetle Bailey, unlike Peanuts, has been issuing new comic strips for all of its 75 years.

While not the licensing bonanza of Peanuts there are at least a couple books timed for release to celebrate Beetle Bailey’s 75th anniversary. Mort Walker’s Beetle Bailey: 75 Years of Smiles, written and edited by comics historian and current Beetle Bailey writer (and Mort Walker son) Brian Walker is scheduled to be released September 16, 2025 from Fantagraphics.

Also coming during the 2025 Beetle Bailey anniversary month is a new edition of Mort Walker’s The Lexicon of Comicana. Originally published in 1980 that volume now sells for collector prices so it is a welcome reissue for those who missed out on the first printing.

*The Lexicon of Comicana with Beetle Bailey*

*Beetle Bailey comic strip dated September 5, 2020*

Comments ⁴

Eric

“Beetle Bailey” was originally supposed to be a mid-century “Doonesbury.” Beetle was drafted during the Korean War.

D. D. Degg (admin)

That’s a bit of a stretch. Doonesbury was political nearly from the beginning, Beetle Bailey was a non-political gag-a-day strip set on a college campus.

Grant

Now how many of these 75 years did Beetle Bailey sleep through?

Chris Smigliano

They should put out a new edition of BACKSTAGE AT THE STRIPS.

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