G. O. Fizzickle Pogo

1958
Written and illustrated by Walt Kelly
G. O. Fizzickle Pogo
B

The title refers to the 18-month-long International Geophysical Year of 1957-58.  Howland Owl, the scientist who wears a wizard's cap, of course happily embraces the concept and plans to send some of the swamp critters into space.   He even plans a honeymoon on the moon for Beauregard Bugleboy.  You see, there's a flea of indeterminate gender who wants to marry the hound.  No one objects, even though the flea is usually referred to as "he," except for Beauregard, who understandably doesn't want to marry a flea.  And then earlier there's a plot where Howland has Albert dress up as Lulu Arfin' Nanny, Beauregard's silent-screen star crush, so that Albert can seduce Beauregard and push him off the moon (when it's in its crescent stage and therefore smaller), so that Howland can conquer the moon.  There's a strip where Albert as Lulu does the Charleston and then kisses Howland, crying "Ta-boo!"  I am not making this up.  This ran in daily newspaper strips.

There's less of politics, although the ways that various parties fight over the moon and over the straight-down canal that will eliminate the need for the Suez certainly have parallels to the actions of various countries of the time and later. 

Oh, and we get what might be the first version of Beauregard's answer to "Deck Us All (with Boston Charlie)," his stirring rendition of "Bark Us All Bow-Wows of Folly."