Four Color #918
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeFour Color #918 is the first dedicated solo comic book starring Beep Beep the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote — two of Warner Bros.' most beloved Looney Tunes characters — marking the pair's graduation from supporting players in Bugs Bunny anthology comics to headliners in their own Dell try-out issue. The issue served as the launchpad for an entire comic-book franchise: Dell retroactively numbered it as issue #1 of the 'Beep Beep' series, which continued through two further Four Color try-outs before spinning off into a standalone title in 1960 and eventually a long-running Gold Key run through 1984. Beyond its publishing significance, the issue cemented several conventions unique to the comic-book version of the characters — most notably that the Road Runner family communicates entirely in rhyming couplets, a storytelling device that never appeared in the theatrical cartoons. It is a textbook example of how Dell's Four Color anthology functioned: as a proving ground that tested audience appetite for a character before committing to an ongoing series.
In "Chasm Crossing Crisis," Wile E. Coyote pushes his latest, increasingly absurd trap to the limit—this time deploying spiked maces, a rigged pull rope, buckshot-laced "Free Birdseed," and even a hot air balloon rigged to drop an anvil, only for the balloon to float off without it. Written by Michael Maltese and illustrated by Pete Alvarado, this 1958 Four Color comic delivers classic Looney Tunes chaos with a full-page gag that’s both inventive and delightfully doomed. The cover, also by Alvarado, captures the moment of airborne mayhem with precision and flair.
In "Chasm Crossing Crisis," Wile E. Coyote attempts a daring leap across a chasm using a boulder, a plank, and a fulcrum—only to find his plan hilariously undone. The classic cat-and-mouse chase takes a comically disastrous turn as he tries to reach Beep Beep on the other side.
In "Hasty Pudding," Wile E. Coyote’s latest scheme to catch the Beep boys backfires in classic fashion, as his attempts to outwit them with a series of increasingly absurd contraptions—ranging from a water-activated boulder to a rocket-powered trap—only lead to more chaos. The trio’s clever escapes keep the chase lively, turning the coyote’s frustration into a series of laugh-out-loud mishaps.
In "Go-Go-Go," Wile E. Coyote’s latest scheme to catch the Road Runner spirals into chaos with a trio of increasingly absurd traps—spiked maces, a magnet-laden ambush, and a hot air balloon rigged to drop an anvil—each more comically doomed than the last. With his usual mix of overconfidence and misfired mechanics, he’s once again outwitted by the very bird he’s after, all in a slapstick sequence that’s pure 1958 cartoon gold.
In "School Daze," Wile E. Coyote swaps roles with the real teacher, pretending to be a substitute just to catch the clever Beep Boys—only to find they’re one step ahead. With his usual overconfidence and a grin that says "I’m a genius," he’s in for a surprise when the kids outthink even his most elaborate scheme.
Wile E. Coyote straps bedsprings to his feet in a bid to leap across a chasm and reach Beep Beep, but the bounce proves a bit too enthusiastic—just as he’s about to make the jump, he’s already soaring higher than planned.
In "Wheel of Misfortune," Wile E. Coyote sets up a devious trap using firecrackers strapped to a wagon wheel, aiming to catch Beep Beep in a classic chase. But as the wheel rolls downhill, Wile E. forgets one crucial detail: a second incline can send it right back where it started.
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The Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote had been created for Warner Bros. by animation director Chuck Jones and writer Michael Maltese in 1948, but their comic-book life began cautiously, first appearing together in Bugs Bunny Vacation Funnies #8 (August 1958) before Dell gave them their own Four Color showcase. Many of the Beep Beep comic stories were scripted by Mike Maltese — Jones' longtime head writer at Warner Bros. — who by 1958 had moved on to work as head writer at Hanna-Barbera on The Huckleberry Hound Show; the comics therefore drew on Looney Tunes institutional talent even as that talent had dispersed. Interior art on the Dell Beep Beep issues was produced by Pete Alvarado (a former layout and background artist for Chuck Jones) and Phil DeLara (a former Jones animator), giving the book an unusually direct creative lineage to the original cartoons. The GCD credits Paul S. Newman as writer on material reprinted from this issue.
Trivia · 8 facts
- Published July 1958 by Dell Comics as part of the long-running Four Color anthology series (Series 2, 1942–1962).
- First dedicated solo comic book starring Beep Beep the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote — the first time the duo headlined their own issue rather than appearing in a Bugs Bunny anthology title.
- Dell retroactively counted this issue as #1 of the Beep Beep series; Four Color #1008 and #1046 followed as #2 and #3 before a standalone numbered series launched with #4 in 1960.
- Introduces the comic-book convention that the Road Runner and his family speak exclusively in rhyming couplets — a trait never present in the theatrical animated shorts.
- Also introduces the Road Runner's wife, Matilda, and their three newly hatched sons; Matilda was later phased out of the comics, but the three sons continued appearing alongside their father.
- The characters themselves were originally created by animation director Chuck Jones and writer Michael Maltese for Warner Bros. in 1948; many Beep Beep comic scripts were written by Maltese.
- Interior art on the Dell Beep Beep issues was by Pete Alvarado and Phil DeLara, both veterans of Chuck Jones' animation unit at Warner Bros.
- After Dell's run ended, Gold Key Comics continued the character with its own Beep Beep the Road Runner series running issues #1–88 from 1966 to 1984, with the early Gold Key issues consisting of reprints from the Dell run.
Full credits
Reprints
Reprinted in Daffy #2/1960 (1960), Daffy #3/1960 (1960), Daffy #20/1960 (1960), Beep Beep the Road Runner #1 (1966), Chiquilladas #234 (1968), Beep Beep the Road Runner #18 (1970), Beep Beep the Road Runner #38 (1973), Golden Comics Digest #34 (1974), Daffy #2/1960, Schweinchen Dick #54
Key issues in Four Color
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