The Fox and the Crow #95
☆ Be the first to review + Add to your collection — Join freeThe Fox and the Crow #95 is the single most consequential issue in the long run of that Silver Age funny-animal title, because it introduced Stanley Dover and his oversized pink monster companion — a backup feature created by writer Arnold Drake and artist Win Mortimer that proved so popular it eventually eclipsed the book's own headliners. Within two years, the backup had grown so dominant that DC renamed the entire title Stanley and His Monster beginning with issue #109, effectively retiring Fauntleroy Fox and Crawford Crow from their own comic after more than sixteen years. The characters born here proved durable enough to earn a 1990s revival miniseries and continued appearances in mainstream DC continuity through the 2000s, demonstrating how a single backup strip planted in a modest humor anthology could outlive and outgrow its host.
In "When Is a Dog Not a Dog?", Stanley Dover’s wild imagination takes a literal turn when he brings home a giant pink monster from the sewer—much to the surprise of no one, since no one seems to notice. Written by Arnold Drake and illustrated by Win Mortimer, this 1965 DC tale blends whimsy and mild surrealism in a story that quietly questions what we’re willing to see. The cover by Mort Drucker captures the absurd charm of the moment, a 12-cent peek into a world where the impossible walks (or squirms) right past the everyday.
Stanley Dover’s parents are worried he’s too imaginative—especially since they won’t let him have a dog. But when he brings home a giant pink monster from the sewer, no one seems to notice, not even his family.
Fauntleroy Fox is eyeing the largest plum dumpling in sight—thirteen plums, perfectly arranged—when Crawford Crow steps in with a dire warning: this treat might be the start of a string of bad luck.
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We Buy Collections ▸History
The issue was published with a cover date of January 1966 (on sale November 1965) under editor Murray Boltinoff, whose tenure on DC's humor and licensed-character books was a cornerstone of the publisher's Silver Age funny-animal output. Arnold Drake — already active at DC writing titles such as Doom Patrol — scripted the debut Stanley story, titled 'When Is a Dog Not a Dog?', with pencils and inks by Win Mortimer. The Fox and the Crow strip itself was a licensed property: Fauntleroy Fox and Crawford Crow had been created by Frank Tashlin for Columbia Pictures' Screen Gems animation studio in 1941, with DC holding a comics license dating back to 1945 — a licensing arrangement that would become a commercial liability by the mid-1960s since the animated characters had not appeared on screen since 1950.
Trivia · 8 facts
- First appearance of Stanley Dover (Stanley) and his Monster (later nicknamed Spot), as well as supporting characters Mitch Dover and Sheila Dover (Stanley's parents), all debuting in the lead story 'When Is a Dog Not a Dog?'
- Story written by Arnold Drake with art (pencils and inks) by Win Mortimer; cover art by Mort Drucker.
- Published with a cover date of January 1966; actual publication date was November 30, 1965; edited by Murray Boltinoff.
- The issue also contains a Fox and the Crow story scripted by Cecil Beard with art by James F. Davis, and an untitled Brat Finks story scripted by Paul Laikin and Bill Finger with art by Bob Oksner.
- Beginning with this issue, 'Stanley and His Monster' took the lead story position in the book and never relinquished it, according to the Grand Comics Database.
- The backup feature ran through Fox and the Crow #95–108; the title was then renamed Stanley and His Monster, continuing as issues #109–112 (May–November 1968) before cancellation.
- The characters were revived in Secret Origins #48 (April 1990) by Phil Foglio, who later wrote and drew a four-issue miniseries (1993) that retroactively established the Monster as a demon exiled from Hell for being too kind — integrating the whimsical characters into DC's broader continuity.
- Stanley and his Monster appeared in Kevin Smith's Green Arrow: Quiver arc (2001), in Infinite Crisis #6 (2005–06), and in the Batman/Superman: Sorcerer Kings storyline (2011), demonstrating the characters' lasting narrative footprint across DC's publishing history.
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Reprints
Reprinted in Foxie #131 (1967), Foxie #125, Foxie #179
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