I like Howard's humor stories a lot--perhaps more than his Conan stories.
"Alleys of Darkness" features a naive narrator, much like the talkative barber Whitey in Ring Lardner's "Haircut." Added in is a great deal of hyperbole. The violence in this story is an exaggerated cartoon violence.
Dennis Dorgan resembles Elzie Segar's Popeye quite a bit. He resembles him so much that I suspect that Popeye may have been an inspiration or model for the character.
This isn't the absolute best Dennis Dorgan story I've ever read, but it's not a bad sample. Howard's humor stories can be very addictive. I recommend reading both Howard's fighting sailor stories (Dennis Dorgan and Steve Costigan) and his westerns (including Breckinridge Elkins--who is a lot like Li'l Abner).
Mark Armstrong’s book reviews
"Alleys of Darkness" features a naive narrator, much like the talkative barber Whitey in Ring Lardner's "Haircut." Added in is a great deal of hyperbole. The violence in this story is an exaggerated cartoon violence.
Dennis Dorgan resembles Elzie Segar's Popeye quite a bit. He resembles him so much that I suspect that Popeye may have been an inspiration or model for the character.
This isn't the absolute best Dennis Dorgan story I've ever read, but it's not a bad sample. Howard's humor stories can be very addictive. I recommend reading both Howard's fighting sailor stories (Dennis Dorgan and Steve Costigan) and his westerns (including Breckinridge Elkins--who is a lot like Li'l Abner).