Broom Hilda the Witch is a popular comic strip character created by Russell Myers. The comic strip revolves around the life of Broom Hilda, a friendly and sometimes mischievous witch who lives in a forest with a variety of other characters. Broom Hilda is known for her green skin, crooked nose, and long black hair. She is often seen riding on her broomstick and casting spells. However, she is not your typical wicked witch. Broom Hilda is kind-hearted and often uses her magical powers to help others, even if her spells don't always go as planned.
OFCRONE also provides a degree of protection from harassment for its members. Thanks to them, most of the witch burnings that happen these days are when two wiccans have a roast battle. OFCRONE organise security patrols around all rituals where members may choose to worship sky-clad to prevent the local perverts from hiding in the bushes and getting an eyeful. Due to the high chance of being turned into an amphibian if caught, these degenerates are known as “Froggers”. (The witches are not completely merciless. They run a support group for anyone doing “pond penance” called “Amphibians Anonymous”.) OFCRONE also work to promote occultural diversity. Alongside this, they educate the general public about witchcraft. One of the ways they do this is via a live streaming platform where anyone can watch real Yorkshire witches practice the dark arts, called T’Witch. The sect also has a scientific research arm which funds a project searching for signs of Dark Magic in the universe, the Mildred Hubble Space Telescope.
The sect also has a scientific research arm which funds a project searching for signs of Dark Magic in the universe, the Mildred Hubble Space Telescope. But the history books put the beginning of Broom-Hilda on April 19, 1970 because that is when The Chicago Tribune ran a promo piece in their Sunday Funnies of that day, proclaiming the start of the comic the following day.
Broom Hilda is kind-hearted and often uses her magical powers to help others, even if her spells don't always go as planned. The comic strip is known for its humor and wit. Broom Hilda often engages in humorous banter with her friends and other characters in the strip.
Broom-Hilda at 50 – Aging Gracelessly
While Broom-Hilda herself is 1500, the comic strip is just now turning 50.
Fifty years ago Russell Myers took an Elliot Caplin idea and formed Broom-Hilda.
Elliot Caplin worked in the comic industry just like his brother, Li’l Abner creator Al Capp. Caplin came up with the idea for a strip about a witch whose name was Broom Hilda. Harvey Kurtzman, a legendary EC Comics and Mad magazine artist, illustrated some Broom Hilda samples, but the strip didn’t sell.
Caplin met Barsotti at a party and asked if he knew another artist who might be interested in taking a strip for a test drive. Barsotti suggested Myers, who recalled getting a phone call from Caplin on a Friday: “He said ‘I’ve got this idea for a witch named Broom Hilda and that’s really all I have. Can you send me samples of your greeting cards?’”
Myers said he was caught off base by the request.
“So I sat down over the weekend and, just off the top of my head, did the first six Broom Hilda strips and sent them,” he said.
“(Caplin) called me back and said, ‘Oh my god, I love them.’ And he ran down the street and sold them. You know the old story of being an overnight success after trying all your life? That’s what it was.”
Myers and Caplin struck up a business partnership that lasted 30 years. Myers handled the creative aspects of Broom Hilda and Caplin, who died in 2000, took care of negotiations and the business side of the strip.
Officially the Broom-Hilda comic strip debuted on Monday, April 20, 1970:
above: the first Broom-Hilda daily strip from The New York Daily News
update – So on April 20, 2020 Russell celebrated the Golden Anniversary:
But the history books put the beginning of Broom-Hilda on April 19, 1970 because that is when The Chicago Tribune ran a promo piece in their Sunday Funnies of that day, proclaiming the start of the comic the following day. (I don’t know how many other papers ran the promotion.)
above: the promotion that ran in The Chicago Tribune comics section on April 19, 1970
The next day the Broom-Hilda comic strip debuted on the front page of The Chicago Tribune.
Any way you count it, the rough-and-tumble witch became an instant hit.
Broom Hilda beat the odds just to see print. The fact that she and strip-mates like Gaylord Buzzard and Irwin Troll have remained in circulation for a half century is witchcraft-level magic.
A few years ago Russell took another look at the first week of strips for the National Cartoonists Society’s magazine The National Cartoon!st; he remained happy with the gags and the art. Russell even mentioned that he wasn’t sure if the years of refinement, as all strips go through, was a good thing.
Back in the day one measure of a strip’s popularity was how many ComicBacks® were issued.
Broom-Hilda, in the 1970s and 1980s, had its share – and I, as a fan of the strip, bought most of them.
Along with the funny characters and gags, there is the surrealistic Haunted Forest landscapes and Russell’s designs to enjoy.
Today, if your local newspaper doesn’t carry the strip, Broom-Hilda can be read
at the Tribune Content Agency site and at GoComics.
While you are waiting to get those paperbacks shown above, Sunday Comics Debt
has a few entries from the past highlighting Broom-Hilda, Gaylord, Irwin, and even Grelber.
Mike Lynch features one particularly bizarre sequence where Broom-Hilda and Gaylord are confronted with the problem of disposing the body of a dead cartoonist.
He’s 81 and he has no plans to retire from the strip.
“There are days I am tired of it, sure,” he said. “But it has just become such a routine part of my existence. It’s just what I do. … I have longevity on both sides of family and good health, so I’m just going to keep grinding away.”
Even if Myers had a change of heart and retired tomorrow, Broom Hilda could continue for at least another year and a half because he works ahead and has an inventory of unused strips…
“Yeah. You tend to take things for granted. I live here and I look out my window. I look out on a river. People come by and say ‘oh, that’s beautiful.’
“Well, it is beautiful, but after you sit here for a week or two, you just don’t see it sometimes. It is just there. You take it for granted. But if I sit back and evaluate, I’m thinking, yeah, I’m sitting here in my house in my bedroom slippers and I can work the hours I want and I guess it is about the best job in the world for me.”
Her adventures range from everyday mishaps to more extraordinary situations, like battling evil wizards or saving the forest from destruction. Broom Hilda's friends also play a significant role in the comic strip. Some of the main characters include her talking vulture sidekick, Irwin, and a group of forest creatures, including a giant spider and a troll. These characters add to the charm and humor of the strip. Throughout the years, Broom Hilda the Witch has entertained readers with her unique personality and humorous antics. The comic strip has a dedicated following and continues to bring laughter to its audience. Broom Hilda's positive outlook and willingness to help others, despite her witchy appearance, remind us that appearances can be deceiving and that kindness can come from unexpected places..
Reviews for "Broim Hilda's Magical Creatures: Friends or Foes?"
1. John - 2/5 stars - "I found 'Broim hilda the witch' to be quite disappointing. The storyline lacked depth, the characters felt one-dimensional, and the humor fell flat. I had high expectations for this book, but it failed to deliver. I couldn't connect with the protagonist, and the overall pacing of the plot was inconsistent. While the illustrations were visually appealing, they couldn't make up for the book's weak storyline. I wouldn't recommend this to anyone looking for a captivating witch tale."
2. Sarah - 2/5 stars - "I was excited to read 'Broim hilda the witch' as I've enjoyed other witch-themed books in the past, but this one left me unsatisfied. The writing style was choppy and often confusing, and the dialogue felt forced and unnatural. The protagonist lacked development, and her actions didn't always make sense. Furthermore, the world-building was minimal, leaving me wanting more depth and detail. The humor, which is supposed to be one of the book's selling points, fell short and missed the mark for me. Overall, I was disappointed and wouldn't recommend this book to other witch enthusiasts."
3. Megan - 1/5 stars - "I found 'Broim hilda the witch' to be a complete waste of time. The writing was uninspiring, the characters were unlikable, and the plot was predictable and cliché. There was nothing unique or engaging about this book, and it failed to captivate my attention. The attempts at humor felt forced and juvenile, and I couldn't connect with any of the characters. It's a shame because I love witch stories, but this one fell far below my expectations. I would advise readers to steer clear of this book and find a more enjoyable witch-themed read."