Moon Mullins graced the comics pages of American newspapers for 67 year, from 1923-1991. Created by Frank Willard, Moon (short for "Moonshine") Mullins was a wannabe prize fighter who took a room at the Schmaltz (later Plushbottom) boarding house, a place filled with quirky working (or more often, non-working) class people. One of the most popular characters in the strip was Moon's kid brother Kayo, a pint-sized wisecracker who sleeps in an open dresser drawer. Moon's disreputable Uncle Willie and tough-minded Aunt Millie also joined the cast in the late 1920s; Willie's favorite pastime was avoiding work, while Millie was a hard-working drudge who had a soft spot for her husband. The boarding house was run by Emmy Schmaltz (later Lady Plushbottom), who liked to put on airs. Moon's sometime girlfriend was a flapper called Egypt. Kayo also got a girlfriend, Kitty Higgins, a little girl who first appeared in a "topper" strip and eventually moved to the main feature.
Moon Mullins at its height ran in 350 newspapers. Reprints of the strip appeared in books by cupples & Leon, Big Little Books, Dell Comics, and American Comics Group. Later collections appeared from Dover Books. SPEC Productions, and several books covering the history of the comic strip. The issue linked below is the first published by American Comics Group. Also included in the issue brief pieces featuring Gil Turner's Trudy ( a gorgeous high school cutie), Al Hartley's Chickie (another high school sweetie, but a brunette this time), and Al Hartley's Dannie Dumm (his name says it all).
Enjoy.
https://comicbookplus.com/?dlid=54443
I remember reading "Moon Mullins" in the papers in the '60s. It was OK, but I enjoyed another strip much more: "Our Boarding House" with the inimitable Major Hoople as its central character. Only a few reprints have been published, unfortunately, but this strip still cracks me up.
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