History: (Showcase #81) - Windy was a beatnik college student with an insatiable appetite for bongo drums. He went to school with his best friend Willy Newton, a rich boy and would-be ladies man. The pals went on a country-wide trek to visit all of Willy’s correspondence girlfriends. In Pennsylvania they met Witch Hazel, whose illusion had Willy fooled, but Windy was an innocent and a moron, so he saw past her disguise. She tried to get a lock of Willy’s hair for an evil spell, but Windy saved him. The witch was furious, so she hexed Windy, turning him into a horse with a human face. Windy had to convince Willy he was his best pal, so he proved he was dumber than any talking horse. They ran afoul of shady horse racers who entered Windy in a race, but Witch Hazel reappeared to turn Windy uinto a bird. Willy was dragged off for medical observation when he tried to tell onlookers what happened to his friend, but made the most of the opportunity to flirt with the nurses. Nurse Nicely discovered Windy’s singing talents, and put him on a talent show, but Hazel showed up again to change him into a giraffe. Willy tried to seize the witch, but her illusion fooled the audience, and they thought Willy was attacking a helpless young woman. A near-riot broke out, and Windy and Willy fled. Willy used his knowledge of witchcraft to undo the curse with a wrist watch, but the authorities still didn’t believe Windy was human, and locked him up in a zoo until they could figure out what he was.

(Windy and Willy #1) - Windy and Willy couldn’t pay attention during chemistry class, as Willy kept trying to get his classmate Lucinda to go out on a date with him. The professor chided them, and told them students had to work hard to make it in the world of tomorrow, but Windy and Willy blew him off. Lucinda told Willy to drop dead, so he came up with a plan of concocting a chemical that would make him Mr. Handsome. His experiment worked, and transformed the entire world into the 25^th century. Willy enjoyed his newfound fame as Mr. Handsome, while Windy pigged out on futuristic food in vapor form. They traveled to Hollywood so Willy could win over Delora Delora, the most beautiful girl on Earth, but she realized Willy was too good for her, and photogs would ignore her and her career while he was around. Willy realized he’d have to go off-planet to find a proper date. On Venus the girls were crazy about Windy because of his soul patch, but he was afraid of girls so they flew off in their spaceship back to Earth. One crash landing later and Willy realized he’d been dreaming, his potion caused a huge explosion that blew up the chemistry lab.

(Windy and Willy #2) - Windy entered an electronic birthday candle blower-outer into the Junior Science Achievement competition, and the judges were baffled by its ridiculous nature. As they deliberated, Willy accidentally dropped a dumbbell in gym class in the gymnasium above, causing a lighting fixture in the science fair to fall. The judging professors were convinced that Windy had invented some sort of death-ray, and called the military. Col. Hushhush wanted the invention in safe hands, so he had the scientists award Windy first prize, and told him and Willy that the award was a trip to Cape Slocum Rocket Base. When they arrived Willy was unimpressed, and said science didn’t feed his spiritual needs, but he changed his tune when he met Clytemnestra Clark, the gorgeous astronaut who was slated to be the first woman in space. While Willy kanoodled, Windy realized he was being followed by spies who wanted the “death ray” and were trying to kill him. He tried to escape them by hiding with the astrochimps and donning one of their spacesuits. His ruse failed, but it was good enough to fool ground control, who put him aboard a rocketship destined for the moon. When the mistake was realized ground control was aghast, the chimps were never meant to return from the trip. Clytemnestra volunteered to go into space and save him, and although Willy cared about his friend he bowed out because he was a coward. The spies knocked him out and put him aboard the flight anyway, fearing he’d interfere in their plans. Clark was impressed with his “bravery,” and gave him a kiss. They rescued Windy, and when their capsule landed it clobbered the spies that were after Windy.

(Windy and Willy #2) - As devotees of the grape Windy and Willy couldn’t resist touring a processing plant after hours. They fell in a vat of grape juice, and their skin was stained purple. When an employee saw them, he mistook them for Martians. This started a general panic, and when real Martians received broadcasts that spoke of their kind on Earth, they investigated, beaming Willy and Windy aboard their ship. Martians were green, and knew Windy and Willy were not of their kind, so they dropped them back on Earth. The pals landed in a lake that washed off the grape juice, and they did their best to explain recent events to the authorities.

(Windy and Willy #3) - Willy was looking through his parents attic when he found an old picture of his dad, and when he tried to show it to his parents, Herbert used the opportunity to hint to him that he always wasted time, and should be looking for a job. The point went over Willy’s head, and when his dad said he did nothing but chase girls he took it as a compliment. When he got around to showing the picture his mother swooned over the fact that Herbert used to be a beach hunk, and she won him away from his first love Mandy Cornerspoon. Willy was only somewhat interested, and decided to hit the beach with Windy, who told him his parents were always happy to see him go. On the beach Willy met gorgeous bikini girl Jennifer, who flipped over him, doing acrobatics as he charmed her. She was ecstatic, but knew his reputation, and slapped him for all the hearts he’d broken. She said she dug him, but her father was a rich restaurant owner, and she was set to be introduced to the son of a wealthy eggs-and-butter man he was meeting. Willy was forlorn, and didn’t realize his dad had tricked her father, Jim Blunt, into thinking he ran a chain of grocery stores that could supply his restaurant. Winifred went along with the act because Jim was married to Mary Cornerspoon, and she didn’t want her husband to look better than Herbert. To sell the ruse Herbert set p a dinner and had Willy dress up as an Indian prince that was his “business partner,” and Windy was allowed to act as manservant. When they saw Jennifer they knew the act wouldn’t work, so Willy just took the opportunity to schmooze her. Blunt got a call from the zoning commission that let him know his new restaurant couldn’t be built, and he apologized that he couldn’t do business with Herbert, but he was mightily impressed by his family.

(Windy and Willy #3) - Windy and Willy went to the beach to ogle bikini girls, but when they found the fairest of them all, Judy Snoody, her boyfriend didn’t appreciate their intentions, and kicked sand in their faces. Windy said they could get big and tough if they came up with an exercise regiment, and they started weightlifting nonstop until they were ready to hit the beach again. Their tough guy antics failed, but they were saved a beating by Judy, who’d convinced her man and his friends that non-violence was the answer. They flipped when they saw her studying an expert karate book she’d written herself.

(Windy and Willy #4) - Willy was doing poorly in history class, so his mom got him a tutor, Dolly Madison, the daughter of one of her friends. Herbert bragged about his knowledge of history, and Willy sincerely replied that history was easy in his day because there wasn’t much of it. Windy and Willy hide in the bushes outside of Dolly-Madison’s house to see if she was cute enough to be worth Willy’s time. She turned out to be a mousy girl in glasses, but she caught them, and he was forced to send Windy packing and take his first lesson. She slipped into casual attire, and Willy realized she was a knockout. He offered to act out famous love scenes in history, but she laid down the rule that their relationship was strictly teacher-student. She said no man could top history’s greatest heroes for her, so after the lesson Willy enlisted Windy to help him figure out how to stop being a coward, and start being a hero. Willy came up with the plan of saving Windy from an oncoming car, but Windy hated being in danger and tried to run away. Willy tackled him, and tried to convince onlookers that he just saved his friend’s life. The reporting officer was fooled until he saw the street was closed, so the pals ran away. Willy tried to sell his story to Dolly-Madison, but when he saw that the policeman was her uncle he ran away, maybe even having learned a lesson.

(Windy and Willy #4) - Windy and Willy set up the Newton family summer cottage on Loon Lake when Windy started to stress himself out reading the DC comic book House of Mystery. His jangled nerves failed him when a loud clattering came from the kitchen. Willy tried to stay brave, but was soon hiding under the covers as the noise continued. Willy calmed himself, and assured Windy there was a reasonable explanation for the noise. They investigated and were confronted by a green swirling mass. They fled, and assured each other they hadn’t seen anything, but agreed to sleep outside for the night.

Comments: Created by Arnold Drake & Bob Oksner.