Chicago Spanking Review

Big Ben Bolt Spanking

---> Comics Gallery 2

© King Features Syndicate. Script by Elliot Caplin and art (we believe) by John Cullen Murphy. Posted by the Web-Ed on 06/18/2010.

Popular interest in boxing probably isn't what it was, and personally, we're inclined to think that's a good thing - it's just as well if our society isn't too enthusiastic about sporting contests in which men batter each other, sometimes to death. As the great Rod Serling put it in his television play Requiem for a Heavyweight, "They'd have these things [boxing matches] in the sewer if they could." Still, with boxing's decline we lost two very good comic strips, Joe Palooka and Big Ben Bolt.

We don't know of any adult spankings in Joe Palooka, but here's one from Big Ben Bolt (date unknown). We'd guess that by this time in the strip's run (1950 - 1978), Ben had left the ring and become a journalist. It's two women wearing the gloves here, and the father of one of them has apparently decided that after twenty years, it's about time for some paternal discipline. Who are we to disagree?

03/02/2018 Update: Thanks to Sweetspot we now have more details on the date and surrounding storyline of this spanking.

It all started when Ben's Uncle Thaddeus asked him to do a favor for his friend Mr. Thumpley. Thumpley wants Ben to teach his children the manly art of self-defense, but when Ben arrives at the Thumpley home gymnasium he finds out that Thumpley neglected to mention one thing: his three children are all girls!

Big Ben Bolt March 31, 1957. © King Features Syndicate. Script by Elliot Caplin and art by John Cullen Murphy. Scan by Sweetspot taken from the Philadelphia Inquirer.

The girls are evidently in their early 20's from what we learn later (just perfect for spanking!), and they're extremely attracted to Ben. The blonde girl (it's black and white, of course, but we'll assume her light hair is blonde for purposes of identification - she's wearing a white shirt and black trunks), tries to go into a clinch with Ben, setting off a row with her sister (black shirt, white trunks, but a 2nd sister is wearing the same combination).

Big Ben Bolt April 7, 1957. Scan by Sweetspot © King Features Syndicate.

Hearing the ruckus, Mr. Thumpley cannot resist poking his head into the gym. Big mistake - he gets clobbered by the girls! That does it - it's spanking time!

Big Ben Bolt April 14, 1957. Scan by Sweetspot © King Features Syndicate.

Now let's take a look at some clearer scans that are a bit easier to read. One thing that's immediately apparent is that there are some continuity problems with the girls' outfits, making it difficult to tell one from the other.

Big Ben Bolt March 31, 1957. Scan by Sweetspot © King Features Syndicate.

Big Ben Bolt April 14, 1957. Scan by Sweetspot © King Features Syndicate.

However, it appears that the sister who actually tags their father with a right cross is not the sister over his knee in the spanking panel - she's seen in the background apparently trying to rub her stinging behind with her boxing gloves still on, which of course doesn't work very well. So at least two of the sisters get spanked, and there's no reason to suppose Blondie escaped without a good fanny-warming of her own. In fact, referring to all three of the thumped Thumpley sisters when asked by Uncle Thaddeus if they "got something" from the session, Ben replies, "No doubt about it, they sure did!"

Big Ben Bolt April 14, 1957. Scan by Sweetspot © King Features Syndicate.

Big Ben Bolt April 14, 1957. Scan by Sweetspot © King Features Syndicate. Posted by the Web-Ed on 03/02/2018.

Our only regret about this fine scene is that we didn't get to see all three girls spanked, with at least one separate panel for each spanking.