Probably the only Herbie Popnecker/aerospace history post you'll read all week

I keep meaning to do a long post on arguably the ultimate Silver Age cult comic, Herbie, a bizarre, out of nowhere character created by a journeyman and an artist of severely limited talent. The elements had no business working but somehow they came together perfectly, a chemistry that far more gifted creators have tried and failed to capture in various reboots. Herbie Popnecker's fans included Alan Moore, John Byrne, and Marv Wolfman who joked in the 70s that the only way at the time to figure out who held the rights to the character was to publish a new Herbie comic and see who sued you.One aspect that added to the bizarreness of the proceedings was the appearance of contemporary celebrities including movie stars, athletes, and world leaders, the last of whom would often reach out to the "little, fat nothing" in times of crisis, providing an off-kilter but nonetheless informative view of popular perceptions of contemporary events. This example from April/May 1964 is a good reminder…