ANN ARBOR—Running through more lives than a feline, and even spending time underground, the University of Michigan’s humor magazine The Gargoyle keeps re-inventing itself and entertaining readers. Now celebrating its 90th anniversary, the Gargoyle is featured in an exhibit at U-M’s Bentley Historical Library.

Prepared by Marilyn M. McNitt, the exhibit will continue through the end of the year. The Bentley Library, located on Beal Street on U-M’s North Campus is open Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m.-5 p.m., and Saturday, 9 a.m.-12:30 p.m. Admission to the exhibit is free.

In the inaugural issue of February 1909, the magazine’s editors offered: “We herewith offer to appreciators of good literature the first number of a literary magazine. We have tried to make it fresh, springy, vital.

If our readers do not justly estimate the result, if they think we have fallen many degrees below our aim, we shall regret their lack of judgment—but continue to believe in the magazine and ourselves just the same ?Our sober intention is to out-sell [The Saturday Evening Post]—which should not be impossible; to out-write it—which will be easy; and finally, to outlaw it—which would be not only a success for us, but a triumphant demonstration, through our readers, of Michigan Culture.”

Howard Collins and George Quick, Editor-in-Chief for the 1937-38 Gargoyle, designed “The Complete College Education in an Hour: A Dice way to Go Through College” for the December 1937 issue. It included a pair of dice and suggested that students use coins or buttons as markers. It sold out in a matter of hours and convinced the Board in Control of Student Publications to guarantee Gargoyle funding for the rest of the year. [Detail from the game board]

Playwright Arthur Miller wrote for The Gargoyle in 1937-38 using the name Art Miller. Cartoonists Jerry Ellison and Lee Blaser drew for the magazine in the late 1920s and early ’30s during which time it was published nine times a year on slick magazine stock with four-color covers and 54-page issues. One of the cartoonists who refined his talents during this time was George (Maurice Lichtenstein) Lichty who went on to fame as creator of “Grin and Bear It.” It was during the mid-1930s that The Gargoyle was selected as America’s Outstanding College Comic Magazine. But, due to the nation’s involvement in World War II, The Gargoyle was forced to cease publication in 1944.

Not to be kept down, The Gargoyle re-emerged after the War in By the late 1950s the Gargoyle had dropped out of circulation again. In 1962 it was resurrected by John Dobbertin Jr., who, as editor, latched on to some “burning issues” such as co-ed housing and Michigan/Michigan State football. After writing previous Gargoyle editors for advice, Dobbertin learned that the revival issue would have to be clean enough to satisfy the Board in Control of Student Publications, but interesting enough that students would want to buy it. Dobbertin wrote to Charles Schulz asking for a cartoon for the revival issue. The famous cartoonist obliged, and Snoopy made his appearance in The Gargoyle.

In the 1990s The Gargoyle searched for a format going from the traditional magazine, to a comic book, to a tabloid, and back to a magazine. It disappeared again, and re-appeared once more in January 1999.

Detail from the game board