Memories are made of this... <3
The famous 'Lil' Abner', I'd heard about it and several novels and shows have referenced it, but I can't say I'd ever seen a single panel of it. Enter the Shmoo -
I know if I'd read this when I was younger, I would have loved it for completely different reasons and may have objected to how cavalierly the young and old eat these lovable little critters, even if they ask for it! Nowadays, all grown up and all, I can see what a brilliant piece of satire this is, so brilliant it had to be used twice. I could go into it, but what need is there? A creature that provides EVERYTHING a body could ever need, limitlessly, and breeds like flat cats no less, just waltzing into being...the chaos writes itself.
Don't worry if you're a 'Lil' Abner' newbie, the characters made themselves known pretty quick, and it was lightning-fast read, even by comics standards. Oh, and Harlan Ellison's introduction is brilliant.