The incomparable John Stanley introduced his 'Witch Hazel' in 1952... the same year as Disney's short (making it unlikely that Disney swiped Stanley the same way Warner Brothers swiped Disney... see below). Stanley's Little Lulu comics are still considered to be some of the best ever written, and were extremely popular at the time Witch Hazel (and Little Itch) were introduced as characters created by Lulu to entertain the rather difficult neighbor kid, Alvin. Fred Hembeck fondly recalls John Stanley and the Little Lulu Halloween specials at his excellent site. Scoll down for a nicely scanned comic, too. Here's a little peek at the other Witch Hazel from one of those Halloweem comics...
