Squit is watching the crowd in the opening panel. The suit of armor's controls are different from the ones in Win Big, as would be appropriate for the different level of technology involved.Drawn by: Walter Carzon and Mike DeCarlo
The Brain is standing on top of a large stone, holding high a sword as tall as he is that he has just pulled from it.. He's dressed as Elvis, with huge, upswept black wig, white jumpsuit studded with rhinestones, cowboy boots, rings on several fingers, and large medallion and belt buckle. Pinky stands next to him, looking on in wonder. In the background is a castle labeled Camelot.
Pinky says, "Egad, Brain, you were right! Pulling the sword from the stone did make you the king!"
England in the time of King Arthur. As the legend goes, he who pulls the sword from the stone shall become the rightful King. Pinky and the Brain watch from a nearby castle as peasant after peasant make the attempt. The Brain has observed the "inane ritual", as he puts it, long enough to figure out what the problem is. He formulates a plan to take advantage of the fact, and take control of England.
It turns out that the stone in which Excalibur is embedded is made of a natural magnetic ore. If he can counteract the magnetic pull, the sword will slip free. They quickly set about their task. First, the Brain commandeers a suit of armor and rigs it so he can operate it by a series of pulleys. The second magnet, which Pinky will operate, will counteract the stone's pull on the armor as well as the sword. Operating the magnet is simple, requiring only that two pieces of wire be placed in a beaker of lemon juice.
Of course, there's a problem: they don't have any lemon juice, either. The mice venture into the king's gardens to get lemons, distracting the king's hounds with some fresh meat...but they didn't bring enough, so they have to outrun one hound anyway. They manage that by luring him to run into a lemon tree, and they're fortunate enough to have a lemon fall onto Pinky. They squeeze the lemon - and Pinky, in the process - and prepare to execute their plan.
The next morning, the Brain, in his suit of armor, appears next to the stone and announces his intention to remove the sword. He sends Pinky a signal, and when he activates the magnet, Brain is able to remove the sword. Unfortunately, the pulley setup in the armor is not adequate to the task of holding the sword, and Brain can only wave it around a bit before he buries it in the stone again. The tip crushes the second magnet, and not only is Excalibur firmly locked in place again, but the suit of armor destroys itself on the magnetized rock. The Brain is exposed as a fraud. A newcomer named Arthur comes up to try his hand as the mice slink away.
Squit is watching the crowd in the opening panel. The suit of armor's controls are different from the ones in Win Big, as would be appropriate for the different level of technology involved.
Well, that's supposed to be Squit, anyway, but he's miscolored... (page 1) The silver coins used at the time of this story wouldn't stick to a magnetic stone, either. (page 3) Those are the greenest lemons I've seen in a while. (page 9) ...and the one Pinky's trapped in turned black in a hurry. (page 10) Medieval costume and technology is used throughout...so why hardhats with built-in flashlights? (page 10)In a little town in the Old West, Pinky and the Brain's cage is aboard a snake oil salesman's wagon. While he peddles his wares, Pinky is reading the Frontier Enquirer. The Brain sees a story on the front page about how the Native American tribesmen in the Bluefoot Mountains can create rain by performing a special dance. The Brain decides on a plan: He will join the tribe, learn its secrets, and use the power of the elements to take over the world.
They escape at the next opportunity and start searching for the Bluefeet, but the tribe finds them instead. The Brain negotiates with the leaders - who speak fluent English - and explain his desire to join their tribe. The chief explains that they can do so, but they must first pass three tests. After being assigned their tribal names - Little Big Brain and Dances with Abandon, they go off to take their tests. The first, a test of archery, ends with the Brain stuck in the center of the target. They pass the second by tickling a buffalo into submission, even though they were trying to stab him with their spears. Finally, they pass the final test by getting feathers from an eagle's nest. As they prepare to leave, the eagle returns and thinks they're her childred, but they manage to escape her loving embrace.
When they return to the tribe, they are declared worthy of joining, and are initiated, complete with getting blue feet. As official members of the tribe, they are entitled to learn about the rain dance. The chief teaches them, and even produces a rain cloud - but it's a little one. The mother eagle carries the mice off as they're frantically trying to dance up a storm.
The mice sit on a bench labeled "Right Smart Mice" in the wagon. The Frontier Enquirer refers, of course, to that paragon of journalism, the National Enquirer. I'd like to have a lodge like the Bluefeet's, complete with bowling alley, pool table, bar, pinball machines, dart board... Coloring error: in the last panel on page 22, the outer ring of the target is colored the same as the surrounding bark at the bottom. (RD)
That's one weird eagle: most eagles would consider mice a tasty morsel, not an offspring.