Witch Hazel

[Wilmer Rivers]

Witch Hazel appeared in "Trick or Treat".  I doubt that there is any
real connection with the Witch Hazel who appeared in Eisner's The Spirit
(or, for tht matter, with the Witch Hazel who was a recurring character
for many years in the Little Lulu comics).  "Witch hazel" is a shrub
with yellow flowers or, more commonly, an ointment that's made from
alcohol and the extract of that shrub.  So naming a witch "Hazel" is
an obvious silly pun which has probably been used by lots of cartoonists
over the years.  It's not so imaginative as naming a duck "Habakkuk"!

Wilmer Rivers