Product Description
"Likely the most spectacular book about comics ever" (LA TIMES) "....the finest." (TIME). The first edition of this book sold out in the first three months and is now out of print. The improved second printing is available NOW. Celebrate the 100th birthday of Winsor McCay's masterpiece with this FULL ORIGNAL SIZE, 120-page hardbound volume. It features Nemo's best from 1905-1910, all printed in the actual newspaper-page size, 16 x 21 inches.
It was the greatest comic strip of its day, perhaps the greatest of all time, acclaimed the world over for its artistic majesty, unbounded imagination, and ground-breaking techniques that helped define a new art form. But since its debut 100 years ago, it has been all but impossible to view these masterpieces in their original size and colors.
LITTLE NEMO IN SLUMBERLAND
can now be seen as creator Winsor McCay intended; 110 digitally-restored, full-size prints presented in incredible detail displaying the superb draftsmanship and unique comic style of the prolific McCay.
This magnificent volume has become the most highly praised book of its kind. From a testimonial by writer and artist ART SPIEGELMAN: ". . . this heartbreakingly beautiful book is the reinvention of Winsor McCay - as if he was being published for the first time. Only better. " Famed graphic novelist CHRIS WARE calls "Splendid Sundays" "A wonderful thing. . . it's 'the book of the year.'" Writer NEIL GAIMAN says, "It is every bit as gorgeous as inspiring and as necessary as I had hoped." And from "Simpsons" creator MATT GROENING, "It's just amazing!"
Customer Reviews:
A stunning book.......2007-04-17
Let's be honest: this book's not cheap. Is it worth the price tag? Without question or hesitation: yes. If you're even contemplating buying this book, I probably don't have to tell you how great the Little Nemo strip was. What you'll want to know is that this book will make you feel like you've never really seen Little Nemo until now. It is a magnificent, absolutely stunning book.
First of all, this book is huge. McCay's work is reproduced at its original size, which reveals his superb draftsmanship in all its glory. If you remember Little Nemo as lovely but kind of cramped, you're not going to believe how open and expansive the strips look here.
Secondly, the color reproduction is superb. I'll take the editor's word that a great deal of effort was expended to match McCay's original coloring directions. What I will say is that the colors here are vibrant without being garish. It's really unbelievable that such sophisticated color work comes from a strip that's a hundred years old. I don't think most newspapers today could pull this off.
You really have to see the book to appreciate how incredible it is. This really sets a standard against which the other collections I've seen fall far short. If you can swing the price, you won't be sorry. You might, however, have a hard time finding a place to store it!
An Extraordinary Work Of Art.......2007-03-26
This is a wonderful book - any digital animator should start here. Some of the frames look like storyboards for the Lord of the Rings films. It is amazing that a work of art of this quality appeared in a popular newspaper - and reproducing it now, at full scale, was a true labor of love. Winsor McKay was a fantastic artist.
I would rate it 6 stars if I could.......2007-02-16
This is the most beautiful book I have ever seen. Having purchased the complete Little Nemo book series in the 1980's I really looked forward to finally being able to see this lovely comic in its original format. When the book arrived today I realised that it was even better than I had hoped for, extremely high quality and of impressive size.
The only drawback is that it does only contain a selection of the story, but I can always read the missing pages in the cheaper old edition. A big applaud for the publisher who dared produce this wonderfull piece of art.
Great Price-TERRIBLE PACKING!.......2007-02-07
This is a large and delicate book, in spite of this, Amazon does it's usual awful packing and it arrives damaged after a two month wait. Amazon packing for small items, (books, cds etc) is quite adequate. For large items, be it a $3000 laptop or a collectors item like this, the packing is this: An oversized & flimsy box, barely taped together, with the item plopped in the bottom and a few bubble packs tossed on top. It always arrives crushed and half open, and your laptop or whatever is simply slammed around in it. Great price for this book, but after the long wait and the damage, I should have bought it from a private seller.
Little Nemo. So may splendid Sundays.......2007-01-17
Beautiful book.A splendid example of the quality of book production possible to-day. As for Little Nemo, one does not need to be a New Yorker- or even an American-to appreciate the artistry involved.
Chris Hunt, Alnwick, UK
Book Description
Utterly eschewing the general bonhomie surrounding the newly-minted contemporary regard for the comic strip medium as a language of complicated personal expression and artistic sophistication, professional colorist and award-winning letterer F. C. Ware returns to the book trade with “The ACME Novelty Library,” a hardcover distillation of all his surviving one-page cartoon jokes with which he tuckpointed the holes of his regular comic book periodical over the
past decade. Sometimes claimed to be his “best work” by those who really don’t know any better, this definitive congestion of stories of the future, the old west, and even of modern life nonetheless tries to stay interesting by including a luminescent map of the heavens, a chart of the general structure of the universe, assorted cut-out activitites,
and a complete history of The ACME Novelty Company itself, decorated by rare photographs, early business ventures, not to mention the smallest example of a Comic Strip ever before offered to the general public. All in all, it will likely prove a rather mild disappointment, but at least it catches the light in a nice way and may force a smile here and there
before being shelved for the next generation’s ultimate disregard and/or disposal.
Customer Reviews:
A heartbreaking work of staggering...tedium?.......2007-09-15
Ware is clearly intelligent, creative, tormented, and devoted to his work. At times he achieves real poetry, which is the highest compliment I can give any creative work. The problem is that the gems contained herein are all but lost in a dense miasma of obsessive neurotica and very uneven satire that tends toward the arch, precious, and vaguely self-congratulatory.
Some of the spoof material is quite clever and I did find myself laughing out loud appreciatively a handful of times, but in general Ware pushes the same simplistic idea way too hard, over and over, and I found my eyes glazing over and my mind ardently wishing it were otherwise occupied. It doesn't help that Ware's style--graphically, narratively, and conceptually--tends to keep readers at arm's length rather than draw them in and create the illusion of intimacy. Add to this the fact that other reviewers are not exaggerating when they say you'll need a magnifying glass just to be able to read a substantial portion of the book, and the overall effect is at best ambivalent, at worst unpleasant and annoying. I couldn't escape the suspicion that Ware is resentful and perhaps even contemptuous of his readers--the self-loathing I read in his work is outweighed by anger directed at others.
He fares much better with the narrative episodes in the volume. These are not only legible (which much of the spoof material is not--ironic considering that Ware seems much more of a designer than an artist, and one who seems to demonstrate a relatively developed consciousness of typographical considerations), but also far more complex,engaging, satisfying, and evocative. Even so, the overriding aesthetic is one of alienation and brutality--a fitting reflection of our dark world, perhaps, but one which stifles and maims the generosity and sympathy that make any truly great art the gift and blessing that it is. It's as though Ware were still seeking vengeance for whatever perceived transgressions were perpetrated on him during his childhood. I would find his work more compelling if he'd tone down the obsessiveness of the presentation and focus more on his very promising cast of characters.
amazing.......2007-06-20
It's as good as the reviews say. Just get it.
A Rarity These Days.......2007-03-24
I've always enjoyed Mr. Ware's contributions to the genre, but this book....What can I say?! Amazing! Not only are the storylines dense, engaging, and complex, but the book itself is achingly gorgeous. Beautifully bound, a larger size, and with such lovely cover design, it could easily be mistaken as the manual for some ornate piece of antique machinery, or perhaps the rulebook for some vast, arcane, cabal of cannabalistic mystics, but no....it's "only" a...a what..? I guess the work could be called an underground comic (possibly more "etheric" than "underground") or a 'sequentially illustrated story,' but there's more to it than that. A more intense scrutiny exposes troves of hidden extras tucked deftly in amongst the dreamlike narrative, and re-reading brings new treasures to light. This is quite alot to add to a book that is already so beautifully and painstakingly illustrated. Chris Ware's spare, fluid style reminds me of many things...a draftsman's blueprint...early baby boom era automobile advertising...and...uh...what..? Perhaps the cover illo from a post WWII sci-fi paperback? Japanese calligraphy on a grain of rice? Not quite...This work is very evocative, yet somehow still so very hard to pin down, and yes, I do agree that it takes some effort to read some of the smaller stuff! Thank goodness for that, hunh? Otherwise, how would he ever have crammed so much work into that poor overloaded, jam-packed, wedged-in-with-a-crowbar volume? This book was barely 'street-legal' as it was! So put on your specs or borrow a good magnifying glass, and drop the sniv- -its definitely worth the effort. Mr. Ware has graciously offered us many lovely gifts, so let us not complain that some of them require more delicate handling. If it were possible, I would give this book more than 5 stars--it is beautifully drawn, possesses a storyline that snares you neatly and painlessly, contains tons of hidden treats and tricks, and is so prettily bound that it almost screams 'collectible!!'....It is rare that any book deserves this title, and rarer still to hear this word being used, but here it is: I believe this book to be A TOME.
beautiful, but relentlessly depressing.......2007-01-15
As another reviewer noted, the type in this book is so small that reading is a great effort. And the stories are so depressing that a little goes a long way. The book is quite lovely, but I seldom find myself reading it. I'd recommend buying something else.
Insecurities are funny. Right?.......2007-01-12
Imagine if you took every dark and self-loathing thought that a person ever had and then lumped it into a book. If you can imagine that then you might just understand this book. The art is phenominal, the writing is heart-wrenching and extremely clear and beautiful, but this book is not for the easily upset. Though Ware's comic style is often misread due to its breaking of the common left to right, top to bottom format this book is definetly worth the time it takes to read it. If you're a common reader of Graphic Novels or just starting out this is a great book for you.
Warning: don't buy this for your ten year old son. Comics aren't just for kids anymore and if you don't know that yet you will soon.
Average customer rating:
- Good art, bad story, mixed whole.
- Meh
- Get it get it get it--in hardcover
- disjointed storytelling at its best
- Wonderfully depressing
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Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth
Chris Ware
Manufacturer: Pantheon
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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The Acme Novelty Library
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Epileptic
ASIN: 0375404538
Release Date: 2000-09-12 |
Book Description
This first book from Chicago author Chris Ware is a pleasantly-decorated view at a lonely and emotionally-impaired "everyman" (Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth), who is provided, at age 36, the opportunity to meet his father for the first time. An improvisatory romance which gingerly deports itself between 1890's Chicago and 1980's small town Michigan, the reader is helped along by thousands of colored illustrations and diagrams, which, when read rapidly in sequence, provide a convincing illusion of life and movement. The bulk of the work is supported by fold-out instructions, an index, paper cut-outs, and a brief apology, all of which concrete to form a rich portrait of a man stunted by a paralyzing fear of being disliked.
Customer Reviews:
Good art, bad story, mixed whole........2007-07-11
Jimmy Corrigan looks great, but thats about as far as it goes, and it seems that the phrase "all style and no substance" was coined just for this book, but I also have personal reasons for disliking the story. Well, what do I think of the book? I'll try and break this down sensibly.
Artistically, it's done very well, and the drawing is intricate, detailed, and pleasing to the eye. It portrays the cold, wintry, emotionally detached feelings that the story itself wants to convey, but fails to. In fact, the art itself conveys the feelings and meaning of the story better than the dialogue does. I love the layouts, the intricate nature of it all, and the attention to detail. Ware is good at capturing the feeling of the various time periods and environments the story takes the reader to using imagery, color, and style.
But you can't judge a book by its cover, or a graphic novel by only it's art, and this is where Jimmy Corrigan runs in to trouble. I just didn't like the story, mostly because I couldn't realate to it or find myself invested in it. I think it's largely personal, but there are some more objective issues. First, the personal issues;
So much of the story is about alienation, absentee fathers and cold parents, social awkwardness, and so forth. I just can't relate to this stuff. I've always had a good relationship with both my parents, I don't act like a deer in headlights when someone tries to talk to me, and I don't spend ten minutes trying to figure out how to do something simple. For this reason, the story seems so unusual to me and I just don't find any connection between myself or any of the characters. Jimmmy's dad, despite his occasional racist quips and goofy attitude, and his adopted daughter, are the only characters that I did not find completely irritating.
To me, Jimmy seems to have no real personality, and his reactions to the situations he finds himself in just baffle me. Perhaps there's some exagerration in his personality compared to whatever the real-life equivalent of Jimmy is supposed to be, but I still find his behavior completely unrealistic and baffling. This is one of the things that kept me from enjoying the book, as I could never find any sympathy for Jimmy because he just seemed so infuriatingly stupid. The story would have perhaps had more depth if Jimmy was supposed to be autistic, or mentally handicapped, or something else like that. As it is, I just fail to see why he behaves in the manner that he does, sitting, staring, speaking in grunts and half sentences, and so forth.
Beyond the characters, what about the story itself?
Jimmys reunion with his father is an okay template for a story, but its obvious that its something the reader is supposed to be very emotionally invested in, but I couldn't get drawn in to it. I think ware takes it somewhat for granted that not everyone else has the same experiences with alienation and social awkwardness as him, and regardless, Jimmy is a poor attempt at a realistic portrayal of social awkwardness and lonliness.
The flashback stories to the turn of the century are decent enough. I didn't like many of those characters either, but Ware gives the stories a distinct feel and character all their own.
All in all, this book gets 5 stars for the technique, the art, and the style, but 1 star for the actual content. So, that evens it out to three stars.
Is this book a masterpiece? Not by a longshot. I think there are probably a lot of stunted manchildren in the comics world, especially the "alternative" comics world, who would relate to this story and find themselves in tears at the end, but this story is far from having a universal appeal.
Ware's other work is far superior to this, especially the Rusty Brown stories, which effectively portray a gamut of emotions and issues acorss somewhat generational lines in a way Jimmy Corrigan utterly fails to do, while at the same time giving the reader fuly developed, sympathetic characters. (Well, maybe not sympathetic, per se, but I found myself much more concerned with what would happen to Rusty Brown than I ever did Jimmy Corrigan.)
So, if you want some high quality work by ware, go for the Acme Novelty Library books.
If you want themes of alienation, analyses of social interactions, and observations on life, try box Offfice Poison or Ghost World, both of which are far more satisfying, not nearly as inaccesibly personal, and not even a tenth as pretentious.
As far as comic masterpieces in general go, Dave Sim's Cerebus beats anything Ware has ever offered up.
This book is a good read for the art and method, and its a good read just to be familiar with what everyone else is talking about. But the story is not going to appeal to everyone.
Meh.......2007-04-25
I guess I can see why people are so into this. It depends on what you like, really. I mean, it's not bad by any standard. The art is good and goes with the ultra depressing tone of the book. It's just not really the type of art that I personally can get really into. I just felt that with all the super positive reviews that are out there there ought to be one written from the other point of view. I didn't hate this book by any means. I just didn't love it. Or really even like it. It bored me and worse than that, it put me in a bad mood. I understand that it's supposed to be real and about this super awkward, alienated sad little man, but it seems to me that there is a lot of reality that I don't really want to have chronicled and put into a 400 page book. I just ended up not really caring a whole lot about the characters. So if you don't want something that is very slow paced and depressing in tone and somber, then don't get this book.
Get it get it get it--in hardcover.......2007-02-16
First, the negative: As another customer reviewer has already said, the paperback edition is poorly bound. Tragic, but true. I ignored this warning and saved myself a few bucks...and after less than a week, my copy is falling apart. I've never seen such a great book put together with such useless glue. Get the hardcover edition.
The other thing about the paperback edition is that sometimes you'll need a magnifying glass to take it all in; things get tight! I was squinting and straining more than was comfortable. (I don't know if this is true for other editions or not.)
Now, the positive: Chris Ware has figured out a visual language that is all his own, as far as I know. It might take you a few dozen pages to get the hang of how to read this book (especially if, like me, you're not too experienced with reading graphic novels), but you will. I know that there are "rules" to the way his dense panels work, for example, and I have learned how to read them in the right order, pretty fluently. But I couldn't explain it--you'll just have to figure it out, which of course is part of the fun in itself. You'll also see that there are rules about color and text--these are also surprising and ingenious, but once grasped become intuitive.
The plot could hardly be simpler. (Repressed, lonely guy gets abrupt call from estranged father, meets father for Thanksgiving holiday. I'll say no more than that.) But there's lots and lots going on; Ware manages to delve into all kinds of issues. Race and ethnicity, Chicago history, Freudian sexual conundrums, the desolation of modern American architecture...You really get a sense of the author's interests and passions.
I'm not sure this is a book everyone on the planet needs to read. But if you've done enough digging to find out about it and are at all interested in graphic novels, do not miss this. It's a real mindjob I can't wait to read again and again.
disjointed storytelling at its best.......2007-02-11
After I showed my cousin a story I had written, he gave me this book. He said it was an example of how a disjointed storytelling style can still deliver a satisfying story when it's done right. He gave me the book with the caveat that it gets a bit depressing. I can handle pessimistic stories, but with all the quoted praise flanking an enigmatic schematic that my cousin says is an overview of the entire book in the opening pages, I did wonder what someone so talented and recognized could find to be pessimistic about. The story's bleak dark humour, unannounced time shifts, and sections set in the late 1800s made me feel like I was reading William Faulkner in comic book form. It can be quite hard to follow at times, but it's such a mundane story that I wouldn't have had it any other way, and as with Faulkner, the beauty of the pages that caused me to have a "WTF?" moment was usually enough that I was motivated to go back and try to figure out what had happened, although I won't pretend I understood all of it, and it's too depressing for me to want to reread any time soon. One minor gripe is that for such a demanding comic book, there's a weird tendency in the more lucid parts to over explain, sometimes for the sake of humour, but sometimes stating the obvious whereas there are much harder to understand things that Chris Ware assumed the reader was smart enough to puzzle out. This was weird, and bugged me a bit in some of the flashback sections. Otherwise this is very impressive, and if I ever do something as good as this in prose fiction, I'll be very happy and probably not able to write anything as dark as this graphic novel.
Wonderfully depressing.......2007-01-11
The art in this book is quite subtle, striking only later at how detailed the architecture is in contrast to the seemingly simple characters portrayed. This is one of those wonderful instances in which you find yourself feeling almost embarrassed to be looking at lives laid so bare. The situations, while arguably mundane, just seem so REAL.
Average customer rating:
- great stuff
- Shows Chris as the true artist that he is
- Monster talent!
- Acme Novelty Datebook
- Insight into Genius
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The Acme Novelty Datebook
Chris Ware
Manufacturer: Drawn and Quarterly
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover
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The Acme Novelty Library
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The ACME Novelty Library #16
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ACME Novelty Library #17 (Acme Novelty Library)
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Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth
ASIN: 1896597661 |
Book Description
Acclaimed cartoonist Chris Ware reveals the outtakes of his genius in these intimate, imaginative, and whimsical sketches collected from the years during which he completed his award-winning graphic novel Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth (Pantheon). His novel not only won the Manchester Guardian First Novel prize in 2001 but it has sold over 100,000 copies. This book is as much a companion volume to Jimmy Corrigan --one of the great crossover success stories-- as a tremendous art collection from of one of America’s most interesting and popular graphic artist.
Chris Ware has a passion for drawing that is surprisingly wide-ranging in style and subject. This book surprises the reader on every page with its sense of spontaneous vision. Architectural drawings from Chicago and interplanetary robot comics collide with cruelly doodled human figures and quietly troubling studies of the still life. A must for people with a passion for modern design and old-fashioned style.
Customer Reviews:
great stuff.......2007-02-20
beautiful drawings...no matter how self critical mr. ware was back in the day. the book really allows the reader into the head of a master illustrator. if you're looking more for a graphic novel, don't start with this one (try his first real freshman work jimmy c, or his ACME novelty library, probably my favorite - you get a real sense of what ware is all about - clean lines, insane, or better put, anal details). anyway, back to this one...great book, if you're a fan of ware, there's no reason not to get this one, and if you're not yet convinced, this is a nice piece just to have - these same drawings and doodles that once inspired ware himself, now get me thinking. love it.
Shows Chris as the true artist that he is.......2007-01-13
I didn't think I would like this one. But after owning everything else the man ever made, I asked for this one for x-mas. Wow! I love it! There are spontaneous portraits of people on the bus, views from friend's rooftops, the rudiments of strips like: God, Jimmy the robot etc...
If you are a Chris Ware fan YOU WILL LOVE THIS BOOK! If you are not familiar with Chris, best to start somewhere else.
Monster talent!.......2005-10-24
The book is a record of an absolute monster drawing talent!
It collects tentative investigations, as a scrapbook of ideas and odds and ends. The amazing thing about it is its vitality.
Anything and everything becomes a source of inspiration and investigation into the nature of drawing. A coffee cup, a telephone in a waiting room, a washing machine, such mundane things seem to begin as notations but are transformed by Ware's observation of line and tone into their inner vitality - much like Van Gogh's peasant shoes. There are beautiful portraits. And beyond the observed notes, the book is positively brimming with characters, mutations, and cartoons from his eccentric imagination. The fantastical musings and the observed notations blend, merge together, separate like DNA strands through the book, adding up to a rich record of creativity
Acme Novelty Datebook.......2004-06-18
I just finished reading this, and it's a real treat. Fans of Jimmy Corrigan or Acme Novelty Library will enjoy drafts of these but expect differences in style. This gives a better look at Chris Ware than his other publications that I've read. You can really feel his frustrations in this work. I reccommend this to both fans and non-fans.
Insight into Genius.......2003-09-28
If you want to see inside Chris Ware's head, this is the book. There's next to no Jimmy Corrigan or Acme Novelty, just raw sketches of inspiration and internal struggle spanning 9 years of Ware's life (1986-1995). As an illustrator/designer, I found this book to be the most inspirational book I own, and I own many inspirational books. I definately recommend it.
Book Description
Undaunted by lukewarm Internet and blogospheric opinion (“flat,” “slow,” and “always dreary”) of his meretricious return last year to the tradition of the American comic book with the sixteenth issue of his ACME Novelty Library, cartoonist and professional sentimentalist Chris Ware returns with the seventeenth issue of this same title, and it is almost certain not to change general public opinion. Continuing with the second half of the introduction to his shamelessly meandering graphic novel Rusty Brown (which began last issue at a private school in the 1970s Midwest), the six-sided crystal suggested by the exegesis of the first installment is slowly turned and examined in midmorning winter sunlight sometime between the bell of first period and the conclusion of lunch for the first through the fourth grades. Also included are more thorough examinations of many of the main characters’ cloudy motivations, personal habits, and favorite restaurants, to say nothing of the small dust mote around which they have coalesced and the complications in its life due to the acquisition of superpowers sometime the night before. Like the irritating distant family member you only have to see once a year, the ACME Novelty Library #17 will, as was its predecessor, be published by the author in a single, limited edition only, never to be reprinted until the entire library is collected as a single volume, though it may be promptly remaindered and/or discarded.
Customer Reviews:
Prepare to be Depressed.......2007-07-30
Chris Ware's works have been described as `unbearably obtuse', `psychologically abusive', `bleak' and `depressing'. And these are just the descriptions offered by Mr. Ware himself. Wikipedia says, "The defining characteristics of Ware's work include a pervasive sadness and nihilism, tales of disappointment, thwarted affection, and the dehumanization of the individual in a modern and mechanized world."
So get ready for a good ole' time....
Maybe not.
Chris Ware is a very interesting artist. His visuals have an extraordinarily clean/meticulous look with extensive use of primary shapes particularly circles, simple flat colors without shading and thick black bordering. They look like they came straight from a graphics design class. The light, whimsical visual contrast dramatically with Mr. Ware crushingly depressive writing. His stories tend to focus on pathologically introverted figures and main characters who tend to be chunky misfits and loners with little to no friends. The art teacher obsesses on the appearances of his young students and spends class time trying to sneak peeks at the girl's panties. After school he smokes pot in the back of his student's car. And the teachers name? Mr. Ware.
As strange as it may sound my biggest issue with Chris Ware is his tendency to print his books in odd physical dimensions. When I purchased `Quimby the Mouse' I was surprised to find that it was an unwieldy 14 by 11 which made it difficult to store. This may seem trivial but I now check the dimensions of anything I purchase by Mr. Ware. The book I'm reviewing is a much more compact 9 by 7. Another issue I have is his tendency to use absurdly small fonts. I have very good vision and I've never worn glasses or contacts but sometimes I flat out can't read the text. You really have to see it (or not see it?) to know what I'm talking about. My last beef is that his work often goes beyond bleak into the realm of sterile. His art is SO meticulous and precise that it can sometimes lose its humanity as if it were drawn by a robot. The characters tend to resemble each other in manner and appearance with Rusty Brown and Chalky White being practically interchangeable.
This particular edition focuses on Rusty Brown, a young boy in primary school who imagines himself with super powers rescuing the Supergirl doll he carries around. The only semi friend he has is Chalky White who is equally unaccepted by his peers. Since the events are part of an ongoing series there is no beginning or end to the story and nothing triumphant or uplifting occurs. Regardless of the quality of his works it's unlikely that Chris Ware will ever have mass appeal because he is so unconventional. I enjoyed the book but I'm generally one of those people who enjoys comics and movies that are out of the mainstream. On the other hand I love a good Superman story too. I recommend the Acme collection but I can understand where Mr. Ware's critics are coming from.
drafting for drafting's sake........2007-06-27
Chris Ware is a fantastic draftsman. He does not create good comics however. His comics are depressing & lifeless. This might be his point, but if this is what "grown up" comics are about, we'd be better off keeping comics for kids, full of optimism & dynamism.
good, not great.......2007-06-08
Ware's Jimmy Corrigan was great, and some Acme editions are great as well, but this one is just a bit too predictable. Drawings still great, color too, but more crazy little details is what i miss in this one.
#17.......2007-03-31
I much admire C.W. work. The book is flawlessly designed. The amount of details is amazing (don't forget to check the barcode sticker with the "warning" on the back cover...
Disappointed long-time fan!.......2007-02-26
Chris Ware says this in the small print himself -- this volume is not as good as previous volumes. And I realize now he wasn't being his usual, excessively self-deprecating self on this point. It is TRUE. This volume is thin on plot -- and even sort of tinny in tone. Mr Ware must have been stretching himself thin at the time of its creation -- he was doing live engagements and all those decidedly unfunny panels for the Sunday New York Times magazine's "Funny Pages."
I should have considered myself warned by his fine print. But I thought he was being funny.
Book Description
After four years of almost exclusively repackaging his sophomoric early work for the book trade, the children's entertainer and award-winning calligrapher F. C. Ware returns to his groundbreaking 1990s cartoon series "The ACME Novelty Library," a nearly decade-long publishing experiment which more or less single-handedly demonstrated the redemptive power a fancy paper stock or a little gold foil might exert over an otherwise dull, dry visual narrative.
This semi-annual periodical originally serialized his surprisingly undismissed "Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth," and now, with the 16th issue, Ware rejoins the proud, vital esthetic forum of the American comic book with his ongoing serial "Rusty Brown," a love story concerning the ambitions and mistakes of seven consciousnesses at a private school in Omaha, Nebraska, all revolving around a universally reviled child-and absolutely certain to be a favorite with readers of all tastes and biases. As told through the eyes of someone absentmindedly watching a television sitcom circa 1975, this first installment begins one January morning of that same year and describes everything of importance right up to and including the ring of the first period bell before eventually spiraling off into 1955, 2004, and toward the planet Mars, amongst other interesting and exotic time periods and locales. Riveting, fast-paced, and irresponsible, "Rusty Brown" distills the confusing and indulgent storytelling technique that led Mr. Ware's work to be referred to as "nearly impossible to read" by the Los Angeles Times Book Review. (In addition, Mr. Ware promises parallel serialization of his other work-in-progress, "Building Stories," which is actually a much better and more interesting project.)
Though originally released by alternative comics vanguard Fantagraphics Books, this new sixteenth issue is the first to be entirely produced, printed and published by Mr. Ware alone; limited to a single press run, once it is sold out, pulped, and/or burned, neither of these narratives will be available again until "Rusty Brown" and "Building Stories" are eventually edited, collected and remaindered as hardcover books. Thus, be the first in your mercantile district to own this first chapter of what years from now is sure to be a tart, possibly insincere reminder of the fragile economy and mental disposition of the early 21st century. 64 pages, full color, 9" x 7"
Customer Reviews:
Rusty's adventures from the beginning.......2007-04-10
This book is near of the "Jimmy Corrigan..." style and mood.
Visually clear and precise in order to benefit the narrative success.
There are two things that I specially enjoyed:
- The Chris Ware's cameo and his dissertation about depression
- the paralell sequence at the bottom of the page that intersect with the main story in one point of the book.
Chris Ware is a master. No doubt about it.
Great job.
A master at the peak of his powers........2006-05-30
The new Acme is finally here, and, lest I allow my excitement over its mere existence color my review, I let it sit for a little while after I bought it and then reread it. It is still amazing. The slow pace is the sign of someone who is not afraid of giving the story room to breathe. Any faster and this story would not have the same emotional impact that it already does after one all-too-brief installment. Ware's lines are wonderfully clear and his palette subdued and balanced, though the lower story does tend to strain the eyes somewhat with its nearly microscopic detail. Possibly his strongest work yet, although it seems a bit hasty to say, seeing as I'll be of retirement age by the time the damn thing's finished. But still, I am grateful that Mr. Ware is out there writing his pathetically beautiful comics.
A great collection.......2006-02-25
Much more emotional than the previous issue of ANL, this gorgeously-printed book collects installments of "Rusty Brown" and "Building Stories". The former has improved vastly since it's earlier installments---by going back to Rusty and Chalky's childhood (albeit in a sort of weird alternate universe, but then, continuity is overrated), Ware gets back to the sorrow&pity that characterized Jimmy Corrigan, rather than the snideness of previous Rusty Brown installments.
A Few Thoughts about Acme Novelty #16.......2006-01-02
I am a huge fan of Chris Ware's work, one of the few who discovered Acme Novelty way back around issue #4. This was the beginning of the Jimmy Corrigan saga, where the protaganist's perspective slides between hallucinations (the metal man), with "themes" repeated in the background (the peach!). The story telling was incredible, and the books deserved repeated readings.
As Ware has acheived the acclaim of which he is worthy, the quality of the narrative has gone down. First, there were a few boring issues of Acme with very linear storylines (ex: J.C. in the hospital getting his leg bandaged). Then, there was the repackaging of older strips in hardcover, most recently the red covered Acme Novelty Library collection. It was old stuff, padded with little gags like Dick Public and longer but unfocused stories, like the title-less "God" story.
Acme Novelty #16 falls between Ware's best and worst work. It's mostly one story (Rusty Brown and Chalky White as children), told in parallel narratives (one from each perspective). There's some interesting bits with characters we haven't seen before, namely Rusty's father and Chalky's sister. Plus there's a "cameo" of Ware himself, who prods a character in his most miserable state. (I was reminded of Kurt Vonnegut's appearance in "Breakfast of Champions".) There is beautiful art of a midwestern, middle class world in the snow, with Ware's trademark simplicity with detail and consistency and the feeling of isolation.
There at least one very interesting sequence where the view zooms out, turns, and zooms in to another part of the same building.
It's also interesting to see more about Rusty Brown's background, and actually feel a little simpathy for the poor kid, before he turns into a Big Jerk later in life!
What's missing is a story arc; the story is flat, starting and ending at arbitrary points.
The book ends with two shorter stories, one apparently autobiographical, with a happy tone (?!?!?) that counterbalances the bleak isolation and loneliness in the rest of the book.
The final story develops the one legged girl character who appears in the New York Times magazine. This is told in those diagrams where you have to follow the paths all over the page. (Ware fans know what I'm talking about.) (A chunk of this bit of A.N.L.#16 also appeared, minus color, in the recent "Masters of American Comics" book)
Overall, for Ware fans, Acme Novelty Library #16 is something you need to buy. Those who have never seen his work, however, would do better to start with the book Jimmy Corrigan. ANL#16 is not his best, but it is worth the price, and I'll certainly give it a few readings. And that's more than I can say about most graphic novels.
Another beautiful entry from Ware.......2005-12-31
I've been waiting for this one for awhile, so I was happy to finally get my hands on it a couple weeks after what was supposed to be the initial release date.
Overall, the ACME Novelty Library #16 delivers more of what you would expect from Ware. In this short hardback (64 pages), he delivers intertwining stories by pulling them together uniquely on the page for the first section, then intersecting the strips as the characters finally converge in the same place. As always, the drawing and design is amazing, and he gives us a small insight into his process (including what seems to be an ongoing, almost debilitating case of self-doubt) of creation.
I have just about everything that Ware has done to date, and the only reason that I'm giving this book 4 stars is because his always dreary stories are on the cusp of starting to get to me. Jimmy Corrigan was beautiful and sprawling masterwork that had a small sense of redemption at the end, but in the time since then (including The Acme Novelty Library and this new piece), his downer storylines have felt more and more claustrophobic. It's probably just a personal preference, and I know I'll keep buying his work since he's such a unique and talented artist, but I felt I had to explain my less than 5 star rating. As mentioned above, if you're a fan of his work, you're not going to go wrong with this one. You almost feel guilty getting such an exquisitely designed and printed book for such a cheap price (considering some of the poorly-conceived rags that are foisted upon the literary world).
Book Description
“Gasoline Alley clearly belongs in the cannon as a deeply American masterwork of cartooning.” —Time.com
Walt and Skeezix: Book Two collects the Gasoline Alley strips by the great American cartoonist Frank King from 1923 to 1924. King was the first cartoonist to have his characters age in real time and have modern story lines, a landmark conception for comic strips in the early twentieth century. There is a new eighty-page introduction by journalist Jeet Heer.
Customer Reviews:
Comics Junkie.......2007-07-31
A continuation of the Gasoline Alley early days. Well preserved. A good buy for comics junkies like me.
One of the all-time great comics.......2007-06-24
When people long for the good-old-days, usually they're dreaming of an idealized time that in actuality only looks good in hindsight. However, when it comes to newspaper comic strips, I do long for the good old days. While there are still a few good strips in existence nowadays, there is also a lot of garbage. While I suppose that was probably always the case, at least newspapers respected the comics then, as opposed to nowadays, when they are crammed all onto a page or two.
Frank King's Gasoline Alley was one of the gems of the early half of the century and was especially notable for being a real-time strip: for each comic strip year, the characters also aged a year. As evidenced in the title Walt and Skeezix, 1923 and 1924, Gasoline Alley had two central characters: Walt, a large, amiable fellow and Skeezix, his adopted son. In the first collection (comprising 1921 and 1922), we first met Skeezix as a newborn left on Walt's doorstep.
As this second volume begins, Walt is on the brink of finalizing Skeezix's adoption, but someone representing the real mother throws a temporary wrench into the proceedings.
Among the other people who occupy the Alley are Bill, Avery and Doc, Walt's best friends, and the mysterious Mrs. Phyllis Blossom, who Walt is slightly romantically involved. Among the features in the 1923 strips is the appearance of Mr. Wicker, a wealthy older man who becomes a denizen of the alley (and a potential rival in Walt's pursuit of Phyllis). The highlight, however is a cross-country race between Avery and Walt: if Avery loses, he needs to buy a new car (a particular hardship for the stingy Avery); if Walt loses, he has to propose to Phyllis.
In the 1924 strips, the biggest storyline is the revelation of Skeezix's mother and a subsequent kidnapping of the four-year old by that mother. Of course, Walt and Skeezix will be reunited, but the two will take a trip out west to avoid future problems (and are soon joined by Walt's friends).
Well-drawn and well-written, Gasoline Alley was one of the top comic strips of its era and is one of the all-time best strips. It actually still exists, making it one of the longest running strips ever (although it has a limited circulation and is a pale shadow of its former self). For a good look at what the comics used to look like - and how good they could be - this is a great read.
Walt and Skeezix, Book 2 by Frank King.......2007-01-12
I have ordered but not yet received book 2 in this series. However, I expect it to be even better than book 1. This is a well-bound large volume of the history of the cartoonist along with many pictures. This also includes the beginning of the Gasoline Alley comic strips. I am assuming book 2 will begin where book 1 left off.
As a child I loved reading this strip up until I was an adult when it ceased to be carried in our Roanoke Times (VA) newspaper. Many times when I have a good remembrance of something it falls short when viewed a second time, but I was not disappointed in this book.
pure americana.......2006-11-06
I used to think there were only four classic comic strips - Lil Abner, Krazy Kat, Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbes. Gasoline Alley is as good as any of them, especially in its early years. Frank King's work can only be described as "gentle humor" and is as American as Will Rogers, Meredith Willson's Music Man and mom's apple pie. Oh, to be able to live in the world of Walt and Skeezix.
Book Description
One of Western literature's most glorious and incisive satires—now in a brilliant new translation with a bold new cover by Chris Ware
With its vibrant new translation, perceptive introduction, and witty packaging, this new edition of Voltaire's irreverent, tragicomic masterpiece belongs in the hands of every reader pondering our assumptions about human behavior and our place in the world.
Candide tells of the outrageous adventures of the naïve Candide, who doggedly believes that “all is for the best” even when faced with injustice, suffering, and despair. Controversial and entertaining, Candide is a book that is vitally relevant today in our world pervaded by—as Candide would say— “the mania for insisting that all is well when all is by no means well.”
This new translation of one of Western literature's most glorious satires tells of the outrageous adventures of the naïve Candide, who doggedly believes that “all is for the best” even when faced with injustice, suffering, and despair.
Customer Reviews:
Great Cover.......2007-02-12
It was in perfect condition; no tears, rips, and a hilarious cover to top it all off.
Great edition; better book.......2007-01-01
When I imagined what 18th-century literature would be like, I figured there'd be lots of dated, archaic humor and cultural references I'd never understand. CANDIDE, as it happens, contains anything but the former, and very few of the latter.
In fact, this turned out to be the funniest book I've ever read--and I've read Pynchon, Vonnegut, and plenty of others. The absurdity of the novel and the nonchalance of its delivery are simply hilarious. Voltaire makes no attempt to conform to his time's--or even ours'--standard of decency: expect a slew of satire, an unprecedented (by 1759) dark sense of humor, and a message that the author will stop at nothing to convey. Voltaire will force his thesis down your throat, and you'll feel no desire to resist. Voltaire exposes the imperfection of our world and the fallacies of blind optimism with relentless wit and bluntness.
Penguin's Deluxe Classics edition of this is very handsome, and has laugh-out-loud material plastered all across the cover and inside flaps of the book--though watch out; minor spoilers abound!
This is a quick read, a classic, and a blast that you'll regret ends as soon as it does. Highly recommended.
Take a closer look at the cover!.......2005-11-05
I read Candide years ago; however, while looking through the shelves of the local bookstore I was stopped dead in my tracks by this new presentation. Enlarge the image of the new cover at the top of the page to be treated to a whimsical stick figure rendition of a majority of the story (complements of Chris Ware, some of his graphic novels include : The Acme Novelty Library, Quimby the Mouse and Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth). However, read the book, not just the cover, for one of the smartest satires ever written.
Candide tells of the outrageous adventures of the naïve Candide, who steadfastly believes that "all is for the best" even when faced with the injustice, suffering, and despair of the world. Following his eviction from his home for a tryst with his stepsister, he sets out to find the "best of all possible worlds" that his mentor Dr. Pangloss cannot stop extolling. Althewhile Candide and his friends barely keep from being killed or tourtured at every turn. Controversial for its time (the 18th century) and entertaining still today; Candide is a book that is relevant even now in our society, where "the mania for insisting that all is well when all is by no means well" prevails.
I am an avowed classics hater who could never make it through a single volume of anything in any Literature class. Never in a million years would I have picked up this book if not for a recommendation by Kurt Vonnegut in one of his autobiographical works. He highly recommended Candide, and being my favorite author, I could not help but be intrigued. I found it in the bookstore and it was short enough to read in one sitting.
The sight of this clever new edition brought a wonderful work of literature back into my mind and I just had to read it again. Beware, if you do not have a sense of humor about the human condition or do not understand sarcasm, you may not like this. Everyone else, enjoy!
Book Description
Walt & Skeezix is the first-ever collection of the classic twentieth-century newspaper strip Gasoline Alley, and Book One is the beginning of a handsome multivolume series edited and designed by comics virtuoso Chris Ware
Chris Ware has often cited Gasoline Alley as one of his favorite comic strips ever, and he has lovingly edited and designed Walt & Skeezix: Book One, the first-ever collection of the classic newspaper strip created by one of the pioneering giants of American comic strips, Frank King. Not only does this volume reprint the first two years of the strip in which King’s friendly and nostalgic imagination took shape but each book in the series features an eighty-page color introduction by Jeet Heer of Canada’s National Post. Each introduction will also feature never-before-seen archival photos and ephemera from the personal collection of King’s granddaughter. Walt & Skeezix is not just a collection of a classic comic strip—it is the story of a great American cartoonist.
Few cartoon strips have this kind of longevity and quality; Gasoline Alley has been with us since 1919 and is a gentle mirror held up to ordinary American life in the early twentieth century. It started as a mild satire on the post-WWI “craze” for cars, but it wasn’t long before it developed into a quirky family story attracting an audience of more than thirty million readers in four hundred–plus newspapers. Gasoline Alley, an affectionate portrait of modern living, is remembered for being the first strip to set itself in contemporary American history. The characters of Gasoline Alley grow up, go to war, and have grandchildren. The strip always reflects the kind, sweet pace of life.
Customer Reviews:
A look into the really, truly past.......2007-08-07
Commentary and editorial aside, the heart of this book is the wonderful Gasoline Alley strips. For those who honestly can't imagine what daily life was like before automatic shift, television, modern medicine, sexual liberation--this book is like being pulled through a time warp into the 1920s and 30s.
It has a lot of the same flavor as For Better or Worse. It's infested with genuine American characters. (Fair warning: the portrayals of African Americans are deeply stereotyped--but also remarkably sympathetic in terms of human feeling.)
DO NOT read it all in one sitting. Try to limit yourself to ten strips a night. Like movie serials, comic strips that appeared in daily newspapers took months or years to fully develop a story arc. You can't rush through that--and why the heck would you want to?
Comics Junkie.......2007-07-31
This collection was a little before my time, but it is great to read about the earlier days of Gasoline Alley.
This is a Great Book.......2007-04-11
I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The photographs really provide insite into the authours life and basis for the comic strips. I really enjoyed the dated chronology of the strips. It also provided me with a humorous way of conveying the social, political and economic happenings of that period in American History. Absolutely Fantastic, I can not wait to read the second book in the series.
The timeless genius of Frank King!.......2007-01-18
I had never really understood the appeal of Gasoline Alley. I sensed that it was a pleasant enough "slice of life" comic strip, well drawn and harmless. I had given it a glance now and then over the years, not even beginning to sense the iceberg that was always there, just beneath the 3 or 4 daily comic panels. This was all before I was exposed to the collected early stuff and the absolute genius of creator Frank King. Now, after having just finished the first volume of "Walt and Skeezix" which covers years 1921 and 1922 of this wonderful strip, I am simply very grateful to the Montreal publishing house, Drawn and Quarterly, for undertaking the multi-year project of collecting all the dailies from the King years.
The effect of this strip is somewhat cumulative, and Jeet Heer puts it best in his introduction when he writes "Gasoline Alley needs to be read in bulk to be appreciated." As I read along, it became increasingly clear to me what an astonishingly bright gem I was looking at. After I had read about six months into the dailies from 1921, I knew I was onto something very, very unique. The story of Walt and Skeezix unfolded exactly at the pace of real life, with all the well drawn characters growing older in real time. This infuses the strip with an immediately gripping "realism" that in turn makes the reader identify in a powerful way with the characters. The moments of subtle insight into human nature are many and so brilliantly done I found myself re-reading a single daily strip two or three times to truly savor it, finding ever-deepening levels to appreciate (if this sounds like hyperbole for a review of a comic strip, all I can say is buy this volume and I bet you will agree).
I don't want to gush and ruin your enjoyment of this work. You should come to it yourself, on your own terms. I will just say that you can truly sense the earth turning as you read these pages, and that this strip contains some of the truest, purest moments of understanding that I have experienced in any book.
One can look at this collected work as an incredible record of American life, or simply appreciate Frank King's wonderful art, and be well rewarded for all effort. Just beneath the surface, though, lies a much larger and impressive piece of art. Chris Ware, editor of the series, writes in his preface "I am convinced that after all these books are published, Gasoline Alley will stand as one of the most individual, human, and genuinely great works in the history of comics." Amen to that, brother. I will go further even than Mr. Ware: I believe that Frank King's Gasoline Alley, taken as a whole, is one of the greatest works of literature by an American.
Drawn and Quarterly Books deserves a medal of recognition for this multi-volume publishing project, and I personally regret every mean thought I have ever had about our neighbors to the north.
This work is highly recommended. -Mykal Banta
A splendid collection of vintage comic strips!.......2006-01-29
I have been a fan of the comic strip, Gasoline Alley for my entire life. This collection of daily strips from the years 1921 and 1922, tell the story of Walt, a bachelor and car fanatic, who awakes one morning to find a foundling on his door step. He decides to raise the boy and names him Skeezix.
When he isn't taking care of Skeezix, Walt and his friends are usually out in the alley, working on their cars. Back when these strips were created, the automobile was new invention that everyone was excited about and eager to experience. Cars back then, like with most new technology, had many problems and their owners needed to keep fiddling with then in order for them to work properly. The strip follows the daily lives of, Walt and his friends from the alley. The pace of the story seems slower than comic strips you find in today's newspapers. This helps you get to know the characters and I feel is reflective of what life was probably like 85 years ago.
This is a wonderful collection and includes biographical information and many photos of the cartoonist, Frank King and his family, taken from around the time these strips were drawn. This book is a treasure, buy it!
Book Description
The bestselling series of the greatest comic strip of all goes full-color!
Starting with this sixth volume in Fantagraphics' acclaimed Krazy Kat reprint series, finally it's time for… color! After a brief hiatus in the mid-1930s, the heretofore black-and-white Sunday Krazy Kat returned in full spectacular color in June 1935. And so this volume includes all the Sunday strips from the latter half of 1935 and all of 1936, including one supremely rare instance of a page shot from an original syndicate proof sheet, all reproduced in sparkling, digitally cleaned-up color.
The new color format also opens the floodgates for a massive amount of spectacular rare color art from series editor Bill Blackbeard's files, including a surprising color self-portrait by Herriman, several Kat watercolors executed for friends, peers, and relatives, some watercolored non-Krazy Kat material, a reproduction of a vintage archy and mehitabel dust jacket by Herriman-plus a period spoof of Krazy Kat by Minute Movies' Ed Wheelan, and several instances of other cartoonists imitating Herriman's unique "Family Upstairs / Krazy Kat" format.
This volume also includes "The Kolor of Krazy Kat," a revelatory essay by journalist and critic Jeet Heer that addresses in-depth the mystery of Herriman's racial origins, and the varying ways in which Herriman dealt with them artistically throughout his career-a major addition to Herriman-related scholarship and commentary.
Customer Reviews:
The Golden Age has turned to dross!.......2007-01-10
Krazy and Ignatz are unique in the history of the comics and highlight the Golden Age when "Little Nemo," "Maggie and Jiggs," and "The Yellow Kid" were right up there with this strip, George Harriman's salute to wit, whimsy, and the English language. Did I mention Jewish and Italian dialects from New York City? Anyhow, language and imagination all worked together in a desert landscape with Turner skies above and some of the most marveous comic characters walking the sands below. Who else but Herriman could do a daily comic--for years--about a cat with a bow around its neck, a cat that was either male or female depending on what happened in the life of the reader that day, a cat in love with a mouse whose only aim in life was to bean the cat's head with a brick, then to be arrested by Officer Pup! It's the stuff that dreams are made of but, unfortunately, those dreams have faded away.
A Pillar of our Comics Heritage.......2006-12-23
It's probable that anyone considering the purchase of this book is already familiar with Krazy Kat, but just in case...
The entire strip is based on a love triangle, with a gender-ambiguous cat (Krazy) that is in love with a mouse (Ignatz) who is irritated by the cat and throws bricks at his/her/its noggin. The cat takes the bricks as a sign of love, however. A dog (Offisa Pupp) is in love with Krazy and tries to protect him-her-it from the mouse and the bricks, frequently jailing the mouse.
The strip has a fairly small cast of characters, mostly animal, and the goings on take place in front of ever-shifting landscapes. The effect is surreal: from one panel to the next, two characters could be talking without much change in their positions and posture, yet the background changes completely. The art is probably a love it or hate it proposition. It is scratchy and might resist some readers' esthetic sense. On the other hand, I know many people who automatically exclaim "I love Krazy Kat!" and the art is part and parcel of their appreciation. At any rate, the price of this full-color book is low enough to take a risk. Personally, I love the art: Herriman conveys surprise, movement, force and speed better than most or all of the comics masters, including Caniff, the superhero artists, Uderzo and possibly Hergé, with an apparent ease and simplicity of line.
Complementing the art is a patois (especially Krazy's) that is, at times, sheer poetry. The title of the book is drawn from an utterance within. There are deeper messages, such as the law of the excluded middle, or some gentle jabs at our lack of color blindness or cultural references that can slip by us because they are from an era now 70 years old.
There are two introductions. One of them, "The Kolors of Krazy Kat" on Herriman's complex ethnicity, is particularly apt in this, the book of the strip's first color Sundays. The other is by a fellow named Bill Blackbeard, whose efforts have saved portions of this and other strips from oblivion and in some cases from outright destruction. His work has rescued an important part of our cultural heritage.
In addition to the introductions, there are photographs as well as reproductions of beautiful Herriman water colors featuring his characters and backgrounds. The book was put together very conscientiously - even lovingly.
Incomparable and beautiful and gentle . . . ........2006-09-30
What can one say about Geo. Herriman's "Krazy Kat"? The wonderful, colorful world of Coconino County is captured beautifully in this all-color Fantagraphics collection of Sunday pages. Geo. was a true poet and his words and art join together (like Chinese calligraphy/poetry/painting) to create an self-contained universe of wonder, humor and all-too human foibles and desires. Let's see - Krazy (cat) loves Ignatz (mouse); Ignatz despises Krazy; Offissa Pupp (dog) loves Krazy but Krazy is unaware and Offissa Pupp's love is unrequited. It's all so krazily wonderful I really kan't deskribe it!!!
Krazy Kat: Kompletely in Kolor!.......2006-04-28
Many comic strips rely a lot on variations on a theme. The classic example would be Peanuts. There were dozens of Peanuts strips that involved Charlie Brown trying (and failing) to kick a ball that Lucy was holding. Even though the idea was the same in each, the execution differed from strip to strip. Years earlier, the same could have been said about Krazy Kat; how many different ways can a mouse attempt to hit a cat with a brick? As it turns out, many ways, each interesting in its own way.
For those unfamiliar with Krazy Kat, the three main characters in the strip are Krazy Kat, Ignatz Mouse and Officer Pupp. Krazy loves Ignatz, who in turn, dislikes Krazy. In fact, Ignatz is constantly beaning Krazy in the head with a brick, an act that Krazy interprets as one of affection. Meanwhile, Officer Pupp loves Krazy and hates Ignatz, constantly arresting the mouse for assault. (While Ignatz and Pupp are definitely male - Ignatz is even married with children - Krazy's gender is much more indeterminate, occasionally referred to as male, sometimes female, but usually left completely uncertain. Personally, I think of Krazy as male, but mainly so I am consistent in what pronoun to use.) Of course, just as not every Peanuts strip involved kicking a football, not every Krazy Kat strip involves Ignatz's efforts to obtain a brick and throwing it at Krazy, but usually the idea is at least lurking in the background.
What makes Krazy Kat special? It's hard to describe exactly. It is certainly different from any comic strip around nowadays: it has much less of an emphasis on punchline humor and instead relies on pure absurdity (or should I say "kraziness"). Even in its time, Krazy Kat was mainly successful due to the patronage of William Hearst, as well as the praise of such well-known figures as e.e. cummings and Walt Disney.
This particular volume covers the Sunday strips of the latter part of 1935 and all of 1936, the first period in which Krazy Kat was in color. Despite some obvious errors by the original publishers seventy years ago - such as times when Ignatz is blue or green - Krazy Kat works as well in color as in black-and-white. There are supplemental materials as well, most notably an essay on Krazy Kat's creator, George Herriman, the controversies regarding his racial background and how it was reflected in his work. Although interesting, you can skip this stuff if you want and go straight to the comics: Krazy Kat is kompletely kaptivating!
A 'must' for any KK fan.......2005-12-05
Krazy Ignatz is the sixth volume of the Krazy Kat reprint series - but it's the first volume to appear in full color, representing the comic strip's color appearance in June 1935 after being a black-and-white Sunday strip. The new color format has been digitally cleaned for sharp appearance - better than the original strips - and harvests a wealth of Krazy Kat and non-Kat materials from Herriman archives from 1935-36. Krazy Ignatz is a 'must' for any KK fan.
Books:
- Machu Picchu: A Civil Engineering Marvel
- Madonna in Art
- Mary in Western Art
- Michelangelo : The Complete Sculpture, Painting, Architecture
- My Horizontal Life: A Collection of One-Night Stands
- My Pony
- National Electrical Code 2005 Softcover Version (National Fire Protection Association National Electrical Code)
- Nature Form & Spirit: The Life and Legacy of George Nakashima
- New Gardens of the American West: The Landscape Architecture of Design Workshop
- Nineteen Minutes: A Novel
Books Index
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Krazy & Ignatz 1935-1936: "A Wild Warmth of Chromatic Gravy" (Krazy Kat)
