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BOOK REVIEW
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Funny pages: Brian Walker re-examines a century of comics
For anyone who grew up reading the comics in the daily newspaper, who wrestled the section away from taunting siblings, who devised a system for reading in order of lamest (Family Circus) to funniest (Bloom County), it’s odd to see those same strips reproduced in full color, on heavy paper stock, and in a beautifully designed encyclopedia such as Brian Walker’s The Comics: The Complete Collection. Originally, the comics made no presumption to anything beyond entertainment. More ephemeral than even crosswords and etiquette advice, they seemed drawn to be tossed out and forgotten until the next day’s edition. Only the TV listings were more disposable. There was, nevertheless, an undeniable charm to those modest panels, which kept us reading every morning.
An Illustrated
History of the Funny Papers
By JEFF SHESOL
Published: June 3, 2011
More than a century later, it’s hard to imagine what the fuss was about. Could it be that the comic strip — that sweet, sad little relic now crammed between the Daily Jumble and the Sudoku puzzle — once roused readers to anger, once dared to offend? It’s hard to believe. Except for an occasional outburst of slapstick violence, decency hangs like a pall over the comics page, or what remains of it.
Brian Walker’s book “The Comics: The Complete Collection,” which brings together his two previous volumes on the subject, makes clear how much the comics once mattered and why. The son of Mort Walker (creator of “Beetle Bailey” and other strips) and a cartoonist himself, Walker is one of the comics’ greatest enthusiasts, and there is plenty here to be enthusiastic about. The strips he assembles — many familiar, others obscure but well worthy of attention — are beautifully reproduced and carefully annotated.
The best example of an artist who was under-appreciated in his time was George Herriman, the creator of “Krazy Kat.“ Although intellectuals in the 1920s praised his work it was never popular with the general public and “Krazy Kat” only appeared in 35 newspapers when Herriman died in 1944. It has since become one of the most revered strips in comics history. There are many cartoonists represented in the book who were great talents in their time but are no longer household names. Among these I would include: “Tad” Dorgan, Cliff Sterrett, Billy DeBeck and Roy Crane.
Brian Walker's new history covers ground from 'The Yellow Kid' of the 1890s to modern-day classics like 'B.C.'
MORE: http://www.pbpulse.com/arts-and-culture/2011/06/10/do-the-funnies-make-your-day/
http://lelecollezionista.splinder.com/post/24481253/brian-walker-the-comics-complete-collection
AN INTERVIEW WITH AUTHOR BRIAN WALKER:
INTERVIEW WITH BRIAN WALKER
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