Nick Danger

Are you hesitant because you want to be assured of a complete run? It's unlikely that anyone will ever reprint the full thirty-something year run. The demand will never be out there.

I believe that the best work was in the 1950s, so I think you'll be happy with a four-book set.

davidh777

That would a Trevor-OCD-like thing to do.

I need to pick up some Pogo. I don't know when I'll have time to read it, but I'd like to have some representation on my shelf, and support the release.

Trevor

Yeah, when I get into something, I need it all. But Nick is right of course, I should be happy with those four volumes. It's not like I'll ever commit the time to reading them multiple times and becoming some Pogo podcaster or whatever.

Bronkster

I'd say go for 'em because the strip is really a fully entertaining, beautifully drawn bit of comic wonderfulness.

Nick Danger

I looked it up in Wikipedia, and Pogo lasted from 1948 to 1975, and Walt Kelly stopped working on it in 1972. I do remember that the strip wasn't as good after Walt Kelly died and his wife took over. She gave up after just a few years.

The last strip showed the characters complaining that newspaper comics had gotten too small. In the final panel, Pogo was stranded in the middle of the swamp, clinging to a pole stuck in the mud. It bugged me that Pogo was left out there, and nobody ever rescued him because their world stopped.

davidh777

Carolyn Kelly, R.I.P.

Obit talks about her work on her dad's creation, and how subsequent volumes should be coming out on schedule because they need less restoration.

Trevor

Wow, I didn't realize she and Mark Evanier were together.

Paul_SD

That was a very affecting eulogy for Ms Kelly. My condolences to Evanier..


I've got the first and third volume of Pogo. I have a huge backlog in general, but I feel like I really need to put a dent into those two before I think about continuing the series, or even filling in the gap (picked up Vol. 3 over 2 because that where the Joe McCarthy riffs start).


To get back to more mundane matters- I just got in the newest volume of Buz Sawyer. This one starts with a slam bang story about revolutionaries south of the border. This was the lone, out of continuity storyline that Dragon Lady press printed in the mid/late 80's. It blew me away then and it's great to have it in a more permanent edition now. There are several action panels in here that are Alex Toth worthy special. The way Crane leads the viewers eye through the scene are magical to me.

A couple differences with this volume compared to previous ones- the spine is flat where the others were rounded. For some reason the binding seems a little sturdier on this one, thoughI haven't experienced any issues yet with the others.
Also, this one clocks in at over 300 pages where as the other were just slightly over 200. And it's the same price. Just a quick flip through the book, but the repro looks to be excellent.
Great package all around this time and highly recommended.

And despite some earlier misgivings, I'm actually getting stoked for the release of IDWs re-packaging of the original Star Wars strips which drops next week. Should be a kick to see these again.

davidh777

Cross-posting to the comic strip thread:

Bloom County Humble Bundle. The first nine volumes are available at the $8 level.

https://www.humblebundle.com/books/b...-comics-bundle

Also, the Gil Kane Starhawks release has some preview images available. I like how the double-tiered format gives some flexibility to the layouts.

http://13thdimension.com/exclusive-p...r-hawks-vol-1/

Spoiled for size:

Trevor

The annual Calvin & Hobbes appearance:

Bronkster

Going extreme retro - I snagged a few Bringing Up Father books on Ebay from 1919 (I assume the strips are a bit older?). I vaguely remember reading the strip in the paper when I was a wee lad, probably enjoying the slapstickness of it. Amusing stuff; I like exploring the humor of bygone eras.

Currently reading the Superman dailies - 1939-1942.

majorjoe23

Bronkster

Of course! They're not in mint condition, but for their age, I'm pleased with them.

Nick Danger

I think that's cool. After thinking about it, I ordered the 1973 Bringing Up Father collection from Amazon Marketplace. You're contagious.

Bronkster

I looked at that before journeying over to Ebay. As a longtime Mutt and Jeff semi-collector, I knew about the older books - and they have more appeal to me. Let me know what you think about the Collection after ya have a chance to read it.

davidh777

Nick Danger

I read it when I was about thirteen. The social commentary went over my head. My opinion then was that because it's a huge volume, the jokes started getting repetitive. Jiggs tries to sneak out, Jiggs gets caught. Repeat.

A free copy of the Sunday paper landed on our driveway this week. It had Ripley's Believe It or Not! (1918), Blondie (1930), and Prince Valiant (1937), as well as the early 1950s strips Peanuts, Beetle Bailey, Dennis the Menace, and Hi and Lois. It must be brutal trying to create a new comic strip when the paper is filled with strips older than your grandfather.

ddrknghtrtns

Found the book shown below recently at a local used media store. Cover is a bit misleading, since the only rogue to show up was the Joker. Still worth a read.

Nick Danger

I suppose this can go here. It's drawings of people interacting, often humorously, with their conversations hovering over their heads. The pictures date from 1600 to 1900, so it's retro.




That's a picture from the internet. My book arrived today with banged corners. But it was 60% off, so I can't really complain about it being shopworn. It still has the original shrinkwrap.

Do not do an image search for "shunga" while you're at work. Seriously. NSFW.

This book is based on an exhibit that was at the British Museum in 2013. It included pieces from private collections from around the world. There is an hour-long video on YouTube of a lecture discussing the basics of Shunga by Timothy Clark, the man who assembled the exhibit. The YouTube video is also NSFW.

Before they were printed and sold to the masses, the first hundred years of shunga were painted scrolls that were created by top artists. They were heirlooms, treasured for generations. Great master artists in the West didn't paint pictures of people having sex. We had tijuana bibles. It's a little weird for me.

Nick Danger

It's a dud. Bringing Up Father, edited by Herb Galewitz, designed by Don Winslow, is a volume of muddy reproductions of strips that are reduced to 3.5" x 3.7". All the fancy drawing, like those ornate fabrics, is reduced to a mottled gray. The dialog is hard to read. It's not the giant volume I read in the 1970s.

The shunga book is quite scholarly, with thousands of words between each picture. It will take effort to read. But it has something I've never seen before: an 8-page fold-out.

I also bought Pogo volume 5 and Valarian (hardcover) volume 2. I haven't even looked at them yet.

Bronkster

Yikes. Guess I'll pass on any consideration for that then. The two old books I got are nice; 10x10, so probably a significant bit larger than originally printed (I assume).

I also now have all five Pogo volumes. *happy dance*

davidh777

Bronkster

Due to an attempt (failing, mostly) to get organized, I moved a number of boxes full of paperbacks into new bookshelves. A few boxes were all old comics strip books (Peanuts, B.C., Tumbleweeds, etc.). I went through what I think is the first Dennis the Menace book - and laughed my ass off! He really was more of a menace back then!

Paul_SD

David- very happy to hear you enjoyed Buz!

For me, the strip got even more interesting post war. Lots of thrills and spills still ahead.
It's a shame it looks they stopped at 4 volumes. At least they went out with a nice fat one.

My backlog on everything, save music which I can multi-task to, is insane. So many GNs. So many movies. So many strip collections.
Currently I'm really itching to dive into The Eternaut, which I've heard nothing but high praise for.

Bronkster

You guys got me curious now - the hunt begins for Buz books!


Edited for Important Update!!1! I've got the first two books comin'!

In the meantime, I'm re-reading the 2nd Pogo volume. It is just so clever and fun that it totally deserves a reread!