The Comics before 1945

From Publishers Weekly
Something of a prequel to Walker’s already released The Comics Since 1945, this volume actually surpasses its companion’s considerable beauty and charm—if only because early newspaper comics were so whimsical and imaginative. Gorgeously illustrated, the weighty coffee-table book is organized by decade, allowing it to broadly contextualize the strips into the historical periods that gave them life. There are also brief, page-long bios of their most notable creators, among them Richard Outcault (The Yellow Kid and Buster Brown), Frank King (Gasoline Alley), Cliff Sterrett (Polly and Her Pals), Harold Gray (Little Orphan Annie) and Chester Gould (Dick Tracy). For the most part, however, Walker wisely steps back and lets the strips tell their own stories—a good decision since the one fault of the book lies in his prose, which tends to chug along with a kind of bland lethargy that doesn’t quite rise to the verve of his subject. While informative and factually interesting, his writing often contains all the vigor of a college textbook. But the strips themselves are perfectly chosen and lovingly laid out: from the fanciful slapstick of the Katzenjammer Kids to the protosurrealist dreamscapes of Windsor McKay’s Little Nemo and the obsessively reenacted dramas of unrequited love in George Herriman’s Krazy Kat.Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist
In the first half of the twentieth century, the newspaper comic strip was arguably as important and influential as television is today, reaching millions of avid daily readers. Walker, cartoonist cofounder of the International Museum of Cartoon Art, presents a comprehensive chronological overview of the first five decades of the funnies. Emphasis isn't necessarily on the best-remembered strips, either classics that survive to this day, such as Dick Tracy, Flash Gordon, and popeye, or artistic triumphs like Little Nemo in Slumberland and Krazy Kat. For Walker also spotlights lesser-known gems, such as Cliff Sterrett's visually radical polly and Her Pals and Roy Crane's groundbreaking adventure serial Wash Tubbs, and even notes deserving obscurities: Frank Godwin's gorgeously rendered female adventure hero connie, for instance, and Crockett Johnson's delightful barnaby. The text is knowledgeable and informative, but the strips, faithfully reproduced from syndicate proofs, newspaper pages, and, in many cases, the original drawings themselves, rightfully predominate. This thoughtfully assembled partner to The Comics since 1945 (2002) belongs with it in any pop-culture collection. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Book Description
In the five decades after the Yellow Kid first appeared in 1895, the funnies became an essential element of American life. Comic strip characters-Buster Brown, the Katzenjammer Kids, Krazy Kat, Tarzan, Dick Tracy, Popeye, Blondie, Li'l Abner-were everywhere. They starred in live-action and animated films, stage plays, and radio programs. Their phrases invaded the language; their adventures, which reflected societal changes, were retold in books and inspired hit songs.

This visually stunning, comprehensive survey-copiously illustrated with rare original comics art-is the most authoritative history of prewar American newspaper comics currently in print. It documents the major trends in the funnies business, decade by decade, and presents in-depth biographies of 21 of the most influential creators of the era. The Comics Before 1945 joins Brian Walker's The Comics Since 1945 to form a classic survey of American popular culture by one of the greatest authorities in the field. AUTHOR BIO: Brian Walker, a cartoonist and a founder of the International Museum of Cartoon Art, has written and edited more than a dozen books, including Abrams' The Comics Since 1945. Since 1984 he has been part of the creative team that produces the strips Beetle Bailey and Hi and Lois. He lives in Wilton, Connecticut.

About the Author
Brian Walker, a cartoonist and a founder of the International Museum of Cartoon Art, has written and edited more than a dozen books, including Abrams' The Comics Since 1945. Since 1984 he has been part of the creative team that produces the strips Beetle Bailey and Hi and Lois. He lives in Wilton, Connecticut.


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In this impressive oversized hardcover, a companion to his earlier The Comics Since 1945, comics historian Walker provides an excellent survey of the first five decades of American newspaper comic strips. In his extensively researched text, he discusses the origins of the comics form and chronicles the early history of the comics. The book reprints hundreds of strips, including many full-color Sunday pages, ranging from the very early Yellow Kid and Buster Brown to the World War II exploits of aviators like Roy Crane's Buz Sawyer. Walker includes early examples of still-surviving strips such as Blondie and Nancy alongside rarities and long-lost gems such as Crockett Johnson's Barnaby. He also presents short biographies of some of the era's top creators, including Winsor McCay (Little Nemo in Slumberland), George Herriman (Krazy Kat), and others, along with multiple examples of their work. With all of that plus Rube Goldberg, Little Orphan Annie, Dick Tracy, Prince Valiant, and more, this treasure trove is highly recommended for all libraries. Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.


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