020119b

http://www.fantagraphics.com/pogo5/

I really want this book!!!

012318e

Got my 2016 birthday present today, which I pre-ordered Worth the wait! Walt Kelly's Pogo v. 4, Under the Bamboozle Bush, with foreword by Neil Gaiman. Nothing less than the greatest newspaper comic strip there ever was. These strips from the mid-1950s include the best slapstick ever in a comic (possibly equaled by Calvin and Hobbes). This volume includes the Great Thinking Contest! Printed large in a handsome hardback. Go to fantagraphics.com and order it right now!

http://www.fantagraphics.com/pogo4/?sef_rewrite=1 

I am glorying in the marvel that is this book. From the days before political caricatures were prevalent in Pogo, though it does include Pogo's 2nd presidential campaign.  The drawing is absolutely incredible, and when it's printed at this size I see things I never noticed before.

100917c

Rereading "Beau Pogo," a book I bought in the late 70s. Still crunchy & good! Waiting for Fantagraphics' long-overdue 4th reprint vol. w ill-concealed impatience.

060817b

One of the most wonderful things about comic strips is that the author/artist can put all sorts of subtext and additional material in the background. For instance, in the "Pogo" comic, by Walt Kelly, almost all of the characters live in hollow trees. Most of them have their names nailed to boards over the door. Albert alligator has a sign that says "Albert" over his door. Except, in one strip it says "Atbler." Why? I have no idea. Albert is illiterate, as are most of the denizens of the swamp. It seems random, but likely isn't. Any Pogo fans have an idea about this?

I would be remiss if I didn't mention that Fantagraphics.com is reprinting all of the original Pogo newspaper strips from the beginning in large and very well produced hardback volumes. Three are out so far, and the fourth is due out in a few months. The strips are reproduced in a much larger size than they have been in two previous attempts to reprint Pogo comic strips that I know about and it really is beautiful. Wajt Kelly combined slapstick and politics the way almost no other humorist ever has and if you like comics or politics you have got to see these. Plus, I want you to buy the books so that Fantagraphics will be able to afford to keep printing them. No attempt to reprint all of Pogo has ever been successful, and I believe the reason is that the publishers haven't sold enough copies. So help me out here! This is a national treasure.

051017b

moon
beam
dancing
or are you
doing some web work
toe spinnerets are just the thing
limber spiderfolk, bit by radioactive peo-
ple, they have the best of both worlds
this web says "Eat Me!"
meaning some-
thing op-
-po-
site

122316b

Super Slug
sodium chloride
his only weakness

052416b

Choreography


Colossal man was lonely.
You know, it takes two to tango.
Humongous woman was just too large.
You can't dance with someone.
When your head is at their knee.
Gigantic lady was far too small.
No bigger than his toe.
Stupendous girl
she was just right.
Sorry, New York City.
For all the footprints

052016

Life is like a comic book: mostly ads, and Ubbo-Sathla blithering on the last page. Well, not the last part. That's where the Hounds come ravening out of the corners and tear the good guys apart. Until next time.


reality is toppling to the floor
gurgling and twitching
state dinner on some two-bit world
allergic to the food
the drinks, or the living flatware
no epi-pen to hand

Evidence to the contrary

One of the best Christmas presents ever, the third in fantagraphics' massive hardcover reprints of the greatest comic there ever was: Pogo, by Walt Kelly. This is not the first time that someone has tried to reprint Pogo, but it is by far the best. It was the best political satire available in the 1950s, 60s, and 70s. Herblock was good, he was very good, but his single-panel cartoons were no match for the Okefenokee Swamp. Not only was the political wit incisive, the slapstick was just unbelievable, and even now, in what I believe to be the golden age of independent comics, no one does drawing better. So, by this book. Buy multiple copies and give some away. I need fantagraphics to persist until they have done every Pogo strip the newspapers. I think it lasted for 23 years, and so far they have done approximately the first four of them. So much goodness is still to come!

Walt Kelly was almost the only one with the courage to go up against Sen. Joe McCarthy. The wildcat Simple J Malarkey is an uncanny parody. It's all in this book.


http://www.fantagraphics.com/browse-shop/pogo-the-complete-syndicated-comic-strips-vol-3-evidence-to-the-contrary-.html

"Sylvia" by Nicole Hollander is dead

Do yourself a favor if you like feminist humor or cats. Buy the books & read them.

Evolution comic

Forwarded msg from Matt Powell. I read & enjoyed the excerpts.

Folks,

A colleague and friend of mine has published a comic book that might be of interest to paleontologists. The book--"Evolution: The Story of Life on Earth" by Hosler, Cannon, and Cannon--has quite a bit of illustrated Earth history and macroevolution. It has been getting great reviews and for a while was the #2-selling book about evolution on Amazon. I've read it and it's very high quality. (No, I'm not getting a kick-back for the endorsement....)

A few example chapters are online:

Chapter 1: The Slow Simmer of Life: The First 4 Billion Years http://www.tor.com/stories/2011/01/preview-evolution-the-story-of-life-on-earth

Chapter 3: E is for Extinction
http://ncse.com/news/2010/12/evolution-story-life-earth-006379

Chapter 6: Getting a Leg up on Evolution http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=evolution-the-story-of-life-on-earth


Matt Powell