A Big Book for a Little King! A long-overdue examination of the unique pantomime cartoons of Otto Soglow, who entertained millions for more than fifty years and whose influence remains current in the works of Chris Ware, Daniel Clowes, Ivan Brunetti, and others, this compendium features hundreds of pages of Soglow''s most famous creation, The Little King - plus copious examples of his other work and a fascinating account by Jared Gardner of Soglow''s long career that ranged from the socialist magazines of the 1920s to his long association with The New Yorker, which continues to use Soglow''s art thirty-five years after his death.
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5 of 6 people found the following review helpful
By M.B.
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
US comic strip fans have been waiting a long time for a collection of "The Little King." It's finally here and it does not disappoint.
The editors did a nice job of cleaning up the strips that have been out of print in the US for a long time. I'm not sure why the first quarter of the book is in color and the rest of it is in black and white. I prefer the black and white because it is easier to see Soglow's rigid and mathematical lines. Each of the hundreds of strips has a lot of build up before the final "shocking" gag panel and they are all generally cute with a few that are poignant. It is very difficult to read a whole slew of strips in one sitting. The temptation is to read past most of the panels and go straight to the gag, because many of the strips fit into a couple of different formulas that Soglow mastered.
The introduction includes many interesting examples of Soglow's work before "The Little King" as well as numerous examples of his advertising art, but I take issue with the introduction's thesis that "The Little King" represents a struggle between Soglow's inner-leftist and his desire to make money. That seemed like the unsupported thesis of an academic (who probably knows a lot more than I do about the material). Soglow obviously reveled in marketing his character for the sake of money. I also disagree that the strip is artistically economic and that there are no unnecessary lines, because Soglow draws plenty of unnecessary (but visually delightful) panels in every strip.
I would have liked an explanation of why they chose the strips that are included. There are huge chunks left out. I'm curious why. I know there is some racist imagery in some of the strips (that is not as disgusting as the awful stuff in "The Little King" animated movies), so that could have been an issue. It also might be the case that the strips not included just weren't that funny. I would have liked a discussion of that.
All in all, this is a valuable book because until now, it has been very difficult to find "The Little King" in print.
The editors did a nice job of cleaning up the strips that have been out of print in the US for a long time. I'm not sure why the first quarter of the book is in color and the rest of it is in black and white. I prefer the black and white because it is easier to see Soglow's rigid and mathematical lines. Each of the hundreds of strips has a lot of build up before the final "shocking" gag panel and they are all generally cute with a few that are poignant. It is very difficult to read a whole slew of strips in one sitting. The temptation is to read past most of the panels and go straight to the gag, because many of the strips fit into a couple of different formulas that Soglow mastered.
The introduction includes many interesting examples of Soglow's work before "The Little King" as well as numerous examples of his advertising art, but I take issue with the introduction's thesis that "The Little King" represents a struggle between Soglow's inner-leftist and his desire to make money. That seemed like the unsupported thesis of an academic (who probably knows a lot more than I do about the material). Soglow obviously reveled in marketing his character for the sake of money. I also disagree that the strip is artistically economic and that there are no unnecessary lines, because Soglow draws plenty of unnecessary (but visually delightful) panels in every strip.
I would have liked an explanation of why they chose the strips that are included. There are huge chunks left out. I'm curious why. I know there is some racist imagery in some of the strips (that is not as disgusting as the awful stuff in "The Little King" animated movies), so that could have been an issue. It also might be the case that the strips not included just weren't that funny. I would have liked a discussion of that.
All in all, this is a valuable book because until now, it has been very difficult to find "The Little King" in print.
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
By A. Grossman
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This is an enjoyable book of a neglected strip artist - Otto Soglow. His art is as unique as any comic strip artist and is the strip itself is unlike any other. It must be taken in small doses and this book fills the bill. Beautiful printing on great stock.
Besides the Monarch himself is the complete run of The Ambassador, almost a Little King clone. My one disappointment is the short shift of Sentinel Louie, the topper in the Sundays. There are about nine or ten pages of him.
A great book about a very neglected genius and a perfect partner for the wonderful new Nancy book. Now, can't we have the most neglected strip of all time, Clifford McBride's Napoleon and Uncle Elby, possibly the best dog strip of the 20th century.
Besides the Monarch himself is the complete run of The Ambassador, almost a Little King clone. My one disappointment is the short shift of Sentinel Louie, the topper in the Sundays. There are about nine or ten pages of him.
A great book about a very neglected genius and a perfect partner for the wonderful new Nancy book. Now, can't we have the most neglected strip of all time, Clifford McBride's Napoleon and Uncle Elby, possibly the best dog strip of the 20th century.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
This is a long overdue volume and very welcome it is, indeed! A beautiful presentation with tons of images and data hitherto fairly obscure. A lot of love went into this supreme endeavour and it shows; a wonderful companion to the book is the DVD "The Complete Animated Adventures of the Little King" from Thunderbean Animation created and realized by Steve Stanchfield, Rex Schneider and Chris Buchman (available on Amazon and eBay). As happens, the DVD gets a full page promotion in the book. Good show. Hip, hip. Hooray!
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Little King rules! :)
As a baby boomer I grew up reading "The Little KIng" every Sunday. It was a treasured part of my childhood. Read more
Published 5 months ago by sixtiesscawt
4.0 out of 5 stars
Little King Still Lives Big!
Otto Soglow's deceptively simple Sunday strip THE LITTLE KING
has been given the deluxe IDW treatment - and it's wonderful! Read more
has been given the deluxe IDW treatment - and it's wonderful! Read more
Published 11 months ago by John J. Pocsik
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