Customer Reviews

The Comics: Before 1945

5 star:		(5)
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2 star:		(1)
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And not just funny--witty, colorful, inventive, slapstick, adventurous--and eagerly awaited. Here's an oversized, hardback, full-color, coffee table book chock-full and brimming with the art of the funny papers. Brian Walker, son of Mort Walker (Beetle Bailey), not only draws comics but also mounts exhibitions of them. This book includes hand-colored originals from the Museum of Cartoon Art, as well as full page Sunday layouts. From the Yellow Kid and Hogan's Alley at the turn of the century to the wartime wonders of the 'forties, this is a coffee table book you can't put down. Retailing at $50, Amazon's price is about $30--a bargain and a steal for such a beautiful volume. Also check out Walker's companion volume, The Comics: Since 1945.

Anyone who is interested in American comic strips and their creators must have this book in their library. It is by far the most comprehensive survey of the genre and the best source for reproductions of the comic strips discussed. While obviously limited by space considerations, Brian Walker has done an admirable job of showing at least one example of most comic strips of connsequence from the first half of the twentieth century. The rather disturbing insecurity demonstrated by some comic artists and other commentators in other recent books (Masters of American Comics and Cartoon America), who seem obsessed with their desires to have comic art classified as "fine art," is nowhere to be found in Brian Walker's essays on the subject. He rightfully accepts comic art for what it is and, by providing useful background information on the creators, helps the reader appreciate the obvious merits of this art. The color reproductions in this volume are also superior to those in the catalogue which accompanied the recent comic art exhibition. All those with a new found interest in comic strip art after visiting that exhibit would be best served by making this their first purchase from those books currently available on the subject.

Craig Englund

Many time book stores will sell gift books that are all fluff with no meat in them. This book (I am happy to state) is not one of them.


Broken up by decade you get a treasure trove of strips, some everyone knows and some obscure but beautiful (you will often find yourself wishing for more).

The text pieces are insightful and the strips themselves both are chosen for the classic and the obscure.

Well worth it for the Amazon price!!!

Insider, Historian and Exhibition Curator of note, Walkers take on the Early Comics is naturally second to none ,gathered in a single volume; as a companion volume to the Comics Since 1945, unparalleled in its overview of a nearly 110 Year History of an American Original Art Form. A Must- Have for any Library on Popular Culture, and for any well-read Home Library.

A balanced look at a long time American Art form that does NOT criticize the Wide Range of various Talents who expressed , with satire, humor and foibles of American life with the big foot style ,as well as the adventure comic genres, including the noble, ignoble and everyday .

Without a doubt, a 10********** out of a 5 ***** possible!

A wonderful Holiday Gift for that Special Favorite Friend.

This is a wonderful book for anyone who has followed the Comics,Strips,Funny Papers,Cartoons,or whatever you want to call them.
I was born in 1935 and by the time I could read,I became addicted to the comics. I didn't consider it an addiction at the time,they were just something I loved to follow.
This book is really a set of two. The other is "The Comics Since 1945",also by the same author. I wrote a review on it on April 28,2005;and won't repeat what I said there. I am surprized that "Before 1945" was published in 2004 ,while "Since 1945" was published in 2002. Why in that order? Who knows. All the things I said in that other review also apply to this volume.
The two books are really a 2-volume set. If you read and want to own one;you'll want both.
Physically, the books are identical; 10"X13",each 336 pages,glossy hard cover with a selection of strips,lovely dust covers and each weighs about 4 pounds. The paper is of excellent quality and so is the printing,color reproduction and binding.The overall quality of the manufacturing simply
couldn't be better. One might think that these books are too large;but it takes this size to do the strips justice and readible.
These 2 books bring back so many memories to me of following the strips.
I have always been interested in the mechanics of the strips and the artwork and lettering.
One of the things that amazes me is that when the Comics were in their heyday;in the 1940's, everyone followed them. For instance;everyone knew who Dagwood and Blondie,Li'L Abner,Daisy Mae and the Yokums,Jiggs,Dick Tracy,Superman and a host of others were;and followed their stories and adventures.
The books give you a brief story about each of the Cartoonists,and a surprising idea of the earnings they enjoyed.In those days we didn't pay much attention to the creators.The strips were just there. However; there was always a big issue when your paper dropped your favorite.
Comics certainly don't have the broad appeal that they used to for several reasons. First,when the creator retired,the people who tried to continue it,just didn't "have it". Political correctness spelled the end of many strips. The really good strips were full of adventure,such as;Tracy,Red Ryder,Annie,Li'l Abner,Prince Valiant and so on. The introduction of romance and feminine strips changed what comic strips were all about and probably resulted in the loss of many readers.I know they never interested me.
My daily paper,the Toronto Star,has only one strip that I follow every day;that being Doonesbury. It hasn't even carried Dick Tracy for years;fortunately I can still follow it on the Net.
These books have excellent indexes and extensive notes providing all sortd of information for further reading.
If you enjoyed the Strips,you'll love these books.

I was disappointed in this book... all of the cartoons are reduced in size. The font is impossibly small, and both the text and artwork suffer for it. Better to have included less content so that it could be more legible. I had to buy my dad a magnifying glass specifically to read this book. It's a shame - they're great comics.