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14 of 15 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
IDW Continues to Raise the Bar, September 12, 2007
This review is from: The Complete Terry and the Pirates, Vol. 1: 1934-1936 (Hardcover)
I'm a longtime comic strip aficionado, and a collector of reprint volumes. The popularity of Fantagraphics' The Complete Peanuts has brought a resurgence to this genre that, for me, has been no less than thrilling. First of these new reprints came Walt and Skeezix, a gorgeous reprinting of the delightful Gasoline Alley. Close on its heels came IDW's Dick Tracy reprints, featuring not only a great strip, but production values that were better than I'd seen in any other reprint book -- up till that point.
This book tops them all. How the strip itself compares to Gasoline Alley or Dick Tracy is a matter for debate (many would consider Terry superior to both, many would argue for the others -- I love them all), but the quality of this book isn't. It is a huge, solid, gorgeous book, just a joy to behold, a pleasure to hold and read. The strips might as well be brand new, they're so sharp; the coloring of the Sundays is sharp and faithful to the originals; and the filler material is first rate. It is clear that the folks at IDW who are putting out these volumes are serious comic strip fans, who want nothing but the best for the strips that they love.
Thank you, IDW. I can't wait to see what other treats the "Library of American Comics" will be bringing us.
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11 of 12 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Serendipity: the gift of finding valuable things not sought..., September 4, 2007
This review is from: The Complete Terry and the Pirates, Vol. 1: 1934-1936 (Hardcover)
I titled my review as such because at the moment I received my copy of "Terry And The Pirates" I am in the middle of reading "Meanwhile", the biography of Milton Caniff. How exciting is that to a cartoonist who is a long time admirer of Caniff and his children, Terry and Steve Canyon. Rhetorical question; extremely exciting from the standpoint of having the complete first two years to compare as I read Milt's bio. But as to the book. It is wonderful, but please take the time to read Howard Chaykin's introduction. To the uninitiated, upon first glance Terry will appear raw and naive, but understand that this was the birth of something wonderful and magic; it has growing pains. But what growth! Here is a master learning his craft. Caniff wrote and drew Terry as two distinct strips, the Sunday story and the daily story, until both coalesced on August 30th, 1936. Then there is the initial appearance of Noel Sickle's design of Terry's familiar signature on August 18th, 1935, and Caniff's artwork blazes across the Sunday page as his chiaroscuro style matures.
This book is incredible, and the promise of the succeeding five volumes in the twelve year run of Terry is akin to anxiously awaiting for Christmas in February, just too doggone long! The reproductions are from original newspaper comic strips housed in archival collections and digitally remastered, as the original art is probably now long gone, but be thankful that we even have those. I'll admit, at first glance I was a tad bit disappointed, but after sitting with the book and browsing through the wealth of the contents, I'll not complain, but give Dean Mullaney and the folks at IDW Publishing a huge round of applause for a job well done. Not only are all of the strips here in chronological order, but rare photos I haven't seen before and a nice intro to Caniff's work by Bruce Canwell, with photos and art.
If you're a Terry fan, buy this book! If you're a Milt Caniff fan, buy this book! If you a golden age comic strip fan, buy this book! Like I said earlier, I'm excited and I haven't read the first strip yet.
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10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
An Incredible Volume to Enjoy and Savor, October 19, 2007
This review is from: The Complete Terry and the Pirates, Vol. 1: 1934-1936 (Hardcover)
"The Complete Terry and the Pirates--Volume 1" is a big, thick, heavy, massive, well-made, "coffee-table-size" book that contains every one of Milton Caniff's daily and Sunday strips from the series' debut on October 22, 1934, through the end of 1936. It is the first of six volumes that are planned to be released quarterly. Each one will cover a two-year period of one of the most well-drawn, technically excellent, narratively interesting and widely popular comic strips ever created.
I have a special interest in "Terry and the Pirates," since I bear the same name as, and was actually named after, the title character Terry Lee. But I had never read any of Caniff's original strips. By the time I was born, he had moved on to other projects (the most notable being "Steve Canyon," which he created in 1948), and the task of continuing to write and draw "Terry and the Pirates" had fallen to George Wunder. So it was a real treat to go back to the very beginning of the series, with the original artist/writer, and vicariously experience the Orient adventures of young Terry Lee, his older pal Pat Ryan and their nemesis, the infamous Dragon Lady.
Going back in time more than 70 years is interesting. Many of the Chinese characters in "Terry and the Pirates" are caricatures of racial stereotypes that are a little jarring in today's milieu of political correctness run amok. Buck teeth, protruding ears and typecast speech patterns ("solly" for "sorry, "Melican" for "American," etc.) reflect the culture, beliefs and prejudices of the mid-1930s. These strips are accurate depictions of the social mores of the times--even though Caniff reportedly never visited the Orient. Hyper-sensitive individuals may want to avoid exposing themselves to such "blatant racism," but anyone of normal sensitivities should be able to put the seeming slurs into their proper historical context.
The quality and production values of the book are outstanding. The dailies are crisp and sharp, and the colorful Sunday strips practically leap off of the page. Be aware that the drawings are complex and detailed--especially after Caniff hit his stride a year or so into the strip--and the text is dense, plentiful and small. Reading each page requires considerable concentration and a good, bright light. But the payoff you'll get for taking the effort to experience "Terry and the Pirates"--best handled in small doses, like a fine Port, to avoid sensory overload--is well worth it. I enthusiastically recommend this volume most highly and without reservation.
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