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Krazy & Ignatz, 1941-1942: "A Ragout of Raspberries" (Krazy Kat)

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Modern civilization stands but a nanoscrub away from the succulent konklusion of a monumental feat: the kompleat Krazy Kat sunday pages. Only one volume remains in this amazing series by the comic saints at Fantagraphics. Tapestries of surreal beauty, Krazy Kat Sundays are relics from a bygone era that burgeon with word and visual play unknown to 21st century kraniums. Today's komics pages have vaporised to a mere speck in komparison. "Ready the magnifiers! We're goin' in to read the comics!" In the days when newspapers majestically roamed and reigned the consciousness of popular culture, colorful panoramas of comic plastered every Sunday installment. Now the newspaper itself stands threatened. It quivers under the authority of the internet or suffers from mere neglect. These luminous volumes allow readers to zap into the past and relive the age of the comics. And though Krazy Kat waned in popularity in the 1940s, it still upheld a stunning level of artistry, as witnessed in this full kolor kollection.

The years of 1941 to 1942 saw Krazy Kat at its fantasmic height but also near the end of its existence. George Herriman, the cartoonist armed with a Hearst lifetime contract, would unexpectedly pass away in 1944. The strip went with him. As this late period progressed, Krazy Kat became more symbolic and less literal. Brick impacts became endangered species and were more commonly implied rather than depicted. The brick itself, wielded by Ignatz Mouse, became a pure symbol of the comic's multifarious themes of love, hate, justice, and longing. Krazy's love for Ignatz goes eternally unrequited. Offisa Pupp's castigations of the "evil mouse" doesn't change the rodent's character one whit. This later period sees the moluse openly defying the law, as in the December 13th, 1942 strip where Ignatz breezily saunters past an impotent kop. His early fear has turned to outright defiance. Krazy has taken on a much more feminine aura. Early incantations of the Kat were more androgynous, but now the parasol toting feline seems far more womanly than before. Not only that, as in recent installments, the strip's cast seems downgraded here as well. Now Mrs. Kwakk Wakk and the occasional appearance by Mimi the seductive French Poodle provide the only ancillary regulars. But of course the plotting pelican and kangaroo begin to assist Ignatz with his plots more and more. The odds continually stack against Offisa Pupp and the law. But Krazy's irrational love endures under impossible, and ridiculous, odds. Sounds too familiar, but never mind that. Lastly, the curious finally see the inside of Ignatz's den of implied recuperation. On October 4th, 1942 the interior of the "Jail" (now always in quotes) shows the high stool where Ignatz has perpetually gazed onto the landscape of Coconino County following lawful apprehension.

This volume includes a short but intriguing essay on Herriman's unappreciated use of language. Sources such as the Bible and popular songs get cited as inspirations for the words that often pour from Krazy Kat's panels. The author also gives some historical context: people used to listen to speeches. This sounds shocking in an age where nothing seems worth saying if it takes more than three seconds to say. But our forebears tended more towards loquacity than us digital denizens today. We have definitely lost something there, a point poignantly made by experiencing Krazy Kat in the 21st century. So here we stand on a milestone. Fantagraphics seems well poised to conquer the seemingly unconquerable. Only one volume remains in this Holy Grail series. The current volume's final page solicits contributions for the finale. The information and an eye and brain full of sumptuous comic art awaits inside. Saccadian motion was never put to better use.

Krazy and Ignatz: A Ragout of Raspberries is a full-size, full-color collection of classic Krazy and Ignatz comic strips originally published in 1941-1942, including all of the Sunday strips. At its heart a love triangle (the ostensibly gender-less Krazy Kat loves Ignatz Mouse, Ignatz would throw bricks at Krazy when not tolerating Krazy's unrequited affection, and Offisa Pup loved Krazy and would throw Ignatz in jail to protect Pup's beloved). Many of the strips presented have been out of print since their original newspaper run. Brilliant, dreamlike, surreal, yet often surprisingly astute in their moments of cultural commentary, Krazy and Ignatz is enthusiastically recommended as a beautiful resurrection of America's comic strip heritage.

In today's newspaper comics, mediocrity rules. Yes, there are a few good or even great strips out there, but the majority are at best bland and are often worse than that. Newspapers play it safe with comics that have become institutions passed on to new artists as the old ones die, but there is little good that comes out of a Marmaduke, Dennis the Menace or Heathcliff.

Of course, if you think these are good strips--and we're all entitled to our opinions--chances are you won't appreciate George Herriman's Krazy Kat, a bygone strip that doesn't rely on simple punchlines. But if you want something more out of a comic than what the Family Circus or Cathy can offer, this might be just what you're looking for.

The penultimate volume of the Sunday color strips is called Krazy and Ignatz - A Ragout of Raspberries, and it is fun as the previous eight in the series. (There is no continuity, so don't worry about reading out-of-order.) It covers the years 1941 and 1942, and as usual, features that oddest of love triangles: Krazy Kat, Ignatz Mouse and Offisa Pupp. Krazy loves Ignatz; Ignatz, however, just wants to throw bricks at Krazy's head; since Krazy is, well, crazy, he interprets this as a sign of affection. Pupp, meanwhile, loves Krazy and is constantly running Ignatz into jail for assault.

It should be noted that Krazy Kat's gender is a matter of controversy, and this book's Introduction refers to Krazy as female. I, however, believe Krazy is male, and the few references in the strip back this up (such as the August 30, 1942 strip).

What makes Krazy Kat so special is its utter surrealness. Herriman created a Southwestern desert world of shifting landscapes with bizarre landmarks and even odder characters. In addition to the main strip, there is also a single panel at the bottom that is even stranger still. I suppose it may be an acquired taste, but when you do acquire it, you realize how special it is, and why Krazy Kat continues to be considered one of the greatest comic strips ever.

"Kat", "Mouse", "Pupp", "bricks", "jails" - 'nuff said! When is this guy Herriman going to stop repeating himself? Seriously, this penultimate slab of "Krazy Kat" Sunday pages is just as bafflingly enjoyable as always. Where the collection falls short is in the normally superb ancillary material, which appears to have been "mailed in" this time around. Jeet Heer's essay on Herriman's use of language is OK for what it is, but "what it is" isn't nearly comprehensive enough to fully explain the development of Herriman's verbal style. No mention of Herriman's near-constant use of alliteration? The effects of his Jesuit schooling? The need to put "nouns" of all sorts in "quotes" for no apparent "reason" I can fathom? This was definitely an opportunity missed. There are few "newly discovered" pieces of Herriman artwork included, save for a color piece originally drawn for Jean Harlow and Hal Roach. In a note at the end of the book, Kat fans are asked to send in any and all such material to help lend heft to the concluding 1943-44 volume (which will encompass only part of the latter year, due to the artist's death). I'm sorely tempted to send them the piece I wrote for the APA "Passions" a few years ago, though I doubt whether it strikes the appropriate note of pretentious pomposity that informs most discussions of this strip. After this installment, however, it looks as if Fantagraphics may need all the assistance it can get.

Just some info

As of this date, this $9.95 book has another cover that seems to contain the same material with same number of pages, same publisher, same dimensions etc that sells for $15.95.

Visa versa for book your looking at that sells for $15.95

I tried to impart the same info on the other book, but was told I could only do one review for same book so maybe they are the same but one cover is at 50% off?

Don't know why, maybe I can't see the obvious, but I felt free to impart this possibly beneficial info.

From the other $15.95 book that I have, the material deserves 5 stars