Created by Reg Smythe, Andy Capp first appeared in The Daily Mirror on 5 August 1957, and made his first American outing in 1963. Still published on a daily basis in its original home, Andy Capp now also appears in over 1400 newspapers in more than 50 countries. (He is known as Kasket Karl in Denmark, Willi Wakker in Germany, Angelo Capello in Italy and Andre Chapeau in France.) With plenty of naps on the sofa, pints at the bar and frayed tempers for Andy's long suffering wife Flo, The Andy Capp Collection has a laugh for-every day of the year.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Although not the best collection ever produced, this book is a fine sampling to any fan of the rude little guy,
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This review is from: New Andy Capp Collection: Number 1 (No. 1) (Paperback)
On the occasion of the 50th Anniversary of Andy Capp (the first drawing was published on August 5, 1957), I'd like to officially express my admiration for this comic strip, possibly for the very first time.At first eye-sight, Andy Capp does not give the impression of being anything extraordinary. I was introduced to this thoroughly unsympatethic bum when I was ten and liked him immediately, which puzzled many in my surroundings. Indeed, the strip is hardly a children-comic and seen in retrospect, I believe my first interest was mostly established due to the amusing drawings and funny characters; honestly, there were times when I thought the strip was pretty nasty. I kept liking it, though. What is it, then, that have made this character so popular? Andy Capp is not one of those comics which everybody originally avoided but which eventually received cultural status. No, Andy Capp was an immediate hit; only a couple of years after his first appearance in The Mirror, he was already a commercial icon. And his popularity did not diminish, even though the times changed and he eventually had to give up smoking. Andy Capp's popularity remained because behind its simple construction, Andy Capp is, in fact, an intelligent comic strip filled with at times VERY clever (and hilarious) dialogue. Being a Norwegian-born, I only read translations of the strip for years, but I eventually began to read it in its original language as well, and then, BO-OM! I can recall many occassions when I had to stop reading in order to write some of the jokes down. Being a cartoonist myself, the strip taught me a lot about the timing of comics and use of language. I'd like to come up with examples, but really, they are best seen on paper. Perhaps even more significant, though, is the complex relationship between Andy and his wife, Florrie. In most comic strip marriages, the family atmosphere is almost without exception either wonderful or horrible. In Bringing Up Father, for example, Jiggs and Maggie might communicate with an "acceptable" tone once in a while, but this is always disturbed by Jiggs' self-absorbness and Maggie's intolerance. In the same way, the idyllic life in Blondie is perhaps interrupted by a few arguments, but the family is a healthy and lovely one. In Andy Capp, on the other hand, sarcasm and fighting take the largest part of the couple's time, but Florrie frequently smiles apologitically while she, most often indirectly, explains to the readers why she tolerates Andy's misbehavior. To a large extent, she seems to accept the rude comments from her husband and much suggests that she actually loves him, which is further made clear by the "pet"-naming. This complex relationship gives room for not only various comic situations but also maintains the interest of the viewer; knowing that we might see big quarrel in tomorrow's strip, but being constantly reminded that this dysfunctional married couple seem to possess a heart underneath, makes us interested and even caring for them. This book, THE NEW ANDY CAPP COLLECTION NO. 1, mostly consists of new material published after the death of Reg Smythe. During the last few decades, Andy Capp has softened considerably and the new cartoonists have not fully succeeded in following the brilliant characterizations which were part of Smythe's strength. However, the drawings are almost impossible to differ from the originals, and I chuckled a lot while reading the recent strips as well. Andy Capp-fans should certainly add this book to their collection, especially since it also offers some strips by Smythe's hand as well. But newcomers to this wonderful comic strip should be warned; there are better publications to mark their interest with, namely the sadly hard-to-find ANDY CAPP THROUGH THE AGES.
5.0 out of 5 stars
Andy Capp, a Little Cleaned Up But Still Insufferable,
By
This review is from: New Andy Capp Collection: Number 1 (No. 1) (Paperback)
The original Andy Capp, created by Reg Smythe, was a dialect-speaking wife beater, a loathsome but very funny human being. The modern Andy speaks in standard English and doesn't pound on Flo (though she pounds on him--reverse sexism?). But he's still as insufferable as ever, and this new, updated strip is a delight.Just don't reform any more, dear old reprobate!
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