Pogo Revisited: 3 Pogo Classics in 1 Volume [Paperback]

Walt kelly (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 320 pages
• Publisher: Fireside (June 25, 1974)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0671217720
• ISBN-13: 978-0671217723
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.3 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,004,425 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars "We have met the enemy,and he is us.", June 19, 2006

By 

J. Guild (Toronto,Canada) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Pogo Revisited: 3 Pogo Classics in 1 Volume (Paperback)

In Brian Walker's book,"The Comics since 1945" ,the first thing said about Walt Kelly is,"One of the most versatile talents ever to work in the medium,Walt Kelly mastered all of the art form's tools and techniques. He was adept at flights of fantasy as well as biting political satire. He loved clever wordplay and penned lines of nonsense and thought-provoking philosophy. Intellectuals praised 'Pogo' for its literary content,and children delighted in the strip's visual slapstick and enchanting whimsy. With his facile brush, Kelly conjured up a world filled with talking animals and evocative scenery."
Kelly was born in 1913,graduated from High School in 1930,worked as a reporter and cartoonist for his hometown newspaper in Bridgeport,Conn. In 1935, he went west to seek his fortune in the animation business. 5 years at Walt Disney Studios working on 'Pinocchio,Fantasia,and Dumbo',honed his talents, and he went back east and worked on a number of strips,including,Our Gang,Raggedy Ann and Andy,and others.
Pogo first appeasred in 1942,published by Dell.This led to the creation of over 150 characters,each with names and personalities ,eventually populating Okefenokee Swamp.
Kelly continued the strip for the rest of his career,dying in 1973.Kelly once summed up life with these thought-provoking words;
"There is no need to sally forth,for it remains true that
those things which make us human are,curiously enough,always
close at hand. Resolve ,then, that on this very ground,
with small flags waving and tinny blasts on tiny
trumpets,we may meet the enemy...and not only may he be
ours,he may be us."
Along with the daily strips,Walt Kelly gave us many books.In the end,these books became very helpful for those to remember the stories and characters we followed over the many years. With some searching,these books can still be found and are a great way for anyone who did not " follow " the strips as they came out; to see what Pogo was all about.
This is a particularly good book because it consists of 3 books ,"Instant Pogo", "The Jack Acid Society Black Book", and "The Pogo Poop Book"; all in one.
If you're not familiar with Pogo;here's a taste;

"Doc,you better learn your old dogma a new trick..."

"We have tabacos..better than nothing...but in your country,
what you have? SHORTAGES! " Castro to Khruchev
"You forget prominent proverb! Very funny in Russian: The
shortage will be divided among the peasants." Khruchev to
Castro.

" To shoot,we learn, is not the question. To miss is the
problem."

"A toad by any other name would be a frog."

And how about this verse?

" I'll show you us armadillos sing:"

"MA BONNY LICE SODA DEVOTION!
MAY BONNEY LIFE SAVER D.C.!
MCBONIFACE ROVER COMMOTION
OH,BRICKBAT MAHONEY
TOOMEY"

Or how about this;

THE TROUBLE WITH PEOPLE IS PEOPLE

If we could climb
the highest steeple
And look around at
all the people,
And shoot the ones
not wholly good
As we, like noble
shooters,should,
Why,then there'd be
an only worry...
Who would there be left
to bury
us?

Boy, does this book ever bring back the days of the great Comic Strips!!

14 of 19 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Pogo Revisited again and again, February 2, 2001

By 

Arnette Hawkins (Toledo, Ohio) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Pogo Revisited: 3 Pogo Classics in 1 Volume (Paperback)

I started reading Walt Kelly's POGO books as a child. I thought they were funny then. As I grew to adulthood I realized the levels of humor that Kelly had built into his strips. He was a brilliant political cartoonist and I still enjoy reading his books and discovering the depth of his skewering of the political elite. They just keep getting better and better.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Heavy, December 1, 2009

By 

Fat Eddy - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Pogo Revisited: 3 Pogo Classics in 1 Volume (Paperback)

This is one of the densest Pogo books I've come across.

Dialogue
The dialogue is extremely well-developed in all three books. I felt like there were a few less absurdities of speech that the characters are known for, but perhaps they're just more precisely used. In many places, conversations between characters are so full of witticisms that pages must be re-read a few times to pick up the subtleties. The collection as a whole also delivers some of the best one-liners I've come across. Brother Bear's, "What's this, concentrated dead whale?" springs to mind.

Illustrations
I'm not sure where this collection falls on the Pogo timeline, but like the dialogue, it appears to be at the height of Kelly's genius. In many places, panels are sparsely illustrated to allow room for the dialogue. In the larger panels though, it's as lush and detailed as ever. One of my favorite aspects of Kelly's art is the characters' expressions, especially Churchy and Howland (who seem to be the most outwardly expressive of the bunch). In this collection, detailed characters, expressions, arguments, and other interactions seem to (at times) take the place of Kelly's beautiful swamp landscapes.

Characters
Tight as ever. As usual, Pogo and Churchy are the voices of sensitivity and reason (well, not always reason in the case of Churchy). Howland is a short-sighted schemer, perhaps not as smart as usual. Albert is the familiar buffoon. While Deacon Mushrat and Molester Mole's characters are probably specific to the Jack Acid Society book, they are as devious as ever. One peripheral character that I enjoyed seeing more of is Wiley Catt. I had built up an image of him as rather dumb until reading this book.

Instant Pogo and The Pogo Poop Book are relatively quick reading because of the much shorter stories and less plot development. They are very enjoyable and invite many more reads.

The Jack Acid Society Black Book, however, requires the attention that a short novel does. It's very heavy with political and social commentary that is not just specific to the time in which it was written. The messages of skepticism, caution, and vigilance will be applicable as long as we live in a governed country. Read it and then read it again, because you probably missed a lot of it the first time through.

This book is worth far more than I paid for it. I highly recommend it for any fan of Pogo, Krazy Kat, and any other comic from the years when cartoons were real art. It's hilarious, humbling, cerebral, and encouraging.

Buy it.