Customer Reviews

The Pogo papers (The Best of Pogo)

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Kelly published this book when Joe McCarthy witch-hunt was on the rise and its character was clearly visible to any with eyes clear enough to see. Simple J. Malarkey is Kelly's parody of Joe M - a bully, plain and simple.

"This constitution also guarantees my right to speak up," Deacon Mushrat tells him.

"It can't guarantee what will happen after a guy speaks up," Malarkey answers, "You been speaking up real good, Deac', but gosh, fella, it don't pay to tinker forever with chance. Ha Ha."

In the end, the gang leaders turn on each other. The last we know of them, the neighborhood vulture is coming by to borrow a knife and fork before he goes back to "join his friends" - the reason for the table tools, one assumes and hopes.

In the end, Pogo's friend Porky explains it to the bewildered Deacon. "You brung in them two [incuding Simple J] ... sayin' it was to keep us from makin' dern fools of ourselfs, whereas it's the inherent right of ALL to make dern fools of theirselfs. It ain't a right held by you official types alone. The rest of us might not have the sheer ability at it, but us do got the right. So don't mess with it."

There's a lot more in this charming book, of course. Albert the alligator, pompous Howland Owl, friendly but thick-witted Churchy, and all the rest. Their election-year antics have their swap astir with plans for Pogo's presidential campaign. As soon as they get the details worked out, they'll tell Pogo all about it.

If you're not a fan of Pogo, you can be. This is a wonderful collection of one of the best comic strips ever. To know Pogo (and his loopy swamp-mates) is to love him (and them).

//wiredweird

When I was very young in the 50's, my brother loved this book, and I have fond memories of borrowing and reading it myself, although I may not have fully appreciated the political and social significance at that age. I even remember looking for Ft. Mudge when the family drove down the highway from Waycross to Jacksonville (the sign and a few buildings were still there then). I recently purchased a copy, mostly as a nostalgia thing, and rediscovered not only the joy of a funny and visually wonderful work of art, but with the political implications and hidden (and not-so hidden) social commentary, the cycle has become complete and I am now an unrepentant Walt Kelly fan. I have since collected just about all of the available Walt Kelly works from the 50's and early 60's, and wonder why we didn't have more of these treasures in our house back in the simpler old days. This is a great book.

This is the book you boys were supposed to read.

Not Little Green Men