Customer Reviews

Walt and Skeezix, Book 2 (Walt & Skeezix) (Bk. 2)

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I used to think there were only four classic comic strips - Lil Abner, Krazy Kat, Peanuts and Calvin and Hobbes. Gasoline Alley is as good as any of them, especially in its early years. Frank King's work can only be described as "gentle humor" and is as American as Will Rogers, Meredith Willson's Music Man and mom's apple pie. Oh, to be able to live in the world of Walt and Skeezix.

When people long for the good-old-days, usually they're dreaming of an idealized time that in actuality only looks good in hindsight. However, when it comes to newspaper comic strips, I do long for the good old days. While there are still a few good strips in existence nowadays, there is also a lot of garbage. While I suppose that was probably always the case, at least newspapers respected the comics then, as opposed to nowadays, when they are crammed all onto a page or two.

Frank King's Gasoline Alley was one of the gems of the early half of the century and was especially notable for being a real-time strip: for each comic strip year, the characters also aged a year. As evidenced in the title Walt and Skeezix, 1923 and 1924, Gasoline Alley had two central characters: Walt, a large, amiable fellow and Skeezix, his adopted son. In the first collection (comprising 1921 and 1922), we first met Skeezix as a newborn left on Walt's doorstep.
As this second volume begins, Walt is on the brink of finalizing Skeezix's adoption, but someone representing the real mother throws a temporary wrench into the proceedings.

Among the other people who occupy the Alley are Bill, Avery and Doc, Walt's best friends, and the mysterious Mrs. Phyllis Blossom, who Walt is slightly romantically involved. Among the features in the 1923 strips is the appearance of Mr. Wicker, a wealthy older man who becomes a denizen of the alley (and a potential rival in Walt's pursuit of Phyllis). The highlight, however is a cross-country race between Avery and Walt: if Avery loses, he needs to buy a new car (a particular hardship for the stingy Avery); if Walt loses, he has to propose to Phyllis.

In the 1924 strips, the biggest storyline is the revelation of Skeezix's mother and a subsequent kidnapping of the four-year old by that mother. Of course, Walt and Skeezix will be reunited, but the two will take a trip out west to avoid future problems (and are soon joined by Walt's friends).

Well-drawn and well-written, Gasoline Alley was one of the top comic strips of its era and is one of the all-time best strips. It actually still exists, making it one of the longest running strips ever (although it has a limited circulation and is a pale shadow of its former self). For a good look at what the comics used to look like - and how good they could be - this is a great read.

I love comics. This book is great. It doesn't put in some and leave some out. It puts them all in. Highly recommended if you love comics.

I'm 60 this year and I have been reading Gasoline Alley all of my life, but I didn't nearly get in on the start. This book does not begin at then very start. It only has one of the very oldest. It starts with the year in which Skeezix ended up on Walt's doorstep. Close enough.

Now I have to order book 3. I didn't order them all together because I wouldn't get anything done until I finished them all if I did.

Ken

The second volume of this reprint series continues.

New characters and twists arise.

We get a next member of the 'alley gang', the rich old Mr Wicket, who fits right in with the rest. (I was actually a little suspicious of him, but found that he was ok after all)

The first few months deal with Walt trying to formally adopt Skeezix. But a wrench is thrown in when a mysterious woman appears who claims to know who Skeezix's mother is and is trying to contact her. While the case is postponed with no appearance of said person, a further postponement is stopped by the intervention of Mrs. Blossom, who apparently also knows the mother. This is not explained, nor who this mysterious woman is or her interest.

The singer Mme. Octave appears and is a friend of Mrs. Blossom, who takes Skeezix to see her. Another issue is when Blossom keeps Skeezix too long, which upsets Walt.

We then get a long race between Avery and Walt to the west.

Then we get a great revalation that Mme. Octave is Skeezix's mother, who wants the child (no explaination of why she abandoned him, but we see no 'Mr. Octave', so prehaps that explains things, but she seems to be a person of some importance). She then attempts to kidnap Skeezix, but after some time Walt is able to get him back. Nothing seems to happen to Octave or any involvement of Mrs Blossom (who is, after all, a friend of Octave). Hopefully some of these unanswered/unresolved matters will be addressed in the next volume.

We also get a long trip out west by Walt and Skeezix, later joined by the men of the Alley, before all return home.

A continuation of the Gasoline Alley early days. Well preserved. A good buy for comics junkies like me.

I have ordered but not yet received book 2 in this series. However, I expect it to be even better than book 1. This is a well-bound large volume of the history of the cartoonist along with many pictures. This also includes the beginning of the Gasoline Alley comic strips. I am assuming book 2 will begin where book 1 left off.
As a child I loved reading this strip up until I was an adult when it ceased to be carried in our Roanoke Times (VA) newspaper. Many times when I have a good remembrance of something it falls short when viewed a second time, but I was not disappointed in this book.