The Golden Age of Comic Strip Reprints 0

[Scrooge]

Just finished Vol. 2 of Fantagraphics reprinting of Roy Crane's Captain Easy.

 

Still an enjoyable strip, though there were a couple of "turkey" sequences in this volume. Captain Easy is supposed to be a swashbuckling adventurer and this premise works best in exotic locales. A couple of sequences brought Easy to Manhattan and he gets lost in the shuffle with the writer focusing the stories on satirizing high society rather than involving Easy. Indeed what good is Easy's ingenuity and daring-doo in an environment where law enforcement is just a phone call away; give him dictators and slavers to foil and he becomes a better suited character. Aside from that, the recipe remains successful.

 

For Jack, here's a panel from the August 23, 1936 Sunday about the manufacture of artificial diamond. Another later Sunday showcases the actual process and machinery but is too large to comfortably scan on my crappy scanner. Sorry.

 

[Theagenes]

I've been reading the first Fantagraphics Prince Valiant to my four-year old daughter and she loves it.

 

My son on the other hand won't read comics at all, but I caught him reading the giant Little Nemo book the other day. Maybe there's hope for him yet.

[ComicConnoisseur]

I've been reading the first Fantagraphics Prince Valiant to my four-year old daughter and she loves it.

 

My son on the other hand won't read comics at all, but I caught him reading the giant Little Nemo book the other day. Maybe there's hope for him yet.

I just ordered the first volume a few days ago, and look forward to reading it. I heard lot`s of good things about Foster`s work. (thumbs u

 

[Theagenes]

You won't be disappointed.

[Theagenes]

Does anyone no anything about this upcoming Flash Gordon collection? Or Titan Books? I just have the old Nostalgia press volumes and I'd been thinking about getting the Checker ones, but maybe I'll hold out for this new collection if it's going to be in a better format.

 

 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0857681540/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d5_g14_i6?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1N70EWC4B41264S6V7PS&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846

[Scrooge]

That's insane! Why would Titan redo Flash Gordon when Checkers did it so recently and this

 

Definitive Flash Gordon Jungle Jim

 

 

is about to come out.

 

I would get (and have pre-ordered) the oversized collection above.

[Ken Aldred]

Definitive Flash Gordon Jungle Jim

 

 

I would get (and have pre-ordered) the oversized collection above.

 

+1 I've ordered this version.

 

As with IDW's 'Terry and the Pirates' and 'Steve Canyon' , this is the first time I've ever purchased a reprint collection of the strips, despite having had many opportunities to do so for decades now.

 

The books I most regret missing are the Kitchen Sink 'Steve Canyon' magazines.

[sfcityduck]

The books I most regret missing are the Kitchen Sink 'Steve Canyon' magazines.

 

Lucky for you that IDW is coming out with Steve Canyon reprints starting in January:

 

http://www.bleedingcool.com/2011/08/04/idw-to-publish-milton-caniffs-steve-canyon/

[Ken Aldred]

When I started collecting in the late 70s, I was introduced to Will Eisner's work very early on, and I put together a complete run of the Kitchen Sink Spirit magazines.

 

It's just a shame that I wasn't similarly directed towards Caniff at that same stage, and I completely overlooked Kitchen Sink's reprints of his work. It's only within the last five years that I've managed to catch up and get to understand what a great artist he was.

[Theagenes]

Pre-Ordered the IDW Flash Gordon.

 

Okay, who wants my Nostalgia ones for cheap? :shrug:

[Scrooge]

Who wants my Checkers for cheap ...

[Theagenes]

 

I'll throw in my Nostalgia Prince Valiants too! Don't need those anymore either

[Scrooge]

I also have some Li'l Abner to sweeten the pot

[Scrooge]

 

Nothing since September!!

 

Who else bought the Cisco Kid reprints from Classic Comics Press (of On Stage, Heart of Juliet Jones, ... reprints)?

 

I finally started it last night and am only in the middle of the second sequence so I'll reserve judgment yet but would love to hear from others?

 

[adamstrange]

I picked up a copy of that a month ago or so and leafed through it. I am disappointed as I admire Salinas and have seen a decent number of originals as I found the book does not do justice to them. That said, what they used to print off of may be the best we can expect and they are still impressive.

[Scrooge]

Glad I am not the only one to think that then. It feels like this is a strip that could afford being repro'd larger as I feel as you do that too many lines are dropped at times and detracts from the strip. In some cases, the frame looks more empty than it should though one guesses it's all there in the original but doesn't come off on the reprinted page.

[TupennyConan]

That's insane! Why would Titan redo Flash Gordon when Checkers did it so recently and this

 

Definitive Flash Gordon Jungle Jim

 

 

is about to come out.

 

I would get (and have pre-ordered) the oversized collection above.

 

Bought it in my last big amazon purchase. Damn thing's 16" tall. Very pretty. Looking forward to reading it in the mid-fall.

[Scrooge]

I finished the first volume of the Cisco Kid earlier this week and was in fact pleased with the reading experience. I sometimes worry that the flash of the art is not matched by the wit of the stories (pun-intended as I find early Flash Gordon painful to read) but I have found this Cisco Kid collection easy to read and I will say the stories, though fairly generic, are engaging and they were able to capture my attention. Reed built into each sequence in this volume the potential of misunderstanding (even mis-direction) that helped keep the suspense and tension in these typically light-hearted stories (you have to recall that Cisco is played up as a ladies man, up front and center as it is part of his persona). In fact, the only criticism is that all these elements are wasted at times as the resolution and conclusion of the stories sometimes eschew some of these elements and appear to stop more abruptly than they need to. My second concern was how Pancho would weave into the stories as most humorous side-kicks can be overbearing but Pancho comes off as fairly sympathetic and quite capable in the roles that Cisco assigns to him so he is not a distraction to the strip. In other words, I recommend this volume whole-heartedly.

 

Now, back to finishing the second volume of Rip Kirby (1949 - 1951).

[Scrooge]

I picked up a copy of that a month ago or so and leafed through it. I am disappointed as I admire Salinas and have seen a decent number of originals as I found the book does not do justice to them. That said, what they used to print off of may be the best we can expect and they are still impressive.

 

To get back to your comment, I found in the book the panel that is reproduced on the front cover and the difference is night and day and, yes, so much of the richness of that front cover image disappear in the reprinted version ...

[Scrooge]

Now, back to finishing the second volume of Rip Kirby (1949 - 1951).

 

Well, finished that earlier in the week. Wow, if one flips from the start of that volume to the end of the volume, you will notice the gradual disappearance of any background in the strip Even the figures get more and more roughed-out rather than carefully finished. I had to hang my hat on the storylines to get to the finish. Was Raymond using assistant or ghost at that time period? Or was he very busy elsewhere that he let the strip slip like that? Any one has a link to that great resource that used to be available about strips and artists across time periods? I'm curious.

 

Now, back to finishing the ninth volume of On Stage - Mary Perkins (1967 - 1969).