Walt and Skeezix: Book One, 1921 & 1922: Book One

by Frank King

Other authorsChris Ware (Editor)
Hardcover, 2005

Status

Available

Call number

PN6728.G3

Publication

Drawn and Quarterly (2005), Edition: 1st, 400 pages

Description

Walt & Skeezix is the first-ever collection of the classic twentieth-century newspaper stripGasoline Alley, andBook One is the beginning of a handsome multivolume series edited and designed by comics virtuoso Chris Ware Chris Ware has often citedGasoline Alley as one of his favorite comic strips ever, and he has lovingly edited and designed Walt & Skeezix: Book One, the first-ever collection of the classic newspaper strip created by one of the pioneering giants of American comic strips, Frank King. Not only does this volume reprint the first two years of the strip in which King's friendly and nostalgic imagination took shape but each book in the series features an eighty-page color introduction by Jeet Heer of Canada'sNational Post. Each introduction will also feature never-before-seen archival photos and ephemera from the personal collection of King's granddaughter.Walt & Skeezixis not just a collection of a classic comic strip--it is the story of a great American cartoonist. Few cartoon strips have this kind of longevity and quality;Gasoline Alleyhas been with us since 1919 and is a gentle mirror held up to ordinary American life in the early twentieth century. It started as a mild satire on the post-WWI "craze" for cars, but it wasn't long before it developed into a quirky family story attracting an audience of more than thirty million readers in four hundred-plus newspapers.Gasoline Alley, an affectionate portrait of modern living, is remembered for being the first strip to set itself in contemporary American history. The characters of Gasoline Alleygrow up, go to war, and have grandchildren. The strip always reflects the kind, sweet pace of life.… (more)

Media reviews

The dailies are somewhat dull (rather like life), only coming alive for me when occasional strips focus on the realistic behavior of toddler Skeezix. I’m a sucker for cute kids who really act like kids.

User reviews

LibraryThing member Coelacanth
Who knew that the square, kind of dull, comic I read as a kid in the 60s and 70s started out so well? It’s sly, sweet and endearing. The linework is gorgeous. The presentation couldn’t be better.
LibraryThing member jjmcgaffey
A book of comic strips, the beginning of Gasoline Alley. Fun! Nowadays Walt is a grandfather (great-grandfather?) and starting to lose his facilities - it's interesting to see him as a young man and recognize some patterns that King kept for him. Also interesting as a period piece - set in (and
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written in) the 1920s, started out as a gag strip about (those newfangled contraptions) cars and has developed into one of the longest-running continuity strips ever written. It's neat to see the beginning.
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LibraryThing member groovykinda
Walt & Skeezix is more than just an entertaining comic strip. It's a look back into a world (1920's Wisconsin) lost to us forever. Warm, funny, sweet, endlessly entertaining (especially as Skeezix grows up), and very informative. A real treat.
LibraryThing member scarequotes
It's not too surprising, but this rewards patience. For the first year or so of strips, I thought the collection was agreeable but nothing special. But as details add up, and storylines ebb and flow, and characters grow sharper, the strip gets stronger and stronger. I'm looking forward to the next
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collection.

Added bonus: Discovering that King comes from a small town in Wisconsin. No wonder so many details feel familiar, even 90 years after the strips were written.
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Language

Original language

English

Physical description

400 p.; 9.63 inches

ISBN

1896597645 / 9781896597645
Page: 0.2699 seconds