Review- BUSTER BROWN'S ANTICS

BUSTER BROWN'S ANTICS (Frederick A. Stokes Co.(*?), 1906(*?); Softcover)

*My copy has copyright dates on the strips of 1906 and 1907 American Journal Examiner, Great Britain. It's possible that my copy is from the UK. If so, it was released in the UK in 1908, not 1906, which is probable seeing as how the US version is copyright 1906. Contents differ wildly between countries. The French version of this book with the same cover and title has wholly different contents.

The spine of this book.

The following strips are present in my copy of this book:

Buster And The Goat- Tige To The Woods (1906)

Buster's Goat Yields To Kindness (1906)

Buster Fools His Mama/ Up In A Balloon, Boys. (1906)

Poor Buster Gets The Blame (1906)

Buster's Education/ The New Tutor (1906)

Buster Gets The Worst Of It (1907)

Why is a Goat Nearly? (1906)

What Would You Do With A Boy Like This? (1906)

Was It Not Buster's Boat? Not Yet- But- Soon (undated)

Buster's Pet Goat/ But The Goat Was Cleaned (undated)

Getting An Education (1906)

Buster's Dilemma/ And It Was Halloween Too (1906, my copy is missing the second page)

(NOTE) I can't find an exact table of contents for this book anywhere online. My copy is missing the title page, which seems to be in every other copy I've seen online. Most sources show this book as having 31 pages. My copy has a total of 23 pages, meaning that it is likely missing the title page, one story page, and three two-page stories. This was a “quarter box” equivalent beater reader copy when compared to the nicer copies found online. If you are willing to spend upwards of 400 bucks you can get some cleaner copies. I got this for a small fraction of that cost. Oh well, you get what you pay for, right?

Writer and Artist: R. F. Outcault

This is the fourth collection of Buster Brown newspaper strips that was published from what I have gathered. There is a real lack of resources on the publishing history of the character online. The usual sources have some information but it is skeletal at best. I have yet to find a definitive source on the publication history with dates for each strip. Indeed, one may not even exist.

Outcault is an absolute genius. His earlier creation, The Yellow Kid, was a real salt of the Earth concept. Buster Brown is an affluent upper class child, the Little Lord Fauntleroy prudent Victorian child that was all but fantasy to a large portion of the reading audience.

Buster seems to lead a carefree life free of all want, left to pursue fun and mischief with playmates while causing headaches for his prim and proper mother. His talking dog, Tige, seems to be the moral compass and smartest character in the strip.

This stuff bleeds charm. It's a fun read as a read, and when you factor in the obscurity, scarcity, and cultural and historical significance to the artform it's invaluable. There is one strip here which would offend today's more politically correct fanbase. I wish that Sunday Press Books, Classic Comics Press, Fantagraphics, or Library Of American Comics would rescue this strip from the dustbins of history and reprint it in hardcover. This likely hasn't happened because the strips are either scarce and/or there aren't enough fans of Outcault left in this mortal coil to buy them.

I am admittedly not an expert on the Platinum Age of Comics but am eager to learn. There are several Facebook groups on the subject and scattered resources but have yet to find some definitive source detailing the print history of the strip and assorted books. I would be grateful to anyone who can show me where to go to learn more.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Old newspapers were fricking HUGE. The Sunday pages are cut in half here, with the top half's worth of panels going across one page and the second half going across the next. Each page is single sided, likely due to the limits of printing technology of the day.

Buster Fools His Mama/ Up In A Balloon, Boys. page two is misbound behind the story which followed it. These books were bound by hand back then, so it is doubtful that the entire run was effected by my copy's defect.

Linework and Color restoration: I couldn't even begin to guess how this compares to the original newspaper strips. From what I've been able to piece together this strip wasn't even printed in color in every market. What I can tell you is that the print quality for this time is downright stunning. Four color printing with minimal line bleed or off-register printing.

Paper stock: Glossy paper of the day, far less glossy than what we would call glossy today but the paper has a slickness to it as well as bright, vibrant colors. Being 110+ years old it is brittle and there are flakes everywhere every time I flip through it.

Binding: Cloth bound. Handling a 110+ year old book felt like handling the dead sea scrolls.

This book once belonged to some children, who wrote their names on the back cover. It's wild to think that the children who wrote this are long dead and gone and likely have greatgrandchildren roaming around now.

Cardstock cover notes: The cover is pretty thick, but time and endless handling have rendered it fragile, with folds, creases, and flaking everywhere. 

Review- BUSTER BROWN

BUSTER BROWN (Create Space, Printed on February 12, 2017; Softcover)

Collects 70 Buster Brown Sunday strips from 1902-1904.

Writer and Artist: R.F. Outcault

The book's spine does not feature the title. -10% enjoyment on The OCD scale.

The Platinum Age of comics (pre-comic books newspaper strips) is woefully underrepresented in Collected Editions. Buster Brown has two reprint books from the 1970s, but neither are complete. A handful of his strips have appeared in books like Society Is Nix, but comprehensive reprints are nonexistent. This mostly forgotten character doesn't have enough clout to be reprinted today, which is a shame considering that he was an outright phenomenon in his heyday. It seems almost criminal to let historically significant works like this rot in the hands of private collectors or exist as poorly scanned images on a handful of websites on the Internet. There aren't enough people who care about the history of the artform to make any publisher take a gamble and release a collection. If I ever win the Lotto I'll do it.

Imagine my delight when I discovered this collection, a bargain priced print on demand reprint from Amazon's CreateSpace imprint for $9.99. Where do I sign? I was in. Two days later this expectedly low budget affair arrived at my home. I have mixed feeling about this book. It's great to own these strips, but I have 20/20 vision and had a hard time reading the dialogue in spots.

This strip stars your run of the mill well-to-do Victorian child getting into all manner of mischief with his dog, Tige. Then-contemporary fashions and slang are fascinating to me. Societal mores, such as the once acceptable spanking of children, are on full display. Buster Brown's resolutions are usually found after him being on the receiving end of his mother's hand or hairbrush. This is unintentionally funny 113 years after publication.

Buster gets in all sorts of trouble and celebrates every holiday along the way. The whimsical nature of the strip, coupled with Outcault's unintentionally creepy faces, makes for a bizarre read that bleeds charm. I love the fashions and customs of the day (i.e. tea parties, the ash man, etc.) and found a reference to the then-new vaccinations, where people still objected to them out of ignorance. Another famous cartoon strip, Raggedy Ann, was actually the symbol of the anti-vaccination movement of the early 20^th century.

This book is a disservice to the genius of Outcault. The stories are great but the subpar presentation prevents me from recommending this book to anyone. I gambled 10 bucks but my advice to you is to find the scans on the Internet that these were swiped from and read them on your device or try printing them out yourself. They won't come out any worse, I promise you.

Junk Food For Thought rating: * out of 5.

The OCD zone- *While this book is wider than a standard trade paperback/ graphic novel, the artwork is shrunk down so much that it is virtually unreadable at times. I can't give a fair rating, so I won't give one at all.

Linework restoration: Awful. Imagine listening to a mp3 that is sourced from a cassette which was recorded off of a record by placing the tape recorder next to the speaker as the record played. You are dealing with this level of loss of fidelity. These strips were originally printed in color. The black and white presentation here is a murky grayscale mess. I have actually located the page where these scans were swiped from for this book. This material deserves better than this book, which any boob could have slapped together using Amazon's CreateSpace imprint.

Paper stock: Lighter weight uncoated stock.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: Laminated cardstock. 

Review- BUSTER BROWN: EARLY STRIPS IN FULL COLOR

BUSTER BROWN: EARLY STRIPS IN FULL COLOR (Dover, First Printing, 1974)

Facsimile edition of the 1904 hardcover collection Buster Brown And His Resolutions, which collects fifteen Sunday newspaper strips which were originally published in 1903 and 1904 in the New York Herald.

Writer and Artist: R.F. Outcault

Before there were Buster Brown shoes there was Buster Brown the comic strip. R.F. Outcault was the premiere cartoonist of his day, arguably the first “superstar” in the world of comics. His Hogan's Alley (later The Yellow Kid) strip, published during the mid-1890s through the turn of the 20^th century, made his name. His work on this strip and Pore Lil Mose remain criminally neglected in this golden age of comic reprints. I have been waiting for Sunday Press Books or another publisher to preserve them for posterity. The sad fact of the matter is that comic fandom as a whole has little interest in the history of the medium prior to superheroes, and reprints of strips like this would be expensive to produce and sell very few copies for any publisher brave enough to even try. If I ever win the Lotto I will procure a complete run of this series and start up a publishing company to rescue these lost classics from obscurity.

Early 20^th century newspaper strips were compiled and reprinted in hardcover books. These were the first collected editions, if you will. I was looking at Buster Brown books one night on eBay when I came across this book. A few minutes on Google and I was able to peg this as an affordable reprint, and in color no less! Dover must have photographed the old book that they did this facsimile off of, as the colors are completely authentic and scanners as we now know them were science fiction back in 1974.

The strip itself is charming. Buster Brown is a child in a well to do family during the then-contemporary Victorian era. The fashions and furnishings were current when published but look like something out of Henry Ford Museum today. Buster and his dog Tige always get in trouble, with Buster often finding his posterior region on the receiving end of a hairbrush. Buster tends to get himself into all manner of trouble with a resolution provided in a text panel in each strip. This book seems to span all seasons and doesn't seem to follow any publication order, as it skips back and forth between 1903 and 1904 copyright dates. The strips themselves are undated.

Beating your children with a hairbrush was not only acceptable, it was passed off as wholesome lowbrow family entertainment in 1903-1904. 

Outcault remains a genius. Many modern comic fans are willfully ignorant of the history of the medium. I am by no means an expert, but I am learning more all the time, and the Internet has made studying the history of the medium easier than it would have been in my younger days. Unfortunately many strips like this remain out of reach of most fans due to expense or scarcity. We have been living in the golden age of comic reprints over the past dozen or so years, and in spite of everything that has been published one thing remains clear: We have barely even scratched the surface.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This opens like a calendar, meaning that it opens vertically and not horizontally like a normal book. The strip was originally published as a full sheet. Those old newspapers were huge, so each one is cut in half, with one half on one page and the other half on the next.

Linework and Color restoration: I have no source material to compare this to, but everything looks “authentic”. It's interesting how some of the earliest four color printing presses were more accurate than the ones which would turn up and print early comic books.

Paper stock: Thick uncoated stock with minimal browning on the edges, a real feat for a forty-plus year old book.

Binding: The binding is a stapled, saddle-stitched book.

Cardstock cover notes: Extremely thick cardstock cover with a durable lamination.

Review- THE YELLOW KID

THE YELLOW KID (Kitchen Sink Press, 1995; Hardcover)

Collects the Hogan's Alley, McFadden's Row Of Flats, and Around The World With The Yellow Kid strips originally printed in the New York World from 5/5/1895, 5/19/1895, 7/7/1895, 9/22/1895, 11/10- 24/1895, 12/15/1895, 1/5/1896, 2/16/1896, 3/15/1896, 3/22/1896, 4/12/1896, 4/26/1896, 5/3/1896, 5/17/1896-4/4/1897, 4/18/1897, 5/2-30/1897, 9/25-12/12/1897, 12/26/1897- 1/23/1898, 2/2/1898, 2/20/1898, 3/27/1898, and 5/1/1898

Writer and Artist: R.F. Outcault

I am completely enamored with the “Platinum Age” of comics. These strips are not just quaint snapshots of a bygone era, they are culturally and historically significant documents of America in the late 19^th century. This book is as much a history book as it is a collected edition. In the lengthy 140+ page introduction there are many pre-Yellow Kid Outcault political strips, albeit reproduced so small that they are difficult to enjoy.

The Yellow Kid got his start in the Hogan's Alley strip. In his day he was the most licensed character, with his image on everything from cigarettes to you name it. There was nothing Outcault wouldn't slap his character on to make a buck. The phrase “yellow journalism” can trace its origins to the character. It was also one of the first nationally syndicated strips. I learned a lot not only about the strip but about the history of New York City and the class structure of the city at that time as well.

While the character is an Irish immigrant stereotype, all ethnicities are represented in an equally unfavorable fashion. Given the large immigrant melting pot aspect of New York City at this time this sort of thing actually helped readers identify with the strip. It's hard to imagine in this politically correct, hyper-sensitive world, but the generalizations about Black, Irish, etc., didn't bother folks then as much as it does now. Indeed, anyone who believes that race relations are the same as they were during the era of Jim Crow laws need look no further than material which was actually released during the time frame. Many folks screaming racism and discrimination nowadays should feel ashamed of themselves, especially if you look at the portrayal of minorities during the era that this strip was originally published in. Things are better today. Not perfect, but much better than they were 100 plus years ago. Maybe folks in 100 years will look back at modern comics and recoil in horror. My kids will find out.

There are a handful of strips of Outcault's other famous creation, Buster Brown, in the back of the book. I would be all over a comprehensive reprint of Buster Brown strips, but given the current political climate and the relatively small audience for this type of material I would say that chances are slim to none that it will ever happen, which is a damn shame.

The Yellow Kid was a political satire strip, championing the cause of the poor and the downtrodden all the while poking fun at then-modern conveniences like alarm clocks and the New York City subway project. The importance of this material cannot be stressed enough. More comic fans should be interested in the history of the artform. You can't know where comics are going if you don't have a clue where they've been.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

 

The OCD zone- While this book is big, it is nowhere near large enough to do the material justice. Every single strip is shrunk down in size, being difficult to read at best and impossible to read at worst. I swear, there are times where you almost need a magnifying glass to read this, and I have 20/20 vision as of my appointment in December of 2014.

Linework and Color restoration: While the scans are of good quality, the strips are shrunk down so much that it is a moot point. Sad, considering that there is no way that this entire run will be reprinted ever again. The colors are original and/or yellowed with time, for better or for worse.

Paper stock: Matte coated stock with a slight sheen.

Binding: Smyth sewn binding with double fan adhesive. Book is a little creaky at times 20 years later due to the weight of the book block. There is one spot where the super (or crash) has a split maybe 1/8 of the way up. It doesn't effect the durability of the book per se, I am merely reporting this stuff as fairly and honestly as possible. It should be noted that this is a fairly worn second hand copy. It has been read more than once, and likely not by someone as insanely anal retentive careful as me.

Hardback cover notes: The image is printed on the casewrap, which, while having an excellent thickness lamination, has significant shelf and cover wear 20 years and who knows how many owners later. It should be noted that I could have spent a lot more for a nice copy (they made a ton of these) but I went for a solid mid-grade copy.

Reviews- DRAWING POWER: A COMPENDIUM OF CARTOON ADVERTISING and RACHEL RISING VOL. 5: NIGHT COMETH

DRAWING POWER: A COMPENDIUM OF CARTOON ADVERTISING (Fantagraphics, 2011; Softcover)

Not quite a collected edition, not quite an art book, Drawing Power: A Compendium Of Cartoon Advertising is a fascinating overview of the impact that comic strip characters had on the world of commerce. This book covers advertisements from the 1870s through the 1940s. Fans of classic newspaper strips will be especially interested in this book.

There are examples of Winsor McCay's and Doctor Seuss' advertisement artwork. Popular strips of the day like The Yellow Kid and Bringing Up Father were used to pimp anything and everything that they could slap their likeness on. Cigarettes? No problem! There are examples of every single popular character of the day (Mickey Mouse, Popeye, etc.).

As is the case with any material from this era, there are things that are politically incorrect, i.e. unfavorable racial caricatures, etc. I look at this sort of thing in a historical curiosity sort of light, although people looking at this with 2015 eyes will likely get offended.

This book is a delightful romp through the past, a glimpse into a simpler time. While it is tempting to think of the olden days as the good ol' days, they in truth were not in so many ways. I just appreciate how downright artistic everything seemed to be back then, from advertisements to building architecture.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- Some of the later examples are comic book or strip-styled advertisements and are shrunk down, often requiring a magnifying glass to read.

Linework and Color restoration: These are raw scans of good resolution, although I dislike how the yellowing was left on many of them. I want to see things looking as close to new as possible, not with wear and tear.

Paper stock: Beautiful off-white uncoated stock.

Binding: Smyth sewn binding.

Cardstock cover notes: The cover has a unique coating that is textured with embossed lettering.

  
RACHEL RISING VOL. 5: NIGHT COMETH (Abstract Studio, 2015; Softcover)

Collects Rachel Rising #25-30 (cover dates April- December, 2014)

Writer and Artist: Terry Moore

Oh man, things are really heating during the seemingly perpetual winter in the town of Manson. Zoe is starting to challenge Rachel as the focal point for this series. This series is a real slow burn, playing out like a television drama with accents of Horror. Think of it as an undead version of Northern Exposure, only these undead are not brainless zombies and there is no moose. This title remains one of the bright spots in modern comics. Check it out!

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone

Paper stock: Uncoated stock.

Binding: Perfect bound trade paperback.

Cardstock cover notes: The coating has a matte finish but is of a high quality in that it doesn't scuff easily. Too often this style of coating is easily scuffed, but not so here.

Review- SOCIETY IS NIX

SOCIETY IS NIX (Sunday Press Books, 2013; Hardcover)

Collects newspaper strips from 1895-1915

Writers: Too numerous to list

Artists: Too numerous to list

Wow. As much a lesson in comic strip history as it is a collection of vintage strips from the Platinum Age of Comics, Society Is Nix is required reading for anyone who wants to know how it all began. There is a lengthy introduction which traces the origin of the newspaper strip to England and Germany in the 19^th century, showing numerous examples as well as the origin of the comic book, which was originally a way for publishers to reprint newspaper strips in book format. These were also the very first collected editions, if you will. 

There are many of these strips that I would love to see full blown collections of, such as Buster Brown and Pore Lil' Mose. Due to the racist caricatures found in those strips, it will likely never happen. Folks could never look past that and see these for the historical curiosities that they are. There are several examples in this book of racist caricatures which were common occurrences in newspaper strips of the day, and it seems like something out of The Twilight Zone. Those who believe that race relations have not progressed need look no further than examples found here to see how far things have come.

The comic jam and crossovers, things which I loathe and associate with the worst of modern comic fandom, actually originated during this era. Granted the crossovers were limited to characters within the same newspaper, but happen they did. The more things change...

This was done in clay and then photographed. Amazing!

As this was the dawn of the artform, the rules were made up as they went along. Some of the early strips had numbered panels so that people could understand how to follow along, a tradition continued in the early Golden Age comic books.

There are some brilliant artists in this book. F.M. Howarth's bizarre big-headed characters and thick black lines. Jack Bryans' silhouette style of storytelling. R.F. Outcault is another seemingly forgotten genius. A.D. Reed, whose style was a precursor if not direct influence on Robert Crumb and the underground “comix” of the 1960s. Ed Carey's Simon Simple, which is worthy of it's own line of books. Of course no overview of this era would be complete without a handful of examples of Winsor McCay's genius. Norman E. Jennett is an artist whose work needs to be rediscovered and collected. Penny Ross' Mamma's Angel Child is also brilliant. I can go on and on and on but won't. Suffice it to say that I want to see more of this stuff. 

Mamma's Angel Child. 

The Katzenjammer Kids are the most represented in the book, which makes sense since they were also among the most popular of the day as well as the longest running of these strips. I love the melting pot aspect of the early strips, with artists catering to the various immigrants in their respective cities.

I am beyond thankful for the people who thought to save what was essentially disposable entertainment. If not for the collectors and pack rats of the world this stuff would have been lost entirely. As it is, much of it is gone forever. This book certainly belongs in your collection.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5. 

The Smashing Pumpkins used this turn-of-the-20th-century font for their 1995 double album Mellon Collie And The Infinite Sadness. 

The OCD zone- This book is an absolute beast. It is presented in the original strip size, and newspapers were fricking huge back then. It is an awkward, unwieldy read. If you lay it flat it is difficult to see the top of the page. If you read it laying on your back then you will feel it crush your rib cage as it is heavy.

Linework and Color restoration: These are high resolution scans. The yellowing has been removed and it looks as good as can be without full blown restoration. All imperfections found in the original comics (line bleed, off register printing, etc.) are found here.

Paper stock: Thick off-white uncoated stock. Perfect.

Binding: Smyth sewn binding, lays flat. This book is a beast. You need to lay it on your bed or your kitchen table (once you place freshly laundered towels under it on the table, of course- this is the OCD zone, you know!).

Hardback cover notes: Matte casewrap, fairly resistant to scuffing. Cloth wrap around the spine. Classy.