Review- RIP KIRBY VOL. 1: 1946-1948

RIP KIRBY VOL. 1: 1946-1948 (Library Of American Comics/ IDW, Fourth Printing, 2014; Hardcover)

Collects the Rip Kirby daily strips from March 4, 1946- December 4, 1948

Writer: Ward Greene

Artist: Alex Raymond

Newspaper strips are an acquired taste, but once you do acquire that taste you realize how much superior the storytelling capabilities of this tightly structured form are when compared to even my beloved comic books. The story never ends with newspaper strips. While newspaper strips have been reprinted since the early 1900s (those album-style reprint books were arguably the very first comic books), over the past decade we have seen a slew of high quality, high end reprint collections like this one.

Rip Kirby is the first “modern detective”, meaning that he was the first post-Pulp detective who eschewed all of the various trappings of that genre. Kirby isn't a playboy, instead having a steady gal whom he keeps at arm's length while tapdancing around the various damsels in distress that he encounters. While he occasionally uses a gun and does engage in fisticuffs, it is his intellect and sleuthing which are his strengths. Nor is he a hard drinker, smoking only his pipe. Sherlock Holmes meets pulp detectives with a post-World War II optimistic sheen.

Alex Raymond is a god. His artwork is more streamlined here than on Flash Gordon, the result of meeting the deadline demands of a daily strip rather than just doing a Sunday page. One of the things that I love about reading old comic books and newspaper strips is the artist catching the feeling of the era on paper. The fashions, cars, and architectural styles of the day are on full display in a way that even a historically accurate period piece cannot replicate. There are nuances which historians miss which were matter of fact daily life for those who actually lived through it.

Rip's valet, Desmond, plays an increasingly important role as the strip progresses. A man with a criminal past yet still prim and proper, Desmond saves the day more than once. Chapter 7, Bleak Prospects (October 13, 1947- June 12, 1948), is a tale of kidnapping, back in the days when the idle rich could buy kids on the black market and get away with it..or almost get away with it. Rip Kirby saves the day, but this particular story arc has the most twists and turns in the entire book.

This is some great stuff. This book has gone through at least four printings, and with good reason. If you are tired of linewide comic crossovers, endless reboots, and stunts and gimmicks but are not ready to give up on comics, try reading some of this stuff. It has never been easier or more affordable to snag this material.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- This book is presented in horizontal/ landscape format.

Linework and Color restoration: The restoration is overall very good, but there are several strips in Chapter 8, Terror On The Thames, where the bottom of the strip has been clipped off. I imagine that there were wild variances in the presentation of strips as they were syndicated nationwide. Newspapers likely trimmed strips so that they could fit them in the allotted space. My guess is that it depends on the source for the collection that was used for this book. Either that or the LOAC trimmed them to fit the format of this book.

Uncropped original.

The strip as reprinted in this book.

Uncropped original.

The strip as reprinted in this book.

Paper stock: Super thick matte uncoated stock. Perfect for zero light glare under any source. I experiment with incandescent, CFL, LED, and natural sunlight. I only use incandescent in my bedroom reading lamp (no overhead lighting), but there is no glare with any of the aforementioned sources.

Binding: Sewn binding with a built in ribbon. Some folks like the ribbon, as it is an elegant nod. I can take it or leave it. The book block has room to flex within the casing, allowing the book to lay flat without assistance from you.

Due to the horizontal presentation and weight of the book block you can see a slight sag as gravity takes effect over the years. You might want to store this one spine down if such things bother you. As for myself, I will be dead and gone by the time that this is a real concern and my kids can worry about it when they sell my collection off after I die of old age.

Dustjacket and Hardback cover notes: The casewrap has a texture to it that makes it feel like an old book. The logo is stamped on the front cover and the spine. The dustjacket has a matte coating.

Review- MISS FURY: SENSATIONAL SUNDAYS 1941-1944

MISS FURY: SENSATIONAL SUNDAYS 1941-1944 (Library Of American Comics/ IDW, 2013; Hardcover)

Collects Miss Fury Sunday Strip 1-158b, originally published on April 6, 1941- April 16, 1941.

Writer and Artist: Tarpe Mills

This first volume in the series was released after the second one. I loved the first (second) book when I read it, but some story elements eluded me early on in that book because they were plotlines that carried over from this one. That wrong has been righted with the release of this book. This strip was originally titled Black Fury, a nod to the black leopard skin costume that our femme fatale, Marla Drake, wore. In truth she doesn't wear it very much as the series progresses. While she is billed as a superhero, Miss Fury is in truth a World War II spy strip with dizzying plotline twists. Mills juggled so many plates that it's nothing short of a miracle that she didn't drop any.

There are some cheesecake and S & M elements here, made all the more curious considering that the strip was written and drawn by a woman. This was a true rarity for an adventure strip in this era. I wonder if Mills was pandering to her predominately male audience or if she genuinely enjoyed presenting this sort of thing.

Being a weekly strip, there were weeks and sometimes a month or more without so much as an appearance by the supposed star of the strip, and you know what? It doesn't matter one bit. Some of these supporting characters are as interesting as Miss Fury. Mills' artwork is unique and adds a certain charm to this strip. I am buying more and more of these strip books these days, and the ones from the IDW Library Of American Comics imprint are some of the best out there.

Junk Food For Thought rating: 4.5 out of 5.

The OCD zone- While this is presented in an oversized format, I have no idea if this is presented in the same size at the strips originally appeared.

Linework and Color restoration: Scans with the yellowing removed. Most look really good but there are a few pages that are from inferior sources, possibly even scanned at lower resolution than the rest of the book. All of the problems found with old four color comics are present here (line bleed, off register printing, etc.).

Paper stock: Beautiful, super thick off-white uncoated stock.

Binding: Smyth sewn binding, lays flat. Built in ribbon bookmark. Those aren't my cup of tea but seem to be standard in many of these strip collections.

Hardback cover notes: The dustjacket has a dull finish that requires careful handling. The hardback has a vintage feeling casewrap which I find to be appealing.

Review- Miss Fury

MISS FURY (IDW, 2011; Hardcover)

Collects Miss Fury Sunday Strip 159-351, originally published April, 1944- August, 1949

Writer and Artist: Tarpe' Mills

Charming to the last, Miss Fury is an absolute delight to the eyes and a joy to read. I have never read any newspaper comic strip collections outside of the old Peanuts '60s paperback books, so this was a revelation to me. 

Comic books were the ghetto for creators in the '30s and '40s. Comic strips were where the money and prestige was. The writing and artwork are worlds more sophisticated than any comic book from this era that I've read. I am now very curious about the other strip collections out there. There are boatloads of them available from various publishers. 

Miss Fury is, by today's standards, an obscure character, and The Library of American Comics did a bang up job tracking down quality source materials. Miss Fury was published in black and white in some markets, and all but less than a dozen are here in full color. Miss Fury is historically significant because she was the first female heroine created and drawn by a female cartoonist. 

There were several social taboos displayed in the strip, as well as the hard hitting action that makes this era of comic books/strips so compelling to study. 

I particularly enjoyed the parenting tips that I received from this book. To think that this was socially acceptable parenting 70 years ago is mind-blowing. 

The fears of the Nazis rising again were a recurring theme. Nazi war criminals on the lam are also a recurring theme throughout the strip. I wonder how many Nazi war criminals did launder their money through organized crime.

I am truly grateful that we live in this wondrous age of collected editions. In the past, you would have never been able to read as complete a run of Miss Fury unless you spent all of your time and energy hunting these strips down. Prior to the Internet, this would have been next to impossible. Prior to this book's release, it would have been insanely expensive to boot. This book will cost you (MSRP $49.99), but it is worth every penny.

Mills' writing is wonderful, with her shifting scenes and seamlessly starting and finishing story arcs. I was blown away by the way that she could keep a story going one page at a time. Comic strips were published a full week apart, and you had to assume that readers might not keep last week's funny pages. She could recap and/or start a scene without making this feel like a clunky, repetitive read. 

Mills' artwork is simply stunning. Her lush linework, beautiful women, and explosive fight sequences are beyond compare. They present 13 pages of an unfinished graphic novel from 1981 in the back of the book, and her craft had deteriorated on all counts. These could have been rough drafts or unfinished pencils, but even the panel composition wasn't as appealing as the strip was. 

Don't go thinking that I've gone all Mary Poppins on you with this glowing review. If a book is crap, then I will tear it to shreds. If a book is as enjoyable as this one is, then I will gush nonstop.

The OCD zone- This is a lovingly presented volume. The paper and restoration are both breathtaking. The binding is not. While sewn, it glued flush into the squared spine. This, coupled with the super thick paper, does not allow the book to lay flat at all, a pet peeve of mine. This book is extremely large, measuring over 1' tall and 9.5” wide, and you basically have to press it flat with both hands to read. This is a shame, especially when you consider the great lengths that IDW went to in terms of reproduction, etc., to make this a high quality affair. Still, this book is of undeniable quality, and it looks and feels like a luxurious art book.