Captain Easy, Soldier of Fortune Volume 1 1933 – 1935
Roy Crane. Fantagraphics Books, 2010. Roy Crane is one of America's greatest cartoonists and here is his gorgeous adventure strip Captain Easy. Crane created the first American adventure strip — even before Hal Foster's Tarzan and Prince Valiant, before Milton Caniff's Terry and the Pirates, before Alex Raymond's Flash Gordon — and quickly established himself as a master of the comic strip. Begun in 1924 under the eponymous title Wash Tubbs, within four months it moved from a gag-a-day strip about a girl-crazy young grocery store clerk to an adventure strip when Wash Tubbs embarks on a treasure hunt. Captain Easy was introduced in 1929 and began starring in his own Sunday page in 1933, which begins our first volume of Captain Easy.

The first of six volumes contains the earliest Sunday pages from 1933 to 1935. In his first adventure, Captain Easy visits a lost city, battles pirates, dons a deep-sea diving suit to explore a sunken ruin in search of treasure, and everywhere he goes, he finds beautiful women — a lost princess, a pirate queen, a savage woman in need of “taming.” A romantic adventurer from a less politically correct age, Captain Easy is a Soldier of Fortune whose bravery and daring are exceeded only by his Southern gallantry.

Crane created the template for the adventure strip, combining adventure and humor in a Bigfoot cartooning style that perfectly conveyed the tongue-in-cheek tone and light-hearted thrills that kept readers on the edge of their seats.

Crane's Captain Easy influenced virtually every cartoonist who followed him — from Chester Gould (Dick Tracy) to Milton Caniff (Terry and the Pirates) — and even Hollywood's adventure movies starring the likes of Cary Grant or Errol Flynn adopted Crane's tone of two-fisted, good-natured derring-do. Citing Crane's influence on comics, the artist Gil Kane once said, “Superman was Captain Easy; Batman was Captain Easy.” The first volume of Captain Easy also features a selection of Crane's original color guides, a biographical and critical introduction to Crane and his work by comics scholar Jeet Heer illustrated with rare Crane art, a preface by series editor Rick Norwood, and a foreword written by Charles M. Schulz for the 1974 Luna Press Wash Tubbs collection. 144 pages. Hard Cover Full Colour 11" x 15" (270mm x 380mm) (ISBN-13: 9781606991619)

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Cartoon America: Comic Art In The Library Of Congress
Edited & compiled by Harry Katz, foreword by James H. Billington. Harry N. Abrams, 2006. Cartoon America collects the very best examples from 250 years worth of work. These range across magazines, Comic books, animated films, newspapers, editorial cartoons & much more. It focuses more than 40 artists, with numerous others being represented. There are essays by 16 writers, some of whom are artists themselves. Many images are reproduced from the original artboard, animation cell, sketches or cartridge paper that they were created on. The effect is immediate and decidedly intimate. Among the artists represented are Charles Addams, Herb Block, Milton Caniff, Robert Crumb, Hal Foster, Harold Gray, George Herriman, Al Hirschfield, Winsor McCay, R.F. Outcault, Alex Raymond, Charles Schulz & The Walt Disney Studios. There are further thematic essays, which inform the reader of the subject's epic scope. It concludes with an index & brief biographical details of the main artists discussed.

This is a beautifully realised fully illustrated reference. One, which is destined to become a standard reference about the subject. For anyone interested in American popular arts this edition is highly recommended. 324 pages. Hard Cover Full Colour 11" x 11" (279mm x 279mm) Dust Jacket ISBN: 0810954907

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The Comics Before 1945
Brian Walker. Harry N. Abrams, 2006. In their first five decades, the funnies became an essential element of American life. This followed on from the development the Yellow Kid, who first appeared in 1895. Comic strip characters such as Mutt & Jeff, the Katzenjammer Kids, Krazy Kat, Tarzan, Dick Tracy, Popeye, Blondie, Li'l Abner were everywhere. In addition to the daily & Sunday newspaper strips they appeared in live-action and animated films, stage plays, and radio programs. They became an intrinsic part of American society, with their catchphrases accepted into everyday language.

In Brian Walker's detailed & lavishly illustrated reference we take a chorological look at the various decades, from the turn-of the 20th century until the mid-1940s. Also included are 21 in-depth biographies of the most influential creators, plus a detailed bibliography & full index.

It's large format & beautiful illustrations will make this a standard reference for many years to come. For anyone interested in American popular culture or the history of its comic strips this is a book to treasure. 336 pages. Hard Cover Part Colour 13" x 15" (330mm x 381mm) Dust Jacket ISBN: 0810949709 and ISBN-13: 9780810949706
List Price: £35.00 SAVE £19.71 Highly Recommended.

Our Price: £15.29 ($22.94) (€16,82)      

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Dreams and Other Stories (Ehé-Catl #4)
Winsor McCay. Real Free Press, 1976. Out of Print. A wonderful collection of strips and illustrations from comic's pioneer Winsor McCay. As the editorial in this issues says, “Before Surrealism, before Dada, there was Winsor McCay.” Considered by many to be the first true comic strip artist, McCay was clearly influenced by the Art Nouveau movement. He created the first successful animated cartoon with Gertie the Dinosaur (around 1909 to 1913 depending on who you believe).

It's difficult to comprehend now, but while already tremendously successful with Little Nemo he simultaneously produced his other masterpiece, Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend under the alias “Silas”. He once commented on his success by saying “I never thought about the money I would receive for my drawings. I simply drew and drew.” This collection highlights this attitude.

There are several political cartoons that show a very sharp sense of humour as well as many examples of his whimsy with Rarebit Fiend, Little Nemo, Little Sammy Sneeze, Hungry Henrietta and others. 48 pages. Soft Cover Black & White 8½" x 11½" (215mm x 291mm)

Our Price: £8.99 ($13.49) (€9,89)      

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Innocence & Seduction: The Art Of Dan DeCarlo
Bill Morrison, foreword by Josie DeCarlo. Fantagraphics Books, 2006. For nearly sixty years Dan DeCarlo (1919-2001) was pre-eminent in his chosen field, popular illustration. His unique gifts & beautiful line made his art suitable for the bubblegum adventures of Archie & friends at Riverdale High, Millie The Model, My Friend Irma, or the more knowing cartoon gags that he also created. This absorbing retrospective from Bill Morrison takes in these career highs plus many lesser know creations such as Jetta Of The 21st Century, The Yardbirds, Kool Aid Man, Josie & The Pussycats. It is beautifully & lavishly illustrated throughout with finished Comics, sketches & original artwork samples. For those interested in DeCarlo's enviable gifts & extensive career this is a book to savour. 208 pages. Hard Cover Part Colour 10" x 12" (25cm x 30cm) ISBN: 1560977108 and ISBN-13: 9781560977100 Highly Recommended.

Our Price: £22.50 ($33.75) (€24,75)      

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The Incredible Upside-Downs of Gustave Verbeek
Gustave Verbeek. Real Free Press, 1973. This is a rare reprint of a UNIQUE comic strip. Way back in 1903 the comic strips of the New York Herald were limited to six panels. Not as you might imagine much room to tell a story. Gustave Verbeek solved this problem in a most ingenious manner. He designed the pages so that they could be read once the normal way and then the page turned upside-down to be read again with seemingly new illustrations.

Thus the two main characters Little Lady Lovekins and Old Man Muffaroo frequently changed from one to the other depending on which way up you held a page.

Similar artistic slight of hand resulted in a lady with a fancy hat morphs into duck, similarly a raft on a river becomes a shelter on the shore. The were just 64 of these strips created, Verbeek probably saved his sanity by leaving the world of newspaper comic strips moving on to create fine art. The work he left behind remains a charming world of strange whimsy, a delight for children and adults alike. Soft Cover Black & White 12½" x 9" (317mm x 229mm)

Our Price: £7.99 ($11.99) (€8,79)      

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The Upside-Down World of Gustave Verbeek
Peter Maresca, Gustave Verbeek. Sunday Press, 2009. One of the eight wonders of the comics world: The Upside Downs of Little Lady Lovekins and Old Man Muffaroo. The one Sunday page came in two parts: the first is read like a regular comic, then you turn the page upside down and the images transform to illustrate the story that continues with the panels in their new position and order. This volume features a complete run of the Upside Downs (1903-1905), digitally restored and presented in their original size and colors. Also featured are a complete run of Verbeek's Loony Lyrics of Lulu (1910) and a sampling of his long-running favorite, Terrors of the Tiny Tads (1906-1914). As a bonus, a collection of 25 painting and drawings from books illustrated by Verbeek (1910-1915) fill out this high-quality hardbound volume.

Verbeek's work has influenced, directly or indirectly, Maurice Sendak, Dr. Suess, and many other illustrators and cartoonists. Foreword by recreational mathematics scholar Martin Gardner, and contributions by comics historians Jeet Heer, Marco Graziosi and Richard Marschall. This book will have great appeal to collectors, archivists, and fans of illustrated childrens fantasy stories. From the publishers of the beloved and acclaimed "Little Nemo: So Many Splendid Sundays" deluxe reprint, with the same magnificent production values.

Each book includes a set of 12 Tiny Tads postcards, replicated from the Verbeek originals of 1907 - 1910. From 1907 to 1913, Gustave Verbeek's Tiny Tads Postcards were created as an advertising tool for small businesses. Looking like personal postcards, individual stores printed promotional messages in cursive text. Now, for the first time, these cards have been restored without advertising. 120 pages. Hard Cover Full Colour 16" x 11" (406mm x 279mm) ISBN: 0976888572 and ISBN-13: 9780976888574
Includes set of 12 Tiny Tads postcards, replicated from the Verbeek originals of 1907 - 1910.

Our Price: £39.99 ($59.99) (€43,99)      

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Just When You Thought Things Couldn't Get Worse
Edward Sorel. Fantagraphics Books, 2007. Just When You Thought Things Couldn't Get Any Worse collects the best of Edward Sorel's work from the past thirty years. These comic strips and editorial cartoons originally appeared in such magazines as The Nation and Village Voice, which should give you an inkling of his stance on subjects ranging from the cynical nature of political and religious leaders, to more general social and cultural commentary to Sorel's own autobiographical sketches.

Some of the best editorial cartooning to come out of the USA in recent years with strong links to past masters of the art. Soft Cover Part Colour 8" x 10" (203mm x 254mm) (ISBN-13: 9781560978589)

Our Price: £12.99 ($19.49) (€14,29)      

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King Portfolio One (Limited Edition)
Featuring Alex Raymond, edited & published by Russ Cochran. Russ Cochran, 1976. First Edition. Out of Print. Very Fine. King Portfolio One was produced by Russ Cochran as a large format B&W anthology. It features a collage of classic newspaper strips, including sixteen pages Alex Raymond's Jungle Jim & Flash Gordon. The remainder is compiled from other vintage strips, including Polly & Her Pals, Herriman's Krazy Kat, Mandrake The Magician, closing with a page of Hal Foster's Prince Valiant. As expected from publisher Russ Cochran, the reproduction is exceptional.

This is an uncommon large format reference, printed on glossy stock, had a very LIMITED print-run & is offered here in very attractive condition. Please note, the portfolio was created with a deckle edge, in order to create a vintage appearance. Rare deckled front edge. First print, slight dust shadow to top edge & light finger marks, VF. 44 pages. Soft Cover Black & White 12" x 8" (30cm x 20cm)

Our Price: £43.20 ($64.80) (€47,52)      

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Kyle Baker Cartoonist
Kyle Baker. Kyle Baker Publishing, 2004. A series of hilarious, all new, one-page gags, from top-flight cartoonist Kyle Baker. These poke fun at all aspects of modern life & its culture. Kyle Baker's work is featured in such esteemed US periodicals as The New Yorker, Vibe, Mad & Esquire, whilst his cartoons have appeared on MTV and BET TV. 128 pages. Soft Cover Black & White 7" x 10" (18cm x 25cm)

Our Price: £12.50 ($18.75) (€13,75)      

Leonard Starr's Mary Perkins On Stage Volume One
Leonard Starr. Classic Comics Press, 2006. Finally available in collected form! The first three stories from the classic Reuben award winning comic strip, Mary Perkins On Stage. Originally published February 1957 to January 1958. Leonard Starr's beautifully realistic and detailed artwork is shown off to best advantage with the crisp reproduction by the Classics Comics Press. A massively undervalued strip in this country, hopefully these new collections will earn Mary a legion of new admirers. Introduction by Walt Simonson. As a bonus the book comes with a lovely colour print featuring the same image as the cover printed on quality art stock paper. 160 pages. Soft Cover Black & White 11" x 8½" (279mm x 215mm) (ISBN-13: 9781424310234)

Our Price: £14.99 ($22.49) (€16,49)      

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Leonard Starr's Mary Perkins On Stage Volume Two
Leonard Starr. Classic Comics Press, 2006. Finally available in collected form! Six more stories from the classic Reuben award winning comic strip, Mary Perkins On Stage. Originally published January 1958 to April 1959. Leonard Starr's beautifully realistic and detailed artwork is shown off to best advantage with the crisp reproduction by the Classics Comics Press. A massively undervalued strip in this country, hopefully these new collections will earn Mary a legion of new admirers. Introduction by Kurt Busiek. As a bonus the book comes with a lovely colour print featuring the same image as the cover printed on quality art stock paper. 160 pages. Soft Cover Black & White 11" x 8½" (279mm x 215mm) (ISBN-13: 9781424310234)

Our Price: £14.99 ($22.49) (€16,49)      

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Literary Life
Posy Simmonds. Jonathan Cape, 2003. From the author of Gemma Bovary, a series of brilliant cartoons, depicting "Literary Life". There are approximately 50 of Posy Simmonds' cartoons, as currently being serialised in the Saturday Review supplement of the Guardian newspaper. Her literary contemporaries, such as A.N. Wilson, Nicholas Garland and Georgina Metcalf, have classed these as works of genius, wickedly funny & she has created her own masterpiece. 96 pages. Hard Cover Black & White 8" x 12" (20cm x 30cm) Dust Jacket. £14.99 Save £1.00

Our Price: £13.99 ($20.99) (€15,39)      

Mutts: The Comic Art of Patrick McDonnell
Patrick McDonnell, John Carlin. Harry N. Abrams, 2003. Mooch, the curious cat, Earl the ever-trusting dog. Ozzie, Frank and Millie, the people they love, exasperate and amuse. Just some of the characters who inhabit the world of Patrick McDonnell's Mutts, which with its clean and expressive lines and humorous, often philosophical writing, has become a favorite among comic strip fans, animal lovers and art enthusiasts.

Built around an autobiographical text written by McDonnell, this is the first book of its kind to focus on his work and includes a vast collection of the Mutts strips, plus sketches, paintings, sculpture, and more. 330 illustrations (180 in color). 216 pages. Hard Cover Part Colour 12" x 11" (30cm x 28cm) Dust Jacket ISBN: 0810946165
List Price: £35.00 SAVE £20.01 Recommended.
WINTER SALE - GOOD VALUE!

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Queer Visitors from the Marvelous Land of Oz

Reprinted in full color for the first time since 1904!

L. Frank Baum and Walt McDougall. Sunday Press Books, 2009. At the dawn of the 20th century, L. Frank Baum created a world of wonders that was to hold a permanent place in the culture of America: The Wonderful Wizard of Oz . Then in 1904, to promote his second book, Baum, along with master cartoonist Walt McDougall, brought his famed characters to Earth in a new medium, the comic strip. Queer Visitors from Marvelous Land of Oz had arrived. At this same time, Oz illustrator W.W. Denslow, offered his own Sunday feature, Scarecrow and the Tinman. Now both of these rare cartoon features are collected for the first time, magnificently restored and presented in full broadsheet size. Join these timeless characters and explore the culture that was America over 100 years ago.

Like most of my generation, I was introduced to the world of Oz through television broadcasts of the 1939 film, The Wizard of Oz . It was an eagerly awaited event, appearing only once each year. This shared cultural experience had much in common with the Sunday pages in this book.

Complementing Baum's delightful tales in Visitors , the detailed drawing and unique layouts by McDougall offer a series of undiscovered treasures of early comic art. Each page is a curious hybrid of illustrated stories and the new medium of newspaper comics; with text, captions and balloons and art all telling the story.

The competing Oz Sunday feature in this book, Scarecrow and the Tinman , is less known than Visitors, due to limited syndication, and displays the stunning artwork of W.W. Denslow. His illustrations for the first OZ book, in their simplicity and expressiveness, show a sophisticated comic-art style ahead of its time. His work in comics from 1900-1905 was an inspiration to many comics creators in later years.

These pages are presented in the originally size and colors. Most of the flaws and irregularities found in newsprint reproduction (ink smudges, off-register colors) remain, while those caused by time and mishandling (tears, excessive yellowing) have been repaired. The result is a chance for Oz lovers and comics fans alike to experience these lost masterpieces as they were meant to be seen. --Peter Maresca. 72 pages. Soft Cover Black & White 16" x 18" (406mm x 457mm) ISBN: 0976888564

Our Price: £59.99 ($89.99) (€65,99)      

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Scorchy Smith and the Art of Noel Sickles
Dean Mullaney, art by Noel Sickles. IDW Publishing, 2008. Noel Sickles drew comics for three brief years, yet his groundbreaking work on the 1930s aviation adventure series Scorchy Smith is a milestone in the history of newspaper comic strips. Over the past 70 years, however, readers have seen only occasional excerpts of this seminal work.

Now IDW's Library of American Comics presents Scorchy Smith and The Art of Noel Sickles, a comprehensive, oversized 352-page volume that collects, for the first time, every Sickles Scorchy strip, from December 1933 through November 1936. It also features extensive DVD-style extras examining Sickle's life and the decades-long influence of his work, while also showcasing the breadth of his career as one of America's foremost magazine illustrators.

Pete Hamill observed, “Sickles was the first comics artist to use the brush boldly, in an impressionistic way” as he pioneered the use of chiaroscuro and Craftint shading in comics. Together with his studio partner, Milton Caniff of Terry and the Pirates fame, Sickles created a method of dramatic comics storytelling and illustration that influenced generations of artists who followed. Longtime Spider-Man artist John Romita noted that during the 1950s, “the whole industry was copying from photostats of the Scorchy Smith dailies by Noel Sickles.”

Having blazed a trail through the comic's world, Sickles left the medium in favour of a 40-year career as one of America's most successful magazine illustrators. A regular at Life magazine, his work also appeared in Look, Reader's Digest, National Geographic, and the Saturday Evening Post. Sickles won the National Cartoonist Society's Advertising and Illustration Award in both 1960 and 1962. He eventually settled in Tucson, Arizona and turned to painting, winning further acclaim for his Western canvases. Edited by Dean Mullaney. Designed by Mullaney and Dale Crain. Comics reprinted in black & white with 60 pages in colour. Contains full index. 352 pages. Hard Cover Full Colour 11" x 11" (279mm x 279mm) (ISBN-13: 9781600102066) Highly Recommended.

Our Price: £32.99 ($49.49) (€36,29)      

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Skippy (Ehé-Catl #2)
Percy Crosby. Real Free Press, 1975. Artist Percy Crosby was known as the "Rembrandt of American cartoonists". An accomplished fine artist as well, he created the beloved Skippy character in 1923. Skippy's adventures reflected Crosby's own childhood, and Crosby truly remained a boy at heart, penning such lines as one of Skippy's prayers, "Oh, Lord, give me strength to brush my teeth every night, and if Thou canst not give me strength, give me strength not to worry about it."

The son of an artist, Crosby's talents emerged at a young age as he would "borrow" his father's paints and create designs on the family's back fence. Skippy often reflected his creator's artistic talents by carrying his signature artist's brush and bucket of red house paint in many of the comic strips.

Known as the "All American Boy", Skippy appeared in hundreds of newspapers worldwide, and his readers numbered in the millions. A commercial sensation, there were countless dolls, toys, food products, comic books, "Big Little" books and promotional items bearing his name and image. He was the subject of a 1929 novel, a 1931 feature film starring Jackie Cooper and inspired a radio show. The first four-colour reprint made of any comic strip character was a Skippy comic given as a premium with Phillip's toothpaste in the 1930s. Generations of children and dogs became his namesakes, and adults and kids alike were avid fans. 48 pages. Soft Cover Black & White 8½" x 11½" (215mm x 291mm)

Our Price: £5.99 ($8.99) (€6,59)      

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Skippy Crayon And Coloring Book
Artwork by the strips creator Percy Crosby. McLoughlin Bros. Inc. Springfield , Mass. USA, 1931. Intriguing item redolent of a bygone age. Only one page used by an enthusiastic amateur! 24 pages. Soft Cover Part Colour 10" x 13" (250mm x 330mm)

Our Price: £55.00 ($82.50) (€60,50)      

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Superman The Dailies 1939 - 1942
Jerry Siegel, Joe Schuster. DC Comics. A stunning slip cased hard cover collection reprinting the newspaper strips from 1939 - 1942.

Available for the first time in their entirety, this mammoth volume includes the first three years worth of strips by Siegel and Schuster. 560 pages. Hard Cover Black & White Dust Jacket ISBN: 1563894718
List Price: £55.00 SAVE £30.05

Our Price: £24.95 ($37.43) (€27,45)      

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Toonerville Trolley
Fontaine Fox, Herb Galewitz, Don Winslow. Weathervane Books, 1977. Out of Print. Fontane Fox was one of the most popular American cartoonists of the 20th Century, and his cartoons have been syndicated across the USA for more than 40 years. Broad humour and a marvellous cast of characters. Book Fine, DJ Fine slightly faded at spine. B&W cartoons compiled by Herb Galewitz and Don Winslow. 184 pages. Hard Cover Black & White Dust Jacket ISBN: 0517165430
List Price: £45.00 SAVE £15.00

Our Price: £30.00 ($45.00) (€33,00)      

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