Winsor McCay: Early Works

Rating:
Summary: not a waste of time but it could be better
Review: First we get a partial collection of "Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend". The material seems to be the same as the Dover "Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend" book which itself was reprinted from a turn of the century book collecting the strips. Dover omitted a canibal-themed page which is included here, that's the only page I don't recognize from the other book though I've not done a side by side comparison. The upside is these works are in monochrome to begin with and great fun if you haven't seen them before.

Next is "Tales of the Jungle Imps" which was originally text with large color illustrations. Here they are small and printed in black and white. The upside is these haven't been seen in other reprint books aside from example pages. They appear to be in sequence and the complete run. The downside is we still haven't really seen them well.

"Little Sammy Sneeze" - the book says it's a "significant portion" of the strip. The format and quality of reproduction here vary from excellent to poor. It's unlear if they are in sequence and some have their color removed more sucessfully than other. A few pages might have been done in monochrome. The section opens with McCays revolutionary and often cited page of Little Sammy sneezing so hard he shatters the framed panel surrounding him in the strip. This is undoubtedly a classic example of McCay's genius though it would have been even more facinating to see the strip title, even some surrounding comics. Here the panels just float on the page.

Finally "A Pilgrims Progress" - this is a more minimal and conceptual strip. A number of strips are included here (as in at least one other book collecting McCay). It's unclear if they are in sequence. The original seems to be in monochrome so it's reproduced decently to excellently. Perhaps this strip works best in daily or weekly doses. Though if it is in sequence maybe additional insight can be revealed.

Rating:
Summary: A good selection of early work from the greatest cartoonist
Review: Winsor McCay has had "Little Nemo in Slumberland" reprinted in full colour in multiple volumes over the past several years, but his earlier and less well known work hasn't been served quite as well. Checker Book Publishing Group has tried to remedy that, and this book is valuable for the sheer *amount* of material that it covers. Over 200 pages cover four of McCay's early series - Dream of the Rarebit Fiend, Tales of the Jungle Imps, Sammy Sneeze, and A Pilgrim's Progress. Most of the Rarebit Fiend strips printed here were already seen in the Dover edition of the strips. The Tales of the Jungle Imps strips are still gorgeous in spite of the fact that McCay's colours have been printed as grey tones and the drawings are reprinted at an almost microscopic size. The Sammy Sneeze pages fare a little better. Some of the better reproduction is saved for the Pilgrim's Progress strip, which is a treat because it's not one of McCay's better known works. The book measures about 7x10 and is printed on a good, coated stock. If I were to suggest some things that would have improved the book, I would begin by asking for better and more literate introductions to the strips. For instance, in the book's introduction, it's claimed that Winsor McCay invented animation, and that in the history of animation, before there was Winsor McCay "there was nobody." That point is arguable, since Emil Reynaud (1892), James Stuart Blackton (1900), and Emile Cohl (1908) all got there before him. Was McCay THE BEST? Without a doubt. A true pioneer and trail blazer? Absolutely. The man was a genius. But his achievements, which were so great, need no exaggeration. Also, in the introduction to "A Pilgrim's Progress," it's mentioned that it was named after "John Bunyon's" 17th century book about the "human lifespan" of the same title. Actually, the spelling is "John Bunyan," and Bunyan's book was not an allegory about the "human lifespan," but an allegory about a Christian's spiritual journey. Not to be sarcastic, because this really is a good book, but some proofreading and a few minutes' worth of research might have prevented just that error. McCay's Pilgrim's Progress is an allegory about man's journey, but it is a secular allegory. It deals with the mundane cares that we deal with in life - and in the strip involving the drug addict who has tossed his "dull care" to the wind, the Pilgrim wisely chooses to endure his burden rather than give in to a greater evil. But to return to the book overall . . . The introductions are kept brief, which is a mixed blessing. It's good to let the work speak for itself, but at the same time, we are so far removed from the world of 1903-1910 that some historical or social commentary on individual strips would have been nice. Publish dates at the bottom of each page would have been a good addition too. I also hoped to see a selection of the incidental illustrations that McCay often did for the Cincinnati Enquirer included. This last request may be answered in later volumes in this series of books - I'd be thrilled if that were so. Congratulations to Mark Thompson and his staff for helping make some of the dreams of this rarebit fiend come true. Now, how about a tab size, full colour album of JUST the "Jungle Imps" pages . . . ?

Rating:
Summary: A good selection of early work from the greatest cartoonist
Review: Winsor McCay has had "Little Nemo in Slumberland" reprinted in full colour in multiple volumes over the past several years, but his earlier and less well known work hasn't been served quite as well. Checker Book Publishing Group has tried to remedy that, and this book is valuable for the sheer *amount* of material that it covers. Over 200 pages cover four of McCay's early series - Dream of the Rarebit Fiend, Tales of the Jungle Imps, Sammy Sneeze, and A Pilgrim's Progress. Most of the Rarebit Fiend strips printed here were already seen in the Dover edition of the strips. The Tales of the Jungle Imps strips are still gorgeous in spite of the fact that McCay's colours have been printed as grey tones and the drawings are reprinted at an almost microscopic size. The Sammy Sneeze pages fare a little better. Some of the better reproduction is saved for the Pilgrim's Progress strip, which is a treat because it's not one of McCay's better known works. The book measures about 7x10 and is printed on a good, coated stock. If I were to suggest some things that would have improved the book, I would begin by asking for better and more literate introductions to the strips. For instance, in the book's introduction, it's claimed that Winsor McCay invented animation, and that in the history of animation, before there was Winsor McCay "there was nobody." That point is arguable, since Emil Reynaud (1892), James Stuart Blackton (1900), and Emile Cohl (1908) all got there before him. Was McCay THE BEST? Without a doubt. A true pioneer and trail blazer? Absolutely. The man was a genius. But his achievements, which were so great, need no exaggeration. Also, in the introduction to "A Pilgrim's Progress," it's mentioned that it was named after "John Bunyon's" 17th century book about the "human lifespan" of the same title. Actually, the spelling is "John Bunyan," and Bunyan's book was not an allegory about the "human lifespan," but an allegory about a Christian's spiritual journey. Not to be sarcastic, because this really is a good book, but some proofreading and a few minutes' worth of research might have prevented just that error. McCay's Pilgrim's Progress is an allegory about man's journey, but it is a secular allegory. It deals with the mundane cares that we deal with in life - and in the strip involving the drug addict who has tossed his "dull care" to the wind, the Pilgrim wisely chooses to endure his burden rather than give in to a greater evil. But to return to the book overall . . . The introductions are kept brief, which is a mixed blessing. It's good to let the work speak for itself, but at the same time, we are so far removed from the world of 1903-1910 that some historical or social commentary on individual strips would have been nice. Publish dates at the bottom of each page would have been a good addition too. I also hoped to see a selection of the incidental illustrations that McCay often did for the Cincinnati Enquirer included. This last request may be answered in later volumes in this series of books - I'd be thrilled if that were so. Congratulations to Mark Thompson and his staff for helping make some of the dreams of this rarebit fiend come true. Now, how about a tab size, full colour album of JUST the "Jungle Imps" pages . . . ?