Mutts Sundays

Rating:
Summary: Shwell
Review: This book, the first of the Sunday collections, has great art, good humor, and an abundance of the charm and warmth that makes McDonnell's work so special. Plus it's in color, beautifully printed, and given an interesting presentation. Who could ask for anything more?

Rating:
Summary: Full-color by one of the best!
Review: To me, there have been four brilliant cartoonists ("artists working in this medium" is a better term) in the last 100 years: George Herriman (for "pushing the envelope" and crafting a postmodern strip before postmodernism existed); the early work of Charles Schultz, who managed to make social critique, religion and security blankets cool; Berkeley Breathed (hero of leftist pinkos - he got us through the latter days of the Cold War - and creator of one of the greatest cat characters in history ["Ack!"]); and Bill Watterson (for daring to show how much relationships are worth as well as playing with that [non-existent] line between what we "believe" is real and what supposedly "is" real). Now we can add Patrick McDonnell to the list. Mooch and Earl have captured my heart and soul with their gentle humor and wonderful expressiveness. McDonnell displays a kindness towards all things essential: humans, animals, and nature. Of the four artists mentioned above, only McDonnell has made me cry (consistently) as well as laugh. McDonnell even adds a touch of Zen (no Feng-Shui, though!). He has perhaps the broadest emotional reach of the four mentioned here. This collection certainly does not disappoint. How wonderful to see these strips as they were intended - crisp color, clear artwork, full panels. If you care at all about life and laughter, this book will move and charm you. If not, then go read Garfield.