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Rating: 
Summary: A Great kollection of Krazy Komics
Review: Krazy Kat was never popular; it is probably the most under-appreciated influential comic strip of all time. Artists in other genres, not just comic strips, cite it as an inspiration. Because Krazy Kat had such a limited appeal, both then and now, reprints have been few and far between, taken up by small publishers who know that sales are going to be slow and small. Modern reprints began in 1990 with Eclipse/Turtle Island's collections of Sundays, one volume for each year. They managed to print the first decade of the strip before folding. In 2002 Fantagraphics picked up where Eclipse left off, and has been publishing reprints in two-year volumes. As I write this (Dec 2003), they are up to 1930. During the gap between Eclipse's demise and Fantagraphics's release, Kitchen Sink Press tried their own series of Sunday reprints--also in a two-year format. But they began in 1935 when the Sunday strip began running in color. They planned for seven volumes, which would take the strip through the end of its run in 1944. Volume 1 got mass distribution. Volume 2 got a very limited run and is very hard to find. Volume 3 has an Amazon listing but I do not know if it really exists, or in what numbers. As an edition, the Komplete Kolor Krazy Kat, Volume 1 is nearly everything one would hope for. The size is large enough to make the comics reproduce well. The colors look lively. I think the strip was reproduced better here than it was in The Smithsonian Book of Comics. Plus there are a couple of extras--introductions by both Bill Watterson (who drew "Calvin & Hobbes") and Bill Blackbeard. Both offer insights and comments that are worth reading. Hopefully Fantagraphics will reprint these as well if and when they catch up with their own releases. All in all, a great find if you like Krazy Kat.
Rating:
Summary: A Great kollection of Krazy Komics
Review: Krazy Kat was never popular; it is probably the most under-appreciated influential comic strip of all time. Artists in other genres, not just comic strips, cite it as an inspiration. Because Krazy Kat had such a limited appeal, both then and now, reprints have been few and far between, taken up by small publishers who know that sales are going to be slow and small. Modern reprints began in 1990 with Eclipse/Turtle Island's collections of Sundays, one volume for each year. They managed to print the first decade of the strip before folding. In 2002 Fantagraphics picked up where Eclipse left off, and has been publishing reprints in two-year volumes. As I write this (Dec 2003), they are up to 1930. During the gap between Eclipse's demise and Fantagraphics's release, Kitchen Sink Press tried their own series of Sunday reprints--also in a two-year format. But they began in 1935 when the Sunday strip began running in color. They planned for seven volumes, which would take the strip through the end of its run in 1944. Volume 1 got mass distribution. Volume 2 got a very limited run and is very hard to find. Volume 3 has an Amazon listing but I do not know if it really exists, or in what numbers. As an edition, the Komplete Kolor Krazy Kat, Volume 1 is nearly everything one would hope for. The size is large enough to make the comics reproduce well. The colors look lively. I think the strip was reproduced better here than it was in The Smithsonian Book of Comics. Plus there are a couple of extras--introductions by both Bill Watterson (who drew "Calvin & Hobbes") and Bill Blackbeard. Both offer insights and comments that are worth reading. Hopefully Fantagraphics will reprint these as well if and when they catch up with their own releases. All in all, a great find if you like Krazy Kat.
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