Krazy and Ignatz, 1943-1944: "He Nods in Quiescent Siesta" (Krazy Kat) Paperback – September 16, 2008

With this volume, Herriman's great comic-strip opus (the full-page version of it, anyway) grinds to a somewhat weary, but nonetheless ingenious-to-the-end, halt. Herriman died of a liver ailment in April 1944, and the final full-page strip (the original of which I've seen in Geppi's Entertainment Museum in Baltimore) appeared on June 25 of that same year. As Bill Blackbeard points out in a brief foreword, you can definitely sense Herriman's weakening powers in the last month or two of strips. While the composition remains strong, the figure drawing becomes less and less assured, and the gags, of increasing obscurity ever since the late 1930s, become positively inscrutable. Since Herriman had become a virtual recluse by the time of his death, the effect is that of a striking but fragile seasonal flower slowly closing and crumpling as its time of growth expires. I'd seen a number of these late strips in black and white form, but only in the poor reproductions in the 1946 Henry Holt collection, and they do indeed have a rather mournful quality to them even when seen "unobscured" and whole.In order to fill out a volume that would otherwise have been rather slender, Fantagraphics asked the readers of its KAT collections to send in any Herriman memorabilia that had not previously appeared in its pages. Well, the Kats certainly came crawling out of the woodwork in response, and we get to see everything from a curious "Big Little Book" version of KRAZY KAT from the mid-30s (if this was meant to be sold to contemporary kids, then they were probably as baffled as the kids of the mid-60s who watched the Gene Deitch King Features cartoons, given how few papers the strip appeared in by that time) to a 1930's souvenir paper bag featuring an "unauthorized" Kat that's at least 15-20 years out of date with Herriman's then-current model. More substantial, and aesthetically pleasing, are the numerous hand-tinted strips and gift drawings that Herriman created for friends and acquaintances. All of these date from the late 1930s or earlier, indicating just how completely Herriman isolated himself post-1940. (We do get a drawing that Herriman made for his daughter's 40th birthday to make up some of the difference.)Happily, Fantagraphics plans to reissue the KRAZY KAT volumes produced by Eclipse Comics that reprinted the full-page strips before 1925, so the full-blown version of the Kat will soon be coming back. I have my fingers and "toze" crossed that the announced plans to reprint the KRAZY KAT dailies will also come to pass. Fantagraphics has done a great job with this series, especially given the paucity of surviving material on Herriman, and I salute them for their worthy efforts to preserve this great comics masterpiece.

Another wonderful volume of the greatest comic strip - though Gasoline Alley is very close second - of all time. As usual, beautiful reproduction plus many pieces of original Herriman art. You can't go wrong here with this klassic kat.This is, though, not a volume to begin your KK collection with as Herriman's wonderful surreal world is wilder than usual. Start at the beginning of this series and work your way up to this volume. This will be a wonderful journey into a heppy heppy land.

This is true classic comic strips from one of the legends George Herriman, his artwork and dialogue is of true genius. The volume is well made and the color reproduction is excellent. I give it five stars on all points.

If you like Krazy, buy it. If you don't know Krazy, buy it. If you don't like Krazy, I'm sorry for you. You're missing a lot.

Kraaaaázy Kat kwiecense!!! There is none finer and the whole dang collection!! I read. I reread. I marvel!! I remember there also a "Little Nemo" collection of the same ilk I can no longer find. So these are precious.

Don't get no better than Herriman.

It just doesn't get better than this in the history of cartooning. When I was a kid, Krazy Kat was a mystery to me but a highly appreciated one. I mean, a Kat in love with a mouse that in every strip beans her with a brick? Wow, how weird is that?This is the final edition of GH's Sunday strips, with information on the end of his life. Fabulous colors, whimsical and unique fractured language that was one of GH's trademarks and the astoundingly creative and eye-catching layouts of the strips, make this book a keeper. I just wish it was hardcover. I suspect that eventually a compendium of the Sunday strip books will be issued, as was done with the dailies a few years back.