Classic Comic Strips Collected

Fantagraphics Books has two new collected editions of famous and historically significant comic strips available. Walt Disney’s Mickey Mouse brings together the 1930’s comic strips created by Floyd Gottfredson, newly edited by David Gerstein and Gary Groth. Besides nearly 600 pages of black & white Mickey Mouse adventures, each hardcover volume also features more than 50 pages of supplemental material including behind-the-scenes art, vintage publicity material, and commentary by Disney historians. Volume 1, Race to Death Valley, was released last June, and Volume 2, Trapped on Treasure Island, is coming this October. Then in December, be on the lookout for Pogo: The Complete Syndicated Comic Strips, Volume 1, “Through the Wild Blue Yonder” (whew!) by the inimitable Walt Kelly, of course. This hardcover edition goes back as far as the 1940’s Pogo strips, and also features a biographical introduction, an extensive glossary by comics historian R. C. Harvey, and a forward by the legendary columnist Jimmy Breslin.