Many years in the making, the first volume of what has been called, by no less an authority than Chris Ware (see below), "the last great comic strip" that has yet to be collected is at last available. Every effort has been made to produce an edition that is worthy of the material it presents. This splendiferous volume, designed by Daniel Clowes, starts off with a foreword by Chris Ware that is followed by an introductory essay by Jeet Heer that leads into 270 pages of impeccably reproduced Crockett Johnson art representing the first 20 months of Barnaby that originally ran from 20 April 1942 through the end of 1943 (and you can check out the first 20 pages in this PDF preview). This is then followed by a 35 page appendix written and assembled by Philip Nel, that begins with an afterword by Nel detailing the origin of Barnaby and which includes "A Mash Note to Crockett Johnson" by Dorothy Parker among other contemporaneous appreciations, photos and illustrations. Bravo!
Speaking of long-awaited follow-ups, here's the second volume of the complete collection of Crockett Johnson's one-of-a-kind comic strip masterpiece, Barnaby. Covering the years 1944 and 1945, this volume also comes packed with bonus material, including a foreward by Jules Feiffer, and an afterword and appendix of allusions by Barnaby scholar, Philip Nel. Art Spiegelman states that Barnaby, "radiates human warmth and whimsy... The artist's brillianty written characters keep their feet planted in the all-too-real world of 1940s America while fliying off on pink wings into one of the greatest fantasy strips ever made."
AND – now on available at a super special bargain price. Cushlamachree!
The oft' delayed and long awaited third volume of Crockett Johnson's classic one-of-a-kind strip has finally arrived! Between these covers is collected all the strips published from 1 January 1946 through 31 December 1947by Also on hand are a forward by Jeff Smith, an essay by Nathalie op de Beeck, "Notes on a Haunted Childhood," an afterword, "Escape Artist?" by Philip Nel – who also contributed notes to historically dated allusions that are peppered throughout the strips – and, finally, early comics histgorian, Coulton Waugh's appreciation of Barnaby that originally appeared in The Comics, which was published in 1947.
We finally received out order of these, so here it is! The fourth volume of Barnaby collects another two full years of Crockett Johnson's unique strip – 1948-49 – in this heavy-duty, Dan Clowes-designed, horizontal-format hardcover volume from Fantagraphics.
