Hot Stuff: The Little Devil

A bargain. Very well drawn strips aimed at children. Best read a little at a time as there is a lot of variation on a few themes. Probably the most appealing of all the Harvey characters to me. If you like Hot Stuff you'll like this bargain priced set taken from his peak years.

This is a great collection! I have a big pile of Hot Stuff comics, but had never seen many of these stories. We need a lot more than just one volume for each Harvey character though--these stories deserve the kind of extensive treatment that other classic comics have been receiving. At the same time, a complete reprinting of Harvey comics would be problematic. Harvey churned out heaps of comics in the 50's-70's, and it was a VERY mixed bag in terms of quality. Some of the work was at least as good as any other children's comics, including those by Carl Barks; some of it was boring, badly-drawn filler. They also constantly reprinted stories throughout their titles without notation, making it difficult to determine when they originally appeared. Additionally, during their last five years or so, there was a general decline in quality even in work from their best artists. Some determined editor with good judgment would have to sift through a tremendous amount of work and separate the good stuff... a big project, but worthwhile.

I love Hot Stuff because the character designs are so appealing, and the stories are so goofy, like a child's daydreams. The printing is superb-- the black-and-white (about 75% of the book) is taken either from original artwork or excellent, clear stats and the color stories are photographed directly from the printed comics page rather than re-colored from B & W line art-- technology must have improved since the blurry-looking work of past re-prints like "L'il Abner-- the Frazetta Years" or the garish, imbalanced tonality of most Marvel titles. Hot Stuff is my favorite Harvey character because he's kind of scrappy, like an ornery little kid. I found him sexy when I was small, walking around in a diaper and taking no guff from anyone.

Mark,..you are NOT biased! This is great stuff! Hot Stuff to be exact!!! I loved the Casper and Richie Rich book too!!! The old Harvey comics were so under-valued and under-appreciated and THAT was a crime! The BEAUTIFUL artwork, line work and storytelling is so compelling and charming that it's easy to get enveloped into the world of Harveytoons as you read each panel!!!! I only wish more was written about the artists, their thoughts, their notes and the stories behind the stories within the walls of the Harvey studio!!! Great series here!!!! Todd

At last is Volume 3 in the Harvey Comics Classics series, with Harvey Classics Library Volume 4: Baby Huey (Harvey Classics Library) coming up next. If you've purchased the previous two volumes Harvey Comics Classics Volume 1: Casper (Harvey Comic Classics) and Harvey Comics Classics Volume 2: Richie Rich (Harvey Comic Classics), you should know what to expect: a high gloss expose of choice comic book reprints from the Harvey vaults dating from the 1950s and 60s. Some still may quibble over the black and white, but by now anyone reading this series should realize that these books are an appreciation of the intricate pen and ink lines in which the Harvey artists excelled. In this volume, there are many examples of that fine art by Warren Kremer and Howard Post (who contributes a quote on the book's back cover). There are also some fine color pages. I may be biased because I also wrote the Foreword and made some visual contributions, but this is one great book and one great series. For those wanting to know more about the history of Harvey, should check out my book The Best of The Harveyville Fun Times!