Late for School

I recently finished plowing through the collected paperback editions of the classic 1940s/1950s "Little Lulu" comics, and wanted to put in my vote... yes! yes! yes! True, it's a little disappointing that the strips are reprinted in black- & -white and not in the original color versions, but the real genius of these works is in the draftsmanship of artists John Stanley and Irving Tripp, and once you get onto their wavelength, even these half-size B & W reprints are a pure delight. They can say so much with such economy -- a single panel of Lulu's unbridled mischief can have you laughing your head off, and here, in this multi-volume collection, you've got a real treasure trove of some of the best graphic-art humor produced in the 20th Century. Great stuff, highly recommended, and major kudos to Dark Horse for making this artwork both available and affordable.

In 2004 Dark Horse obtained the rights to re-print the Little Lulu comics and fans have been happy ever since. Seven volumes were released in 2005 with this volume, number 8, being the first to arrive in 2006. The collections reprint the Dell comics that began in 1945 featuring Marge Buell's character that was originally created for the Saturday Evening Post. The Dell comics were handled by legendary cartoonist John Stanley who wrote the stories and did the layouts. Stanley was also well known for his Nancy & Sluggo comics, also for Dell. Finished art was provided by Irv Tripp. Little Lulu at it's height was certainly as popular as Peanuts and comic fans are thankful to Dark Horse for bringing these brilliant comics back in print. The cast of Little Lulu includes her parents. Alvin, Tubby Tomkins, Annie and more. This latest volume provides some 200 pages of single page comics, and multi-page stories. In one, Lulu decides to dress up as a boy in order to join the boys club and foil their plot to runaway from school...after all the girls can't keep being the best students in school if there are no boys to be compared to...When Lulu is given the dare of stealing the rival gang's flag, you know she's in for trouble. In another lively story, Lulu wins a live turkey from a butcher shop but refuses to have it killed for Thanksgiving and instead takes it home as a pet, but all her dad can see is diner! Tubby not only co-stars with Lulu but also gets several solo stories of his own. In one he does his best to get away from his annoying little cousin Pete but Pete turns the tables on him in the end. In another, Tubby is asked by his mother to pickup their Christmas tree which tubby is sure is the biggest and best in town. But when that rat, rich kid Wilbur ruins Tubby's tree, Tubby has to find a quick alternative...and all he has is .15 cents. Lulu and Tubby have several adventures together including a ski trip where Tubby promises to give Lulu lessons, with remarkable results. These collections show a true master of cartooning at work. Stanley's sense of timing, sight gags, and one-liners mark him as one of the genre's all-time greats. This is classic material in every sense of the word. This just proves again that great comic strips never get old! Reviewed by Tim Janson