Krazy & Ignatz 1929-1930: "A Mice, A Brick, A Lovely Night"

I have never seen a Krazy Kat strip that I didn't love. George Herriman was a genius. A quirky genius, but still, a genius.

Don't get no better than Herriman.

ok

Krazy and Ignatz are always fun to read. Herriman's artistic and literary genius shine through. If a person has never read a Krazy Kat compilation, this one is a great one to begin the journey to Cococino County.

This title was my first book of Krazy and Ignatz.I discovered them while researching early newspaper comic strips.I can't add anything new to the praise George Herriman has recieved, but I can tell you I have ordered the other books.I'm hooked!

This is the third in a series reprinting a basically simple comic strip cartoon series involving a three-way love-hate relationship between, you got it, a cat a dog and a mouse. What makes this so wonderful is the ever-changing surreal backgrounds (still rooted in the American south west of the early 20th century) and the constantly amusing word play and puns. It's difficult to know whether this is superficial (albeit incredibly stylish) entertainment or art of the highest order. It's certainly very easy to read things into it: Krazy Kat as the romantic (immigrant with poor command of the English language) outsider, Ignatz the Mouse as the anarchic Coyote the Trickster (remember this is the rural south-west), and Officer Pupp as the dogged (pun intended) upholder of the law (perhaps his love for the unobtainable Krazy Kat symbolises his relationship with justice; perhaps it is symbolic account of how we are constantly torn between order and chaos; or perhaps not). Ultimately it doesn't really matter because this series is a playful delight still unsurpassed over 70 years after its creation.Much credit is due to the publishers, Fantagraphic Books, for the high standard of production of this and previous volumes. They are large format, printed on high quality paper, outstandingly designed by award-winning artist Chris Ware, and containing just enough supplementary material (text and graphics) to enhance the reader's enjoyment. Worth every penny and more.

A masterpiece of variation on a simple narrative theme, quite beautifully written, and very, very funny.

Excellent book, all good, many thanks.