More than a decade before he created the world's most famous cartoon sailor, Elzie Crisler Segar began his comics career in the movies. He drew cartoons for silent movie theater slides, the Charlie Chaplin comic strip, and a daily strip about Chicago's movies and entertainment. Then, in 1919, he penned his own 'small screen' creation for the newspapers, Thimble Theatre, where Popeye was to be born a decade later. This comprehensive volume features examples of all of E.C. Segar's early comics and illustrations, with over 100 pre-Popeye Thimble Theatre Sunday pages including the complete run of the famed Western desert saga, a series that rivals his later work in superb art, storytelling, and humour. Newly revised and expanded, this new printing contains ten additional pages plus a 1920s-style Sunday comics section insert paying tribute to Segar and his comic creations featuring Charlie Chaplin's Comic Capers and Popeye's 'The Jeep.' Text and illustrations offer an in-depth history and commentary on the life and work of E. C. Segar by historians Paul C. Tumey and Jeet Heer, and best-selling author and journalist Michael Tisserand. Thimble Theatre is an essential part of any comics lover's library.

James Swinnerton is one of the most creative, respected, and prolific comic artists from the first half of the 20th century. Yet to the disappointment of classic comics lovers, his work has seen little reproduction. Until now. This sumptuous volume covers Swinnerton's six-decade career in comics, from his beginnings as a sports/editorial cartoonist for William Randolph Hearst in San Francisco to his years in the America's Southwest desert, where his love for the land and its people came through in his comics and illustration. Swinnerton is an excellent storyteller offering a cinematic style with humor that is both slapstick and sophisticated. At the forefront is his long-running Little Jimmy comic strip. This namesake character began by mixing satire of New York society with stories of rural America. He then took the characters on the road to South America, Mexico, and then settling for many years in Swinnerton's beloved Southwest. Also included in this book are his early one-shots and series like the rakish Mr. Jack and the anthropomorphic Mt. Ararat, and his 1940s stylized comic of the modern West, Rocky Mason. Swinnerton was famous for more than just comics. He wrote and illustrated the charming feature 'The Canyon Kiddies' and similar titles for weekly magazines. In his later years he became known as a premier painter of desert landscapes. All of these are featured in this book. Jimmy! includes an illustrated biography by Paul C. Tumey and essays by co-editor Michael Tisserand, Eddie Campbell, and Donald Phelps. The comic strips in this volume are carefully restored to their original colors and printed at near-full size. As a bonus, the book also includes a set of four Swinnerton postcards featuring his main characters, facsimiles of the originals from 1906, ready for mailing. Swinnerton lovers will be delighted by the richness and variety of the works seen here. Those new to this uniquely American artist will likely join the growing numbers who appreciate his important role in the history of the comics.

Ernie Bushmiller stated that his Nancy was created for "the gum chewers" and not the "caviar eaters." He might be surprised to find his work honored in an important art exhibition. Nancy herself would believe she deserves nothing less!

By scholars, collectors, and fans, the importance of Ernie Bushmiller’s work has been acknowledged in recent years as he takes his place among the great classic cartoonists. This book is a companion catalogue of artwork, memorabilia, and more from “The Nancy Show” a 2024 exhibition honoring Bushmiller at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum. Included are high-quality images of over 100 pieces of Ernie Bushmiller original artwork, plus a biography by exhibition curator Brian Walker. A collector’s story by Tom Gammil gives insights on Nancy artwork and displays a gallery of dolls, toys, and other merchandise. The Nancy Show also features contributions by authors Paul Karasik and Mark Newgarden (How To Read Nancy), as well as notes from Bill Griffith, Patrick McDonnell, Ivan Brunetti, and others.

The book also features a collection of the best Nancy Sunday pages from over the decades, meticulously restored and printed in near full-size, most never been reprinted in color before. This book gives comic lovers an opportunity to experience “The Nancy Show” exhibition long after it leaves the museum. It’s a volume no Nancy fan should be without! Special bonus gift: This book includes a sheet of exclusive Nancy gift-wrapping paper, suitable for wrapping the book itself or anything else one might give to a Nancy lover.

Mit Dose Kids, SOCIETY IS NIX!' So said The Inspector about the Katzenjammer Kids. But he could have been speaking of all comic strips in their formative years in the early 1900s. From the very first colour Sunday supplement, comics were a driving force in newspaper sales, offering a wild parody of the world and the culture found in the surrounding pages. Society didn't stand a chance! These are the origins of the American comic strip, born at a time when there were no set styles or formats, when creators had the freedom to experiment, when artistic anarchy helped spawn a new medium. The genesis of comics is laid out in a dozen essays by the greatest in their field - historians like Thierry Smolderen, Brian Walker, Alfredo Castelli, Bill Kartalopoulos, Paul C. Tumey and others. And in the second, revised edition of this seminal collection: over 200 comic strips! The earliest comics by acknowledged greats like R. F. Outcault, George McManus, Winsor McCay, and George Herriman, along with creations of more than fifty other superb cartoonists, known and unknown. The classic strips, most not printed in over 100 years, are presented in their original colours at the incredible oversized format Sunday Press is known for: all the better to see the comics that would inspire the next century of comics to come!

By George' is a 500-year-old exclamation used to express astonishment; a euphemism to avoid naming a divinity. A fitting title for this collection of classic comic art - both astonishing and, in its own way, divine. In 1913, George McManus was already a successful cartoonist with over a dozen hit comic strips to his credit. That year saw the debut of his signature creation, Bringing Up Father, soon to become an international sensation - the most popular comic strip in the world. In 1918 it appeared as a Sunday feature in full colour, full-page splendour that is now, along with the artist's earlier works, recreated by Sunday Press. This volume displays the long career of George McManus, from his early days as an artist for the St. Louis Republican, to his ground-breaking work for Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst in New York. Early features like Panhandle Pete and Nibsy the Newsboy show McManus as one of the 'Founders of the Funnies.' With The Whole Blooming Family, The Newlyweds/Their Only Child, he pioneered the type of family-humour comic strip that led to the sitcoms of radio and television. This form reached a peak with the battling (yet loving) spouses, Jiggs and Maggie in Bringing Up Father. The story behind the over 150 strips found in this collection is related in great detail by historian Paul C. Tumey in his detailed biographical introduction. McManus and his wife, even more so than his characters, were the toast of society, both at home and abroad, which added to his fame and the popularity of the strip. The book's foreword by internationally renowned cartoonist and designer Joost Swarte offers an appreciation and a description of the important influence of McManus on European artists, including Tintin's Herge. Educator and historian Eike Exner chronicles McManus's Asian connection as one of the main American influences in the development of manga. Completing this comprehensive volume are photographs, illustrations, and memorabilia highlighting the long career of one of the world's greatest cartoonists - making his readers laugh at his characters (and themselves) for over half a century. McManus has a well-deserved place in the pantheon of American cartoon artists, but never before has had a comprehensive collection of his work. Now, By George, here it is!

More than a decade before he created the world's most famous cartoon sailor, Elzie Crisler Segar began his comics career in the movies. He drew cartoons for silent movie theater slides, the Charlie Chaplin comic strip, and a daily strip about Chicago's movies and entertainment. Then, in 1919, he penned his own 'small screen' creation for the newspapers, Thimble Theatre, where Popeye was to be born a decade later. This comprehensive volume features examples of all of E.C. Segar's early comics and illustrations, with over 100 pre-Popeye Thimble Theatre Sunday pages including the complete run of the famed Western desert saga, a series that rivals his later work in superb art, storytelling, and humour. Newly revised and expanded, this new printing contains ten additional pages plus a 1920s-style Sunday comics section insert paying tribute to Segar and his comic creations featuring Charlie Chaplin's Comic Capers and Popeye's 'The Jeep.' Text and illustrations offer an in-depth history and commentary on the life and work of E. C. Segar by historians Paul C. Tumey and Jeet Heer, and best-selling author and journalist Michael Tisserand. Thimble Theatre is an essential part of any comics lover's library.

James Swinnerton is one of the most creative, respected, and prolific comic artists from the first half of the 20th century. Yet to the disappointment of classic comics lovers, his work has seen little reproduction. Until now. This sumptuous volume covers Swinnerton's six-decade career in comics, from his beginnings as a sports/editorial cartoonist for William Randolph Hearst in San Francisco to his years in the America's Southwest desert, where his love for the land and its people came through in his comics and illustration. Swinnerton is an excellent storyteller offering a cinematic style with humor that is both slapstick and sophisticated. At the forefront is his long-running Little Jimmy comic strip. This namesake character began by mixing satire of New York society with stories of rural America. He then took the characters on the road to South America, Mexico, and then settling for many years in Swinnerton's beloved Southwest. Also included in this book are his early one-shots and series like the rakish Mr. Jack and the anthropomorphic Mt. Ararat, and his 1940s stylized comic of the modern West, Rocky Mason. Swinnerton was famous for more than just comics. He wrote and illustrated the charming feature 'The Canyon Kiddies' and similar titles for weekly magazines. In his later years he became known as a premier painter of desert landscapes. All of these are featured in this book. Jimmy! includes an illustrated biography by Paul C. Tumey and essays by co-editor Michael Tisserand, Eddie Campbell, and Donald Phelps. The comic strips in this volume are carefully restored to their original colors and printed at near-full size. As a bonus, the book also includes a set of four Swinnerton postcards featuring his main characters, facsimiles of the originals from 1906, ready for mailing. Swinnerton lovers will be delighted by the richness and variety of the works seen here. Those new to this uniquely American artist will likely join the growing numbers who appreciate his important role in the history of the comics.

Ernie Bushmiller stated that his Nancy was created for "the gum chewers" and not the "caviar eaters." He might be surprised to find his work honored in an important art exhibition. Nancy herself would believe she deserves nothing less!

By scholars, collectors, and fans, the importance of Ernie Bushmiller’s work has been acknowledged in recent years as he takes his place among the great classic cartoonists. This book is a companion catalogue of artwork, memorabilia, and more from “The Nancy Show” a 2024 exhibition honoring Bushmiller at the Billy Ireland Cartoon Library & Museum. Included are high-quality images of over 100 pieces of Ernie Bushmiller original artwork, plus a biography by exhibition curator Brian Walker. A collector’s story by Tom Gammil gives insights on Nancy artwork and displays a gallery of dolls, toys, and other merchandise. The Nancy Show also features contributions by authors Paul Karasik and Mark Newgarden (How To Read Nancy), as well as notes from Bill Griffith, Patrick McDonnell, Ivan Brunetti, and others.

The book also features a collection of the best Nancy Sunday pages from over the decades, meticulously restored and printed in near full-size, most never been reprinted in color before. This book gives comic lovers an opportunity to experience “The Nancy Show” exhibition long after it leaves the museum. It’s a volume no Nancy fan should be without! Special bonus gift: This book includes a sheet of exclusive Nancy gift-wrapping paper, suitable for wrapping the book itself or anything else one might give to a Nancy lover.

Mit Dose Kids, SOCIETY IS NIX!' So said The Inspector about the Katzenjammer Kids. But he could have been speaking of all comic strips in their formative years in the early 1900s. From the very first colour Sunday supplement, comics were a driving force in newspaper sales, offering a wild parody of the world and the culture found in the surrounding pages. Society didn't stand a chance! These are the origins of the American comic strip, born at a time when there were no set styles or formats, when creators had the freedom to experiment, when artistic anarchy helped spawn a new medium. The genesis of comics is laid out in a dozen essays by the greatest in their field - historians like Thierry Smolderen, Brian Walker, Alfredo Castelli, Bill Kartalopoulos, Paul C. Tumey and others. And in the second, revised edition of this seminal collection: over 200 comic strips! The earliest comics by acknowledged greats like R. F. Outcault, George McManus, Winsor McCay, and George Herriman, along with creations of more than fifty other superb cartoonists, known and unknown. The classic strips, most not printed in over 100 years, are presented in their original colours at the incredible oversized format Sunday Press is known for: all the better to see the comics that would inspire the next century of comics to come!

By George' is a 500-year-old exclamation used to express astonishment; a euphemism to avoid naming a divinity. A fitting title for this collection of classic comic art - both astonishing and, in its own way, divine. In 1913, George McManus was already a successful cartoonist with over a dozen hit comic strips to his credit. That year saw the debut of his signature creation, Bringing Up Father, soon to become an international sensation - the most popular comic strip in the world. In 1918 it appeared as a Sunday feature in full colour, full-page splendour that is now, along with the artist's earlier works, recreated by Sunday Press. This volume displays the long career of George McManus, from his early days as an artist for the St. Louis Republican, to his ground-breaking work for Joseph Pulitzer and William Randolph Hearst in New York. Early features like Panhandle Pete and Nibsy the Newsboy show McManus as one of the 'Founders of the Funnies.' With The Whole Blooming Family, The Newlyweds/Their Only Child, he pioneered the type of family-humour comic strip that led to the sitcoms of radio and television. This form reached a peak with the battling (yet loving) spouses, Jiggs and Maggie in Bringing Up Father. The story behind the over 150 strips found in this collection is related in great detail by historian Paul C. Tumey in his detailed biographical introduction. McManus and his wife, even more so than his characters, were the toast of society, both at home and abroad, which added to his fame and the popularity of the strip. The book's foreword by internationally renowned cartoonist and designer Joost Swarte offers an appreciation and a description of the important influence of McManus on European artists, including Tintin's Herge. Educator and historian Eike Exner chronicles McManus's Asian connection as one of the main American influences in the development of manga. Completing this comprehensive volume are photographs, illustrations, and memorabilia highlighting the long career of one of the world's greatest cartoonists - making his readers laugh at his characters (and themselves) for over half a century. McManus has a well-deserved place in the pantheon of American cartoon artists, but never before has had a comprehensive collection of his work. Now, By George, here it is!