Frank King (1) (1883–1969)

As I set out to write this review, I discovered that I've never written up my thoughts on the first two volumes of the series. My bad. Overall, I've been enjoying these collections of the earliest Gasoline Alley comic strips. Not only are the comics amusing, but they offer a glimpse of another world--mid-America in the 1920s.* The picture is enhanced by the extensive articles and notes added by the publishers at Drawn & Quarterly Books.

The strips from 1925 & 1926 focus more on the romance between Walt & Phyllis Blossom and less on Skeezix's shenanigans. They illustrate a culture with strict gender roles and social mores. I'm assuming they've been exaggerated a bit to draw out the storyline and work in a few gags. There also seems to be more travelling involved in this volume than in the previous ones. If I were inclined to count them, I think its possible that more of the strips are set "on the road" than in Gasoline Alley. Makes me wonder how the characters can afford such a lifestyle. But that's taking the book way too seriously. I'd much rather move on to the next volume.
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*Note: That world is a far from perfect world. The racial stereotypes in the art are painful. The writing is a bit better, though still reflects the biases of the time. Read at your own risk.
--J.… (meer)

This fourth volume in the series continues to chronicle the antics of Walt Wallet, his family, and the neighbors of Gasoline Alley. Well, the neighbors provide less antics as the storylines focus more on the growing Wallet family. Probably the longest tale running through these years details yet another attempt to take Skeezix away from Walt. I think if all of these happened to someone in real life, they'd need therapy. Fortunately, in the comics we can have some drama with a happy ending all but guaranteed.
--J.… (meer)