Krazy & Ignatz 1916-1918

	Tuesday, April 23rd, 2024
      
	Subscribe
	Advertise

Krazy & Ignatz 1916-1918

Fantagraphics

(Written and drawn by George Herriman; edited by Bill Blackbeard)

Jun 09, 2010 Web Exclusive By Jeremy Nisen

You ever go into reading an archival or archetypical work with the notion that you’re about to discover “what people used to like” or “what qualified as funny way back when?” Well slap me across the face, please—George Herriman’s Krazy & Ignatz is damned funny, regardless of being a product of its era.

Some of the trappings of its day stick out a bit—like the numbering of panels, and the admittedly charming but sometimes hard-to-read hand lettering. But the cartooning, comedy, and story are all very amusing.

You may be familiar with the image of Ignatz, a mouse, about to chuck a brick at Krazy, a cat. But Krazy & Ignatz seems to be a bit of a love story, with Krazy often seeking out Ignatz’s company, talking about him in terms of endearment, and seemingly oblivious to getting beaned in the head all the time. Add in Pupp, a bulldog cop who charmingly switches to all fours when in high pursuit, and a bunch of other animals, and Krazy & Ignatz is quite a fun world to visit.

A little less charming are the pre-Krazy & Ignatz strips by Herriman, included in this volume for historical context and to show his path. However, forwards by Kim Thompson (Fantagraphic’s publisher) and editor Bill Blackbeard prove very interesting.

The 175-page oversized softcover volume will run you $25 and it’s worth it. It’s gratifying when the stuff experts tell you is supposed to be good actually lives up to the hype. (www.fantagraphics.com; www.georgeherriman.com; http://krazy.com/)

Author rating: 7/10

Rate this comic book
Average reader rating: 7/10