I've finished reading volumes 5 of Little Orphan Annie and Walt and Skeezix. LOA gets a bit repetitive, with Warbucks travelling abroad, Annie going on the road, ending up in some trouble and then being rescued by Warbucks, but there's still lots of charm. The strip is very melodramatic, but that works well within that Dickensian universe. When W&S go melodramatic, like the trial in volume 4 and the fake will in this volume, it breaks the tone a bit from the rest of the strip. As a reader I'm not hooked. Also, the drawings in W&S appeal less to me than the ones in LOA or cartoonier strips of that time like Polly and her Pals. For one thing, in W&S the angle is changed in every panel for no reason. LOA, for me, just works better as a comic. So I've ordered volume 6 of Little Orphan Annie whereas volume 5 of Walt & Skeezix will be the last volume I buy, I betcha.
Wednesday, February 29, 2012
Annie, Skeezix
I've finished reading volumes 5 of Little Orphan Annie and Walt and Skeezix. LOA gets a bit repetitive, with Warbucks travelling abroad, Annie going on the road, ending up in some trouble and then being rescued by Warbucks, but there's still lots of charm. The strip is very melodramatic, but that works well within that Dickensian universe. When W&S go melodramatic, like the trial in volume 4 and the fake will in this volume, it breaks the tone a bit from the rest of the strip. As a reader I'm not hooked. Also, the drawings in W&S appeal less to me than the ones in LOA or cartoonier strips of that time like Polly and her Pals. For one thing, in W&S the angle is changed in every panel for no reason. LOA, for me, just works better as a comic. So I've ordered volume 6 of Little Orphan Annie whereas volume 5 of Walt & Skeezix will be the last volume I buy, I betcha.
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indeed, changing the angle in every panel gets very irritating, not only in W&S, but in general. people seem to think it adds interest, no matter what the circumstance. the only thing that's worse is when people break their backs trying to find a way to tilt each panel or top orson welles at finding unusual angles...
ReplyDeleteYou ever read the Dick Tracy collections?
ReplyDeleteThe changing angles work maybe better in more realisticly drawn strips, like Terry and The Pirates.
ReplyDeleteI'm, by the way, about 100 pages into volume 6 of Little Orphan Annie and Gray's concervative side is really beginning to show. The man did not have high opinions of union organizers.
I tried one of the early Dick Tracy books, and it just didn't appeal to me. I found the plots just a bit too silly. But it's possible that was before Gould hit his stride, so I should maybe give it another try.
Hi Jason,
ReplyDeleteActually the next Walt and Skeezix book will circle back and give the strips from 1919-1921 (before Skeezix). Those years were some of King's peak in terms of art. Also, did you look at the dvd in volume 5 of W&S -- I thought it might be of interest to you as a film fan.
As for Dick Tracy -- I'd recommend the books from 1944 to about 1955 -- those were the peak years and I think you'd enjoy them. Jeet
Hello Jeet,
ReplyDeleteno, I didn't look at the dvd with his homemovies. I will! And thanks for the Dick Tracy recommendation!