 |
Krazy & Ignatz 1931-1932: "A Kat a'Lilt with Song" (2004)
|
George Herriman's Krazy Kat comic strip is unique in the history of the art form. The full-page Sunday strips are generally exceptional, and this volume collects all of them from 1931 and 1932, although there seem to be a few odd missing dates. Also included is a select smattering of daily strips from 1931.
I have always found Krazy Kat a bit challenging to read with its exotic quirks of language, syntax, and spelling, but generally it is worth the trouble. The story line is an endless variation on a theme, accompanied by zany poetry and fantastic, ever-shifting landscapes. There is, of course, Krazy the lovestruck Kat, Ignatz the mouse with his brick, and Bull Pupp the dutiful police officer devoted to law and order, but also to the Kat. It is a strange but poetic love triangle that wouldn't make sense anywhere else, and come to think of it doesn't quite make sense here either.
Krazy Kat is many things all at once: lyrical and absurd, comic and poignant, profoundly inventive and occasionally incomprehensible. It has never been surpassed.
 | |
| George Herriman, Krazy Kat, February 15, 1931 |
 |
| George Herriman, Krazy Kat, February 22, 1931 |
 |
| George Herriman, Krazy Kat, March 1, 1931 |
 |
| George Herriman, Krazy Kat, March 8, 1931 |
611
"Krazy Kat is many things all at once: lyrical and absurd, comic and poignant, profoundly inventive and occasionally incomprehensible. It has never been surpassed."
ReplyDeleteLove the way you put this ^.
Why, thank you, Leo! Trying to find the right words is one of the unending challenges of blogging. As I think you know...
Delete