The Comics Before 1945

    (Harry N. Abrams, 2004)
™ and © 2004 Brian Walker

There are many words like fascinating, stunning, and educational that can be used to describe The Comics Before 1945, but they would not convey the full spectrum of the book. The Comics is a stunning visual essay, illustrated with classic moments in comic strips enhanced by insightful interviews and sparkling text. Brian Walker makes it clear to us that the development of the comic strip was the byproduct of a publishing battle between Hearst and Pulitzer and, later on, with the syndicates.

As a comic–book historian and fan, I could not put this book down. The full–page art from Foster, Kahle, Segar, Raymond, McKay, Al Capp, Chester Gould, Milt Caniff, Walt Disney, Jim Gray, Harry O’Neill, and others takes your breath away. The comic pages were truly alive with gag strips, the adventures of…, and ongoing romances.

After you read this book, and open the pages of your daily paper, you will long for the time when the pages of the Sunday supplements were home to artistic excellence that made you go wow!

— Tim Lasiuta
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