The Cartoon History of the Universe

    (Rip Off, 1978-1992)
™ and ©1978-1990 Larry Gonick

This series is no less ambitious than a comics-format distillation of all of known history. Larry Gonick has undertaken the job of relating history through panels, word balloons, and captions, and he succeeds brilliantly. This series is delightful and informative, and never gets bogged down in tedious facts or dates.

Larry Gonick has done other comics, including a history of the United States, and comics about particular science fields, but this is his finest work. Gonick presents the concepts of the ancient world in modern one-liners and puns, and the effect keeps the interest up through the sometimes complicated stories.

When the Doubleday collections began in the ‘90s, this series came into public notice. It’s a fine series that perfectly demonstrates the flexibility of the comics medium.
Jump to issue:
  NotesWriterArtist
#1 (2nd Printing Cover by Larry Gonick)

January, 1979
Cover Price: $1.25
1 copy available for $34.95 		Larry GonickLarry Gonick
#1 Deluxe Edition (Cardstock cover by Larry Gonick)

January, 1978
Cover Price: $2.50
1 copy available for $8.00 		Larry GonickLarry Gonick
#2 Deluxe Edition (Cardstock cover by Larry Gonick)

January, 1979
Cover Price: $2.50
1 copy available for $9.00 		Larry GonickLarry Gonick
#3 Deluxe Edition (Cardstock cover by Larry Gonick)

January, 1987
Cover Price: $2.50
3 copies available from $2.75 		Larry GonickLarry Gonick
#4

January, 1979
Cover Price: $1.25
1 copy available for $9.99 		Larry GonickLarry Gonick
#4 Deluxe Edition (Cardstock cover by Larry Gonick)

January, 1987
Cover Price: $2.50
1 copy available for $4.00 		Larry GonickLarry Gonick
#5 Deluxe Edition (Cardstock cover by Larry Gonick)

January, 1987
Cover Price: $2.50
3 copies available from $6.95 		Larry GonickLarry Gonick
#6

January, 1981
Cover Price: $1.50
1 copy available for $2.50 		Larry GonickLarry Gonick
#6 Deluxe Edition (Cardstock cover by Larry Gonick)

January, 1987
Cover Price: $2.50
2 copies available from $6.00 		Larry GonickLarry Gonick
#7 Deluxe Edition (Cardstock cover by Larry Gonick)

January, 1987
Cover Price: $2.50
2 copies available from $7.00 		Larry GonickLarry Gonick
#8

January, 1991
Cover Price: $2.95
2 copies available from $2.00 		Larry GonickLarry Gonick