Chicken Fat

    (Fantagraphics, 2006)
™ and © Will Elder and respective copyright owners

Does the name “Will Elder” ring a bell? If not, take a glance at the cover of Chicken Fat and you’ll no doubt recognize many of his Mad parodies: Superduperman, Woman Wonder, Mole, and Lamont Shadowskeedeeboomboom, among others. And, for those who may not have read Mad, Little Annie Fanny is there, too.

Elder has a remarkable gift for capturing classic comic-strip characters looking exactly as they should but at the same time making them undeniably his own. In this volume, you’ll discover some of Elder’s other talents, such as straight portraits and political caricatures. There may be more sketches and fewer finished works than one might like, but that’s all part of the novelty. There are copious panel gags and a few tryouts for comic strips, including The Inspector, Luke Warm, and Adverse Anthony. (Adverse Anthony, a contrary little man, is particularly engaging.)

There’s no parental advisory, but a number of the strips were intended for Playboy or similar venues. They may be more “R” than “NC-17”; just be aware that they exist.

— Jack Abramowitz

From the Publisher:

Chicken Fat is the part of the soup that’s bad for you, yet gives the soup its delicious flavor. From Mad to Humbug to Little Annie Fanny, Will Elder’s chicken fat has spiced up some of the finest comics of the past 50 years. So prepare to partake in the ultimate indulgence—a feast of Elder sketches, doodles, gag panels, paintings, private commissions and personal ephemera: Chicken Fat!
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Cover Price: $14.95
1 copy available for $13.50 		 Will Elder