Our pal Jenn Chan sent us these awesome photos of a weekend baking jag inspired by Krazy Kat (and perhaps even Chris Ware's design). Her husband was "feeling really bummed about the Mets so I made these to cheer him up." Lucky man. Well, aside from those Mets, anyway. At least he's not a Mariners fan. Back to the Kupkakes. Mmmmmm:
We said we would never reprint it... but popular demand overwhelmed our will! Our second limited-edition printing of this deluxe hardcover (limited to 600 copies this time) compiles the first five Krazy & Ignatz softcover collections books we published, comprehensively collecting the years 1925 through 1934, under hard covers. It's not a slipcase, it's a single hardcover book. The covers to the original five softcover books are NOT included, but literally everything else is. And yes, we are similarly collecting the years 1935-1944 and, eventually, 1916-1924, as those softcover volumes are completed. (Since we get asked this once in a while — even though it's covered in the first one we did, at the end of the book, ahem — YES, we will go back and reprint the years prior to 1925, after we publish everything through 1944, when the strip ended.) Because of the limited nature of this item, we are not distributing this through traditional bookstores or Diamond distribution. A beautiful, must-have brick of a book for the Ignatz in you (though lobbing it at any unrequited love interests WILL cause serious physical harm — be warned).
Following yesterday's look at the newest volumes in our Krazy & Ignatz series of Krazy Kat reprint volumes, here's a look at an upcoming reprint: The Complete Sunday Strips 1925-1934, the giant hardcover compiling the 5 volumes covering the strip's second decade, in a second limited edition. Click here if the slideshow doesn't appear above.
Here's a slightly belated look at the two ultimate entries (until we go back and reprint the early Eclipse volumes) in our Krazy & Ignatz series of Krazy Kat reprint volumes: 1943-1944 (top) and The Complete Sunday Strips 1935-1944, the giant hardcover compiling the last 5 volumes (bottom). Watch these video/photo slideshow teasers for exciting fold-out action, glinting gold foil stamping, and more. Click here and here if the slideshows don't appear above.
Our second limited-edition deluxe Krazy hardcover (it's Volume 3, but the second to be published; Volume 1 is still forthcoming) collects the second batch of five Krazy & Ignatz softcover books we have published, comprehensively compiling the years 1935 through 1944, under hard covers. It's not a slipcase, it's a single hardcover book. The covers to the original five softcover books are NOT included, but literally everything else is. And yes, we are similarly collecting the years 1916-1924 as those softcover volumes are completed. (Since we get asked this once in a while — even though it's covered in the first one we did, at the end of the book, ahem — YES, we will go back and reprint the years prior to 1925.) Because of the limited nature of this item, we are not distributing this through traditional bookstores or Diamond distribution. A beautiful, must-have brick of a book for the Ignatz in you (though lobbing it at any unrequited love interests WILL cause serious physical harm — be warned).
Krazy and Ignatz 1943-1944: "He Nods in Quiescent Siesta" covers the last two years of Herriman’s masterpiece. With this volume, Fantagraphics and its precursor Eclipse have reprinted the entire 29-year run of the Krazy Kat Sundays! Like Charles Schulz, George Herriman was a cartoonist to the very end. Aside from collecting the last masterful year and a half of Krazy Kat, this new volume offers a retrospective look at Herriman’s life at the drawing table, offering many never before seen samples of his original art (which the cartoonist often lovingly hand-colored for friends). Gathered from many scattered collections, these pages testify to Herriman’s invererate passion for drawing. Rounding out the volume are scores of Krazy Kat daily strips also from Herriman’s last years, further testament to the cartoonists vitality. Series editor and veteran comics historian, Bill Blackbeard, also provides a concluding, wide-ranging essay on the life and art of Herriman. More than a simple reprint collection, Krazy and Ignatz 1943-1944 portrays the full range of a cartoonist who remained an artist all his life.
The heretofore black-and-white Sunday Krazy Kat returned in full spectacular color in June 1935, collected here from then through 1936, with a flood of rare color extras and a revelatory essay by Jeet Heer.
Just received today: the breathtaking wraparound cover, designed by Chris Ware, for the final volume in our Krazy & Ignatz series (that is, until we start re-printing the early Eclipse volumes -- more info on that in this previous Flog post). The book is due later this year. Click the image for a closer look.
Here are the last of the Krazy Kat strips drawn by seven-to-eleven-year old Italian kids, courtesy of their teacher Alessandro Santi. (See previous FLOG!s for batches one, two and three; see the entire set in a slideshow on Flickr.) Incidentally, Alessandro asked us if we were going to reprint the Eclipse volumes featuring the first nine years of Krazy Kat Sundays, and the answer to that is yes, starting in 2009. But we're going to gang them together into three big KK volumes, each containing three years' worth.
Here are still more Krazy Kat strips drawn by seven-to-eleven-year old Italian kids, courtesy of their teacher Alessandro Santi. (See previous FLOG!s for batches one and two.) Last batch to come tomorrow.
Incidentally, Jeet Heer and Michael Tisserand just turned in their introduction to the final collection of Krazy Kat Sundays, scheduled for release this Fall. It chronicles the last few years of Herriman's life, and it's a terrific (if sad) read.
Here are some more Krazy Kat strips drawn by seven-to-eleven-year old bambini, courtesy of their teacher Alessandro Santi. (See yesterday's FLOG! for the first batch.) More to come tomorrow!
By the way, we just got in the new, second edition of the KRAZY KAT book THE KAT WHO WALKS IN BEAUTY, now with a different colored spine (yes, collectors, this is meant to drive you crazy). If you DON'T have this book yet and were cursing yourself for missing it when it went out of print... well, there you go.
Register and Login to receive full member benefits, including members-only special offers, commenting privileges on Flog! The Fantagraphics Blog, newsletters and special announcements via email, and stuff we haven't even thought of yet. Membership is free and spam-free, so Sign Up Today!