Yoe Loves Kids' Comics!

Carl Barks' Big Book of Barney Bear
Edited and Designed by Craig Yoe
Introduction by Jeff Smith
Yoe Books and IDW Publishing

In this glorious, golden age of comic book and comic strip reprints, Craig Yoe remains my favorite collections editor. He has such a keen eye for the overlooked gem and the under appreciated artist - and in all of his work, Craig's pure love for kids' comics - true kids' comics - is tangible. Let's look at the record:

In past collections, Craig has collected the works of Bud Sagendorf, Otto Messmer, Milt Gross, and Dan DeCarlo; and in multi-artist collections, he has reprinted stories from such seldom seen masters as George Carlson, Jack Bradbury, Ken Hultgren, Mel Casson, Jim Tyer, and Louis Ferstadt (The Golden Collection of Klassic Krazy Cool Kids Komics); as well as Frank Johnson, Dan Gormley and Al Fago (The Great Treasury of Christmas Comic Book Stories).

For my tastes, the two perfect Yoe collections have been Popeye: The Great Comic Book Tales by Bud Sagendorf and Felix The Cat: The Great Comic Book Tails. I love them because it is highly unlikely the stories contained within either book would have ever found their way into a prestige hardback without the devotional efforts of Yoe. This is particularly true of Sagendorf's work on Popeye, which adult critics have always found lacking when inevitably compared to creator Segar's brutal, fascinating sailor. As for Messmer's Felix stories, more than one critic has found them too simple for adult enjoyment.

With all due respect, I think such criticism misses the mark. These comics were done for children, not adults. Trying to bend them into grown-up fare crushes their magic. When Felix slides down a giant ice cream mountain on a magic carpet only to find himself fighting an army of chocolate soldiers, as he does in "Felix in Candy Land" (Felix the Cat #15, 1950, Dell Comics) children loved it because it had nothing to do with adult logic or complexity. Children also responded instinctively, as I do, to the magnificent artwork of masters like Sagendorf and Messmer (the bold, smooth, rubbery line of Otto Messmer particularly thrills me). For the artwork alone, I am grateful that Yoe has reproduced the work of both Sagendorf and Messmer in such handsome collections.

Another one of my favorite Yoe Books is Dan DeCarlo's Jetta. The artist is best remembered for his great work in the Archie comic book titles but, as I've mentioned, Yoe specializes in the under appreciated gems. Jetta, the space-age "Teen-age Sweetheart of The 21st Century," was a DeCarlo creation for Standard Comics in the early 1950s, and the young beauty got the Yoe treatment in a beautifully done hardcover. The results are as good as anything the artist ever drew for Archie.

Speaking of enjoying an artist's lesser known work brings me gracefully to the book and artist under discussion today!

Carl Barks and John Stanley are the twin colossi who stride across the landscape of kids' comics; their stories complex enough (and their artwork wonderful enough) to appeal to both children and adults. Stanley in particular, with his genius scripting, has recently become the critics' darling (and deservedly so). Barks was the "good duck artist," well loved and remembered for his engaging Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge stories for Western Publishing. Yet Barks drew and scripted many comic book stories with characters other than the Disney ducks - and this is where Mr. Yoe's most recent work comics in.

The Carl Barks' Big Book of Barney Bear collects the great Barney Bear and Benny Burro stories Barks did for Western (Dell) comics in the early 1950s, and like all of Yoe's books, it is beautifully designed and published. For the comic lover, Craig hits all the marks: The paper stock is matte and perfectly non-shiny, the colors look bright and clean, and the binding can be opened fully and set flat without fear of breaking the spine. Included as well is a brief but very insightful introduction from Jeff Smith (Bone) and two great articles from Yoe (in all of Yoe's writing, his enthusiasm for comics shines). As for the stories included? Well, I can show you better than I can tell you. The story below comes straight out of the book - and it is pure, uncut Barks.

I highly recommend this book! You will love it as will any children you know (think Christmas)!

For a complete list of Yoe Books including this keeper of Barney Bear stories, please click HERE!

FRIGHTFUL FRANKENSTEIN FRIDAY!

Welcome to Frightful Frankenstein Friday; a Friday post in which we celebrate the release of Craig Yoe's Dick Briefer's Frankenstein! But, hey, we aren't alone in our cheering. After the story below check out the list of wonderful blogs and websites participating in the Dick Briefer celebration!

Dick Briefer drew two Frankensteins: One was serious, tender, and violently terrifying; done for the older kids. The other was drawn in a bigfoot, cartoony style that was pure fun (yet equally touching). I love Breifer's lighthearted version of the monster, the one that enjoyed smelling flowers and petting dogs. Whereas Shelly's creature is cursed by fate - a sensative, innocent brute crushed and twisted by hatred - Briefer's fun Frankenstein is a hulking pilgrim making his way in an ofttimes cruel world, protected by his innocence - sheltered always by a sweet nature. The following story comes from Frankenstein No. 1, 1945 and is included in Mr. Yoe's book.

Now, about Mr. Yoe's book, I'll keep this short and sweet: It is beautifully bound, has tons of peripheral Briefer artwork; and includes a great introduction by editor, Craig Yoe. The paper choice is perfect (non-shiny), and the artwork is wonderfully reproduced - giving each page the look of a real comic (this is standard for all Yoe Books!). It lays flat, and it's stuffed with 148 pages of beautiful art and stories, mixing the two Frankensteins (menacing and funny) about evenly. Yep, this one gets the Big Blog Tip Top recommendation; and at under $15.00, it's an incredible bargain! Was there anything else you needed to know? In case you missed it the first time, here's the LINK again!

Want more celebration? Heck yes! Here is a list of great blogs and websites, all celebrating the publication of this wonderful book. Please do as I have done! Check out each and every one! Just click on the name!

• And Everything Else Too
• Blog Of Frankenstein
• Cartoon Snap!
• Comic Book Bin
• ComiCrazys
• Four-Color Shadows
• Frankenstenia: The Frankenstein Blog
• Magic Carpet Burn
• Pappy's Golden Age Comics Blogzine
• Random Acts of Geekery
• Sekvenskonst
• Sequential Crush
• Stephen Bissette's MYRANT
• The Fabulous Fifties
• The Horrors Of It All
• The I.T.C.H.

Finally, here's Craig and his lovely daughter, Valissa, promoting Dick Briefer's Frankenstein at the recent New York Comic Con!

Felix The Cat: The Great Comic Book Tails

Book Review:
Felix The Cat: The Great Comic Book Tails
Edited and Designed by Craig Yoe
With Introduction by Don Oriolo
Yoe Books! and IDW Publishing, 2010

Craig Yoe is on a rampage. His mission? To remind comic book lovers of a time when comics were a) pure fun, and b) intended for kids. So far this year Craig has edited classy hardback editions of the work of Milt Gross, Dan DeCarlo, and Dick Briefer; as well as the wonderful Golden Collection of Klassic Krazy Kool Kids Komics (to review or purchase any of the work mentioned in this post, please visit Craig's Amazon store). Indeed, in the often overlooked genre of kids' comics - Mr. Yoe has done yeoman work! (yuk yuk).

Today we'll take a look at Craig's most recent addition to the Yoe Mission: Felix the Cat: The Great Comic Book Tails (Yoe Books! and IDW publishing). First, let's look at the strengths of the book that are immediately apparent right out of the wrapper:

• The book is beautifully designed, with gorgeous end papers and a very clever black and white cover (no jacket) matching Felix's own colors.
  
• The book isn't skimpy. At 224 pages, it's a nice chunk of great Felix comic book stories.
• Reproduction of the color comic book pages is absolutely superb.
• Finally, the book is extremely well bound (Smyth sewn binding) using archival-quality paper without being shiny or too hard (no publishing decision so mars comic book reproduction as does the choice of shiny, hard paper). Of all the recent flood of comic book and comic strip reprints, no publisher has made a better choice regarding paper stock than here. The pages in this book really have the look of a comic book - yet on thick, clean-white paper!

The book kicks off with a great introduction from Don Oriolo (Son of Felix animator and Messmer assistant, Joe Oriolo; and current head of Felix the Cat Productions), and an introduction by Craig Yoe with pages of Felix memorabilia. In his intro, Craig captures Felix's fundemental coolness and does a great job untangling the confusing history of the iconic black cat (and does so in less than two pages). He offers some revelations (at least to me) in the process: for instance, I had always assumed that all the Felix comic book work was done by Otto Messmer. Not so. While a solid majority of the work was Messmer, a generous portion was done by Messmer assistants Jim Tyer and Joe Oriolo.

As for the Felix stories reproduced? Well, it's Felix from the late 1940s and early 1950s comic books, meaning you get tons of Messmer's nearly edible, squishy roundness. Bulls and lions look like balloon animals you could sink a finger into knuckle deep. The stories are all the cream - all funny and sharp. For any lover of kids' comics, these pages tap directly into what we love about the genre: Great cartooning in a classic bigfoot style (a style for which Messmer's work is a prototype) over storytelling simply lousy with intelligence and charm.

In short, Felix the Cat: The Great Comic Book Tails is a title that comic book lovers have needed for a long time. It collects the best of Felix (and Messmer) all in one glorious place. That's right. You want it. You need it. You gotta have it!

But don't take only my word for it. My cat, Bad Jerome, is a huge Felix fan and has nothing but raves for Mr. Yoe's latest. As a treat, I have included a picture (below) of Bad Jerome doing his best Felix impersonation. I've seen him absolutely kill at parties with this:

To finish up, let's do a Felix story straight out of Craig's book (a tale orginally from Felix the Cat #53, Toby Press) - a sampling just to whet your appitite:

© Felix The Cat Productions - All Rights Reserved

Please visit Craig Yoe at his web site: Super I.T.C.H (International Team of Comics Historians).

Craig Yoe says, "Hey Kids, Komics!"

BOOK REVIEW: The Golden Collection of Klassic Krazy Kool Kids Komics by Craig Yoe; published by Yoe Books! and IDW Publishing, 2010 (304 pages). Available @ Super I.T.C.H.

I received Craig Yoe’s The Golden Collection of Klassic Krazy Kool Kids Komics (henceforth known as KKKKK) in the mail a couple of days ago. I've been pouring over it since and find it the most beautifully done comics retrospective book I have seen since forever. Paper stock choice, graphic design and layout, reproduction quality; and selection of artists - all rate a first class wow. With comic book anthologies so much can go wrong - and none of it goes wrong here. Specifics? Oh, all right.

First, this little doozy’s bound for the ages (both timeless and well made). All us comic book lovers have had it happen: you buy a nice anthology of your favorite artist, title, or genre; open it up a couple times and wham – that unmistakable sound of a split binding knifes into your heart. Soon, you know, pages will begin dropping out. No worries here. Pages open nicely (lays flat) and are snug and tight - designed for years of reading.

Let's take a little peek at the contents. Here's a story by George Carlson. All scans on this post come right out of the book:

Quality of reproduction (sooo important) is very high throughout. Paper choice is crucial and is a pretty tricky business where funny books are concerned. Publishers really seem to prefer the slick, hard paper – imagining (I imagine) the shiny paper gives the work the slick sheen of real, permanent art and high quality (and can thus summon a price commensurate with same). Trouble is, if the paper’s too slick and hard, colors (oh, those all important four-color colors!) can become over saturated - even blobby and wet looking - thus losing the look and feel of comics. Not here. Nope. Mr. Yoe has chosen a heavy paper, very white, which has a perfect, very slight texture so that all reproduced work has a crisp, matte finish. In other words, everything looks exactly like the great comics we purchased back before illusions of grandeur thickened the fun.

Now, to the heart of it - the selection of comics and artists. Two things can (and have) happened with comic book anthologies: The artist selection is so esoteric and “original” that you end up wondering (and not caring) who the artists are; or, on the other hand, you’ve seen the work selected about one-bazillion times in various formats. In a nutshell, I found Craig’s selection to be the perfect blend of extremes. All the giants (Barks, Kelly, Walker, Hubbard, etc.), master classers (Messmer, Bradbury, Hultgren, Stanley, Gordon, etc.), brilliant inspirations (Carlson, Gross, Cole, Kurtzman, etc.); and other assorted big names are well represented here by work not often seen. Also presented are kid comic stories from artists best known for their big boy work – guys like Jack Kirby, Wally Wood, and Frank Frazetta (the story included here from the late Frazetta is a particular joy and doesn’t contain a single hint of stooping-to-conquer).

And there are, gratefully, some artists that are new to me. Of them, I am really going to have to hunt down some of the work of Louis Ferstadt. The included stories of “Phil Flop, Detective” bare the curse of dizzying genius. Another discovery (for me) was Mel Casson, whose “Stanley the Space Man” exudes funny charm. Have a look for yourself:

And, what the heck, let's toss in a Phil Flop one-pager by Louis Ferstadt for good measure!

OK, I’ve said my piece. Now it’s time for some good ol’ fashioned comic book yapping. Favorite parts? Man, I’m glad you asked. My favorite comic book artists ever are Jack Bradbury, Milt Stein, and Howie Post so their inclusion here is very gratifying (and story choices for each is stuff I haven't seen before - something un-Harvey from Post). I also loved the Jim Tyer story, “The Great Voice.” Tyer’s cartooning will be instantly recognizable to anyone familiar with his energetic animation for Terrytoons! My biggest thrill, however, was the included pages of Dr. Seuss’ work on the Hejji comic strip. “Did you know Dr. Seuss drew this comic strip for the newspapers?!?” asks Yoe in a caption introducing the first page (of 12); knowing full well he is unveiling a glittering gem. The good doctor - Theodor Seuss Geisel - was the first cartoonist I loved (still love) and to find some new cartoons from him is a real treat.

Mr. Yoe certainly has been ripping it up! Earlier this very same year we have seen from Yoe Books! The Complete Milt Gross Comic Books and Life Story, AND Dan DeCarlo’s Jetta (a personal favorite after the title under discussion). Wow, does Yoe love comics - loves them so much he always does them up right. Every comic book lover owes Craig Yoe, Yoe Books!, and IDW Publishing a pat on the back!

Even better than a pat on the back would be the purchase of some of Craig's books! I certainly have! To purchase KKKKK and other great titles from Yoe Books!, please visit Super I.T.C.H.!