Description
Book SynopsisFor a time, "Dell Comics Are Good Comics" was more than a slogan - it was a simple statement of fact. This book tells the story of the most popular American comic books of the 1940s and 1950s, those published under the Dell label.
Trade Review"Comics historian Barrier sets off like Scrooge McDuck in search of gold. He pans out the criteria of artists including Walt Kelly, John Stanley and Carl Barks, and stakes a claim for their work as deserving the same respect as classic literature." -- Ron Wolfe Arkansas Democrat-Gazette "In 'Funnybooks,' Mr. Barrier, whose previous works include a history of the Hollywood animated film as well as an excellent biography of Walt Disney, has set out to write a business history of Dell Comics... For his study, Mr. Barrier draws on interviews, archives and his own astute knowledge of comics." -- Will Friedwald Wall Street Journal "Barrier re-immerses himself in classic comic books and emerges impervious to nostalgia." -- Paul Gravett Times Literary Supplement "Funnybooks is the crowning achievement of Barrier's illustrious career... Written with clarity, expressiveness, and enthusiasm, this is a book for scholars, historians, practitioners, and fans old and new." -- J. A. Lent CHOICE
Table of ContentsList of Illustrations Preface Acknowledgments Introduction: "The Very Good Ones" 1. Mickey in a Magazine 2. Oskar Lebeck Meets Walt Kelly 3. Whitman, K.K., and Dell 4. Learning on the Job in L.A. 5. A Feel for Walt Kelly's Stuff 6. Animal Magnetism 7. Cartoon Conundrums 8. Carl Barks Makes His Break 9. Barks Becomes the Duck Man 10. The Workman: Gaylord DuBois 11. The Observer: John Stanley 12. "I Am a Backwoods Bumpkin" 13. "Pure Corn" at Disney's 14. Special Talents 15. Barks Masters His Medium 16. An Arena for All the Passions 17. Animal Kingdoms 18. Walt Kelly Branches Out 19. Strong-Handed Friends 20. Carl Barks: The Virtuoso 21. Walt Kelly Escapes 22. Oskar Lebeck in Exile 23. Manifest Destiny 24. Uncle Scrooge: Play Money 25. Carl Barks in Purgatory 26. The Slow Fade 27. Disasters Epilogue: Can These Bones Live? Abbreviations Notes Index
