(Among other things, three major cast members—Schroeder, Lucy, and Linus—initially show up as infants and only "grow" into their final "mature" selves as the months go by. Even Snoopy debuts as a puppy!) Thus The Complete Peanuts offers a unique chance to see a master of the art form refine his skills and solidify his universe, day by day, week by week, month by month.This volume is rounded out with Garrison Keillor's introduction, a biographical essay by David Michaelis (Schulz and Peanuts) and an in-depth interview with Schulz conducted in 1987 by Gary Groth and Rick Marschall, all wrapped in a gorgeous design by award-winning cartoonist Seth.

    From one of the funniest minds - and pens - of our time this title is a collection of the very best of Opus, everyone's favourite maladjusted penguin.

    In 2002, Fantagraphics embarked on a publishing plan to reintroduce the greatest strip of the first-half of the 20th Century (the Peanuts of its era) to a public that has largely never seen it: this volume is the fourth in a long-term plan to chronologically reprint strips from the prime of Herriman's career, most of which have not seen print since originally running in newspapers 75 years ago. Each volume is edited by the San Francisco Cartoon Art Museum's Bill Blackbeard, the world's foremost authority on early 20th Century American comic strips, and designed by Jimmy Corrigan author Chris Ware, who may well go down as the best cartoonist of the 21st Century. Krazy & Ignatz 1931-1932 is a hot-baked brickbat of a volume, a dance with nearly two full years of the Sunday Krazy Kat (Herriman did not use color until 1935), snug between multiple pages of Herriman extras, including an extensive essay by series editor Bill Blackbeard on pre-Kat Herriman work (with reproductions from rare "Baron Mooch" and "Gooseberry Sprig" strips, and a rarely-seen 1923 full-page drawing of the Kat done for Circulation magazine), and, best of all, a 30-page sequence of over two straight months' worth of 1931 dailies! Plus a new "Debaffler" page decoding Krazy arcana, and a stunning layout front and back and throughout by the inimitable Chris Ware! Krazy Kat is a love story, focusing on the relationships of its three main characters. Krazy Kat adored Ignatz Mouse. Ignatz Mouse just tolerated Krazy Kat, except for recurrent onsets of targeting tumescence, which found expression in the fast delivery of bricks to Krazy's cranium. Offisa Pup loved Krazy and sought to protect "her" (Herriman always maintained that Krazy was gender-less) by throwing Ignatz in jail. Each of the characters was ignorant of the others' true motivations, and this simple structure allowed Herriman to build entire worlds of meaning into the actions, building thematic depth and sweeping his readers up by the looping verbal rhythms of Krazy & Co.'s unique dialogue.

    Most of these strips have not seen print since originally running in Hearst newspapers over 70 years ago. Each volume is edited by the San Francisco Cartoon Art Museum's Bill Blackbeard. Krazy & Ignatz 1933-1934 will be a hot-baked brickbat of a volume, adance with nearly two full years of the Sunday Krazy Kat (Herriman did not use color until 1935), snug between multiple pages of Herriman extras, not the least of which include an introduction by Blackbeard, a new "Debaffler" page, and a stunning layout front and back and throughout by the inimitable Chris Ware! Krazy Kat is a love story, focusing on the relationships of its three main characters. Krazy Kat adored Ignatz Mouse. Ignatz Mouse just tolerated Krazy Kat, except for recurrent onsets of targeting tumescence, which found expression in the fast delivery of bricks to Krazy's cranium. Offisa Pup loved Krazy and sought to protect "her" (Herriman always maintained that Krazy was gender-less) by throwing Ignatz in jail. Each of the characters was ignorant of the others' true motivations, and this simple structure allowed Herriman to build entire worlds of meaning into the actions, building thematic depth and sweeping his readers up by the looping verbal rhythms of Krazy & Co.'s unique dialogue.

    After all, the friends, Romans, and countrymen would have been too busy laughing over Jason Fox, pictured in full toga-and-laurel regalia on the cover. This Foxtrot treasury will delight and amuse Fox family fans in the same surprising way. Thumbs up-once again-for creator Bill Amend!Jason Fox rules . . . his computer code, at calc and trig, and in whatever fantasy he happens to be headlining at the moment. Just because the rest of the Fox family-from older brother Peter and sister Paige to parents Roger and Andy-haven't quite accepted his Dominion Over All isn't cause for concern. Math geeks, Jason is convinced, will govern the earth, and he will lead the way. FoxTrotius Maximus: A FoxTrot Treasury, picks up on Jason's megalomania and runs with it . . . and it doesn't stop until you are out of breath from laughing so hard. FoxTrotius Maximus combines the works Your Momma Thinks Square Roots Are Vegetables, Who's Up for Some Bonding, and Am I a Mutant or What? That means longtime FoxTrot readers and new fans alike are treated to Jason and his friend Marcus's never-ending antics, Andy's ongoing allergy fun, Peter's latest hot haircut, and a host of pop-culture trends and topics including music piracy, video games, and The Lord of the Rings trilogy. Timely, topical, and terribly funny! All hail, FoxTrotius Maximus! Universal Press Syndicate newspaper feature:*FoxTrot Author's web site: www.foxtrot.com/

    . . all of these can make for captivating cartoons. But it's the artist who can take the simple, keep it simple, and still tell a story who really stands apart from the crowd. Patrick McDonnell, creator of Mutt's Mooch the cat and Earl the dog, is such a cartoonist.The quickest way to absorb McDonnell's mastery of his art is to pick up this third Mutts treasury, in which frame after frame and strip after strip he consistently displays his wit, cleverness, and ability with a pen. Mutts is the perfect way to escape into what appears to be an easygoing, carefree world. But just beneath the character's banter and endearing mannerisms are the universal concerns of animals and people alike. The cartoonist's spare style and gentle humor invite readers to fill out the frames with their own imaginations.Mutts, syndicated by King Features since 1994, enjoys a circulation of more than 500 daily newspapers. Nationally McDonnell has received awards ranging from Outstanding Cartoonist of the Year to Newspaper Comic Strip of the Year, and worldwide he has received such praise as being named the Swedish Academy of Comic Art's Best International Comic Strip Artist. This strip's a winner the world around.

    Piggy's Lonely Hearts Club Comic, the first Pearls Before Swine treasury-supersized for your enjoyment.But this is no ordinary cartoon treasury. Like the influential Beatles album that inspired the book's title, Sgt. Piggy is full of surprises. In addition to collecting all of the Pearls cartoons that appeared in BLTs Taste So Darn Good and This Little Piggy Stayed Home, cartoonist Stephan Pastis takes readers on a VIP backstage tour of one of the most successful comic strips in newspapers today. In Sgt. Piggy, Pastis explains the genesis of Pearls (hint: it didn't begin at an artist's easel), why he was initially reluctant to show it to newspaper syndicates (and the surprising reason he changed his mind), the unexpected responses from readers to his work, and which Pearls strips worked and which ones didn't (and how he would have corrected the ones that didn't). The result is a rare and revealing glimpse into the world of Rat, Pig, Goat and Zebra. Full of humor and insight, sardonic asides and unexpected truths, Sgt. Piggy's Lonely Hearts Club Comic is a book that comics fans everywhere can enjoy anytime-even when they're 64!

    His artistry is in his Zen-like clarity, his simple direct address, and his unique understanding of the essential animal-human continuum. When one experiences MUTTS, one experiences genius." -Alice Sebold, author of The Lovely Bones"Dog-Eared"is exactly what this latest collection from cartoonist Patrick McDonnell is destined to become. The brilliant assortment of simple-yet-complex strips will have readers turning its pages again and again, eager to revisit the charm, truth, and humor found within.McDonnell's strip, highlights the adventures of Earl the dog and Mooch the cat, best buddies who regularly come in contact with Shtinky Puddin', Sourpuss, Guard Dog, and Crabby-as well as an assortment of whimsically rendered humans. This cast is capable of endless antics, interspersed with poignant views on both the animal and human condition. And whether they're raiding garbage cans or basking in full-frontal belly rubs, Mooch and Earl always have a comment to clinch the scene.MUTTS is the kind of strip that comic readers find irresistible. "Dog-Eared" is the same kind of collection. One strip leads to another, and before you know it you've turned page after dog-eared page to satisfy a growing MUTTS addiction.

    Some are taken by the visual element...Then there's the people who want it to be funny...Darby gets both." --Scott Adams, creator of DilbertGet Fuzzy collections are flying off the shelves. And Bucky Katt's Big Book of Fun, the second full-color treasury of the outrageous antics of Bucky, Satchel, and Rob, is sure to attract more readers of the strip voted Best Comic Strip of 2002 by the National Cartoonists Society.Behold the world of Get Fuzzy. Meet Bucky Katt, the Siamese smart-ass who coexists under protest with Satchel Pooch, the sweet-tempered shar-pei/Lab mix, and Rob Wilco, the human who keeps the refrigerator stocked.Each day in newspapers around the world readers visit the place where cats, dogs, and humans meet and learn a little bit more about each other-not necessarily by choice. By turns hilarious, poignant, and even human, Get Fuzzy is the smartest, funniest comic strip in newspapers today.

    . . . Just the book to pick up when you need a booster shot of the warm fuzzies.""-Syracuse Post-StandardWhy are readers so dedicated to this simple comic about a boy and his dog? That simplicity itself is one of the best-loved characteristics of the strip. Ten-year-old Red and his lab-mix mutt, Rover, are a metaphor for friendship, and their shared adventures hearken back to a simpler time that holds a strong nostalgic appeal for modern readers.The other feature of Red and Rover that draws fans to the strip is the realness of its character. Rover is not a talking dog; he and Red communicate through thought bubbles. Moreover, Rover's facial expressions and body language are drawn with an authenticity, recognized and lauded by dog lovers, that communicates volumes about what he's thinking and feeling.As proclaimed on the popular family-oriented Web site infodad.com, ""Well focused, well thought out, and well drawn in something of a 'retro' style, Red and Rover is the most heartwarmingly funny new comic strip in years. Cynics, go elsewhere. Red and Rover is for the rest of us.""

    Recognized the past two years by the Association of Alternative Newsweeklies (AAN) as Best Cartoon, Tom the Dancing Bug is consistently funny, pointed without being dogmatic, and takes on subjects that no one else does . . . an oasis of keen intelligence in the comics page, according to the 2003 AAN judges. Here are just a couple headlines from the quirky strip's News of the Times: o?= Computer Loses to Human Candy Land Champion: Despite progress made in developing a computer program that can defeat a human chess champion, computer scientists confess that they have been unable to launch a significant challenge to human supremacy in the game of Candy Land.o?= Scientists Discover Media Has Quantum Effect on Reality: A team of physicists discovers that an electron is in an uncertain state until the media report on it. For example, once an electron was measured and reported upon by Mary Hart on the Celebrity Corner segment of Entertainment Tonight, it instantly assumed its nature as a particle.Tom the Dancing Bug's client list is diverse, representing the breadth of contemporary journalism: alternative newspapers, such as Dallas Observer and the Village Voice; prestigious daily newspapers, including the Washington Post and the Los Angeles Times; Salon.com, an acclaimed online magazine; and the New Yorker magazine.

    As a medevac chopper swoops down, the wounded Guardsman hears "Not your time, bro. Not today," and his remarkable healing journey begins.Thousands of U.S. soldiers have suffered grievous wounds in Iraq, but only one of them is a Doonesbury character. The Long Road Home: One Step at a Time chronicles seven months of cutting-edge cartooning, during which B.D.-and readers of the strip-got an up-close schooling in a kind of personal transformation no one seeks.Deprived not only of leg but also his ubiquitous trademark helmet, B.D. survives first-response Baghdad triage, evacuation to Landstuhl's surgeon-rich environment, and visits by innumerable morale-boosting celebs, both red and blue in hue. He's awed in turn by morphine, take-no-guff nurses, his fellow amps, and his family, including the daughter who hand-delivers succor, one aspirin at a time.Transferred stateside to Walter Reed's Ward 57, B.D. is inspired by the wisdom of physiatrists, warmed by the dedicated ministrations of real-life fellow-amp heroes like Jim the Milkshake Man, and dazzled by high-tech prostheses that cost more than luxury cars. He's annoyed by his own bouts with self-pity, by the bedside awkwardness of friends more comfortable regarding his stump from e-mail distance, and by Zonk's unwavering commitment to supplementing his care with organic meds.As their journey continues, B.D. and Boopsie are cared for by Fisher House, a home-next-door-to-the-hospital for families whose lives revolve around therapy. B.D. finds himself painfully engaged in building his future, one sadistically difficult physical therapy session at a time. "To Lash, Helga, and the Marquis!" toast the band of differently limbed brethren, raising their glasses to their PT masters as they prepare for reentry into the ambulatory world.From rebuilding tissue to rebuilding social skills to rebuilding lives, B.D's inspiring, insightful, and darkly humorous story confirms that it can take a village, or at least a ward, to raise a soldier when he's gone down. "Thank you for getting blown up," offers one of B.D.'s visiting players. Replies the coach, "Just doing my job."

    . . aim . . . draw! Whether it's popular culture, celebrity worship, current events, or media madness-Callahan shoots from the seated hip . . . and no one is spared his special brand of politically incorrect lampoons. Armed with his trusty pen and a twisted sense of humor, he skewers everything and everyone, from Michael Jackson to Michael Moore, NBC to The New York Times, private obsessions to national security. And let's face it, if you don't buy this book, you've let the terrorists win.