Krazy & Ignatz

The George Herriman Library: Krazy Ignatz 1916-1918 by George Herriman
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I initially bought this because Krazy Kat is one of those newspaper strips the pros always mention and the almighty Bill Watterson lists it as an influence.

At first glance, the art looks primitive, almost crude in places. Once I tipped to what Herriman was trying to accomplish, I started noticing all the little things. Some of the elements that seem commonplace now were being forged in these very strips. Herriman's art had to be an influence on an untold number of cartoonists, both mainstream and underground. Herriman was also a pioneer in the field of mouse on cat violence since Ignatz was always trying to brain Krazy with bricks.

Between this and Windsor McKay's Little Nemo in Slumberland, the early days of newspaper comics were the wild, wild west, especially compared to what we see today, in the newspapers' dying age. It's not exactly my cup of tea but I can fathom the skill of George Herriman just the same. 4 out of 5 bricks.

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