Review by C.J. Bunce
Family Circus. Peanuts. Calvin and Hobbes. You could always count on the characters in these comic strips for lighthearted fun. Classic newspaper funnies have started families off to their days for a century, and it’s sad to think the lack of homes with newspaper subscriptions means they’re missing out on a welcome pick-me-up each day. Thankfully all of the best comic strips are now preserved in book compilations. You should add Ernie Bushmiller’s Nancy to your list of the best. Fantagraphics introduces 21st century readers to more than six hundred 2, 3, and 4-panel strips spanning 40 years of Bushmiller’s savvy young every-day heroine and her boyfriend Sluggo in Nancy For All Seasons, available now here at Amazon.
Don’t take Nancy for granted. Her attitude singled her out as a star for generations. A surprise for those less familiar with Nancy is how much Frank Cho’s Liberty Meadows has in common with the stories. In their early decades especially, comic strips in newspapers were for kids. Nancy the character was created by Bushmiller, but the other characters weren’t, because Nancy was actually a spin-off of the popular 1930s comic strip Fritzi Ritz. Like Brandy of Liberty Meadows, Fritzi was the “It” girl of her day, the attractive woman women wanted to be and men ogled at (she resembled cinema star Claudette Colbert). When the original writer-artist left his publisher, young cartoonist Bushmiller took over. Intended as a cameo character, Nancy arrived as Fritzi’s niece. But kids went nuts for Nancy and she took over the strip, along with her gruff pal Sluggo. The rest is comics history. Bushmiller’s run continued from 1938 to 1982. For comics aficionados, note that a young Al Plastino took over for Bushmiller.
Just check out these sample strips from the book, all from 1953 to 1954, to be reminded about how funny these strips really are. Or meet Nancy for the first time.
Peanuts spoke to the human condition. Family Circle reflected the quirky side of family life. Mark Trail led us into adventure. Cathy showed the struggles of being a modern woman. Blondie celebrated marital bliss. Dick Tracy was the police procedural. Spider-Man was the superhero. Ziggy was about coping with life’s struggles. Garfield was about snarky cat life. The Far Side perfected surreal humor. Calvin and Hobbes reflected the fun and foibles of being a kid. And still in print after a succession of cartoonists, Nancy is a gag-a-day comic about an eight-year-old girl, her attractive aunt, and her thuggish pal. Often just goofy and absurd, its humor presaged a world of sound bites and memes.
It’s a book full of fun you’ll want to dip into throughout the week for humor that will leave you feeling good. Nancy For All Seasons is available now here at Amazon. For more about Bushmiller, check out a comics biography of the creator discussed previously at borg here.
