Before the POGO comic strip became the main focus of writer/artist Walt Kelly, he did comics of many kinds, and this is a beautifully produced Yoe Books/IDW collection of all his fairy tale stories and adaptations from Dell’s FAIRY TALE PARADE comic from the 1940s. The cover sparkles with gold foil, also on the page edges, the binding is sewn, the paper is thick and luscious. It’s a class act all the way.
Inside, each 8.5 by 11 inch page reproduces a comic page or cover in high resolution scans from the original comics that are brightened up enough to look as they might have when the original comics were new. Kelly is best known for drawing and writing about animals, and there are plenty of those here, but his fairy tale princes, princesses, knights, giants, witches, townsfolk and human children are just as charming. Some of the stories are mostly straight adaptations of famous fairy tales we all know like Hansel and Gretel and Cinderella, but even those benefit from Kelly’s wit and storytelling ability. When he goes beyond the familiar to tell what seem to be new fairy tales made up from whole cloth, the results are even more fun and surprising. I love Walt Kelly’s work, and this book is brimming with excellent examples of it. I can’t imagine a finer gift for reading to children, or to be read by them. Children of any age.
Highly recommended.
Absolute agreement. I mean, just look at the charming Princess in the flower (perhaps it’s a lily)!
Nice review, and a long, long overdue collection. Some of my favorite old comics, Actually have two collections, one of the original comics, some of which came from Phil Seuling back in the 1970s when he was still buying and selling Golden Age. The 2nd set, bound, was from a Dell employee with the unlikely name of Zetta deVoe. Her name is in gold on each volume’s spine. Dell knew how to treat employees well!
Took the liberty of posting your review to our Facebook page. Thanks!
Thank you, Bud.