{"product_id":"little-joe-sunday-comics-by-harold-gray-1937-1942","title":"LITTLE JOE SUNDAY COMICS By Harold Gray 1937-1942","description":"\u003cp\u003eWith the untimely death of his cousin and fellow cartoonist, \u003cstrong\u003eEd Leffingwell, Harold Gray\u003c\/strong\u003e took the reins of this seminal Western comic strip. He created a combination of dark adventure, as seen in his \u003cem\u003eLittle Orphan Annie\u003c\/em\u003e, and a modern-West version of \"family life\" comics like \u003cem\u003eGasoline Alley\u003c\/em\u003e. This book presents the best of the Little Joe comic strip from 1937 to 1942, in full color Sunday pages, with violence, humor and warmth in a low-key style that could only be told in art and story by a master. Plus three essays, original art and more.\n\nI've always been a fan of Harold Gray's work. I grew up reading Little Orphan Annie in the papers, and I love his use of color and his straight-forward, no-nonsense art. The comparison above with Frank King's Gasoline Alley is quite appropriate, especially in these wide-open early strips featuring wild west adventures in the mountains, gunfights, and lots of drama. But somehow I've never sat down and read Gray's \"other\" strip, even though this was a popular feature and even serialized in the early Golden Age comics. But now I have my chance, in a format that is unsurpassed for a deluxe presentation of the art. -Bud\n\n\u003cstrong\u003eJeet Heer\u003c\/strong\u003e writes \"Whose Strip Is This Anyway? The Birth and Rebirth of a Western Comic.\" \u003cstrong\u003eSammy Harkham\u003c\/strong\u003e, an award-winning cartoonist and editor, provides an appreciation, \"A Light in the Darkness.\" And finally, the esteemed \u003cstrong\u003eRichard Marschall \u003c\/strong\u003ewrites \"Harold Gray's Other Orphan: Life in the very Wild West.\"\n\nVery handsome oblong edition. The publisher tells us that due to problems with the distributor, this will not be widely circulated until late in 2020 or even in early 2021. So we have nearly an exclusive for some time on this.\n\nSunday Press Books is a specialty publishing house best known for its restoration of classic American comic strips, reprinted as gorgeous hardcover editions in the original size and colors. The brainchild of Peter Maresca, Sunday Press has rekindled our collective fascination with such beloved features as \u003cem\u003eLittle Nemo in Slumberland, Krazy Kat, Thimble Theatre\u003c\/em\u003e, and more. These collections have received dozens of salutations and awards, including a stream of seventeen Will Eisner Comic Industry Award nominations for thirteen years running.\u003c\/p\u003e","brand":"Sunday Press","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":59639960895774,"sku":"LITJOH","price":65.0,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0999\/0684\/7006\/files\/product_l_i_litjoh-little-joe.jpg?v=1784481314","url":"https:\/\/shop.budsartbooks.com\/products\/little-joe-sunday-comics-by-harold-gray-1937-1942","provider":"Bud's Art Books","version":"1.0","type":"link"}