Product Description: The American icon is defined: the first two years of Hank Ketcham's classic, in one handsome hardcover volume.
Dennis the Menace began on March 14, 1951 (four months after Ketcham's friend and colleague Charles Schulz started his own historic comic strip)-and he went on to become the second most popular cartoon kid in the world-after Charlie Brown, of course.
Dennis the Menace first appeared in 16 American newspapers; by the end of 1951, he was appearing in over a hundred. The strip's success in only the first 10 months of syndication was a harbinger of greater success to come-as Ketcham himself put it, "The sales chart was not an upward curve but more the flight of an arrow." The timing was perfect: the post-war generation, at the height of the baby boom, embraced the perennial troublemaker and turned Dennis into a global publishing, merchandising and multi-media phenomenon, with over 50 million book collections sold, the fondly remembered live-action TV show from 1959-63, a cartoon from 1986-89, theatrical productions, several cartoon specials, two major motion pictures in the '90s, and a full-length animated film in 2002. The strip currently is enjoyed by readers of over 1,000 newspapers every day.
The reason for Dennis' success is easy to figure out: It was one of the most brilliantly observed and empathetic comic strips about childhood ever drawn. Ketcham captured the mischievousness, rambunctiousness, and anarchy of a kid's world better than any other cartoonist. The strip appeals to both parents and children-while parents shake their head ruefully at how accurately Ketcham caught the essence of children's natural zest for mayhem, children identify with Dennis and the chaos that he leaves in his wake-just a hop, skip, and a jump away from their own fantasy of themselves! Ketcham was a cartoonist with a vivacious line that was exquisitely suited to depicting adults and children. His gags were funny, subtle and touching.
Ketcham drew Dennis the Menace from 1951 to 1994, when he retired and let his assistant take over the strip. This first volume of Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace publishes every single panel strip from 1951 and 1952 in one handsome and thick hardcover volume resembling a Big Little Book on steroids.
Why they call him the Menace. Dennis the Menace was arguably the greatest single panel comic strip of all time (sorry, Family Circus fans). This book reprints every panel from the first two years of the strip's existence. Sunday pages are not included, since those are not single panels and wouldn't fit in the book. This is great stuff; really funny. If you like Dennis the Menace, you'll love this book.
I laughed so hard I cried! I was a little worried when I bought this book as I thought since I had grown up with some of the later Dennis Cartoons, Going back this far might not be as enjoyable as I found it. I had some trouble going back and looking at the old Peanuts. Not quite as good as they became later on in my estimation. However this Book is a masterpiece by Ketcham. Dennis may be Younger but is still as funny as ever. It's kind of cool to watch the characters looks and personalities take on shape. This book has me smiling on almost every page and on many totally laughing until my eyes were watering. If you like Dennis the Menace? You won't be disappointed!
"As I look back across the years..." Special thanks to Fantagraphic Books for making this available and to my brother-in-law for getting it for me as a birthday present! This volume features the early days of Dennis Mitchell, his dog and his long suffering parents. You won't see much of poor ol' Mr. Wilson, whom Dennis unintentionally drives crazy, although his wife Mrs. Wilson is in a few cartoons. Dennis' pal Joey and nemesis Margaret aren't seen much either. There's a brief biography (written by Brian Walker) of Hank Ketchum whom also had a son named Dennis. Walker also gives a brief biography of the Mitchell family. And, of course, there's the cartoons: the barbers hate cutting Dennis' hair: "Be fair, Bert, I cut his hair the last time!", babysitters dread him: "I'll never forget the time I sat with that kid! See this scar?", he calls the fire department when Daddy Henry is burning leaves in the yard, he often dresses up as a cowboy: "Hi, gal, I'ma hankerin' for a cookie!", he loves his cookies but hates his vegetables, brings strangers home to lunch: "Hi mom, this poor guy hasn't had a bite to eat since yesterday!", and is untidy, much to mommy Alice's chagrin: "Christmas is over, Dennis. Go in and pick up your toys... and that means every last fragment!" Is he a menace? Not really, just a fun loving, curious kid who needs a lot of attention!
The complete and uncensored Dennis A few physical humor references to teeth knocking, baseball bats, and blackjacks were a bit jarring, but the complete reprinting of Hank Ketcham's opus is infinitely superior to the sanitizing that appeared in the you know what blockbuster. Kudos to Fantagraphics Books! After only a few pages, the reader may begin to wax nostalgic for the days when weekly magazines were chocked full of gag cartoons. Brian Walker's introduction actually sheds as much biographical information on the Mitchell family as it does on Ketcham. Good job! 589 panels printed chronolgically from day one. I just hope the kid makes enough money to print many subsequent volumes. Readers may also enjoy Hank Ketcham's "The Merchant of Dennis the Menace."
What a wonderful book! The one panel gag cartoon is a classic in comic strip lore and nobody did it better than Hank Ketcham. Ketcham's talent is on full display in the first volume of The Complete Dennis The Menace.
Like the Peanuts collection, this first volume is an attractively packaged hardbound edition and includes a bookmark that is attached to the spine. Instead of chapters, the cartoons are broken in months. There is some background material on how Dennis came to be and information on Hank Ketcham.
Dennis is still in many newspapers. He is handled by Ketcham's former assistance Marcus Hamilton. Mr. Hamilton, the recent winner of the Reuben Award for best newspaper cartoon of the year, is one of the nicest artists in comics today.
All current Dennis readers will enjoy the first appearance of this Menace. Others that have not read Dennis in while; will enjoy the flood of memories of this Holy Terror. So, take some time to visit with your 'ol pal Dennis
Anything Goes Trivia
Megaton Man
Tony's Online Tips
Trevor
