Percy Crosby (1891–1964)

As an amateur comics historian, I'm glad to read this third collection of the classic comic strip "Skippy". But I'm a tad disillusioned; the second and third volumes have dispelled my long-held near worship of the strip. Prior to this complete reprinting, virtually every compilation I'd seen of the strip evidently hailed from the marvelous first year, which entirely lived up to my expectations. But sometime after that, Crosby seems to have both run out of fresh ideas, and allowed his strongly-held political and religious views to permeate the strip, to the point of tediously having Skippy pontificate to his young friends in a thoroughly un-childlike and unfunny manner. This situation hasn't improved by this third volume; there are only a few strips that harken back to the early glory days. But at least Crosby's marvelous artwork is always on display; "Skippy" is one of the best-drawn strips in comics history. Crosby especially excels in the effortless grace and economy of his lines suggesting swift movement.… (mehr)

A delightful collection of full-page cartoons by Percy Crosby, probably more than half of them "Skippy" cartoons, many of them beautifully colored in a pastel wash style. I recognize many of these from the pages of the old "Life" magazine before it became a photonews weekly. A couple of favorites: Pg. 41: A well-hit ball has shattered the front window of a butcher's shop. As he stares out in horror, a street urchin with a ball glove is yelling back to the runner: "Hey! Only two bases on that!" And on pg. 52, a young boy is peacefully resting against a tree, contemplating the pastoral beauty that spreads in front of him: "They can say what they like --- God certainly does bat out some elegant scenery."

And so does Percy Crosby.… (mehr)