Krazy & Ignatz: Komplete 1935-1936 A Wild Warmth of Chromatic Gravy

The Sunday Krazy Kat strip turns to full spectacular color, with a flood of rare color extras and a revelatory essay by Jeet Heer.

And now, starting with the sixth volume in Fantagraphics' acclaimed Krazy Kat reprint series, finally it's time for... color! After a brief hiatus in the mid-1930s, the heretofore black-and-white Sunday Krazy Kat returned in full spectacular color in June 1935. And so this volume includes all the Sunday strips from the latter half of 1935 and all of 1936, including one supremely rare instance of a page shot from an original syndicate proof sheet, all reproduced in sparkling, digitally cleaned-up color.

The new color format also opens the floodgates for a massive amount of spectacular rare color art from series editor Bill Blackbeard's files, including a surprising color self-portrait by Herriman, several Kat watercolors executed for friends, peers, and relatives, some watercolored non-Krazy Kat material, a reproduction of a vintage archy and mehitabel dust jacket by Herriman ― plus a period spoof of Krazy Kat by Minute Movies' Ed Wheelan, and several instances of other cartoonists imitating Herriman's unique "Family Upstairs / Krazy Kat" format. This volume also includes "The Kolor of Krazy Kat," a revelatory essay by journalist and critic Jeet Heer that addresses in-depth the mystery of Herriman's racial origins, and the varying ways in which Herriman dealt with them artistically throughout his career ― a major addition to Herriman-related scholarship and commentary. Full-color comic strips and illustrations throughout