Nancy Likes Christmas: Complete Dailies, 1946–1948

Nancy: Complete Dailies #2

by Ernie Bushmiller

It 's three more full years of Ernie Bushmiller 's beloved comic strip, featuring over one thousand meticulously restored daily strips from its post-World-War II graphic high point superbly crafted but not yet quite stylized into the almost machine-life sleekness of later decades. And what can you say about the jokes in Nancy other than that, contrary to its reputation for a zen-like, ultra-square oddness, many of them are actually just extremely funny? Nancy Likes Christmas is topped off with a new introduction in comics form by Zippy the Pinhead creator Bill Griffith, a lifelong fan of Nancy and admirer of Bushmiller 's genius, and once again designed with pop-art snap and crackle by Fantagraphics senior designer Jacob Covey.

Genres: Comics, Comic Strips, Humor, Graphic Novels, 20th Century, Graphic Novels Comics, Art

344 pages, Paperback

First published November 21, 2012

About the author

Ernest Paul "Ernie" Bushmiller, Jr. (1905 - 1982) was an American cartoonist, best known for creating the long-running daily comic strip Nancy. Bushmiller's work has been repeatedly addressed by other artists: Andy Warhol made a 1961 painting based on "Nancy"; the artist and poet Joe Brainard made numerous works based on Nancy; and many cartoonists have produced work directly inspired by or commenting on Bushmiller's art, including Art Spiegelman, Bill Griffith, Mark Newgarden and Chris Ware. The American Heritage Dictionary uses a Bushmiller "Nancy" strip to illustrate its entry on "comic strip."

Reviews

[Rob Sevier · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best years of daily comics

[Jeff Lanter · Rating 3 out of 5]

I first came across Nancy when I was in grad school and we had to read a couple of strips as part of something in a class. I was impressed by the cleverness in the humor and wanted to see if Nancy was at that high level for weeks, months, or even years. And what did I find? I'm not really sure to be honest. I loved Nancy initially, but I quickly found this book hard to finish because the humor is repetitive and these are meant to be read once per day. Generally, I read something all at once until I'm done and that does not work here. I certainly laughed a number of times at these strips and at times Ernie Bushmiller is incredibly clever and witty. Other jokes seem a little ham-handed and obvious. He does have a formula of using an item (usually some kind of new invention at the time it was written) and coming up with some kind of pun or ridiculous situation in which it might be used. That formula gets tired eventually though I think Nancy is actually funnier than some of the comic strips that dominate the newspapers now. If you approach this book the right way and can avoid rushing through it, there are some ageless jokes/humor inside.

[Jeff Buddle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Why can't I stop reading Nancy strips? They're not really funny. They're not exquisitely drawn. But they're just so damn perfect. Nancy is the Platonic ideal of comic strips. We're lucky to be able to read them.

[John “Hoss” · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very funny! This collection of classic Nancy comics are great. The jokes are hysterical, and the art is good. Looking into this collection also helps give some readers an idea of the lifestyle in 1940's American culture. For the comic archivist, this is a must own. I look forward to reading the next volume.

[Heather McC · Rating 4 out of 5]

So it took me a minute or so into the book to realize that this was more than just a ‘Nancy Christmas compilation’. The big standouts for me: Nancy bringing some joy to an overworked clerk at the complaint center of a department store (we can all bring more joy to others!) and Nancy’s unique way of coping with a bad day.

I started with book two (this one) and am now on book one ‘Nancy is Happy’

[Jeff Lewonczyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

Every Nancy strip is weirdly perfect in its way, so in essence this book is hundreds of pages of perfection. Like anything perfect, you need to take it in small bursts, but Bushmiller always rewards you with the crystal clarity of his silliness.

[Julieanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wish these compilations weren't so hard to find/expensive. Major proponent of stories featuring character type "little girl who is a shit disturber" so Bushmiller's Nancy comics are some of my favourite of all time

[AS · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these : )
The sense of humor is so quirky and terrific.

[Al McCarty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bushmiller was a genius.

[Granit Hysiqi · Rating 5 out of 5]

❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[George Seminara · Rating 4 out of 5]

To paraphrase, cartoonist Bill Griffith's, excellent introduction to the latest entry in Fantagraphic's reprinting of the classic, Nancy, comic strip.
Nancy doesn't teach you about childhood like, say, Peanuts, it teaches you what it is to be a comic strip. And I whole heartedly agree. Ernie Bushmiller's Nancy opens your mind like comic strip, LSD. There is something about, it's pacing, it's drawing, it surreal, simplistic set dressings. It is what every strip should be but isn't. Bushmiller makes it look so easy and if you have ever drawn anything,ever, you know how hard it is to look effortless. I have always been a big comic strip guy but these two volumes have opened my eyes in away that hasn't been done since art school. BUT. There is one but, as with all of these new reprints, the quality ranges from fantastic to eh. I know the retouching takes time and I can barely wait for the next edition. I know the source material comes from newspapers to tear sheets to original art, but come one, the cover!?! It should be pristine, especially with all the graphic elements surround the image of Nancy.
Otherwise, I recommend this and the preceding volume highly.

[Hamish · Rating 2 out of 5]

I feel bad because I know this is a really beloved strip and influenced many cartoonists I really like (notably Dan Clowes), but I have to rate based on my enjoyment factor, which was pretty low. There's an interesting essay on Nancy ( http://www.laffpix.com/howtoreadnancy... ) which illustrates just how much craft was involved in this strip. And the cartooning is indeed charming, and there's something hypnotic about the parade of bizarreness that runs through these pages, but it's a gag strip and most of those gags seemed forced and unfunny to me. However, there's an endless number of people who will strongly disagree with me, so don't take my opinion too seriously. Maybe I would have liked it better if I'd first read it as a kid.

[Linnie Greene · Rating 5 out of 5]

While Bone, Fables, Y: The Last Man, etc. get all the graphic novel/comic book glory, but Nancy is still the number-one-funniest-most-precocious-insane-diabolical-fluffy-headed-first lady of comic books. Or, so says I. Laughing out loud, quite literally. It's honestly hard to fathom how Bushmiller, whose strips are so simple and lacking in gimmicks, comes up with these sequences. Pretty perfect.

[Ruz El · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fantastic collection of the weird-o classic strip by Fantagraphics. This one is a better read then volume one since Bushmiller is getting in his stride with these strips. I'd argue that Nancy's angry face is the greatest of cartoon icons.

[Ying · Rating 4 out of 5]

can we just talk about how great this is? minimalism is maximalism. smoothest gags i've seen in a comic strip.

[Chi-chi Sun · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's not like Peanuts where the artist talks about what life is about, it is what a comic strip is about.