Barnaby Volume Five

Barnaby #5

by Crockett Johnson, Philip Nel

The long-lost comic strip masterpiece by legendary children’s book author Crockett Johnson, is finally collected and designed by acclaimed graphic novelist and Barnaby superfan Daniel Clowes (Ghost World). Volume Five collects the final two-plus years of the strip, including the rarely-if-ever-seen conclusion of the strip, as five-year-old Barnaby Baxter says goodbye to his Fairy Godfather, Mr. O’Malley. Unlike most comic strips, Barnaby ended its ten-year run with an emotionally satisfying ending that broke the hearts of fans when first published in newspapers. The magic of Barnaby resides in its canny mix of fantasy and satire, amplified by the understated elegance of Crockett Johnson’s clean, spare art. Barnaby expanded our sense of what comics can do through its combination of Johnson’s sly wit and O’Malley’s amiable windbaggery, illustrating a child’s feeling of wonder and an adult’s wariness, highly literate jokes and a keen eye for the ridiculous. This volume also features essays by comics historian Susan Kirtley and Johnson biographer Philip Nel, as well as an introduction by filmmaker Ron Howard, whose acting career was launched in 1959 at the age of five, when he was cast as Barnaby in a 1959 adaptation for General Electric Theater, hosted by Ronald Reagan. The book includes rarely-seen stills from the 1959 production — which also featured Wizard of Oz alum Bert Lahr as Mr. O’Malley!

Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1950

About the author

Crockett Johnson was the pen name of the American cartoonist and children's book illustrator David Johnson Leisk. He is best known for the comic strip Barnaby (1942–1952) and the Harold series of books beginning with Harold and the Purple Crayon. [From Wikipedia.]

Reviews

[Stewart Tame · Rating 4 out of 5]

And so we bring down the curtain on one of the all-time great comic strips.

Unlike so many that just quietly fade away, Barnaby has a definite and moving ending. Johnson made the decision to end the strip for various reasons detailed in the book's opening and concluding essays, and took the time to bring it to a logical and satisfying (as satisfying as ending such a beloved strip could ever be, I mean) conclusion. I'll admit: I did tear up a little.

Barnaby is a classic gem of a comic strip, and it's so wonderful to finally have the complete run available like this. Kudos to Fatagraphics, and particularly Philip Nel, for putting these books together. Each volume has a section of notes at the back explaining some of the more dated references and inside jokes. I was amazed, for instance, to learn that those intimidating equations that often appear when Atlas, the mental giant, speaks are actually solvable! The idea is that he doesn't bother remembering people's names when they can be easily worked out on his slide rule. So when he's working out O'Malley's name, solving that equation that appears in the strip actually will give OMALLEY as the final result! Crockett Johnson, my hat is off to you, sir!

The strip finishes as strongly as it began. As mentioned in my reviews of previous volumes, there was a period of about a year or two near the middle of the run where Johnson handed off the strip to another writer and artist while he focused on other matters. While not bad, there's a noticeable spark missing from the writing during that period. While he never returned to artistic duties, Johnson did resume writing it. The stories noticeably improve. And it eventually comes to a fine conclusion.

There's a sequence in this volume where Barnaby and Jane are at Summer camp. Mr. O'Malley and Gus the Ghost are staying in a gingerbread house in the middle of a nearby thicket. O'Malley offers the kids some gingerbread from the north side. Jane points out, “This side is all mildewed–” Without missing a beat, O'Malley replies, “Yes, it's fortified with delicious and healthful penicillin … pitch in–” I definitely laughed out loud, which startled the cats …

As I said, Barnaby is one of the all-time greats. Now that all five volumes are available, students of comics should definitely become familiar with it. Highly recommended!

[Alberto Martín de Hijas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Descubrí esta serie hace muchos años al leer un fragmento publicado en 'Historia de los cómics', que Toutain publicó entre 1983 y 1984, y desde entonces me quedé con ganas de leerla. Hoy, por fin, he podido terminarla (no es casualidad que tenga a O'Malley en el avatar).

La tira es imaginativa y muy divertida, con personajes brillantes y originales. Además de O'Malley, el motor principal de la trama, hay toda una cohorte de seres fantásticos, cada uno más original que el anterior, que crean un fuerte contraste con el mundo de los adultos, quienes se niegan a creer en ellos. Además, la serie es una brillante sátira de Estados Unidos en las décadas de los cuarenta y cincuenta, abarcando desde la construcción masiva de autopistas hasta la corrupción política, sin perder el punto de vista infantil. Todo esto crea un brillante contraste en el que los niños forman una isla de sensatez en medio del caos continuo generado por el duende y unos adultos incapaces de percibir el mundo a su alrededor.

Todo esto se ve reforzado por la narrativa clara y el estilo minimalista de Johnson (como se suele decir, sencillo, pero no simple). Incluso la tipografía mecánica, que suele dar un resultado espantoso, está perfectamente integrada en el estilo del autor, de tal forma que lo refuerza.

Uno de los grandes clásicos de la tira de prensa, con una enorme influencia en obras posteriores.

[Al Berry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic, legitimate laugh out loud moments with solid story telling and charming art.

[Todd Glaeser · Rating 5 out of 5]

After a very lengthy gap between volumes, the concluding volume is finally released! The strip is very funny and the ending is poignant, a touch melancholy and surprisingly wistful.
If you haven’t read the Barnaby comic strip and made yourself familiar with Mr. O’Malley, Gus, and the rest of the secondary characters, you really do owe yourself an amazing experience!