Little Lulu: Working Girl

by John Stanley

Restored to vibrant full color for the first time, a delight for classic-comic fans and the uninitiated!

Lulu Moppet is an outspoken, brazen young girl who doesn’t follow the rules—whether they’ve been set by her parents, the neighborhood boys, or society itself. In spring 2019 D+Q begins a landmark reissue series of Lulu’s suburban hijinks: she goes on picnics, babysits, and attempts to break into the boys’ clubhouse again and again. The cartoonist John Stanley’s expert timing and constant gags made these stories unbelievably enjoyable, which made Marge’s Little Lulu a defining comic of the postwar period.

First released in the 1940s and 1950s as Dell comics, Little Lulu as helmed by Stanley remains one of the most entertaining works in the medium. In this first volume, Little Lulu: Working Girl, we meet the mainstay characters: Lulu, Tubby, Alvin, and oodles more neighborhood kids. Little Lulu’s comedy lies in the hilarious dynamic between its cast of characters, so it’s a joy to see them come to life.

Lulu’s assertiveness, individuality, and creativity is empowering to witness—the series is powerfully feminist despite the decades in which the stories were created. It’s her strong personality that made her beloved by such feminist icons as Patti Smith, Eileen Myles, and more. Lovingly restored to its original full color, complete with knee-slapping humor and insightful representation of how young children behave, Little Lulu: Working Girl is a delight for readers of all ages.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Graphic Novels Comics, Comic Book, Childrens, Classics, Fiction

312 pages, Hardcover

First published November 11, 2019

About the author

John Stanley was a comic book creator, best known for his scripting of Little Lulu's comic book exploits from 1945 to approximately 1959. While mostly known for his scripting, Stanley also was an accomplished artist who drew many of his stories, including the earliest issues of Lulu. His specialty was humorous stories, both with licensed characters and those of his own creation. His writing style has been described as employing "colorful, S. J. Perelman-ish language and a decidedly bizarre, macabre wit (reminiscent of writer Roald Dahl)" with storylines that "were cohesive and tightly constructed, with nary a loose thread in the plot". Cartoonist Fred Hembeck has dubbed him "for my money, the most consistently funny cartoonist to work in the comic book medium".

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first volume by D+Q that will reprint the complete Little Lulu by John Stanley.

Each comic has been restored and recolored. It's a bit more garish than the Seth designed John Stanley books from a few years ago. That's a shame, I really like those volumes. Thankfully, this volume makes up for it by being a better value, almost 300 pages of comics!

This series has Stanley's wonderful humour. Loving but bold. His timing is perfect and most of the gags/slapstick lands. It doesn't read like an 80 year old strip, it's fresh.

The main characters are a brazen young girl named Lulu and her portly sometimes enemy mostly friend the aptly named Tubby.

Lulu is the OG independent young woman! She's strong and independent and always getting into fights with neighbourhood boys, sometimes leading the other girls into scraps. Mostly the stories feel very true to life, how kids actually are.

[Joey Shapiro · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is simply the height of silly comic strip storytelling and easily the equal to Nancy. So so funny and clever and hasn’t aged a single day since it was published in the ‘40s. I love Lulu!!!!!

[Victor The Reader · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lulu Moppet is one very mindset and clever little girl that kinda reminds us how we were like her as kids. We see her mainly along her round friend Tubby go about their day that doesn’t usually go as plan, but in the end they still have a good time. A very charming and silly comic that keeps it coming with many of Lulu’s hilarious misadventures. Curls fulls of cuteness and kiddie comedy. A- (91%/Excellent)

[Luísa]

Só não acabei em 2024 porque me deitei depois da meia noite 😩

[Blue · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think of Little Lulu as the precursor to Mafalda (though Quino is said to be inspired by Peanuts and Nancy more than Marjorie Henderson Buell [aka Marge]'s work.) Like Mafalda, Lulu is a Character with a capital C. Always quick to find a solution to her problem and often quick to run away when things get hairy. Unlike Mafalda, Lulu is not very concerned with the "state of the world" or politics, and as such has a more innocent, childhood feel than Mafalda, which suits American attitudes (as opposed to, say, pre-dictatorship Argentinian ones in the 70s!) Reading Little Lulu today will raise some flags for the adult reader, for sure. Sexism, for one, though Lulu's somewhat of a feminist, say compared to her mother (when Tubby tells her she cannot build a model airplane because she's a girl, she must prove him wrong, though when she goes to the store to buy the model, she really, really just wants to buy the doll...) And Tubby, of course, is chubby, and there are a lot of weight related comments (he suffers from being bullied because he's fat; Lulu's quick to defend him, but she, too, calls him fat, etc.) So it's all there with real life complexities and appropriate (and I'd say perhaps forward looking) for the time period. Oh and there's a "thinking" cat!!!

Recommended for those who like Blackbeard, cake, kittens, and trips to the beach.

[Breanna Clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

As someone who grew up loving the 1990s animated Little Lulu series, these comics are a treat. They’re fun, funny, lighthearted, and a beautiful representation of childhood. Lulu herself is a great character— she never means to cause trouble, but somehow she manages. Her friend Tubby is less well intentioned, but he stars in some of the most hilarious stories in the collection. The art here is very cute and the writing ranges from great to brilliant. I definitely enjoyed reading these comics and I look forward to future volumes!

[Artemis Crescent · Rating 3 out of 5]

As an avid fangirl of comics with female leads, I thought it was about time I checked out the one that largely, supposedly started it all, since the 1930s-1940s: 'Little Lulu'.

'Little Lulu', originally created by a woman, Marjorie "Marge" Henderson Buell.

I admit I'd barely heard of the character before, but I wanted to see if this comedic, comic little girl icon holds up, and lives up to the hype; to see if she is, indeed, timeless.

I got 'Little Lulu: Working Girl', a collection in colour, with an introduction by Margaret Atwood, and at the end, 'Girls Want to Get in Everything: Little Lulu Crashes into Comics' by Frank M. Young.

These are pretty much sketches and sitcoms in comic strip form, and their quality is hit and miss, in my opinion, but they are endearing, humorous, and clever overall. Even a little dark; whether overtly, or if you think about any of them for a few second afterwards.

'Little Lulu' is madcap, subversive childhood adventures, complete with clueless and oblivious adults, and Little Lulu herself - Lulu Moppet - is rather funny, contrary, cheeky, sneaky, selfish, obstinate, rude, daring, and defiant. She is willing to try literally anything, and will get into anywhere she wants, no matter what anyone else thinks.

I can see why she would be called a feminist icon; she's a troublemaker, rabblerouser, inventor, and pioneer, defying the gender norms of the 30s and 40s. She is smart, creative, imaginative, curious, and inquisitive. She is like a proto-Matilda Wormwood, Wednesday Addams, and Hilda. And a female Dennis the Menace.

Lulu is like a normal little kid, really

I have to wonder why Lulu and Tubby (a stereotypical fat boy who loves to eat all the time, though he is still funny in his own right) are best friends*. They are pretty appalling to each other. But then, that is how kids often are, especially in their playtimes and pranks, and maybe they only hang out together because nobody else will tolerate them, and their friendship is based on familiarity, and close distance from one another's houses.

Alvin, the little psycho, kind of reminds me of Onion from 'Steven Universe'. In fact, a lot of these comics remind me of a non-fantasy and sci-fi, slice-of-life 'Steven Universe'. As well as 'Dennis the Menace' and 'Hey Arnold!'.

I wish Dolly had appeared in more than one story. She appears to be Lulu's only female friend/frenemy.

So, 'Little Lulu' - I'm glad I finally got to know her, the little feminist rebel.

If you're like me and want to know about the history of female characters in comics (who are not superheroines), and the history of American comics, specifically comedic drawings for children (think The Beano, Harvey Comics, and Archie Comics), then I recommend you check out 'Little Lulu: Working Girl', or any of her collected issues.

Also recommended: 'The Spectacular Sisterhood of Superwomen: Awesome Female Characters from Comic Book History', which highlights Lulu Moppet.

Final Score: 3/5

*You know Lulu and Tubby are going to hate-you-like-you, tsundere-date in the future.

[Ashley Lambert-Maberly · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good that I considered giving the rare 5-star rating, then talked myself into 4, then felt bad and went for it. 5-stars! Normally I'd have to be emotionally moved to let my mouse drift over onto that final star and click, but as funny and delightful and charming as Lulu is, she doesn't make me cry. But I'm intellectually moved (if that can be a thing) but how clever and well-done these stories are. I love the breath and space of them (many could be essentially told in one or two pages, but with ten or twelve pages, rather than feeling stretched out, they fit perfectly.

Lulu's attitude is perfectly modern in most ways. She's a young Becky Sharp, refusing to take what life gives her when she is perfectly capable of going after whatever she personally wants. She makes an effort, she calls out stupidity, she's creative and innovative, and she's caring. And in Tubby, she has a perfect foil/friend.

Note: I have written a novel (not yet published), so now I will suffer pangs of guilt every time I offer less than five stars. In my subjective opinion, the stars suggest:

(5* = one of my all-time favourites, 4* = really enjoyed it, 3* = readable but not thrilling, 2* = actually disappointing, and 1* = hated it. As a statistician I know most books are 3s, but I am biased in my selection and end up mostly with 4s, thank goodness.)

[Jeff Lewonczyk · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved reading Little Lulu comics as a kid, but it wasn't until I was grown up that I learned that the best ones were written by a guy named John Stanley, who was one of the greatest unsung comics writers of all time. D&Q has done a great job of curating and reprinting some of the best of his early stories in this anthology, which brings their great virtues to life: deceptively simple drawings depicting hysterically unsentimental stories of unvarnished childhood, with all of its frustration, annoyance and pettiness on full display. Utter delight.

[Bandit · Rating 4 out of 5]

The comics had me laughing out loud! Loved the stories. The only bummer was the last 7 pages by Frank Young, I was hoping for a history of Little Lulu and instead it was mostly him retelling you the comics you JUST read!

[Jipi Perreault · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contrarly to a lot of old comics littered rebarbative narartion, Little Lulu is still funny and charming to this day. It will give you a smile no mather what age you are.

[Pj · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have always loved Little Lulu! Collection of comics from decades ago. All kinds of trouble finds Lulu and her friend Tubby. Just a fun read from times that were simpler and kids could just be kids.

[Joshua · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love me some Little Lulu. She's entertaining, charming, funny, and always up to no good. What a treat.

[Susan Kosel · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite comic book when I was little. It was a treat to read these comics.

[Bosager Bosager · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you .

[Tim Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

So I read Drawn & Quarterly's first volume of their hardcover reprinting of John Stanley's Little Lulu work. And I've been ruminating about how I feel about the book. Let me start by saying that Stanley was a brilliant writer and his work on Lulu, Nancy and Melvin Monster are rightly considered classics. The book only got better when Irving Tripp came on board and Stanley could concentrate on the art rather than the art and writing. These books, along with Barks' Duck books are why Dell Comics was near the pinnacle of comics in the late forties through the fifties. So it's not the writing or the art that had me ruminating. I'll cop to the fact that I generally don't like the Alvin story-time stories, but that's just me.

My consternation is in the presentation by D&Q. The book itself is nice. Hardcover. The binding seems fine. The paper is good. The material in the afterwards is fine. But there's stuff missing. First, I hate when publishers put the covers together toward the end of the book. It's particularly egregious with a comic that really doesn't have the kind of narrative flow that modern books have. You aren't knocking the reader out of the flow of the book by putting the cover at the front of the material. In fact it makes a nice breakpoint and you get a better feel for how the book originally looked.

Far more egregious is that stories are missing. At first it was just a few of the one-pagers. But then there was an entire 12-page story missing from what was published as Four Color 110. And then most of Four Color 158 was missing, including the opening 10-pager "Little Lulu for President!" That's a serious omission. There's no explanation in the book. No idea why the decision was made not to publish the entire funnybooks. And that's the problem. The package is good. It's a nice upgrade from the Dark Horse reprints from 10-15 years back. But the piecemeal presentation just doesn't work for me.

I guess ultimately I'm glad the books are being released. But I would prefer they were complete. And I likely won't buy the subsequent volumes unless the discount is pretty deep. Which probably isn't what D&Q is hoping for. But it's what they get for not giving us a complete package.