Krazy and Ignatz, 1919-1921: A Kind, Benevolent, and Amiable Brick

Krazy and Ignatz

by George Herriman

As Fantagraphics’ ambitious plan to reprint every single Sunday Krazy Kat page created by George Herriman for close to three decades (this being the penultimate book) careens toward the finish line, this volume features another three years’ worth of Sunday strips—over 150 little masterpieces by the greatest cartoonist of all time, featuring the greatest comic-strip love tri- angle of all time: “kat,” “mice” and “pupp.”
Each page is a hilarious, poetic masterpiece crackling with verbal wit and graphic brilliance. Those were the days...!

In the introductory essay, editor Bill Blackbeard chronicles Krazy Kat’s ascent from its earliest days as a tiny pendant for Herriman’s earlier strips “The Dingbat Family” and “The Family upstairs” to its own full feature. A second major article in this volume is Bob Callahan’s “Geo. Herriman’s Los Angeles,” a fascinating look at Herriman’s pre-Krazy Kat days as a journalist/illustrator, covering such things as a Mexican bullfight (Herriman was appalled), the opening of a new “bums’ jail” (Herriman’s sympathies were clearly with the vagrants), and UFO sightings—all accompanied by Herriman’s virtuoso cartoons, of course.

As usual, the cover is designed by Chris Ware, featuring a striking two-color look that will set this latest volume apart from the previous eleven.

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

176 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2010

About the author

George Herriman was an American cartoonist celebrated for creating the groundbreaking comic strip Krazy Kat, a work widely regarded as one of the most inventive, poetic, and influential achievements in the history of comics. Raised in a culturally diverse environment and navigating complex racial identities throughout his life, Herriman developed a singular artistic voice that combined humor, surrealism, philosophical reflection, and emotional nuance. He began his career as a newspaper illustrator and political cartoonist before transitioning fully into comic strips, producing several short-lived features and experiments that helped him refine his sense of rhythm, timing, and visual storytelling. Krazy Kat, which emerged from an earlier strip called The Dingbat Family, became his defining work and ran for decades in newspapers across the United States. The strip centered on a triangular relationship among three main characters: Krazy, a blissfully optimistic and androgynous cat; Ignatz Mouse, who continually expressed his contempt or affection by throwing bricks; and Offisa Pupp, a dutiful dog who sought to protect Krazy and maintain order. What might have been a simple gag became, in Herriman’s hands, a lyrical exploration of love, longing, misunderstanding, and the complexities of emotional connection, articulated through shifting perspectives, inventive language, and a dreamlike visual landscape inspired by the American Southwest. Herriman developed a distinctive style that blended loose, expressive brushwork with carefully considered composition, often altering backgrounds from panel to panel to evoke mood rather than physical continuity. His dialogue employed dialects, puns, poetic phrasing, and playful linguistic invention, creating a voice for Krazy Kat that felt both musical and deeply human. The strip attracted a passionate following among intellectuals, writers, and artists, including figures such as Gilbert Seldes, E.E. Cummings, Willem de Kooning, and many others who recognized its sophistication and emotional resonance. However, Krazy Kat never achieved the widespread commercial popularity of contemporaries like Popeye or Li’l Abner and often relied on the support of influential newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, who admired Herriman’s work and insisted it remain in publication despite fluctuating readership. Herriman also produced the comic strip Baron Bean, as well as numerous illustrations, editorial drawings, and commercial work throughout his career, but it was Krazy Kat that defined his legacy and shaped the development of visual narrative art. The strip influenced generations of cartoonists and graphic storytellers, contributing to a lineage that includes artists working in newspaper strips, comic books, underground comix, graphic novels, animation, and contemporary experimental media. Herriman maintained a private, quiet personal life, working diligently and steadily, drawing inspiration from the landscapes of California, Arizona, and New Mexico, which he visited frequently and often featured in his art as stylized mesas, desert plateaus, and open skies. His deep engagement with the American Southwest brought texture, symbolism, and environmental presence to Krazy Kat, making setting an integral emotional and thematic component rather than a mere backdrop. Although widely honored posthumously, his work was recognized during his lifetime by peers and critics who understood the originality of his vision. Today, he is acknowledged as one of the key figures who expanded the expressive potential of the comic strip form, demonstrating that sequential art could convey subtle emotional states, philosophical ideas, and complex storytelling with elegance and humor. Herriman’s legacy endures in the ongoing study, republication, and celebration of Krazy Kat, which continues to be admired for its innovation, sensitivity, and unique artistic spirit.

Reviews

[Drew Canole · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another fantastic collection of Sunday strips. I'm starting to really enjoy these. Very poetic and atmospheric with tons of charming characters.

[Joel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Krazy Kat is a slow moving delight. I finally understand why George Herriman was so influential.

[Dan Domanski · Rating 5 out of 5]

The detail that goes into Herriman's black-and-white drawings is astonishing, as always, and his usage of language and imagination for stories continues to amaze and inspire laughter. I often have to explain to my wife why I'm laughing as I read "Krazy Kat" with glee.

In this volume, Herriman finds occasions for humor in contemporary trends such as boxing, automobiles, and alcohol prohibition. And some just seem to come out of Herriman's head, such as a story in which Ignatz and his mouse friends plan to ambush some clams, but have to trick them into opening their mouths first, so that they can make chowder out of the clams' insides. Krazy, of course, comes looking for Ignatz at just the right time.

[Matt Carton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Look, I love Krazy Kat. Yes, it's the same joke. Over and Over. Week after week. Month after month. Year after year. But my goodness, what a facility with language Herriman has.

(Book #3 completed from my Fantagraphics bookstore visit!)

[Matt Miles · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve been sucked into this world with its idiosyncratic art, dialogue and narration, so I can’t be trusted as an objective source on anything related to Krazy Kat. It’s a strange and strangely poetic world, and it’s at least one worth visiting.

[Zach Landes · Rating 5 out of 5]

A wondrous thing

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a charming strip

[Luke Stevens · Rating 5 out of 5]

See Krazy Kat Collection 1935-1944...

[Mario Bustamante Reyes · Rating 4 out of 5]

La época de la prohibición, la primera guerra mundial, el inicio de la electricidad, los fonógrafos. ubicarse en esa época es difícil pero entre los temas que comienza a desarrollar el que me interesa más es el lenguaje y la manera particularísima de ver la vida de krazy. Un poco autistamente, haciendo el bien,, su curiosidad y por el contrario, la maldad por la maldad, por no decir mezquindad de Ignatz. ¿Cómo lidiar con un mundo con quien no se comparte casi nada? sin enbargo, el que en realidad parece más centrado, ubicado en el carril de lo que debiera ser y hacerse, es Zrazy, pero lo hace sin alardes, sin justificacion, sin recompensa. Todo esto inmerso en los juegos de lenguaje que me apasionan. Todavía me falta entender el contexto pero viendo la simpleza de algunas obras de la época, Krazy destaca, en su propio pequeño mundo.
Las escenas del mar me encantan.

[Hamish · Rating 3 out of 5]

So I acknowledge Herriman's talent as a cartoonist. I acknowledge his skill with wordplay and his poetic sense. I acknowledge his ability to pull seemingly endless variety from a fairly simple concept (ordinarily the bane of most strip cartoonists). But I feel I have to rate this based on the actual enjoyment I derived from reading it, and I frequently found it to drag. I certainly enjoyed it overall, but I was rarely excited by it, I rarely (if ever) laughed. Part of it might be the format: a daily (or in this case weekly) strip probably shouldn't be read like this, together in one large book. The kinks and repetitions show too much. It's probably better in small chunks. Perhaps I'll enjoy later volumes more.

[Michael P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wondrously wonderful and subtly sublime, knot knowing Krazy Kat is a kulpable krime.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read; fast paced and funny. At times the phonically spelled words can get a bit tiring.