40: A Doonesbury Retrospective

by G.B. Trudeau

over sized book in hard shell case. Doonesbury retrospective has full color comics reproductions and black and white sketches.

Genres: Comics, Humor, History, Graphic Novels, Politics, Cartoon, Comic Strips

696 pages, Hardcover

First published October 26, 2010

About the author

Garretson Beekman "Garry" Trudeau is an American cartoonist, best known for the Doonesbury comic strip. In 1970, Trudeau's creation of Doonesbury was syndicated by the newly formed Universal Press Syndicate. Today Doonesbury is syndicated to almost 1,400 newspapers worldwide and is accessible online in association with Slate Magazine at doonesbury.com. In 1975, he became the first comic strip artist to win a Pulitzer, traditionally awarded to editorial-page cartoonists. He was also a Pulitzer finalist in 1990. He was nominated for an Oscar in 1977 in the category of Animated Short Film, for A Doonesbury Special, in collaboration with John Hubley and Faith Hubley. A Doonesbury Special eventually won the Cannes Film Festival Jury Special Prize in 1978. Other awards include the National Cartoonists Society (NCS) Newspaper Comic Strip Award in 1994, and the Reuben Award in 1995. He was made a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences in 1993. Wiley Miller, fellow comic-strip artist responsible for Non Sequitur, called Trudeau "far and away the most influential editorial cartoonist in the last 25 years." In addition to his work on Doonesbury, Trudeau has teamed with Elizabeth Swados and written plays, such as Rap Master Ronnie and Doonesbury: A Musical Comedy. In 1988, Trudeau joined forces with director Robert Altman for the HBO miniseries Tanner '88 and the Sundance Channel miniseries sequel Tanner on Tanner in 2004. In 1996, Newsweek and The Washington Post speculated that Trudeau wrote the novel Primary Colors, which was later revealed to have been written by Joe Klein. Trudeau wrote the political sitcom Alpha House, starring John Goodman and Bill Murray. The pilot was produced by Amazon Studios and aired in early 2013. Due to positive response Amazon has picked up Alpha House to develop into a full series.

Reviews

[Alex Robinson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been impatiently waiting for a complete run of Doonesbury (in this day and age it’s ridiculous you can’t get digital collections of old comics strips) but since that seems unlikely to happen* I picked up this enormous 40th anniversary collection (which came out 15 years ago!)
The book is massive, and heavy, making it a bit of a cumbersome read. One thing that makes it somewhat unique is that it tends to focus more on the soap operatic lives of the characters, instead of the political humor the strip is known for. I’ve always loved the strip’s enormous cast and it’s probably best to keep to the topical references to a minimum (though I’m still very curious to read any of the Watergate material)



*annoyingly, they did release a complete digital collection a few years ago but you could only view it on a thumb drive 😑

[Bruce · Rating 5 out of 5]

Per the introduction, Trudeau’s retrospective contains slightly less than 13% of what’s been published in newsprint. This is fine since the work nonetheless comes across as a comprehensive selection of the comic strip, adds insightful commentary, and allows readers to pick up on narrative patterns otherwise invisible from a daily read. So this book is terrific. Too bad it was published as a doorstop.

I can’t think of any good reason for blowing up four dailies against one Sunday onto individual pages the size of a school desk, the thickness of glossy cardstock, the whole slid into a gratuitous cardboard box unless your readership consists of nearsighted weightlifters. A taste of G.B. Trudeau’s sharp, smart, satire can be found all over the internet, so I won’t bother to add anything other than: (which, when you consider it dates to September 24, 1976, nicely demonstrates how static American politics has been) and (which, for a strip published September 11, 2005, says everything about how advanced the art, layout, and “camera selection” are these days).

As contemporary satire, Trudeau’s work is a marvel of observation and empathy. Sure, his Dickensian cast of characters (who don’t begin to age through the real world until 1984) constantly riff on current events, but this cross-section of Trudeau’s opus also reveals a staggering continuity. Take J.J., Mike Doonesbury’s first wife, who Trudeau relies on primarily as a vehicle for mocking conceptual and performance artists. Trudeau had J.J. finally desert staid, dependable Mike for cowboy-hatted, pickup truck phony Zeke in an explicit spoof off the then popular middle-age romance fantasy “Bridges of Madison County,” ...Except that it turns out J.J. and Zeke had actually already been a comic strip couple a decade before, and before Mike and J.J. ever met. So from J.J.’s standpoint, Mike was the relationship disruption, and not Zeke. Of course, today’s readers know how layered a character B.D. has become since the removal of his helmet (along with some of his arrogance), but similar sophistication plays out in the interrelationships of Boopsie, Duke, Honey, Kim, Joanie Caucus, et al. that render real gravitas to the ensemble.

Trudeau confesses on page 662 that he does little visual or topical research for the strip (some Googling of late), excepting only for coordination with the Department of Defense and Veterans Affairs hospital to offer as accurate a portrayal of injury and post-traumatic stress recovery as he could. “The reason for proceeding with care is obvious;” he writes, adding, “the last thing I wanted to do was contribute to the suffering I was trying to describe.”

So Doonesbury has to be taken seriously as a literary monument. And if this essential volume weren’t such a brick, it’d be a real page-turner. I’m a longtime fan of Trudeau’s strip, and much of what’s published here was already familiar to me. Still, I think I would have devoured this cover to cover in about two weeks even if its contents were wholly new.

Oh, and one last thing that I find pretty eerie. The life of this strip runs more or less contemporaneous to my own. Sure, that’s impressive in terms of artistic and commercial longevity -- how many other people do you know who’ve held the same job for 40 years? However, if you’re my age-peer, you can’t read this without it hitting you that you’re reading a cartoon-retrospective of your entire life. To channel dude Zonker Harris, maybe that’s why this book’s so heavy.

[Gpickle · Rating 5 out of 5]

How can you not give a book like this 5 stars? I would give it 6, especially if it were longer. I was sad to miss some of my favorite Doones moments like Zonker pondering his role in the American obesity epidemic while eating donuts at 3 in the morning because he is stoned. Or Zonker being questioned on whether he was a hippie or not. Maybe I just need to get the Big Book of Zonker again. Having been a pre-born person when the strip began, and missing much of the early content due to my inability to read or understand while I was growing up, it is nice to fill in some of the holes from what I missed. Reading so many years condensed gives a very clear view of the idea that history does not repeat itself but rhymes, thanks to Trudeau for helping us laugh through it.

One warning, the book is huge. And heavy, reportedly pushing 10 pounds. When I saw it at the library my backpack was already full, but I had to have it so I crammed it in and rode my bike home. It almost broke me. Returning it I used an Xtracycle and it filled one side.

Here is to another 40 years of Doonesbury!

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

The 18,000 strips in this book (making up only 17% of total Doonesbury strips) is quite a slice of Americana.

Trudeau skipped the strips focusing entirely on politics (like Roland's search for Reagan's brain)and instead chose strips that showed his characters living their lives through the ups and downs of the last 40 years. Some of them have been around since the 70s, representing baby boomers in their prime, while others have come and gone. Births, deaths, marriages, divorces. Everything is covered and experienced in lighthearted punchlines.

I really love the pages where Trudeau wrote about what inspired the characters and how they've evolved. His efforts to stay honest to the characters is refreshing and really shows what makes Doonesbury such an enjoyable read each morning.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a huge Doonesbury fan and this is a massive Doonesbury book, covering the cartoon from 1970 through 2010. Obviously, it's not comprehensive, but it's great to watch the characters evolve and deal with the various politicians and issues of the day.

It's big enough to stop a bullet, so don't plan on carrying it anywhere. But if you're a Doonesbury fan, get someone to buy it for you. Or just buy it for yourself. It's worth it.

[Roger Burk · Rating 5 out of 5]

It was a real kick to see my old friends again--Mike, Alex, Joanie, Rick, Jeff, BD, Boopsie, Mark, Zonker, Zipper, Toggle, JJ, Duke, and the rest. I saw old favorite strips, and filled in some gaps in the story from when my paper didn't carry the strip. It was a hoot to see Trump lampooned for narcissism and tastelessness in the 1980s. If only Trudeau had known! Apart from Trump, I don't always agree with Trudeau's politics, but who agrees with all his friends' politics?

[Rory · Rating 3 out of 5]

If this book had just been a bit smaller and, you know, ACTUALLY PHYSICALLY COMFORTABLE TO READ, I would have given it four stars. Of course I would have--I adore Doonesbury and have read every single panel since the beginning (obviously, I had to do some catching up, since it got started ten years before I was born). I was maybe hoping for some more juicy extras, too.

[David]

The 6th full read through Doonesbury. Superb. Not only is this collection a great overview but reading it is great exercise: possibly the single heaviest book I own!

[Randal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reading the strips is like visiting an old friend, which by itself is worth the five stars.
But the little explainers about various characters here and there are great insights into how the artist sees the world he has created.

Will read again ... perhaps sitting at a table next time, as it's really heavy to have sitting on my chest as I read in bed. Loved every minute of it.

[Vivian Valvano · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank the muses for G. B. Trudeau and "Doonsebury" and all of its characters - from the totally whacky to the winsome, from the bad guys to all of those who try to be at least pretty good and only sometimes succeed. I have always especially respected Trudeau for his utter fearlessness in his satire. Reading every single strip in this huge (9 X 12 inch, almost 700 pages) hardcover (and I DID read every single strip), which only represents 13% of all the strips from 1970 - June 2010, I was more than ever impressed with Trudeau's satiric mastery. He has taken on everyone and everything that has impacted on American life - the good, but more importantly, the (very) bad and the (very) ugly. No sacred cows anywhere. At all! Thank you, and may you keep Doonseburying for many, many, many years to come, Mr. Trudeau! (And I am not just lost in the past with the oldies and originals; I LOVE Mike's daughter, Alex.)
P. S. I haven't read the strip in a daily newspaper for quite some time b/c the local paper that it's printed in is one which I don't read. But another wonder of cyberspace: I read it daily on the Doonsebury comic site. It's part of my early morning ritual.

[Mary Bloodworth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Is it fair to "review" a comic strip compilation book? Does anyone make rules for these things? Given that this book covers strips over 40 years, has almost 700 pages, and weighs over 10 pounds I think it counts. (10 pounds! Did he stop to think about the average age of the average back that would have to pick up this behemoth??!)

This was a great way for me to learn much of the back story to the characters I read about, given that I didn't really tune in to Doonesbury until the mid-80s or so. It is also often a funny look at issues and fads of the eras (tanning = good, then later tanning = bad). Trudeau focuses mostly on his characters in this collection and leaves out the politics, save for a few appearances by Mr. Butts and Mr. Jay. There are a lot of later references to the Iraq war, but that's largely because the characters in the military have become such an important part of the strip.

All in all a great fun compilation, worth the aching back to heave onto your lap!

[Howard White · Rating 4 out of 5]

I grew up on Doonesbury. Mike, Zonker, Duke and the gang helped me make it through 'Nam, Nixon and Watergate, Jimmy Carter and the OPEC oil embargo, eight years of an increasingly senile Ronald Reagan, Bush I, Clinton's shenanigans, and the Bush-Cheney Administration--a period far darker and more dangerous to the United States than even Nixon's America. And, like me, the Doonesbury bunch went from counterculture beginnings (Ah, Walden...) to a more settled (if somewhat less satisfying) middle age in middle America. The '60s are gone, but Doonesbury continues to amuse with subtle irony and poignant contrasts.

[Brendan Detzner · Rating 5 out of 5]

Starting on Doonesbury with an understanding of what you're getting into is not the preferred method. it's better to read a few funny strips, realize that some of the characters appear again and are more subtle drawn than they might originally appear, and only slowly realize that every strip is part of an inimitable decades-long comic epic. But for the indoctrinated, there's not much question that Doonesbury deserves a bookshelf monument like this one. It may never be possible to own the truly complete story in print, but this is still a an amazingly cool reflection of a unique and monumental work of art.

[James Holt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was aware of Doonesbury growing up, but never really read it. So I'm glad that this 40-year retrospect exists to satisfy my curiosity.

While I don't agree with every political stance Trudeau takes through his characters, I really admire and respect what he created with this strip. He made it seem cool to be aware of what was going on in the world and to have opinions about it. And it was fun to see a consistent cast of fictional characters respond to those real world events.

It's a shame he's only drawing Sunday strips now, because I'll likely become a regular reader now that I've read this book.

[Scott Butki]

finished this last night - great stuff.

Wow, this book is huge. I didnt realize that when I ordered it via the library.

I think i'll get bicep muscles just from reading it.

I'm a long time doonesbury fan and read all of his books up until about a few years ago. I did an interview here with an author who wrote a book about Doonesbury style of satire
http://sbutki.newsvine.com/_news/2010...-

[Brian Hutzell · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a HUGE book, but it still doesn’t pretend to be complete. According to the Introduction, only about 13 percent of the total published strips are gathered here; just enough to cover most of the major story lines. Because Doonesbury roughly follows a real-world timeline, reading through forty years of it makes for a great trip down memory lane on both personal and global paths. (It’s also a bit of a wake-up call, as I’m seeing more of myself than I care to in Zonker.) I highly recommend this collection for both old and new fans.

[Thaths · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I'm excited about having select bits from 40 years of Doonesbury in my hand, I am looking forward to the Compleat Doonesbury.

This particular collection is good at covering the important moments in the character's lives. But it does not cover much politics. For example, only one President (Dubya) makes an appearance. No Nixon, Ford, Carter, Reagan, etc.).

[Nick Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I appreciated Doonesbury before. It always drew me in, even as I knew it repelled other readers of the comic page of the newspaper. This collection is so well edited, purposely not aiming at completeness (which would fill many volumes), but aiming at the more timeless. This doesn’t mean politics are gone, just that politics are made humane by Trudeau’s emphasis on humane-ity.

[Michele · Rating 4 out of 5]

Garry Trudeau: awesome for forty years. Hard to top that. Such fun to revisit the high (and low) points of American history since 1970. And the giant fold-out character relationship map is a lovely bonus :)

[Kathi Samec · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's amazing how old things become new again. The political stories of old doonesbury are as timely today. My only complaint with this book is that it isn't complete. I'm sure the book would have been much too big to make like that though.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing. The only downside is that I now have to lug it back to the library.

[Ellis · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an awful lot of Doonesbury.

[Susan · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was fun go back and revisit the early days of the comic strip. However, the sheer size of the book made it an uncomfortable read.

[Donna]

I'm sure this is a 5 star book. But it's so big and heavy I can't keep reading it. It's a great coffee table book and gives loads of background explanations about the central characters.

[Barron · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dickensian

[Alex Hern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely. Now to start buying the complete collections from when this ends.

[TJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun. More interested by recent strips. Sad though they had to edit. Missed some of my favoritez

[Lise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Doonesbury's 40th anniversary

[Karen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb, an absolute must for all Doonsbury fans.

[Andrew Holmes · Rating 5 out of 5]

An absolute pleasure. I've been reading Doonesbury for 30 years and it's like spending time with old friends.