The Rascals are back in another 100-plus vintage full-color pages of
rollicking comedey and high adventure. Created in 1946 and 1947, these stories
show Walt Kelly refining the style that would serve him so well for his later
masterpiece- Pogo.
Much of this fourth volume is taken up with an
extended four-part cycle of stories-almost a graphic novel, really!- in which
Froggie and the Gang(including Julip the Goat) ship out with Professor Gravy on
his showboat for an engagement downriver, which results (of course) in a series
of action-packed adventures involving fisticuffs, gunfire, fireworks, and horse
thieves.
All this, plus much more mundane kid pursuits such as a
hotly-contested baseball game.
As always, series editor Steve Thompson is
on hand to provide fascinating behind-the-scenes details on these marvelous
stories. For anyone who loves those simple, innocent post-war times, the Our
Gang stories are as refreshing as a 5-cent glass of lemonade on a hot summer
day.