| Title | : | The Pogo Papers |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | - |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 192 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1953 |
The Pogo Papers Reviews
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I mean the bizarre dialect, the constantly changing backgrounds [in Krazy Kat]...I wish I thought that that kind of work were possible today ... In the first place, I don't know who would put enough energy into their work anymore to do something like that; secondly, and probably more importantly, comic strips are being printed at such a ridiculous size that elimination of dialogue and linework is almost a necessity and you just can't get that kind of depth. I think of Pogo, another strip that had tremendous dialogue and fantastic backgrounds. Those strips were just complete worlds that the reader would be sucked into. For a few moments a day we could live in Coconino County; the whole thing was entirely there. The dialogue was part of it, the backgrounds were part of it, the characters were off-beat, and you need a little space and time to develop that sort of thing. I know for a fact that nobody's doing it now and I don't know that anybody will do it. Garry Trudeau is the only cartoonist with the clout to get his strip published large enough to accomodate extended dialogue. It's a shame. --
Bill Watterson, the creator of Calvin and Hobbes, has long been my hero. In fact, I probably learned more about artistic integrity (and integrity in general) through a little essay he wrote in
Bill Watterson
The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book, when I was just a teenager. In it, he talked about the devolution of the comic strip, an artform that many people consider "low art". But Watterson showed how he could elevate the form by not writing throw-away jokes, by not outsourcing his strips to ghostwriters, and by not licensing his characters to be used on coffee mugs. Instead, he created characters who developed over time and had full personalities. He never went for the easy joke, but instead, opted for moving moments. Oftentimes the funny part of his strips were not only at the end of the 4 panels, where the punch-line resides, but in the dialogue that lead up to it. His strips were creative, imaginative, playful and hilarious. I fell in love with Calvin and his imagination, with Calvinball and G.R.O.S.S. and his dinosaurs. And some of my favorite strips were the rare ones with no joke at all, where he risked letting the characters simmer in a wistful quiet moment. Watterson really did deliver on his promise of pushing the boundaries of the medium, of setting a "high art" standard for what is commonly known as "low art". Or rather, of dismissing these boundaries entirely.
I haven't read any other comic strip that has moved me as much as Calvin and Hobbes. And so, I followed Watterson's recommendation and was eventually introduced to Krazy Kat and now Pogo. I had kept that name "Pogo" in the back of my mind for years, but only recently stumbled across a copy of The Pogo Papers at a library book sale. And what a treat it was. True to Watterson's word, an entire world opened up to me, a swampy muggy world filled with animals of every kind. It's full of slap-stick, puns, sophisticated wordplay, political commentary, and cultural references. They speak a sort of patois in Pogo but it's just English with a certain kink to it. And some of these jokes have bite: the whole last 50 pages or so is one long critique of Joseph McCarthy (in the form of "Simple J. Malarkey"). Unfortunately, this also means that some of the more time-specific jokes went right over my head. But the beauty of this strip is that there are jokes working on 4 or 5 levels: language, artwork, action, plot, allusions, etc. and if you miss a joke, don't miss a beat because here comes another!
I thoroughly enjoyed reading this slowly and in small portions over the past weeks, savoring every element of this lost art. Here's a little taste of the graphics and dialogue...
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The forward, written in 1953, ends thusly: “There is no need to sally forth, for it remains true that those things that make us human are, curiously enough, always close at hand. Resolve then, that on this very ground, with small flags waving, and tinny blasts on tiny trumpets, we shall meet the enemy, and not only may he be ours, he may be us.” Somehow the book is even better than that extraordinary paragraph, which may be all you need to know about it before seeking it out for yourself and your posterity. Pogo collections should be family heirlooms, handed down from one generation to the next.
This is the third collection of Pogo daily strips and like the first two it is funny, inventive, lyrical, and the next best thing to the Marx Brothers in their prime. It’s an anarchic, pun-filled swamp, Okefenokee, with characters of unimpeachable and impeachable character, the very best and worst of human nature in all its animalfestations. For example, it is in most ways with relief that Pogo loses the 1952 Presidential Election, though Churchy thinks that however good for the country it is, it would have been better for poor spellers otherwise. “It’s been better did Pogo win…could have spelt it out easier…this name got ‘N’ in it, an’ a ‘O’ an’ a few of them ‘E’s…got ‘S’ in her too.” But Pogo isn’t just easier to spell than Eisenhower, the strip, its convoluted plots, delightful characters and madcap dialogue is satire of the highest order. Pointed and funny.
Politics, Little Orphan Annie, television, business, Bird Watchers and other clubs, and all individuals and groups biased toward conspiracies and group think, come into for well-earned ridicule. Walt Kelly is skeptical without being cynical. He writes and draws with brilliance. He has fearless aim and supreme judgment, and like his great contemporary in the world of journalism, Murray Kempton, he attacks the worthy without malice and doesn’t kick even the meanest dog when it’s down—though, as we’ll see as we get deeper into the 50s and Senator Joe McCarthy, he’ll take the most vicious of mad dogs to the ground without hesitation. None of that would matter, though, if he wasn’t so damn original and so damn entertaining. Pogo is enduring art, plain and simple; the collected anthologies would stand on their own hindquarters as a classic of Twentieth Century American literature. And somebody needs to attend to that because the only reliable way to find Pogo is on websites like Alibris or Powell’s bookstore, which is why, culturally speaking, we remain our own enemy. -
Another swell collection from Walt Kelly's Pogo. It's a testament, I think, to what a cesspool the daily comics have become that it's hard to imagine this strip being published today.
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The Pogo Papers, by Walt Kelly.
This is one of the few books that has traveled with me throughout my life. It may have originally belonged to my older brother or sister, as it came out when I was 3 or 4 years old. Somehow I ended up with it, and it has remained with me for more than 60 years.
After doing some heavier reading, I thought it was time to revisit the Okefenokee Swamp and check in on Pogo and his friends. The comic strip is much more bizarre than I remembered it, but as a result much more fun. It continues to reflect our personalities, and our society, in ways that seem uncanny.
We all use words that we don’t understand, often making up words that sound like the one we’re looking for. We sometimes feel like running for president, unless someone with a better idea comes along. We don’t have much patience for bullies that show up that want to change us into something we’re not. When they want to tar and feather us for not conforming to their wishes, we find justice in knowing they’ve ended up falling into the tar themselves. We all know preachers who don’t practice what they preach. We don’t have much tolerance for womanizing (although these days we might confront it more directly). There’s nothing more precious than the old neighborhood and the closeness of friends. And when the problems of the world are solved (or at least set aside) you can find time to go fishing or play baseball.
Walt Kelly’s humor and play of words reminds me of things the hippies said and did in the 60s, and he wrote these strips at least a decade (or more) earlier. It kind of makes me wonder what he was smokin’ or drinkin’ when he drew these cartoons. -
This is my first time reading Pogo. I’ve seen the strip here and there and always meant to give it a proper go. Recommendations from Bill Watterson and Alan Moore were enough to place it on my “to-read” list.
The Pogo Papers turned out to be a great introduction. I love the colorful cast of characters, inventive language, adorable art, immersive world, and the (often biting) social commentary. It’s all so charmingly irreverent, and still pretty unique to this day. The book contains five interconnected chapters, split into several parts each. Honestly, I liked the experience of reading Pogo more than the actual stories, if only because the language Kelly uses is so distinct and witty.
I’m sold on Pogo, and will definitely come back for more. -
Hmm. I enjoyed this a lot to start with, especially the lively approach to language, but it palled a bit; perhaps not meant to be read in large chunks. Still some chuckles right through to the end, though, and the invention rarely flags. Pogo himself seems to do very little, the antics mostly coming from a large cast of supporting characters.
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There's no one like Walt Kelly!
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My father was a Pogo fan when he was younger and we had several collections around the house, including this one. I remember laughing and laughing and laughing at this one in particular.
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I love Pogo.
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An enjoyable romp through the 70s and the subversive satire that walt kelly spread in a daily fashion. The drawings are lucsious, and the dialogue funny. The Bloom County of its time.
