Aimed at adult readers, 18 of these over-sized red hardcovers were published (mostly in black-and-white) each one replete with articles and background material, generating a whole new generation of fans which included young cartoonists like Dan Clowes, Chester Brown, Joe Matt, and Seth.
Little lulu series#
In 1985, a year after the last of the original Little Lulu comic ceased publication, we were gifted with the Little Lulu Library, an ambitious series from Another Rainbow that reprinted 101 Lulu comics by Stanley and artist Irving Tripp. It’s a legacy that has been preserved-and worshipped-by fans and publishers ever since.
But as great as these titles were, there’s no arguing that his comics legacy was forged by his 14-year run on Lulu.
Stanley’s tenure on Lulu lasted until 1959, after which he affixed his imprimatur on a number of other enduring kid’s comics, including Nancy and Sluggo, Melvin Monster, and Thirteen (Going on Eighteen) before leaving the industry behind in 1970. In the 1950s, Lulu (and Stanley’s companion series Marge’s Tubby) regularly topped the industry’s best-seller list, with print runs of more than one-million copies per issue. It wasn’t long before Stanley’s stories had established a new highwater mark. Stanley’s genius here was two-fold: by conjuring a rambling and realistic comic book world for Lulu and her gang to occupy, he created a perfect canvas for his signature concoction of chaos, comedy, and reckless abandon. Written and drawn by native New Yorker and relative comics newcomer John Stanley, the stories-an untitled yarn featuring Lulu and her pal Tubby and the stone-cold classic “At the Beach”-effectively reinvented Lulu’s universe, giving her a voice and breathing new life into what had been a one-paneled, one-dimensional world. In May 1945 the first two Little Lulu comics stories debuted in the pages of Dell Comics’ Four Color #74. Sensing a sure thing, Buell spun Lulu off into lucrative endorsements, animated cartoons, and the then-flourishing comic book market. Originally created in 1935 by Marjorie Buell as a stand-in for the outgoing feature Henry, Little Lulu debuted as a wordless single-panel comic in the Saturday Evening Post and quickly proved to be a bigger hit than the mute bald kid she replaced. So how did the irrepressible little girl in the red dress become such an industry heavyweight? The numbers tell the tale of her enduring popularity: tens of millions of Lulu comics were sold during her 1950s heyday, and since then more than 380 issues of Lulu’s comic book stories have been reprinted in nearly 60 volumes – which now include a new, long-awaited reprint series from Drawn & Quarterly. Some 75 years after Lulu Moppet elbowed her way onto comic book racks, she continues to set a bad example for kids everywhere with her misadventures being studied, discussed, debated, written about, and read by comics fans of all ages.
But while most of these Hall of Famers are still revered to this day, none of them sparkle as brightly as pint-sized troublemaker Little Lulu. Each one a certified jewel in the crown of Golden Age Kids’ Comics.
0 kommentar(er)
