Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace
The American icon is defined: the first two years of Hank Ketcham's classic, in one handsome hardcover volume.
Dennis the Menace began on March 14, 1951 (four months after Ketcham's friend and colleague Charles Schulz started his own historic comic strip)-and he went on to become the second most popular cartoon kid in the world-after Charlie Brown, of course.
Dennis the Menace first appeared in 16 American newspapers; by the end of 1951, he was appearing in over a hundred. The strip's success in only the first 10 months of syndication was a harbinger of greater success to come-as Ketcham himself put it, "The sales chart was not an upward curve but more the flight of an arrow." The timing was perfect: the post-war generation, at the height of the baby boom, embraced the perennial troublemaker and turned Dennis into a global publishing, merchandising and multi-media phenomenon, with over 50 million book collections sold, the fondly remembered live-action TV show from 1959-63, a cartoon from 1986-89, theatrical productions, several cartoon specials, two major motion pictures in the '90s, and a full-length animated film in 2002. The strip currently is enjoyed by readers of over 1,000 newspapers every day.
The reason for Dennis' success is easy to figure out: It was one of the most brilliantly observed and empathetic comic strips about childhood ever drawn. Ketcham captured the mischievousness, rambunctiousness, and anarchy of a kid's world better than any other cartoonist. The strip appeals to both parents and children-while parents shake their head ruefully at how accurately Ketcham caught the essence of children's natural zest for mayhem, children identify with Dennis and the chaos that he leaves in his wake-just a hop, skip, and a jump away from their own fantasy of themselves! Ketcham was a cartoonist with a vivacious line that was exquisitely suited to depicting adults and children. His gags were funny, subtle and touching.
Ketcham drew Dennis the Menace from 1951 to 1994, when he retired and let his assistant take over the strip.
Each volume is a 6 x 6 hardcover book of 624 black and white pages. Retails for $24.95.....On Sale $19.95 each
Volume One reprints every single panel strip from 1951-1952
Volume Two reprints every single panel strip from 1953-1954
Volume Three reprints every single panel strip from 1955-1956
Volume Four reprints every single panel strip from 1957-1958
Where's Dennis? The Magazine Cartoon Art of Hank Ketcham
Although best known as one of the greatest syndicated cartoonists of the 20th Century, Dennis the Menace creator Henry "Hank" Ketcham also spent nearly a decade as a gag cartoonist for major New York magazines like Colliers and the Saturday Evening Post. In these gag cartoons, which were primarily published between 1942 and 1950, one can already see the endearing troublemaker that would become the protagonist in his long-running strip. (In fact, Ketcham reused some of the gags and images almost verbatim in his Dennis the Menace cartoons.) Collected for the first time are hundreds of Ketcham's long forgotten magazine cartoons. Together, they provide a rare glimpse into what would later become one the most beloved comics to grace the comics pages. Edited by Shane Glines and Alex Chun.
200 black and white pages, softcover, 7.75" x 5.75".$19.95
MAIN PAGE