An American icon defined: the third and fourth year of Hank Ketcham's classic. Dennis the Menace started on March 14, 1951 and went on to become the second most popular cartoon kid in the world (after Charlie Brown). Dennis is unusual in that after its first couple of years, it achieved its definitive look. So even though this is just the second volume, the look, style and gags are as comfortably familiar as today's Dennis (albeit with 50s cars, furniture and clothing styles, all snappily rendered).
I'm a big Dennis the Menace fan. This is the second installment of the complete Dennis the Menace single panels. I'm seeing most of the panels for the first time - what a treat!
Little Masterpieces by Ketcham
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 18 years ago
Hank Ketcham's Complete Dennis the Menace 1953-1954 is every bit as great as the first volume. This volume, similar in format to the first volume featuring comics from 1951-1952, shows the growth of Ketcham not only as an artist/cartoonist, but also in the comic brilliance from the world of the little menace. Dennis the Menace began just a few months after the Peanuts began. I grew up with both of these comic strips and still love them today. I could not have asked for a more nicely packaged and published showcase for these first years of the Dennis the Menace series. Although the background items shown in the panels are old fashioned, due to the time-frame in which they were produced, the actual characters and mini-stories look just as fresh and original as they would had you just cracked open your Sunday paper and saw them for the first time. It is a true testament to the craftsmanship of Ketcham, and to the brilliance of the single panel stories, that today, over 50 years later, these are just as enjoyable as ever. I hope that these books allow a new legion of fans to be introduced to Dennis the Menace. I am already looking forward to volume III. I give this collection of Ketcham's treasures from 1953-1954 a solid 5 stars and recommend it to anyone with a sense of humor.
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