Krazy and Ignatz, 1943-1944: He Nods in Quiescent Siesta

Krazy and Ignatz

by George Herriman, Bill Blackbeard (Editor)

Krazy and Ignatz, 1943-1944 covers the last two years of Herriman's masterpiece. With this volume, Fantagraphics and its precursor Eclipse will have reprinted the entire 29-year run of the Krazy Kat Sundays! Like Charles Schulz, George Herriman was a cartoonist to the very end. Aside from collecting the last masterful year and a half of "Krazy Kat," this new volume will offer a retrospective look at Herriman's life at the drawing table, offering many never before seen samples of his original art (which the cartoonist often lovingly hand-colored for friends). Gathered from many scattered collections, these pages testify to Herriman's inveterate passion for drawing. Rounding out the volume are scores of Krazy Kat daily strips also from Herriman's last years, further testament to the cartoonists vitality. Series editor and veteran comics historian, Bill Blackbeard, also provides a concluding, wide-ranging essay on the life and art of Herriman. More than a simple reprint collection, Krazy and Ignatz, 1943-1944 portrays the full range of a cartoonist who remained an artist all his life.

Genres: Comics, Humor, Art, Collections

120 pages, Paperback

First published August 30, 2008

About the author

George Herriman was an American cartoonist celebrated for creating the groundbreaking comic strip Krazy Kat, a work widely regarded as one of the most inventive, poetic, and influential achievements in the history of comics. Raised in a culturally diverse environment and navigating complex racial identities throughout his life, Herriman developed a singular artistic voice that combined humor, surrealism, philosophical reflection, and emotional nuance. He began his career as a newspaper illustrator and political cartoonist before transitioning fully into comic strips, producing several short-lived features and experiments that helped him refine his sense of rhythm, timing, and visual storytelling. Krazy Kat, which emerged from an earlier strip called The Dingbat Family, became his defining work and ran for decades in newspapers across the United States. The strip centered on a triangular relationship among three main characters: Krazy, a blissfully optimistic and androgynous cat; Ignatz Mouse, who continually expressed his contempt or affection by throwing bricks; and Offisa Pupp, a dutiful dog who sought to protect Krazy and maintain order. What might have been a simple gag became, in Herriman’s hands, a lyrical exploration of love, longing, misunderstanding, and the complexities of emotional connection, articulated through shifting perspectives, inventive language, and a dreamlike visual landscape inspired by the American Southwest. Herriman developed a distinctive style that blended loose, expressive brushwork with carefully considered composition, often altering backgrounds from panel to panel to evoke mood rather than physical continuity. His dialogue employed dialects, puns, poetic phrasing, and playful linguistic invention, creating a voice for Krazy Kat that felt both musical and deeply human. The strip attracted a passionate following among intellectuals, writers, and artists, including figures such as Gilbert Seldes, E.E. Cummings, Willem de Kooning, and many others who recognized its sophistication and emotional resonance. However, Krazy Kat never achieved the widespread commercial popularity of contemporaries like Popeye or Li’l Abner and often relied on the support of influential newspaper magnate William Randolph Hearst, who admired Herriman’s work and insisted it remain in publication despite fluctuating readership. Herriman also produced the comic strip Baron Bean, as well as numerous illustrations, editorial drawings, and commercial work throughout his career, but it was Krazy Kat that defined his legacy and shaped the development of visual narrative art. The strip influenced generations of cartoonists and graphic storytellers, contributing to a lineage that includes artists working in newspaper strips, comic books, underground comix, graphic novels, animation, and contemporary experimental media. Herriman maintained a private, quiet personal life, working diligently and steadily, drawing inspiration from the landscapes of California, Arizona, and New Mexico, which he visited frequently and often featured in his art as stylized mesas, desert plateaus, and open skies. His deep engagement with the American Southwest brought texture, symbolism, and environmental presence to Krazy Kat, making setting an integral emotional and thematic component rather than a mere backdrop. Although widely honored posthumously, his work was recognized during his lifetime by peers and critics who understood the originality of his vision. Today, he is acknowledged as one of the key figures who expanded the expressive potential of the comic strip form, demonstrating that sequential art could convey subtle emotional states, philosophical ideas, and complex storytelling with elegance and humor. Herriman’s legacy endures in the ongoing study, republication, and celebration of Krazy Kat, which continues to be admired for its innovation, sensitivity, and unique artistic spirit.

Reviews

[Ivan Stoner · Rating 5 out of 5]

These later Krazy Kats are really great. Herriman had Krazy's patois absolutely dialed in. The strips are in color. They are also cleaner and not so overflowing with ideas and content as the earlier years are. I had initially thought that I didn't like them as much. But after a Sunday of reading through a bunch of them with my boys (6 y.o. and 3 y.o.) I'm totally reversed on that. I still sort of prefer the earlier sketchy black and white art to the blockier color of the 1940s I think, but there are more strips that leave you feeling like you just read a poem. Deeply impactful. Deeply thoughtful. I'm in awe of Herriman.

[StrictlySequential · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a bit less than 1.5 years' worth of b&w Sundays.

There were a whole bunch of dates that were reprints (they do not print them in this series- the date is simply skipped) and June 25th 1944 was his final Sunday owing to his untimely death. I didn't know that you could have, let alone die from, Cirrhosis of the liver without it stemming from alcohol.

Story = ***
It gets pretty surreal and/or difficult to understand as he nears his death. Mrs. Kwakk Wakk appears much more than I'm used to -maybe because he wanted to have a more female cast at this point- but the rest of the supporting characters are scattered sparsely.

Art = ***
His hand was ridden with Arthur's Itis so the lines don't have the same authority as I'm used to.

I just got three more books: I only have eight more years left til I've read EVERY Sunday he ever did and these new ones will bring it down to only three years when I have finished them!
Book 4 = 1919
Book 15 = 1935-1936
Book 18 = 1941-1942 (the book before this one)
---
Book 9 = 1924
Book 17 = 1939-1940

[Ivan Stoner · Rating 5 out of 5]

The boys and I have been reading this one recently. All previous plaudits apply. Hilarious, moving, artistically inspirational.

I used to be less of a fan of the later, sparer Krazy Kat, but it's strongly grown on me.

[Paul Schulzetenberg · Rating 4 out of 5]

Herriman is one of the most oft-cited influences among my favorite comic artists. His name seems to burble up any time there's an interview with top-of-the-line talent in the newspaper comic industry.

I had attempted to read an earlier anthology of Krazy Kat, but it was poorly printed, too small, mostly in black and white, and much of the charm was lost. It was a poor introduction to the strip, and I came away unimpressed.

Krazy Kat is simple in form, deceptively so. The art is lavish, and it's easy to dismiss the writing out of hand as a Looney-Tunes-esque overly simple plot. But Herriman manages to break out of the banal with some emotionally relevant strips. These characters, simple as their motivations may seem, also don't feel like they end at the edge of the comic strip. Krazy Kat may love Ignatz Mouse with all of her heart, but there's a depth of character beyond merely the unrequited love.

I'm very glad I gave Krazy Kat another try. This Fantagraphics does the strip justice. The printing is in lavish color, on high quality paper, and there's just enough editorial voice to put the art in context without bludgeoning the reader. The additional non-comic strip art is also a nice touch, as it humanizes the artist behind the strips.

[Oriana]

George Herriman has been cited as a primary influence on every single one of my favorite comics artists, and I am ashamed to say that I've not read word one of a Krazy Kat. Do any of my illustrious bookfriends have a recommendation on where to start? Because this is a hole in my literary knowledge that I must fill, and quick.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Herriman goes out stronger than Schulz did, both in terms of the draftsmanship that remained and the elegant economy of his storytelling. There is a great deal, even here at the end, that joyfully re-thinks how the space is divided, how the story flows between panels, and the transformations our language can abide while still making sense.

[Sebastien · Rating 5 out of 5]

The final years of Herriman's Krazy Kat... splendid as always.

[Michael P. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Herriman lost something during the last two years of his life, so these strips are not sublime, merely superb. Heart, soul, inventiveness, design, and unusually, kolor abound. Krazy Kat remains kool.

[Mario Bustamante Reyes]

Muere un genio
Su obra queda
Ars longa, vita brevis
Así es mi amigo, así es