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Little Annie Fanny #1
Little Annie Fanny, Vol. 1: 1962-1970
Dark Horse Comics and Playboy Enterprises are proud to present for the first time ever the more than 400 pages of the late, great Harvey Kurtzman's Little Annie Fanny, collected in two deluxe volumes. Kurtzman, creator of Mad Magazine and godfather of underground comix, teamed with longtime E.C. Comics collaborator Will Elder (and sometimes Frank Frazetta, Russ Heath, and Jack Davis ) to create a Playboy icon second only to the bunny and a risque comics icon second to none. Each volume showcases over 200 pages of stunningly rendered stories from the sexy strip's 25-year run. Trend setting in its use of color, irreverent in its satirical look at the changing face of America, and a masterpiece of technique, this definitive collection of one of world's most controversial comic strips is long overdue. This first volume takes us through the swinging Sixties with the Beatles, Civil Rights, and the beginning of the Sexual Revolution. Also included, a detailed behind-the-scenes look at the strip's creative process, featuring never-before-seen art and preliminary drawings
224 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1962
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
June 21, 2023
[7/10]
This Exploits Women
That’s right, Sherlock!
What did you expect from Playboy magazine? Political correctness?
... or “Leapin’ Lizards” ?
I went in with really low expectations, but I was constantly surprised by the sharpness of the pen of Harvey Kurtzman, a name that should have been familiar to me as the creator of the spoof magazine MAD. Kurtzman was probably given free run for parody and social commentary by his boss Hugh Hefner, and I must say that reading the full run of this comedy strip about stripping is like an irreverent and critical history lesson covering more than two decades of popular culture, 1962 to 1988, with a lot of gratuitous nudity thrown in.
‘The perfect foil for spoofing contemporary society, Annie has scaled the dizziest height of satire and slapstick, parody and pratfall ...’ claims Hugh Hefner on the blurb, as he unleashes Kurtzman’s sharp wit on guns, politics, drugs, violence, minority rights, fashions, fads, modern art, celebrities and more.
Little Annie Fanny is always the centrefold of these comic strips, although she’s not so little and she tends to draw the eye of the viewer towards her protuberant assets [lovingly and carefully depicted by artist Will Elder] . Despite appearances, Annie is a regular, fun-loving girl-next-door, with a solid sense of what is proper. Annie is the epitome of the dumb ditzy blonde bombshell so beloved by American cinema. She is a little too easily led astray by friends, agents, movie directors and by predatory males: which means about every man, boy and ape she meets [and more than a few women] . As a result of these encounters, Annie usually loses whatever article of clothing she started up with and is running away to preserve her modesty [or she is ravished, in later issues]
Annie’s catchphrase: Leapin’ Lizards! is probably a reference to this almost automatic male reaction to ‘jump her bones’ the second they see her.
For me, most of the fun from reading the panels comes not from the predictable and randy mishaps of our pin-up heroine, but from the game of Where’s Wally? , trying to identify all the celebrities and cultural icons included in the extremely detailed crowd scenes painted by Elder.
As we follow Annie from the beaches at St Tropez to hippie communes, health spas, movie sets, hot tub retreats, disco clubs, cruise ships, TV evangelists, art galleries, underground newspapers, stand up comedy shows, beauty contests, the Pentagon, a KKK meeting, a neurosurgical convention, an NFL stadium and even outer space [?], we will come across everybody who was somebody, from the sixties, through the shabby seventies and into the fun loving eighties. Somehow, in all these places Annie visits, there will be an orgy later on, which our heroine tries very hard to escape from.
A comprehensive list of the celebrities Annie meets can probably be compiled only by the original editors and artists, but among my favourites were: Philip Roth [one of the few recurring characters, beside Big Daddy Money Bags], Woody Allen, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bobby Fisher, Silvester Stallone, the Godfather, the Star Wars robots, the Beatles, Leonard Nimoy, Iggy Pop, Phil Spector, Muhammad Ali, John Travolta, Liza Minelly, Sophia Loren, E.T. , the Muppets, Steven Spielberg, Luciano Pavarotti, Hulk Hogan, the Marx Brothers, the Rat Pack, Flash Gordon, Dick Tracy, the Mouse ...
... James Bond [Sean Connery], Flash Gordon, Big Kahuna, Bob Dylan, Federico Fellini, the Kennedys, Herbert Hoover, Ralph Nader, Henry Kissinger, Malcolm X, Walter Kronkite ... and on and on and on.
>>><<<>>><<<
To be honest, the quality of the scripts dropped rather sharply in the later issues, and I thought the comic strip, like so many TV soap operas, had run a bit longer than the inspiration of its writers. Or maybe it was my own saturation at the repetitive nature of Annie’s troubles, but I think it was a good run while it lasted.
This Exploits Women
That’s right, Sherlock!
What did you expect from Playboy magazine? Political correctness?
... or “Leapin’ Lizards” ?
I went in with really low expectations, but I was constantly surprised by the sharpness of the pen of Harvey Kurtzman, a name that should have been familiar to me as the creator of the spoof magazine MAD. Kurtzman was probably given free run for parody and social commentary by his boss Hugh Hefner, and I must say that reading the full run of this comedy strip about stripping is like an irreverent and critical history lesson covering more than two decades of popular culture, 1962 to 1988, with a lot of gratuitous nudity thrown in.
‘The perfect foil for spoofing contemporary society, Annie has scaled the dizziest height of satire and slapstick, parody and pratfall ...’ claims Hugh Hefner on the blurb, as he unleashes Kurtzman’s sharp wit on guns, politics, drugs, violence, minority rights, fashions, fads, modern art, celebrities and more.
Little Annie Fanny is always the centrefold of these comic strips, although she’s not so little and she tends to draw the eye of the viewer towards her protuberant assets [lovingly and carefully depicted by artist Will Elder] . Despite appearances, Annie is a regular, fun-loving girl-next-door, with a solid sense of what is proper. Annie is the epitome of the dumb ditzy blonde bombshell so beloved by American cinema. She is a little too easily led astray by friends, agents, movie directors and by predatory males: which means about every man, boy and ape she meets [and more than a few women] . As a result of these encounters, Annie usually loses whatever article of clothing she started up with and is running away to preserve her modesty [or she is ravished, in later issues]
Annie’s catchphrase: Leapin’ Lizards! is probably a reference to this almost automatic male reaction to ‘jump her bones’ the second they see her.
For me, most of the fun from reading the panels comes not from the predictable and randy mishaps of our pin-up heroine, but from the game of Where’s Wally? , trying to identify all the celebrities and cultural icons included in the extremely detailed crowd scenes painted by Elder.
As we follow Annie from the beaches at St Tropez to hippie communes, health spas, movie sets, hot tub retreats, disco clubs, cruise ships, TV evangelists, art galleries, underground newspapers, stand up comedy shows, beauty contests, the Pentagon, a KKK meeting, a neurosurgical convention, an NFL stadium and even outer space [?], we will come across everybody who was somebody, from the sixties, through the shabby seventies and into the fun loving eighties. Somehow, in all these places Annie visits, there will be an orgy later on, which our heroine tries very hard to escape from.
A comprehensive list of the celebrities Annie meets can probably be compiled only by the original editors and artists, but among my favourites were: Philip Roth [one of the few recurring characters, beside Big Daddy Money Bags], Woody Allen, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Bobby Fisher, Silvester Stallone, the Godfather, the Star Wars robots, the Beatles, Leonard Nimoy, Iggy Pop, Phil Spector, Muhammad Ali, John Travolta, Liza Minelly, Sophia Loren, E.T. , the Muppets, Steven Spielberg, Luciano Pavarotti, Hulk Hogan, the Marx Brothers, the Rat Pack, Flash Gordon, Dick Tracy, the Mouse ...
... James Bond [Sean Connery], Flash Gordon, Big Kahuna, Bob Dylan, Federico Fellini, the Kennedys, Herbert Hoover, Ralph Nader, Henry Kissinger, Malcolm X, Walter Kronkite ... and on and on and on.
>>><<<>>><<<
To be honest, the quality of the scripts dropped rather sharply in the later issues, and I thought the comic strip, like so many TV soap operas, had run a bit longer than the inspiration of its writers. Or maybe it was my own saturation at the repetitive nature of Annie’s troubles, but I think it was a good run while it lasted.
August 10, 2012
I was so excited to find this in the graphic novels area of the library because I have only caught a few glimpses of the Annie Fanny strip. In addition to presenting a comic collection, Elder also provides endnotes to each comic, which often reveal nuances those of us not well-versed in the era might miss. The art is incredible! But the characters are too. Elder leaves the true story of Annie's genesis until the very end, after all the comics, which seems right because it's so much more fun getting to know Annie as a reader would. Inherently good, blithely innocent, Annie Fanny is the wholesome American girl. Elder also creates a more level-headed foil in her roommate, Ruthie, but the character I love the most has to be Wanda Homefree. Wanda is a wild, crazy, nudist, nonconformist girl who loves causing trouble. And she looks like me too with the dark hair and the glasses! (Okay, not the breasts, I wish!) As for Annie's beaus, it's a close tie between Ralphie and SugarDaddy BigBucks though the former is far more interesting than the latter, who mostly works as a deus ex machina. Last but not least, Little Annie Fanny provides sound social commentary for its era, far beyond the simple expectations one might have regarding Playboy, as demonstrated by one of the strangest episodes in this collection "Annie Under the Sheets" where Annie and Wanda Homefree accidentally attend a Klan initiation ceremony. Definitely worth reading, but make sure you have enough time for each episode! These comics are incredibly dense, full of hidden jokes in the background.
May 24, 2019
Used to read Little Annie Fanny in my dad's Playboys. Came across this volume years later and had good memories of sneaking around at the parents' house! :) Oh, and yes, the stories are funny, tongue-in-cheek and the artwork is fab. I need to get another copy!
February 16, 2019
Being an avid reader of Playboy over the years, I always enjoyed this cartoon. Excellent collection and reproduction.
Want to read
February 1, 2020Hmmm
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 12, 2017
I stopped reading after the one where malcolm x is a naszi supplied by a white rich guy :/
October 3, 2011
Thought I'd give this a shot and I really liked it! The art and coloring is amazing, and the political satire is hysterical! Its funny looking at the costumes and even a some of the hair styles as they are what is in fashion now a days. Its true that styles come back around!
February 11, 2008
Collecting the classic "Annie Fannie" strips from Playboy magazine, this book is awesome. If you're looking for great satire in a sexy outfit, shop no further.
May 2, 2013
A bold fresh piece of sixties culture . . .
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews