Al Capp's Li'l Abner: The Frazetta Years 2: 1956-57

Al Capp's Li'l Abner: The Frazetta Years #2

by Al Capp, Frank Frazetta (Illustrator), Denis Kitchen (Editor)

A super-sexy Marilyn Monroe leads off Volume 2 - drawn as only Frank Frazetta could draw her! Monroe appears in all 12 panels of the first 1956 Sunday, setting the pace for the next two sizzling years. Highlights for Volume 2 include: Al Capp's legendary parody of busybody Mary Worm led Mary Worth creator Allan Saunders to reciprocate, casting Capp as a drunken and loutish cartoonist in his strip. The ruckus made a national scene, including Time magazine. Others skewered are gay pianist Liberace, bald actor Yul Brynner, voluptuous actress Jayne Mansfield, and actress-turned-princess Grace Kelly marrying the Prince of Monte Carload. Regular cast members with plot time include Evil Eye Fleeglem, Hairlessd Joe and Lonesome Polecat, Moonbeam McSwine, and uber-capitalist General Bullmoose. Contains an introduction and extensive annotations by Li'l Abner expert Denis Kitchen.

Genres: Comics

128 pages, Hardcover

First published November 19, 2003

About the author

Alfred Gerald Caplin (1909-1979), better known as Al Capp, was an American cartoonist and humorist. He is best known as the creator, writer and artist of the satirical comic strip Li'l Abner, which run for 43 years from 1934 to 1977.

Capp was born in 1909 in New Haven, Connecticut, of a poor family of East European Jewish heritage. His childhood was scared by a serious accident: after being run over by a trolley car, nine years old Alfred had his left leg partially amputated. This early trauma possibly had an impact on Capp's cynical humour, as later represented in his strips. His father, Otto Philip Caplin, a failed businessman and an amateur cartoonist, is credited for introducing Al and his two brothers to making comics.
After some training in art schools in New England, in 1932 Al Capp moved to New York with the intent of becoming a newspaper cartoonist. The same year he married Catherine Wingate Cameron. In the first couple of years of his career Capp worked as an assistant/ghost artist on Ham Fischer's strip 'Joe Palooka', while preparing to pitch his own comic strips to the newspaper syndicate.
His strip Li'l Abner was launched on Monday, August 13, 1934, in eight American newspapers to immediate success. The comic started as an hillibilly slapstick, then shifted over the year in the direction of satire, black humor and social commentary. The strip run until 1977, written and mostly drawn by Capp.
A lifelong chain smoker, All Capp died in 1979 from emphysema at his home in South Hampton, New Hampshire.

Reviews

[Michael P. · Rating 4 out of 5]

I complain that storylines in the LI'L ABNER daily strips are too repetitive and go on far to long. I complain that the storylines in the Sunday pages are too short, underdeveloped. Get a grip, Mike! I do praise the Sundays for ending storylines before they become tired and the relentless repetition of certain motifs from the dailies seldom mar these Sunday pages. Capp is just brilliant at coming up with character names. Frazetta's art would benefit from more closeups to vary the pace, but it benefits by lacking the stiffness of Capp's style. I can't complain too much when this book is so much fun.

[HeavyReader · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to Phil for sending me this book during my month stay in Harveyville, KS. This was my first experience with Li'l Abner. I feel more culturally American now.