Little Lulu, Volume 5: Lulu Takes a Trip

Little Lulu: Graphic Novels

by John Stanley, Irving Tripp

Dark Horse is tempted to call Little Lulu the "comeback comic" of the year, but truth be told, Lulu's been a treasured part of the entertainment canon for years! Dark Horse Books is proudly presenting the complete library of classic Marge's Little Lulu comics in a reader-friendly series of affordable paperback volumes. A rascally but good-hearted seven-year-old with an endless supply of sass, oodles of smarts, and a wild imagination, Lulu is truly one of a kind.

Genres: Graphic Novels, Fiction, Comics

200 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

John Stanley was a comic book creator, best known for his scripting of Little Lulu's comic book exploits from 1945 to approximately 1959. While mostly known for his scripting, Stanley also was an accomplished artist who drew many of his stories, including the earliest issues of Lulu. His specialty was humorous stories, both with licensed characters and those of his own creation. His writing style has been described as employing "colorful, S. J. Perelman-ish language and a decidedly bizarre, macabre wit (reminiscent of writer Roald Dahl)" with storylines that "were cohesive and tightly constructed, with nary a loose thread in the plot". Cartoonist Fred Hembeck has dubbed him "for my money, the most consistently funny cartoonist to work in the comic book medium".

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

Reviews

[Lagobond · Rating 1 out of 5]

Terribly sexist and mean-spirited. Some books manage to age gracefully, managing to feel of a different time without feeling outdated. I can't say that for Little Lulu. Instead, here we get a bunch of run-of-the-mill 1940s/50s characters and storylines that evoke not the "good old days," but rather all the stuff I'm glad we've left behind, or are at least trying to leave behind. Stuff like Last one in is a sissy! and Girls can't play fair!. There are beauty contests for girls, spankings for misbehaving children... ugh make it stop.

[Heidi Burkhart · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had to borrow this volume since I was a big fan of Little Lulu comics as a child. Though it was very nostalgic it reminded me of some unpleasant things about these comics. Physical violence was present and common, playing tricks or telling stories about people or things was within an acceptable range, and no one seemed to think that there was a problem with calling the heavy boy "Tubby."

I am glad that I borrowed the collection, but almost stopped reading it less than half way though. I was glad I finished the book because it reminded me of popular humor in the 50's although I am glad that people are usually more sensitive nowadays.

[Ashwitha · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a huge fan of the TV show, this book was utterly enjoyable. Lulu is a wonderfully realised character, who is both kind and resourceful as well as being entirely unwilling to accept the (often discriminatory) rules of behaviour for little girls. The stories are funny, clever, and sweet without being saccharine. Great stuff!