The Library of American Comics proudly presents a long-neglected classic
- King Aroo! Lauded by critics in the pantheon of great strips such
as Krazy Kat, Pogo, and Barnaby, Jack Kent's brilliantly
conceived world brought smiles to young and old alike with its fanciful array of
clever puns, visual humor, and good old slapstick. The postage-stamp-sized
kingdom of Myopia is presided over by kindly King Aroo and his faithful (if
sometimes prickly) retainer, Yupyop. The King turns to Professor Yorgle for
wisdom, Wanda Witch for magic spells, the kangaroo mailman, Mr. Pennipost, for
news from far and wide...and looks for love from the Beautiful Princess From the
Kingdom Next Door.
Volume One celebrates the strip's 60th anniversary by presenting every daily
and Sunday strip from the beginning in 1950 through 1952, reproduced from
original artwork and syndicate proofs from the Jack Kent Estate. The series is
edited and designed by Eisner Award-winner, Dean Mullaney, with an illuminating
biographical text feature by Bruce Canwell, and an introduction by Sergio
Aragones.
-The Library of American
Comics is the world's #1 publisher of classic newspaper comic strips, with 14
Eisner Award nominations and three wins for best book. LOAC has become "the gold
standard for archival comic strip reprints...The research and articles provide
insight and context, and most importantly the glorious reproduction of the
material has preserved these strips for those who knew them and offers a new
gateway to adventure for those discovering them for the first time." -
Scoop
Author Biography
Jack Kent (1920-1985) was born in Burlington, Iowa, but spent most of his life in San Antonio, Texas. His first cartoons appeared in San Antonio newspapers, and he briefly apprenticed with Elmer Woggon on Big Chief Wahoobefore launching King Aroo in 1950. When the King abdicated in 1965, Jack Kent went on to become one of America's most beloved children's book illustrators. He wrote and illustrated over forty children's books and illustrated nearly twenty by other authors.
