Gus Arriola (1917–2008)

Few Strips

I enjoy comic strips, especially ones that have art as beautiful as Gus Arriola's "Gordo." This book gives an extensive biography of Arriola, along with extensive commentary by the biographer, Robert Harvey. Once I got past Harvey's writing, I enjoyed the book. Unfortunately, there are very few strips reprinted in the book. Harvey merely samples "Gordo" strips, putting his unnecesary commentaries in the margins, inbetween pages of prose. I think most people, like me, would prefer show more to have just a collection of the strips, so that we can enjoy Arriola's wonderful work without the "help" of a commentator. show less

"Gordo" is the only comic strip I can think of that is set in Mexico, and centers around the title character, a genial sort of ne'er-do-well, and the various critters in his life. This book focuses on his cat, Poosy Gato. This is a nice, funny strip punctuated by the animals' observances of human foibles, with added interest for its Mexican locale, and a nice easy style.

Another good collection of "Gordo", this one nearly earning an extra point because it consists entirely of Sunday pages, in nice color. This book, as the title suggests, centers around the critters in Gordo's world. I am quite fond of it.