Mort Walker (1923–2018)

I love "best of" comic collections. This one is a treat. I was just hoping to read some Beetle Bailey comics but Mort Walker went above the call of duty and did the entire history (Gizmo is not featured) of the comic. It is fascinating. I loved the text as much as I loved the chapters. NOTE: Their are no page numbers in my copy because of a reprint. A book mark may be necessary to keep your spot.

Just plain fun. Walker, who drew Beetle Bailey, developed whimsical names for various components of cartooning: squeans, etc. Delightful read

My impression of Beetle Bailey was formed by the comic strips I read in the newspaper. It was kind of dull, with the same jokes repeated over and over and it was a bit sexist, though not in a mean way. I have a few collections in my library, but I never understood why artists cited Mort Walker as a strong influence.

All that changed when I read this book. Here is a sharper, more insightful comic. These strips comment on society and provide a window into another time period. The art is crisper show more with a sharper line and less roundness. Here are the first instances of those old jokes and they're funnier in the first version. The sexism is in the context of the times and seems both more notable and less annoying.

This collection made it clear to me why Mort Walker inspired other artists, and gave me an appreciation for his art, and an insight into one slice of American culture in the early 1950s. show less

This is a book about doing newspaper cartoon strips from the point of view of a creator. Mr. Walker wrote & drew great strips (such as Beetle Bailey). Among other things, I love the dedication page. "If the stories in this book are not exactly told the way they happened, it's the way they should have happened if God had been a better gagwriter--or if I'd had a better memory."