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Walt and Skeezix #1

Walt & Skeezix. 1921 & 1922.

frank king chris ware jeet heer chris oliveros

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Walt & Skeezix is the first-ever collection of the classic twentieth-century newspaper strip Gasoline Alley, and Book One is the beginning of a handsome multivolume series edited and designed by comics virtuoso Chris Ware

Chris Ware has often cited Gasoline Alley as one of his favorite comic strips ever, and he has lovingly edited and designed Walt & Skeezix: Book One, the first-ever collection of the classic newspaper strip created by one of the pioneering giants of American comic strips, Frank King. Not only does this volume reprint the first two years of the strip in which King’s friendly and nostalgic imagination took shape but each book in the series features an eighty-page color introduction by Jeet Heer of Canada’s National Post. Each introduction will also feature never-before-seen archival photos and ephemera from the personal collection of King’s granddaughter. Walt & Skeezix is not just a collection of a classic comic strip—it is the story of a great American cartoonist.

Few cartoon strips have this kind of longevity and quality; Gasoline Alley has been with us since 1919 and is a gentle mirror held up to ordinary American life in the early twentieth century. It started as a mild satire on the post-WWI “craze” for cars, but it wasn’t long before it developed into a quirky family story attracting an audience of more than thirty million readers in four hundred–plus newspapers. Gasoline Alley, an affectionate portrait of modern living, is remembered for being the first strip to set itself in contemporary American history. The characters of Gasoline Alley grow up, go to war, and have grandchildren. The strip always reflects the kind, sweet pace of life.

398 pages, Hardcover

First published June 15,2005
Series
Walt and Skeezix

This edition

Format
398 pages, Hardcover
Published
June 15, 2005 by Drawn and Quarterly
ISBN
9781896597645
ASIN
1896597645
Language
English

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About the author

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frank king

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One of the pioneering giants of American comic strips, Frank King was born in Cashton, Wisconsin in 1883. He joined the staff of the Chicago Tribune in 1909, a newspaper which was known for aggressively developing comics to build circulation. Almost from the start of his career, King's cartoons were frequently featured on the front page of the Tribune. After creating a string of minor hits, he made his lasting mark in 1919 by creating Gasoline Alley, which became one of the most widely syndicated and read strips in North America until King's death in 1969. He spent most of his life in Chicago and Florida.

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Community Reviews

Rating(3.8 / 5.0, 23 votes)
5 stars
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7(30%)
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10(43%)
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23 reviews All reviews
Profile Image for Kimberly .
Kaoolp
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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This was surprisingly more enjoyable than I thought a 1920's daily comic would be. The stories, I would guess, deal more with the basic human emotions, but also touch on the sentiment of the time.

I would recommend this as something to have on hand at work for lunch breaks.
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ScarlettSkone
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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If you ever wanted to read a cartoon full of archaic automobile jokes, a running gag where the lead is glad he’s single, child raising, a skinflint doctor, and what passed for dating in 1920, then this is for you! That said, apart from the unfortunate way King draws black people, this is a quaint and charming old comic strip.
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ST4RRRRRR
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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The second and third years of the comic strip GASOLINE ALLEY do not live up to the hype. The strips reprinted in this book are certainly pleasant, but King's reputation for design is not on display in these daily strips and the storylines meander. There is a lot of heart on display, but with little emotional impact. I shall read the next volume, for it seems likely that the strip will grow into its vaunted reputation with age.
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iamdopeuarenope
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Such a moving story, wonderfully drawn and written. If Chris Ware hadn't saved this old comic strip from oblivion, my reading life would have been so much the poorer.
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OtakuGirrl
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Misschien wel de mooiste, leukste en ontroerendste comic die ik ooit las. Eerste deel - 1920 en 1921 gebundeld - van een groot en groots project van topuitgeverij Drawn and Quarterly. Gekocht in de ramsj van de winkel STRIP in Gent - de eenvoud. Volgende delen zien liggen wachten in de schatkamer van Senor Hernandez. Was ik alvast maar jarig...
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cirruspalace
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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I had never read any actual Gasoline Alley before, just the Mad parody by Kurtzman and Elder, so this was something of a revelation. Even gestationally, it is a fascinating strip. It begins more or less as a gag strip with recurring characters, but even in its earliest form, the gags are often subdued, more wry slice of life observations than typical comics humour, and sometimes, there isn't really even a gag at all. It bgins to acquire narrative coherence and development with the introduction of the foundling baby Skeezix (the origin of the name being a puzzle to me, even from the character's inroduction; I mean, really, Skeezix?) on Walt's doorstep. This leads initially to a lot of humour about a man assuming a primary caregiver role--definitely an oddity in the 1920s--and becoming as proud a papa as any mother could be, as well as to a lot of humour about Walt treating Skeezix more or less like a car. Some longer narrative arcs and potential melodrama begin to develop late in the second year, as it becomes evident that the mystery of Skeezix's origins will eventually be explored, but we don't get there this volume. That I find myself rather keen to dig up volume two and continue the story is a testament to its quiet and subtle charms. King has a remarkable facility with character and with insight. Probably a must-read for any serious comics fan.
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vontroxell
★ ★ ★ ★ ★
April 26,2025
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Had to read this for a US History class. I enjoyed it until I had to use it to write an essay.
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