Hagar, Beetle, Simon And Kirby

I’m pleased that Titan Books has compiled two of my all-time favorite comic strips into two hardbound collections with selections from the strips printed in the 1960s and 1970s. In my opinion both of those decades saw some of the finest comic strip work in the history of the medium.


Hagar The Horrible: The Epic Chronicles: Dailies 1974 To 1975 presents the hairy barbarian and his family and friends in some of the most outrageous adventures and mishaps of his long comic strip life. Hagar creator Dik Browne was at the top of his game and it showed in his crisp art, witty banter and hilarious physical hi-jinx.


Simplicity was the key to Hagar’s success. Dik Browne, along with his wife and kids, whittled Hagar down to its essence. There were no wasted lines, no unnecessary words-just simple, to-the-point humor that thousands of Hagar fans giggled and guffawed to each day.


Fellow artist and friend Mort Walker had had a similar success to Browne years earlier when he thrust upon the unsuspecting world the Army Private with the knack for getting into trouble and never getting enough sleep: Beetle Bailey.


A career military man, Beetle never seemed to advance in any area and yet he always managed to tick off his long-suffering sergeant, confused and confounded his officers and amused and bemused his friends and colleagues.


In Beetle Bailey: 1965 Daily & Sunday Strips readers will witness Beetle at the height of his popularity. Whether it's avoiding work, sleeping every opportunity he gets, confusing and sergeant or generally making a mess of things few Privates can claim the honor of being “the laziest private in this man’s Army.


Joe Simon and Jack Kirby were without a doubt the most influential and creative comic book writer and artist of their time. During the Golden Age of comic books, both men as a team redefined comics, introduced whole new genres and produced some of the best written and drawn comics during that era.


Their influence can seen even today. No other creative team (except possibly Stan Lee and Jack Kirby) has ever had such an impact on the comic book industry as they did. They set the standard that writers and artists sought to obtain.


Simon & Kirby Superheroes from Titan Books contains all of the non-DC and Marvel superhero stories created by Simon and Kirby during the Golden Age of comic books.


Full color stories, lovingly restored and refurbished, recall the adventures of The Black Owl, Stuntman, The Vagabond Prince, Captain 3-D, Fighting American (my favorite), The Double Life OF Private Strong and The Adventures Of The Fly.


Neil Gaiman provides the Introduction and Jim Simon the Foreword for this impressive reprint collection from one of the most influential and creative teams in comic books.