Dana Jennings wrote about the surge in reprints of vintage comic strips in the Books section of January 9 issue of the New York Times, and made the argument for preserving the childhood ritual of reading the Sunday funnies.
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Many of the strips and artists mentioned in Jennings's piece are featured in Swann's upcoming auction of 20th Century Illustration.
There's Little Nemo creator Winsor McCay's pen and ink The Last Day of Manhattan, a preliminary drawing illustrating a story in the New York Herald from February 26, 1905.
Capturing all the surreal hijinks George Herriman was known for is a 1933 watercolor in which Krazy Katgazes at an enormous brick in the distance with a thought balloon reading, "If only Ignatz could handle one that size... ooy..." while behind his back Ignatz is preparing to hurl a brick at him, and Offisa Bull Pupp watches from nearby.
For fans of what Jennings describes as the "pulpy adventure" found in Milton Caniff's Terry and the Pirates, there's a hand-colored proof of Terry with pals Pat Ryan and Connie from 1936.
There's also a group lot containing drawings and autographs by prominent cartoonists of the Depression era, including Harold Knerr (Katzenjammer Kids), J. Carver Pusey (Benny), C.D. Small (Salesman Sam), Frank Owen (Philbert) and Frank O. King (Gasoline Alley).
And, the enduring appeal of Charles M. Schulz's lovable underdog Charlie Brown is evident in an original four-panel Peanuts comic strip in pen and ink from 1956 that features Charlie with Lucy van Pelt.