WALT & SKEEZIX HC (2025)

"Edited and designed by award-winning comics virtuoso Chris Ware, this is the exciting inaugural title in a multi-volume series, reprinting the first two years of Walt & Skeezix. One of the pioneering giants of American comic strips, Frank King made his lasting mark by creating this iconic comic, which became one of the most widely syndicated and popular strips in North America until King's death in 1969."

"Second volume from the critically acclaimed archival collection of Frank King's classic comic strip Walt and Skeezix: Book Two collects the Gasoline Alley strips by the great American cartoonist Frank King from 1923 to 1924. King was the first cartoonist to have his characters age in real time and have modern story lines, a landmark conception for comic strips in the early twentieth century. Designed by Chris Ware, with a new eighty-page introduction by journalist Jeet Heer. An essential companion to the new Walt Before Skeezix volume, offered here."

"Third volume from the critically acclaimed archival collection of Frank King's classic comic strip In this third volume of the much-praised Walt and Skeezix reprint series, the domestic side of Gasoline Alley receives full play. An old flame comes to visit Walt, with an eye toward marriage. Meanwhile, Walt pines for Mrs. Blossom, the neighborhood widow. Out of these entanglements, a long engagement and wedding ensue. The eighty-page introduction features many private photographs of the cartoonist Frank King and his family and delves into the marketing of Gasoline Alley in the 1920s and 1930s, with many dolls and toys taken from the personal collection of Chris Ware, the series editor and award-winning cartoonist. An essential companion to the new Walt Before Skeezix volume, offered here."

"Third volume from the critically acclaimed archival collection of Frank King's classic comic strip In this fourth volume of Walt and Skeezix, the newly married Walt Wallet settles into domestic life with his wife, Phyllis, and their adopted son, Skeezix, but their family bliss is soon disrupted by a man who claims to be Skeezix's natural father. A long custody battle erupts, raising questions as to the importance of blood ties compared to a loving environment. Lavishly illustrated with Frank King's family photos, the book is elegantly designed by Chris Ware. An essential companion to the previous Walt and Skeezix volumes, offered again here."

"In volume 5 of the ongoing series, the Wallets and their friends continue their daily rounds: Uncle Walt and his friends play the stock market, a risky proposition on the eve of Depression. Award-winning cartoonist and designer Chris Ware adds a special treat to the volume: a DVD which shows select scenes from Frank King's home movies of the 1920s. Augmenting the already impressive photographs that have accompanied this classic comic strip reprint series, the DVD demonstrates King's protean artistic talent and the links between his own family life and that of his beloved cartoon characters."

"The Gasoline Alley gang enters a new decade with this volume: Skeezix moves from childhood to early adolescence and the high spirits of the 1920s give way to the Great Depression of the 1930s. Walt and Phyllis Wallet travel to England, an extended tour that echoes the real life journey taken by cartoonist Frank King and his family in the late 1920s. While his parents are away, Skeezix tries to solve the mystery of an arsonist. Now entering his teens, Skeezix comes to the fore of the strip as an adventurous boy surrounded by a gang of like-minded pals, and Gasoline Alley becomes an influential pillar of teenage-culture."

"The Depression grinds into its fourth year. Against this setting, a con artist sets up a storefront in town for Continental Corncob, a fictitious company established to dupe would-be investors. Somehow Walt Wallet and the Gasoline Alley gang are roped into the scheme, with the promise that they could earn steep returns if they purchase shares in the allegedly thriving company. Edited and designed by Chris Ware and featuring an introduction by comics historian Jeet Heer, this volume also includes never-beforeseen photographs and rare archival documents from the private collection of the King family."