The Complete Johnny Comet: Vanguard Frazetta Classics series Vol 1 [Hardcover]

This is a beautiful volume with excellent reproduction of the original strips with the Sunday strips in color. Many individual strips that were not available to be included in earlier collections are included here for the first time. Still, it is disappointing that some Sunday artwork included in the earlier Eclipse Books collection is not included in this volume!

Other reviews that state this is complete are incorrect. For example, compare the Sunday strip on page 192 of this volume with the same strip reprinted on page 182 of the Eclipse Books Johnny Comet(1991). You will see that the same strip in the Eclipse books volume has additional artwork on the first column that is not included in this book. Same thing for page 197 (Eclipse p. 187), page 204 (Eclipse p. 194), and page 208 (Eclipse p. 198).

Many Sunday newspaper strips are designed with panel artwork on the first of three columns that can be left out optionally by newspapers for space constraints. On Johnny Comet, the complete version of the Sunday strip always has the name logo as the first panel with one or two additional panels in the first column. Newspapers that printed the shortened version included only the second and third lines of artwork, or included generic artwork on the first of the three columns of panels. The incomplete Sunday strips in this collection also have the first panel with the name logo, with the second panel consisting of a portrait of the male and female lead characters, and the third panel a drawing of a racecar. I know that Frazetta created original story panels with artwork for the top column on these strips because some of the same strips are printed with that original artwork complete in the Eclipse Books reprint. Those readers who want an almost complete version of this strip will want to keep the Eclipse Books volume along with this book. This is a beautiful book but it could have been better (and more complete) with a little more effort. I would be very happy if these omissions are corrected in a second printing.

This is a beautiful volume with excellent reproduction of the original strips with the Sunday strips in color. Many individual strips that were not available to be included in earlier collections are included here for the first time. Still, it is disappointing that some Sunday artwork included in the earlier Eclipse Books collection is not included in this volume!

Other reviews that state this is complete are incorrect. For example, compare the Sunday strip on page 192 of this volume with the same strip reprinted on page 182 of the Eclipse Books Johnny Comet(1991). You will see that the same strip in the Eclipse books volume has additional artwork on the first column that is not included in this book. Same thing for page 197 (Eclipse p. 187), page 204 (Eclipse p. 194), and page 208 (Eclipse p. 1998).

Many Sunday newspaper strips are designed with panel artwork on the first of three columns that can be left out optionally by newspapers for space constraints. On Johnny Comet, the complete version of the Sunday strip always has the name logo as the first panel with one or two additional panels in the first column. Newspapers that printed the shortened version included only the second and third lines of artwork, or included generic artwork on the first of the three columns of panels. The incomplete Sunday strips in this collection also have the first panel with the name logo, with the second panel consisting of a portrait of the male and female lead characters, and the third panel a drawing of a racecar. I know that Frazetta created original story panels with artwork for the top column on these strips because some of the same strips are printed with that original artwork complete in the Eclipse Books reprint. Those readers who want an almost complete version of this strip will want to keep the Eclipse Books volume along with this book. This is a beautiful book but it could have been better (and more complete) with a little more effort. I would be very happy if these omissions are corrected in a second printing.

I was so glad to get to be able to read all the Johnny Comet newspaper comic strips in this volume, which I don't think had ever appeared before. Frazetta's pencils and brush-strokes are just awe-inspiring. A lot of love and rendering went into every panel. Altho it has not been noted before, if you look close at the captions you will see that Frazetta casually rendered all the lettering with a blunt-tip pen, making it simple, but effective and elegant, calligraphy. Of immense value also are the color Sunday strips in the back. Nice, big, hardback edition on slick paper. You might want to ask Amazon to protect the book on all sides rather than just throw it in a box with a bubble pack, because my copy came with one corner damaged, and two pages inside were subsequently torn. Of little value is the self-aggrandizing editorial: the publisher is justified in taking considerable pride in himself for many of his artbooks, but an introduction detailing what good friends he was with the artist (and other artists) seeems a bit beside the point. I would have appreciated more information on who provided the color strips and how they were reproduced. Or even some notes on the creative process: did Frazetta plot and then draw the strips to be later dialogued by the scripter, or did he start with a script or outline from the writer? Of much greater value is William Stout's article (in the middle of the book?) detailing much of Frazetta's history. This book is highly recommended for Frazetta fans.