40: A Doonesbury Retrospective

Trudeau, G. B.

ISBN 10: 0740797352 ISBN 13: 9780740797354

Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing, 2010

Synopsis

Doonesburychronicles the adventures and lives of an array of characters of various ages, professions, and backgrounds, from the President of the United States to the title character, Michael Doonesbury, now a middle-aged, remarried father.

What began asBull Talesin the Yale Daily News in 1968 became Doonesbury when it debuted as a Universal Press Syndicatefeature in 1970. The strip followed the lives of college roommates B.D. and Mike Doonesbury from their first encounter through the intricate life turns they experience, along with the cadre of eccentric and engaging characters they encounter over the next forty years. Always political, relentlessly pointed, expertly drawn and written, Doonesburyis a classic in its own time, and this book commemorates that special place in cartoon history it holds.

About this title

Review

As one thumbs through the book - which Trudeau edited by culling more than 14,000 strips - it is near-impossible not to be struck anew by the weight of the comic's achievement in storytelling: Beyond the biting politics and topical commentary, "Doonesbury" at 40 reads like a novel told one poignant punch line at a time. As if by stringing together four decades of one-a-day calendars, the cumulative effect was Joyce.
-(Michael Cavna, The Washington Post)

This is the perfect gift for anyone who is half-decent in any way. How could anybody not want it? ... Mr. Trudeau has become perhaps our nation's most important real-time historian; playing a role in sanity-saving not unlike Jon Stewart but not only before his time, but for four straight decades...
-(Eric Alterman, The Nation, Altercation Gift-Giving Guide)

Doonesbury is certainly one of the greatest comic strips ever; as this collection proves, it's also one of the greatest pieces of serialized, topical fiction ever produced by an American.
-(Ken Tucker, Entertainment Weekly)

Massive Doonesbury Retrospective Worth It: 700-page 40th anniversary 'Doonesbury' retrospective well worth the investment If this one simply was an anthology, it probably still would be worth the three-digit retail price, but Trudeau's musings on his creation and the other cool extras put "40: A Doonesbury Retrospective" squarely into must-have territory.
-(Mike Householder, Associated Press)

."..Packs four decades of cartoonist Garry Trudeau's subversive genius into an oversize, 695-page hardcover. What else is guaranteed to make you think, feel nostalgic, and laugh out loud at least once a page?"?
-(Karen Holt, O Magazine)

Doonesbury has been loved and hated because it has candidly and often hilariously skewered social mores and politics. Thanks to a crew of lovable, dynamic if not always clearheaded characters, Doonesbury is still a vital part of the national discussion.
-(Dan Lybarger, Huffington Post)

Garry Trudeau s Doonesbury turns 40 this month. To call it satire is only half right. Doonesbury has taken on all the topics you d expect from Vietnam to Iraq, from drug use to gay marriage. But satire has a short shelf life. Doonesbury ? s big heart and moral compass are what give it staying power.
-(Cullen Murphy, Vanity Fair)

The sprawling cast of G.B. Trudeau's "Doonesbury" comic Mike, B.D., Boopsie, their friends and, increasingly, children have been the pen-and-ink Zeligs of the baby-boomer era and beyond. Four decades on, this volume has the heft and warmth of a favorite family album.
-(Time Magazine)

Trudeau has just kept improving, year after year, in part because he stays so close to changing events A great modern American history course could be taught using this volume of collected strips, stretching from Watergate to Afghanistan.
-(Garry Wills, The New York Review of Books)

Trudeau s creation, which started as a jokey commentary on campus life at Yale, has evolved into a sprawling masterwork with a cast of characters big enough to make Tolstoy wonder if he was trying hard enough.
-(John Schwartz, New York Times)

About the Author

G. B. Trudeau has been drawing his Pulitzer Prize-winning comic strip for more than forty years. In addition to cartooning, Trudeau has worked in theater, film, and television. He also has been a contributing columnist for the New York Times op-ed page and later an essayist for Time magazine. He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences. He lives in New York City with his wife, Jane Pauley. They have three grown children.
 

About this edition

• Publisher: Andrews McMeel Publishing
• Publication date: 2010
• ISBN 10: 0740797352
• ISBN 13: 9780740797354
• Binding: Product Bundle
• Number of pages: 696