But wait, there’s more! It’s time for part two of With Further Ado’s Holiday Gift Guide. There’s so much good stuff out there, for you and for your loved ones. And hey, if your “loved ones” means your home office, that’s perfectly fine with me!
Nancy Wears Hats
by Ernie Busmiller
(Design by Kayla E.)
Ever since I was gifted part of the William G. Martin collection, I’ve been really into the comic strip Nancy. (Exhibit A is here, and exhibit B is here.) Mike Gold would tell you I was late to the party, and, as usual, he would be right. There’s an offbeat brilliance to Ernie Bushmiller’s work on Nancy. And like eating tortilla chips, the more you get the more you want.
This new Fantagraphics Books edition is smart and sassy. It’s not oversized and somehow that feels just right. I would even say there is a subtle rhythm to presenting this collection that the editor nailed. Most of the book consists of three strips to a page, but every now-and-again: Bam! A four panel strip is taking up a whole page. These make you pause and smirk all the harder.
This is the type of book that I’ll be eager to share with my cool, hip friends. But at the same time, I can’t wait to read it to my soon-to-be-visiting granddaughter, Lula. She’s only five, but she’s subversive and sneaky, so I think she’ll instantly “get Nancy”. Maybe better than I do.
Seriously, though, what a smart gift this would be your entire spectrum of friends.
And you know what? I can’t say it any better than the back cover copy, which extols us to “Experience random Acts of Nancy!”
Nancy Wears Hats
by: Ernie Bushmiller
Publisher: Fantagraphics Books
Softcover/TPB: 216 pages
ISBN-13: 979-8875001017
Arthur Ferrier’s Showgirl Sirens 1940-1949: Gals! Gags! Glamour! (Volume 1) (Pin-up Parade)
by Rian Hughes (Author), Arthur Ferrier (Illustrator)
Rian Hughes is brilliant in many ways: as a designer, as an entrepreneur, and increasingly as the guy who turns us all onto cool new things! A couple of years ago he wowed us all with his Rayguns & Rocketships book – celebrating the early days of UK Science Fiction illustration. I raved about that one here.
This year, he’s just released a new three-volume set (re?)introducing the world to a phenomenal illustrator: Arthur Ferrier.
Ferrier was born in Scotland and started his illustration career in the 1930s. He spent the next five decades providing pin-up art, full of whimsy and smiles, to an eager UK population. His art is upbeat and peppy. And while he became an expert and showcasing slender, leggy women, his art was never “the same’ and is always visually clever.
How best to describe Ferrier’s gorgeous art to modern audiences? If a comic fan could a imagine a mash up of Chris Samnee and Adam Hughes, with a bit Dave Stevens thrown in, they’d have it exactly.
Even though this is classified as “cheesecake art”, it holds up so well today. In the universe of Arthur Ferrier, it’s the woman who are in control. They are calm, patient and witty. They like to dress well and are always ready with a clever quip. In these cartoons, its generally the men who are the stumbling, bumbling buffoons. The single panel illustrations are certainly not “dumb blonde” gags.
In today’s world, so full of anxieties and fears, it’s a joy to be able to read a few Ferrier strips in one sitting. The reader is instantly transported to a time when people were poised, acerbically witty and extraordinarily patient. There’s a gentle humor to it all and a simple happiness that warms the heart.
Each book in this series is also stuffed with wonderful essays by Ferrier (and others) that extend the reading experience the ability to fans to learn more.
Another home run from Rian Hughes and Korero Press.
Arthur Ferrier’s Showgirl Sirens 1940-1949: Gals! Gags! Glamour! (Volume 1)
by: Arthur Ferrier (edited and collected by Rian Hughes)
Publisher: Korero Press
Hardcover: 320 Pages
ISBN-13: 978-1912740321
The Shadowed Circle Illustrated Holiday Classic Hardcover
Edited and published by Steve Donaso
This one is for a very narrow sliver of fandom: folks who love and collect The Shadow. There was a time, before TV, when “everyone” knew The Shadow from his hit radio show and his best selling pulp magazines. That was a long ago, but like the kids say, IYKYK.
Conde Naste, the group that now owns the IP, is publishing some dreadful Shadow novels right now. So…if you are a fan, a magazine like The Shadowed Circle is a welcome respite.
It’s full of fun articles and illustrations. It was started in 2021, and it’s really hitting its stride now. In fact, issue #8 has a fascinating article by author/expert, Will Murray, who makes a case that back in the day, the Shadow snuck into another pulp hero’s adventures!
If this one’s for you, or you have a Shadow fan in your life, you can order a copy online directly from www.theShadowedCircle.Com.
The Shadowed Circle #8
Edited by: Steve Donaso
Publisher: Resonance Arts Press
Print length: 74 pages
ISBN: 9798274151665
Next week : It’s Part #3, as we continue with another titanic installment of the With Further Ado Gift Guide!
