Pogo's Will Be That Was (Fireside Book)

Rating:
Summary: 2 Books in One
Review: It's unfortunate that Fireside no longer publishes "Pogo" books. This book is actually two books: "G.O. Fizzickle Pogo" and "Positively Pogo". For those who don't know, "Pogo" is an animal-only comic strip with very well drawn artwork with good humor and stories to boot. Walt Kelly does his strip like a river as it meanders down stream. Sometimes the strip will follow a couple of storylines but often those stories get merged back together. Set in the deep south, there are lots of interesting characters here which make this strip a lot of fun.

"Positively Pogo" are comic strips from around 1954 first published in newspapers. This part starts with the start of the television media with various characters doing things to break into commercials and shows. The strip then meanders into a plan by Churchy (the turtle) to make money by making money. We have a long appearance by a non-regular character (in the form of a pig) which just happens to look like a certain Soviet leader of the time (part of Kelly's political humor). The book then ends with the Olympics in Australia.

"G.O. Fizzickle Pogo" contains strips from around 1956. This book starts with the announcement of the International Geophysical Year which is 18 months long. After a while, we are introduced to "the flea" who loves the dog character Beauregard. Upon being rejected, Howland Owl puts a plan into motion to launch the flea into space (in light of the Sputnik launch). This leads to a long stretch where Albert decides to defend the moon from strangers (egro the Soviets) landing there. The book then continues into a discussion on the then new Suez Canal with some of the characters deciding to build their own canal. The book ends with the removal of a "demon" from Albert.

Unlike later Pogo strips, this book is lighter on the political strips (they are there, just not as in your face) which makes these better in my opinion. As to this book, it would have been nice if the two books could have been sequencial (meaning the strips in book two pick up immediately where book one ended) but I don't know if the strips in between were ever published in book form. Worth having if you like good, classic comic strips.