Comments on: Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend http://www.cartoonbrew.com/books/dreams-of-the-rarebit-fiend.html Tue, 14 Feb 2012 22:51:32 -0800 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.9.2 hourly 1 By: Mark Kausler http://www.cartoonbrew.com/books/dreams-of-the-rarebit-fiend.html/comment-page-1#comment-17730 Mark Kausler Mon, 23 Jul 2007 23:33:52 +0000 http://www.cartoonbrew.com/books/dreams-of-the-rarebit-fiend#comment-17730 Hi folks, word-eating time! Jerry just showed me his copy of the Merkl Rarebit Fiend omnibus, and he is certainly blameless in his praise! It is a beautiful volume, heavy as a barbell, full of great reproductions of all the Rarebit strips (I assume) and comparison pages showing how Rarebit influenced pictures like "King Kong" and "Mary Poppins". It really has to be seen to be appreciated. I'm sorry I criticized it, but it's definitely worth the money. Will I get it? Still don't know, but you should! Hi folks, word-eating time! Jerry just showed me his copy of the Merkl
Rarebit Fiend omnibus, and he is certainly blameless in his praise! It is a beautiful volume, heavy as a barbell, full of great reproductions of all the Rarebit strips (I assume) and comparison pages showing how Rarebit influenced pictures like “King Kong” and “Mary Poppins”. It really has to be seen to be appreciated. I’m sorry I criticized it, but it’s definitely worth the money. Will I get it? Still don’t know, but you should!
]]> By: the world of next tuesday http://www.cartoonbrew.com/books/dreams-of-the-rarebit-fiend.html/comment-page-1#comment-16642 the world of next tuesday Wed, 18 Jul 2007 09:22:12 +0000 http://www.cartoonbrew.com/books/dreams-of-the-rarebit-fiend#comment-16642 Regarding what Hank said. Actually the Dover collection reprints a bound reprint collection of just 57 or so strips first published in 1905. It's still available from Amazon.com, etc.. Checker, by the way, fully reprinted the same content including the omitted canibalism strip in their "Early Works vol. 1". The strip as a whole ran much longer (1904-1911 plus later quasi continuations/spinoffs for different papers with diferent names in later years) and in a number of different page formats including a few in color. There is something to be said about Checker reprinting a lot of the material over various volumes. They did recently publish 182 pages of the horizontal format strips in "Dream of the Rarebit Fiend - the Saturdays". It's reasonably though not expertly cleaned up and quite affordable in their paperback edition. I believe it reprints some material they themselves published in smaller poorer quality format recently plus some material they didn't compile before. For numerous reasons Checker's presentation leaves much to be desired but it's one of those "better than not being republished at all" sorts of things. I've not seen this far bigger and more expensive book yet. I will probably get it when I have the money since it must certainly be far better than the "better than not being republished at all" quality of the Checker compilations. Oh, and while more related to Edwin Porter's live action 1906 film short - http://youtube.com/watch?v=TF7dex_5AZA (with a borrowed and rather out of period Warner Bros. score) than to McCays own animated versions, http://youtube.com/watch?v=0TgOpwuJA1k http://youtube.com/watch?v=m50utmLZoi4 some years back I participated on a live action student adaptation of several Rarebit strips now stuck up on youtube. http://youtube.com/watch?v=2CvK5MOq3yg Regarding what Hank said. Actually the Dover collection reprints a bound reprint collection of just 57 or so strips first published in 1905. It’s still available from Amazon.com, etc.. Checker, by the way, fully reprinted the same content including the omitted canibalism strip in their “Early Works vol. 1″.

The strip as a whole ran much longer (1904-1911 plus later quasi continuations/spinoffs for different papers with diferent names in later years) and in a number of different page formats including a few in color.

There is something to be said about Checker reprinting a lot of the material over various volumes. They did recently publish 182 pages of the horizontal format strips in “Dream of the Rarebit Fiend – the Saturdays”. It’s reasonably though not expertly cleaned up and quite affordable in their paperback edition. I believe it reprints some material they themselves published in smaller poorer quality format recently plus some material they didn’t compile before. For numerous reasons Checker’s presentation leaves much to be desired but it’s one of those “better than not being republished at all” sorts of things. I’ve not seen this far bigger and more expensive book yet. I will probably get it when I have the money since it must certainly be far better than the “better than not being republished at all” quality of the Checker compilations.

Oh, and while more related to Edwin Porter’s live action 1906 film short -
http://youtube.com/watch?v=TF7dex_5AZA
(with a borrowed and rather out of period Warner Bros. score) than to McCays own animated versions,
http://youtube.com/watch?v=0TgOpwuJA1k
http://youtube.com/watch?v=m50utmLZoi4
some years back I participated on a live action student adaptation of several Rarebit strips now stuck up on youtube.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=2CvK5MOq3yg

]]> By: Hank http://www.cartoonbrew.com/books/dreams-of-the-rarebit-fiend.html/comment-page-1#comment-16551 Hank Tue, 17 Jul 2007 23:44:52 +0000 http://www.cartoonbrew.com/books/dreams-of-the-rarebit-fiend#comment-16551 There was a Dover paperback collection of all but one McCay "Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend", published in the 1970's, that went for about five bucks. It might be available today on Ebay. The printed material is the same but the paper was just acid-sized bond. The omitted strip was cut by the publisher at the time because of alleged over-the-top racist content. There was a Dover paperback collection of all but one McCay “Dreams of the Rarebit Fiend”, published in the 1970’s, that went for about five bucks. It might be available today on Ebay. The printed material is the same but the paper was just acid-sized bond. The omitted strip was cut by the publisher at the time because of alleged over-the-top racist content.
]]> By: Mark Kausler http://www.cartoonbrew.com/books/dreams-of-the-rarebit-fiend.html/comment-page-1#comment-16502 Mark Kausler Tue, 17 Jul 2007 17:39:38 +0000 http://www.cartoonbrew.com/books/dreams-of-the-rarebit-fiend#comment-16502 It would be nice to have a copy, but I'll bet a lot of us collectors have already invested heavily in the Checker group reprints of McCay. I feel that spending money over and over for essentially the same material is a waste of resources. Not to disparage this volume, which I have not seen. This happens with comic strip reprints all the time, Dick Tracy for one. In the case of McCay strips, there are no fees for the reprinter to pay, all PD stuff. It would be nice to have a copy, but I’ll bet a lot of us collectors have already invested heavily in the Checker group reprints of McCay. I feel that spending money over and over for essentially the same material is a waste of resources. Not to disparage this volume, which I have not seen. This happens with comic strip reprints all the time, Dick Tracy for one. In the case of McCay strips, there are no fees for the reprinter to pay, all PD stuff.
]]> By: John Tebbel http://www.cartoonbrew.com/books/dreams-of-the-rarebit-fiend.html/comment-page-1#comment-16489 John Tebbel Tue, 17 Jul 2007 16:35:55 +0000 http://www.cartoonbrew.com/books/dreams-of-the-rarebit-fiend#comment-16489 To which I can only add that Little Nemo in Slumberland: So Many Splendid Sundays would enhance any collection. It's the best reprints I've yet seen of what many consider his Magnum yadda yadda. Second printing still available new (and used) at Amazon. [Insanely full disclosure: Many months ago, when said volume was first published, my beautiful wife, Martha Thomases, was employed to publicize that event. Being of weak mind (I like "Cathy"), my testimony on these products could be tainted pork; you decide.] To which I can only add that Little Nemo in Slumberland: So Many Splendid Sundays would enhance any collection. It’s the best reprints I’ve yet seen of what many consider his Magnum yadda yadda.

Second printing still available new (and used) at Amazon. [Insanely full disclosure: Many months ago, when said volume was first published, my beautiful wife, Martha Thomases, was employed to publicize that event. Being of weak mind (I like "Cathy"), my testimony on these products could be tainted pork; you decide.]

]]> By: Larry T http://www.cartoonbrew.com/books/dreams-of-the-rarebit-fiend.html/comment-page-1#comment-16462 Larry T Tue, 17 Jul 2007 14:10:35 +0000 http://www.cartoonbrew.com/books/dreams-of-the-rarebit-fiend#comment-16462 I agree- for anyone that's interested in masterful draughtsmanship, excellent storytelling, and completely mind-f**king (and almost horrific) storylines, this book is a must-have. I agree- for anyone that’s interested in masterful draughtsmanship, excellent storytelling, and completely mind-f**king (and almost horrific) storylines, this book is a must-have.
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