I’m in a quandary. The 40: A Doonesbury Retrospective has been steeply discounted on Amazon ($58.50 compared to $100 normally)
. I like to buy the complete collections when they come out. I enjoy reading them all in one sitting rather than in the newspaper and I have to wait until the next day to get the next one. I’m kind of impatient when it comes to comics. Which is why I’m considering buying the 40 Year Retrospective despite it not being the complete collection. I’m assuming there will be a complete collection at some point. Garry Trudeau’s work has been to innovative and impactive not to be bound in a box set. But getting back to my impatience, I’m not sure I can wait. The reviews on Amazon report that it’s a thick gorgeous book with a fine attention to details. One reviewer gave it 3 stars because it was, “so heavy that you will not be able to read it in bed, on the sofa, or on the toilet.” I respectfully disagree. That’s not a negative.
So… do I buy the book or not? I’m heavily leaning on yes because of the price.
I’d pass.
Wouldn’t want to get into an argument about the quality of Doonesbury, the politics, or subject matter. But I do want to argue the case that Doonesbury helped to lead the newspaper comics page away from the family room. Forget about parents not wanting their kids to read it, but kids themselves didn’t want to read it. No, I’m not blaming Doonesbury for the loss of newspaper comics to the mainstream, just saying it was the first of its kind, and it led the way.
I started reading Doonesbury when I was in seventh grade, 20+ years ago. Got my copy of the book the day it came out, and it’s every bit as beautiful as advertised. If you enjoy the strip, I don’t think you’ll regret purchasing the book, especially at the discount.
If I hadn’t just purchased the new Back to the Future Blu-ray disc set, I would snap this offer up in a heartbeat, if only just for the character essays alone. Of course, that’s why I decided to put in a hold for both of the new Doonesbury books through my local library. I don’t know if you live near a major system like Los Angeles Public Library, but it’s worth a try to put a hold of through your local library.That is if your local library plans on ordering the book.