Hank Ketcham's Complete
Dennis the Menace, 1951-1952

(Fantagraphics, 2004)

There are certain comic-strip kids who stand head and shoulders above their peers. From Charlie Brown to Calvin, cartoonists have found ways to say it with children when an adult character just wouldn't do.

For Hank Ketcham, that character was Dennis the Menace. Named for his son and inspired by an off-handed remark by his wife, the one-panel feature has been a mainstay on the comics page of newspapers for more than 50 years. Now, Fantagraphics is giving Dennis the same treatment it gave Charles Schulz's famed Peanuts: a comprehensive collection of reprints starting from day one.

The first volume in the collection, covering 1951-52, is a treat. Speaking as a diehard comic-page reader who grew tired of Dennis the Menace strips years ago, I am delighted finally to see the genesis of the character. In the early '50s, for instance, Dennis had more than one outfit (although the striped shirt and overalls were a favored wardrobe selection). His father, Henry, was already needle-nosed and stern, but boasted a roving eye and appreciation for the ladies that's long since fallen by the wayside. His mother, Alice, retains a post-childbirth figure that only Blondie can beat, and her cheeks color quickly with anger or embarrassment, as her only son's actions demand.

As for tousle-haired Dennis, he seems now to have mellowed with age. In these early years, Dennis is more mischievous, at times downright malicious, and full of spit and vinegar. Always outspoken and occasionally a bully, he also has an innocence and wide-eyed curiosity any parent will recognize. While his imagination might not roam quite so freely as Calvin's, of Calvin & Hobbes fame, he eagerly assumes the timeless boyhood roles of cowboy and astronaut in a never-ending quest for fun.

Ketcham's simple pen-and-ink panels are delightfully detailed, boasting a realistic perspective and implied motion that zings; while his parents might sometimes poop out on the couch, Dennis is constantly moving. And he's got attitude to spare from the very beginning, giving attitude to a traffic cop, creatively explaining an empty cookie jar and vandalizing his father's possessions.

Fantagraphics has done a remarkable job with this book. Realizing the format used for Peanuts -- a horizontal comic strip -- wouldn't work, they devised instead a big little book, small from the front but thick as a brick and heavy enough to cause a significant limp if it fell on your toe. It fits satisfyingly into the hand when reading, and the built-in cloth bookmark makes it easy to keep your place as you peruse nearly 600 pages. The introduction by Brian Walker and foreword by Patrick McDonnell provide additional insight into the creator, the strip and its impact on the industry.

It might not be wise to invite Dennis into your home, but The Complete Dennis the Menace deserves a place on your bookshelf.

by Tom Knapp
Rambles.NET
22 October 2005



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