Walt Kelly and Pogo

One of the most popular comic strips of the 1950s and the first to reference politics of the day, Walt Kelly's Pogo took on Joe McCarthy before the controversial senator was a blip on Edward R. Murrow's radar. The strip's satire was so biting, it was often relegated to newspaper editorial sections at a time when artists in other media were blacklisted for far less. Pogo was the vanguard of today's political comic strips, such as Doonesbury and Pearls Before Swine, and a precursor of the modern political parody of late night television. This comprehensive biography of Kelly reveals the life of a conflicted man and unravels the symbolism and word-play of his art for modern readers. There are 241 original Pogo comic strips illustrated and 13 other Kelly artworks (as well as illustrations by other cartoonists).

Author: James Eric Black
Publisher: McFarland and Company, Inc.
Published: 02/02/2016
Pages: 268
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.10lbs
Size: 9.90h x 6.90w x 0.80d
ISBN13: 9780786479870
ISBN10: 0786479876
BISAC Categories:
- Literary Criticism | Comics & Graphic Novels
- Language Arts & Disciplines | Journalism
- Social Science | Popular Culture

About the Author
James Eric Black is the Schumann Endowed Professor of Media Writing and assistant director of the Center for Collaborative Journalism at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia. He has written extensively on Joseph McCarthy and the repercussions of McCarthyism on pop culture. He lives in Macon.