Here's another batch of Jeanie strips. Two rather incomplete weeks, both fortunately ending with a Sunday.
I have been reading Mary Perkins On Stage, another strip about a girl trying to make it on Broadway, in the recent reprint series from Classic Comics Press. In the commentary to volume four, someone quotes Leonard Starr saying he was reluctant to try a strip about an actress, because so many had tried and failed before him. I don't know of any other samples, but Jeanie certainly counts as one of them. Mary Perkins is one of the best written comic strips of all time. Compared to that, it is easy to see where Jeanie went wrong. The art is a bit to slick and rushed for a full blown 'serious' strip. And the story lines never really get off the ground either. Diamond and Fox can't get the strip away from it's one gag a week premise. They do try longer story lines, but the only effect is, that they weaken the humor. On the other hand, they don't abandon the gags altogether, damaging any potential for a real story. Still, I think Jeanie is worth having a look at and I am glad I can give it some attention through those Heritage scans. Anyone looking for a real story should have a look at the new Mary Perkins series. Classic Comics Press is a newcomer to the field and they have a lot to learn as a publisher. In the earlier books, they digitally altered the shape of the strips, which some people may find normal these days, but it annoys me endlessly. They do provide excellent background material with every book and they have been tweaking their format until it is now as perfect as it should be with volume four. I recommend the series to everyone and I have provided a link to Classic Comics Press in my link list.
Here's the color version. As you can see, the bottom tier was droped.
1 comment:
This is great stuff.
Keep posting it.
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