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"Highest Recommendation"
This collection of over 200 Suzy daily and Sunday comic strips is a remarkable book for a number of reasons. The main one is that the comics themselves are a joy to read. O'Brien's gags are funny, and over the course of just a few weeks of strips, he successfully creates a connection between the characters and his readers. Each member of Suzy's small cast has their own charms and quirks. They don't always get along, but underneath the conflicts, the characters have a genuine fondness for each other. They care about each other and before you know it, you do too.

Suzy was created in the early '80's and O'Brien adds light social commentary on the trends... More > (Izod apparel) and controversies of the day (women's liberation, nuclear power). Vojtko's artwork has never been better. His cartoons are simple, but he successfully communicates the action, reactions, and emotions of his characters masterfully. His layouts, pacing, and timing complement O'Brien's gags perfectly. If you're a hardcore Vojtko fan like me, this book is a dream come true.

O'Brien's introduction provides the background on how he and Vojtko met, how they developed the strip, their challenges selling it to a syndicate, and finally how the syndicate failed to secure enough newspaper subscribers to keep Suzy afloat. It's a cautionary tale about how difficult it is to break into the business even with a top-notch product. In that sense, the book is a rare glimpse into the process and the product of an ever so close hit.

The book is remarkable in another way too. Using today's print-on-demand technology it's a perfect example of a "long tail" product. The audience for this volume may be relatively small, but they are avid. Thanks to Ramble House and Lulu.com we get the chance to read and own a collection of obscure, but classic comic strips in a very nice package. Who knows, now that Suzy is back in print maybe her creators will finally get the recognition they so richly deserve.

-R.Krauss < Less