Synopses & Reviews
Some may have dismissed
Little Sammy Sneeze as a curious oddity, a historical footnote to McCay's subsequent masterpiece,
Little Nemo in Slumberland. But after looking more closely at this unique comic strip, one realizes its significance, not only as an essential part of the creator's impressive body of work, but also as a developmental milestone in the evolution of comic art.
There is more here than the simple repetitive gag of the destructive sneeze. Each strip offers a vignette of the American middle-class life a century ago, with greater variety and insight than most offerings of the day. The cinematic elements of Sammy Sneeze create a novel link between the two art forms and display McCay's emerging interest in storytelling and animation. The essays in this book, from world-renowned historians, develop these and other concepts for a fresh look at Little Sammy Sneeze. Yet the true revelations for the reader will come from the strips themselves.
For this volume, we have done something unique, something that further replicates the original comics-reading experience. On the back of each color Sammy Sneeze page is the comic strip that appeared on the reverse side in the New York Herald Sunday newspaper. In 1904-1905 this, and most other comic sections, were printed in full color on one side and monochrome or two-color on the reverse. Folding the large sheet created a four-page comic section with full color on the front and back pages, and two colors on the inside. Sammy was usually found on the back page with another color comic below it. In most of this book, including all of the Hungry Henrietta pages, the strip on back of Sammy is the comic that appeared on that date. In many cases you can actually see the "bleed-through" from one strip to the other embedded in the page. In a few cases, pages from other dates of the same year were substituted to give more continuous runs of great features like Upside Downs and Woozlebeasts, which were often, but not always, on the back of Sammy.
Little Sammy Sneeze was also one of the first international stars of the comics reprinted in book form in 1905 in both American and French versions. The strip originally appeared as a monochromatic half-page comic, then ran for almost a year as a full color feature, then returned to monochrome and was reduced to one-third full size, often appearing on the back of Little Nemo in Slumberland. Sammy ended quietly in 1906, eclipsed by its brilliant successor. But just like the innocent actions of its protagonist, this book demonstrates that Little Sammy Sneeze tosses an unexpected wallop at the world of comic strip art.
The comic strips presented on the following pages have been digitally restored to give the appearance of a comic as it might have appeared in a "new" newspaper of 1904. Many of the normal imperfections in printing such as smudges and off-register colors remain, while those created by the passing of time stains, tears, excessive yellowing have been corrected. And for allergy sufferers, this new printing also eliminates the common curse of old newsprint, the musty smell, therefore reducing the reader's chance of suffering Sammy's fate: the unwanted sneeze. So now you may safely enjoy Little Sammy Sneeze, his sister strip Hungry Henrietta, and other delights of the period, offered in their original size and colors for the first time in over 100 years.
Synopsis
Before his remarkable Litttle Nemo in Slumberland, Winsor McCay created two strips starring young children. This book features all of the Little Sammy Sneeze color pages (1904-05) plus Hungry Henrietta, McCay's other comic, which appeared on the back of Sammy in the Sunday New York Herald. The unique style of this book presents two other "flipside" comics of 1904: The Woozlebeasts and The Upside Downs, along with the complete 27-chapter saga of Hungry Henrietta. All digitally restored in the original size and colors.
Synopsis
Before his remarkable Litttle Nemo in Slumberland, McCay created two strips starring young children.
Today, Winsor McCay (1867-1934) is universally acknowledged as the first master of both the comic strip and the animated cartoon. Although invented by others, both genres were developed into enduring popular art of the highest imagination through McCay's innovative genius.
From the publishers of the widely-acclaimed deluxe reprint Little Nemo In Slumberland: So Many Splendid Sundays , this book features all of the Little Sammy Sneeze color pages (1904-05) plus Hungry Henrietta, McCay's other comic, which appeared on the back of Sammy in the Sunday New York Herald. The unique style of this book presents two other "flipside" comics of 1904: The Woozlebeasts and The Upside Downs, along with the complete 27-chapter saga of Hungry Henrietta. All comics are digitally restored in the original size and colors.
Synopsis
Today, Winsor McCay (1867-1934) is universally acknowledged as the first master of both the comic strip and the animated cartoon. Although invented by others, both genres were developed into enduring popular art of the highest imagination through McCay's innovative genius.
From the publishers of the widely-acclaimed deluxe reprint series Little Nemo In Slumberland: So Many Splendid Sundays , this book features all of the Little Sammy Sneeze color pages (1904-05) plus Hungry Henrietta, McCay's other comic, which appeared on the back of Sammy in the Sunday New York Herald. The unique style of this book presents two other flipside comics of 1904: The Woozlebeasts and The Upside Downs, along with the complete 27-chapter saga of Hungry Henrietta. All comics are digitally restored in the original size and colors.
Synopsis
Before his magnificent Little Nemo, Winsor McCay created two unique Sunday comics also starring young children: Little Sammy Sneeze and Hungry Henrietta. Sunday Press Books, publisher of the award-winning Little Nemo- Splendid Sundays, presents both of these historic and fascinating comic strips in one volume, featuring the complete color Sammy Sneeze (1904-1905) and the complete 27-episode run of Hungry Henrietta, all printed in their original size and colors. Most pages have never been reprinted!
"Little Sammy Sneeze" presents a unique concept in classic comics reprints, where the back of each Sammy page features a strip that appeared on the back in the original Sunday comic section of the New York Herald. In 1905 that strip was Hungry Henrietta, but pages from 1904 showcase the unique Upside Downs by Gustav Verbeek, and the unknown nonsense masterpiece, The Woozlebeasts.