The American icon is defined: the first two years of Hank Ketcham's classic, in one handsome hardcover volume.
Dennis the Menace began on March 14, 1951 (four months after Ketcham's friend and colleague Charles Schulz started his own historic comic strip)-and he went on to become the second most popular cartoon kid in the world-after Charlie Brown, of course.
Dennis the Menace first appeared in 16 American newspapers by the end of 1951, he was appearing in over a hundred. The strip's success in only the first 10 months of syndication was a harbinger of greater success to come-as Ketcham himself put it, The sales chart was not an upward curve but more the flight of an arrow. The timing was perfect: the post-war generation, at the height of the baby boom, embraced the perennial troublemaker and turned Dennis into a global publishing, merchandising and multi-media phenomenon, with over 50 million book collections sold, the fondly remembered live-action TV show from 1959-63, a cartoon from 1986-89, theatrical productions, several cartoon specials, two major motion pictures in the '90s, and a full-length animated film in 2002. The strip currently is enjoyed by readers of over 1,000 newspapers every day.
The reason for Dennis' success is easy to figure out: It was one of the most brilliantly observed and empathetic comic strips about childhood ever drawn. Ketcham captured the mischievousness, rambunctiousness, and anarchy of a kid's world better than any other cartoonist. The strip appeals to both parents and children-while parents shake their head ruefully at how accurately Ketcham caught the essence of children's natural zest for mayhem, children identify with Dennisand the chaos that he leaves in his wake-just a hop, skip, and a jump away from their own fantasy of themselves! Ketcham was a cartoonist with a vivacious line that was exquisitely suited to depicting adults and children. His gags were funny, subtle and touching.
Ketcham drew Dennis...
