The Harvey Comics Treasury Volume 1 Casper the Friendly Ghost and Friends
Longtime fans of squeaky-clean Harvey Comics, especially the line’s star, Casper the Friendly Ghost, may be irked that none of the headliner’s creators are so much as mentioned anywhere in this set of undated stories (1954 is cited within one story, however) that also includes several jaunts by Casper’s tough-ghost crony, Spooky; his frequent collaborator, Wendy the Good Little Witch; and Baby Huey, the gigantic toddler duck, with whom neither ghosts nor witches customarily crossed paths, but who did debut in Casper’s book. Rife with cute puns, slapstick physical comedy, Jell-O colors, and sweet, swoopy line-work, this stuff is all rather better than the kids-become-gaffers who originally read it may recall. In fact, such trippers down memory lane could find much worse fare for acquainting their preschool and early-grade grandkids with the joys of old comic books than Casper and company provide. (They could do better, of course: Little Lulu and Uncle Scrooge.) Jolly, genial most-ages fare. --Ray Olson