King Aroo Volume 1
It never developed a large following, but Kent's whimsical King Aroo somehow managed to run for a decade and a half, 1950–65. The titular monarch ruled the kingdom of Myopia, which “covered almost an entire acre,” with the help of his one-man retinue, the google-eyed Yupyop. His subjects included Mr. Pennipost, a kangaroo mailman (built-in mail pouch, you see); the forgetful Mr. Elephant; and the erratically magical Wanda Witch. Kent's casually fluid cartooning is a perfect match for the lighthearted shenanigans, and the sheer density of the strip—it's jam-packed with engaging characters, pun-filled dialogue, and story lines that extended for weeks—should astound readers of today's stripped-down newspaper comics. Aroo is a kindred spirit to its forebear, Krazy Kat, and its contemporary, Pogo. If it doesn't attain the lofty level of those strips, it's enchantingly delightful, nevertheless. Kent is better-known today for the dozens of children's books he wrote and illustrated after Aroo. This welcome collection, the first in a series reprinting the strip's entire run, shines a welcome light on Kent's earlier funny-pages career. --Gordon Flagg