<P>Brian Walker's two comprehensive guides to American comics, <I>The Comics Before 1945</I> and <I>The Comics Since 1945</I>, are combined here in one beautifully designed omnibus edition, <I>The Comics: The Complete Collection</I>. Cartoon authority Brian Walker has amassed over a century of strips—more than 1,300 images—including rare examples provided by the artists themselves. Featured cartoonists include George Herriman (<I>Krazy Kat</I>), Walt Kelly (<I>Pogo</I>), Charles Schulz (<I>Peanuts</I>), Bill Watterson (<I>Calvin and Hobbes</I>), Scott Adams (<I>Dilbert</I>), Patrick McDonnell (<I>Mutts</I>), and many more. Organized by decade, with biographical profiles and analysis of the different genres, <I>The Comics</I> is a graphically stunning, and terrifically priced survey of American newspaper comics.<BR><BR>Praise for <I>The Comics</I>:<BR><BR>"The strips . . . are beautifully reproduced and carefully annotated."<BR><I> -The New York Times<br><BR></I>"As a detailed and informed one-volume history of the newspaper comics, Walker's <I>The Comics</I> is the best book we have."<BR><I> -PW Comics Week <BR><BR>"[The Comics</I> is] excellent at conjuring the feeling of feverish joy that comics can provide."<I> <BR>-The Washington Post<br><BR></I></P>"This is a terrific collection both for novices in need of an overview and for aficionados looking for new discoveries." <BR><I>-A.V. Club</I> <BR><BR> <P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal>“a bountiful treasury of an underrated 20th-century art form at its best, one bound to amuse and enlighten”</P> <P style="MARGIN: 0in 0in 0pt" class=MsoNormal>—<I>The Palm Beach Post</I></p><BR>"This is a book to be savored, enjoyed a page at a time, perhaps the perfect coffee-table tome." <BR><I>-The Plain Dealer<br></I>