Alley Oop's Ancestors #[nn]

A delightful celebration of V. T. Hamlin's pre-*Alley Oop* newspaper cartooning, this 2015 collection from Cremo Studios showcases the playful, rubbery linework that defined his early style. The cover sets a wonderfully whimsical tone, featuring two exaggerated cartoon characters — a wide-grinning figure in a pink plaid coat and a tall fellow in a green-accented blue suit — squaring off in lively fashion against a bright polka-dot background. With Hamlin credited as writer, artist, inker, and letterer throughout, this is as pure a vision of one cartoonist's singular voice as you're likely to find.