Cruisin' with the Hound: The Life and Times of Fred Toote' #[nn]

Spain Rodriguez brings his signature underground comics energy to this 2012 Fantagraphics collection chronicling the life and times of Fred Toote'. The cover sets the scene perfectly: three sharp-dressed guys cruising a busy urban intersection in a classic open-top convertible, the radio blaring "Hey, all you kats and kittens, all you coolers and foolers, it's the Hound to go around for Mulrooney Ford…" — all rendered in Rodriguez's confident, detail-rich linework against a pastel cityscape of pharmacies, storefronts, and street corners. For fans of street-level storytelling rooted in mid-century American culture, this one hits the road with real style.