Fred the Clown In... "The Iron Duchess" #[nn]

Roger Langridge's beloved rubber-limbed clown takes center stage on this Fantagraphics collection, where Fred himself — oversized shoes, checkered trousers, and all — looms large against a filmstrip-style layout teasing a wild range of misadventures. Vignettes on the cover hint at a steam locomotive barreling through rocky terrain, a horse and a small boy sharing a tender moment, and a distinguished-looking mustachioed gentleman, with a pig and a freckled woman rounding out the cast in the border portraits. If Langridge's wonderfully anarchic cartooning style appeals to you, The Iron Duchess looks like a thoroughly charming 2017 package.