My impression of Beetle Bailey was formed by the comic strips I read in the newspaper. It was kind of dull, with the same jokes repeated over and over and it was a bit sexist, though not in a mean way. I have a few collections in my library, but I never understood why artists cited Mort Walker as a strong influence.

All that changed when I read this book. Here is a sharper, more insightful comic. These strips comment on society and provide a window into another time period. The art is crisper with a sharper line and less roundness. Here are the first instances of those old jokes and they're funnier in the first version. The sexism is in the context of the times and seems both more notable and less annoying.

This collection made it clear to me why Mort Walker inspired other artists, and gave me an appreciation for his art, and an insight into one slice of American culture in the early 1950s. ( )