Classic Cowboy Cartoons #1

Part of Algrove Publishing's Classic Reprint Series, this first volume collects the ranch-life humor of J.R. Williams, whose sharp, affectionate eye for cowboy comedy made him a beloved chronicler of the working West. The cover sets the tone perfectly — a worn denim pocket holds a sample cartoon titled "The Board of Health," in which a protesting cowhand is hauled aloft by several companions, hollering that his pants don't need washing and insisting he be set down at once. It's the kind of warm, wryly observed humor that holds up remarkably well, and at $8.95 CAD this reprint is a fine way to spend an afternoon with some genuinely funny frontier cartooning.