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by Bruce Simon (Editor), Ron Evry (Author)
J. R. Williams has often been called "The Mark Twain of the American Newspaper Cartoon." This volume is first of a series devoted to J. R. Williams' long-running "Out Our Way" panels (1922-1957). It deals with the remarkable poetry contained in his comics, sometimes hilarious, sometimes touching, and always authentic. Williams himself left home at an early age and worked as a cavalry man, a cowboy, and machinist. His true-life experiences became the basis for his cartoons, and his panels were among the most clipped ever to appear in newspapers. To this day, "Out Our Way" scrapbooks from the twenties and thirties still regularly show up at estate sales and thrift shops. The editors of Hoo-Hah have restored Williams' drawings from yellowed clippings to look like they originally appeared when first printed -- large formatted and with clean lines. In the near future, more Hoo-Hah publications will be printed, devoted to single subjects, or a variety of Classic American humorous stories, comics, and film. Robert Crumb says, "I found the J.R. Williams book great. Never saw those cowboy cartoons before. They are rich, they capture the sweeter side of the cowpoke way of life but obviously avoid the rowdy, alcohol-induced violent side, the bar fights, the whoring, etc. J.R. had a beautiful inking style, plus he could really draw... By all means, full speed ahead in more J.R. Williams books "
