cover image Krazy: George Herriman, a Life in White and Black

Krazy: George Herriman, a Life in White and Black

Michael Tisserand. HarperCollins, $35 (560p) ISBN 978-0-06-173299-7

Tisserand (The Kingdom of Zydeco) weaves American history, pop culture, and racial politics with biography to elucidate and celebrate the life of cartoonist George Herriman (1880–1944), the creator of the Krazy Kat comic strip. Readers gain a glut of insight into the development of Krazy Kat, and the many ways the character served as an outlet for Herriman to playfully explore the human condition, which Tisserand sets against the backdrop of Herriman’s own little-known racial identity. Though Herriman passed as a white man his whole life, he was actually African-American, born during Reconstruction to a Creole family that hid its racial identity by moving from New Orleans to California when Herriman was 10. Tisserand reconstructs Herriman’s multicultural background and follows him from his childhood through his apprenticeship in Los Angeles, his big break in New York City, and frequent trips to the Southwest, using these places in their variety to animate Herriman’s identity and provide nuance to his growth as a comics artist. This is a gripping read at the intersection of pop culture and American history. (Dec.)