cover image On a Roll! A JumpStart Treasury

On a Roll! A JumpStart Treasury

Robb Armstrong. Andrews McMeel, $19.99 trade paper (208p) ISBN 978-1-524861-62-9

Thirty years after Armstrong’s comics brought diversity to the funny pages of America’s major newspapers, this humor strip retrospective perfectly packages the uncommon vision and exuberant creativity of its skilled creator. The misadventures of married couple Joe (a cop) and Marcy (a nurse) Cobb harken to sitcoms centered on African American public servants like Family Matters (which also debuted in 1989) while presenting complicated portraits of police officers. The treasury edition allows readers to follow Joe and Marcy in a narrative arc from dating to pregnancy to parenthood, and the best bits involve the Cobb children—dreamer son JoJo, overachieving daughter Sunny, and mischievous twin babies Teddy and Tommi. Meanwhile, Marcy’s quest to reunite a dying wealthy woman with her estranged daughter supplies surprising depth. Armstrong has an invigorating but straightforward drawing style, and his take on everyday life is combined with a sprawling imagination (for example, how he constructs conversations between the Cobb twins in the womb), which reveals the influence of Charles Schultz, who was a friend—Armstrong lent his last name to Black Peanut kid, Franklin. Like other lasting national syndicated strips, Armstrong’s are successfully grounded in his particular American chronicles by consistently finding the comedy in ordinary lives. Both for fans of Armstrong’s since their youth and those catching up, this will be a welcome gift. (Oct.)