The Best of Punch Cartoons in Colour

While the cartoons in the first third of this historical Punch best of... selection (those corresponding to the pre-war period) are appropriately stuffy and starchy, this beautiful compilation of dry and wry humor from the late British humor magazine (sadly, it folded in 1992) quickly gathers steam and becomes utterly irresistible. By the time famed cartoonists such as the inimitable Sempé or Kenneth Bird (aka Fougasse) had become Punch mainstays, the publication embodied the best of the modern gag. While famous names such as Frank Reynolds, Rowland Emett, and Ralph Steadman are on display, this compilation does well to showcase a few of the lesser-known contributors, such as the inspired Douglas Lionel Mays and Antonia Yeoman, one of the rare female cartoonists of the 1940s, whose style went on to influence better-known names. The clear precursor of the New Yorker’s signature brand of witty, absurdist aloofness, Punch navigated boldly, from art criticism to hyper-acidic political and environmental commentary to everything in between. Paul Thomas’s cover of Margaret Thatcher as Freddy Kruger entitled “Nightmare on Downing Street” endures as one of the most hilariously bold parodies in the history of the genre. A fine look back at British cartooning and social history. (Jan.)