Most people in the United States are familiar with The Sun as a supermarket tabloid that is occasionally sued by celebrities and populated with “strange but true” stories. It may come as a surprise to many that in addition to imaginative journalism, The Sun also published a series of Wallace and Gromit comic strips. Titan Comics has collected the first year of those short, entertaining strips into a quality hardcover collection that spares you from financially supporting sensationalistic articles and the regular embarrassment of being judged at the checkout line of your local supermarket.
This is a fun book, containing a total of 312 strips and peppered with high-definition color stills from the various movies. Also included are an introduction by Nick Park and a credits page titled “Tomb of the Unknown Artist” that lists the myriad of contributors who toiled anonymously to produce the stories. Each strip is made up of three brightly-colored panels that continue the Wallace and Gromit ethos of Rube Goldberg-esque inventions gone awry, cheese, and god-awful puns. In fact, the puns are so bad and so frequent, even fans of Stephen Pastis may need to brace for overload. For example, after Wallace’s jam-making machine breaks down, he cries out, “one of my pistons must have jammed!” Despite the near-constant groaning from all the word play, close readers will be rewarded with delightful references (hint: Gromit’s reading preferences) and long-time fans will not be disappointed in the continuing adventures of their favorite stop-motion duo. Newcomers will quickly grasp the dynamics of the heroes’ relationship and their penchant for mishaps. Despite the number of artists who worked on the series, the art is seamless and consists of a boldly inked and vibrantly colored style that pays homage to the claymation origins of Wallace and Gromit and often balances out some of the weaker storylines. Fans of Wallace and Gromit will immediately love this collection, as well as those looking for silly, sweet, and simple comics to enjoy.
Wallace & Gromit: The Complete Newspaper Comic Strips Collection – Volume 1: 2010-2011
Foreword by Nick Park
ISBN: 9781782760320
Titan Comics, 2013
