Jack Kent: The Wit, Whimsy, and Wisdom of a Comic Storyteller

Author:   Paul V. Allen
Publisher:   University Press of Mississippi
ISBN:  

9781496846297


Pages:   277
Publication Date:   15 August 2023
Format:   Paperback
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
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Jack Kent: The Wit, Whimsy, and Wisdom of a Comic Storyteller


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Overview

Jack Kent (1920–1985) had two distinct and successful careers: newspaper cartoonist and author of children’s books. For each of these he drew upon different aspects of his personality and life experiences. From 1950 to 1965 he wrote and drew King Aroo, a nationally syndicated comic strip beloved by fans for its combination of absurdity, fantasy, wordplay, and wit. The strip’s DNA was comprised of things Kent loved—fairytales, nursery rhymes, vaudeville, Krazy Kat, foreign languages, and puns. In 1968, he published his first children’s book, Just Only John, and began a career in kids’ books that would result in over sixty published works, among them such classics as The Fat Cat and There’s No Such Thing as a Dragon. Kent’s stories for children were funny but often arose from the dark parts of his life—an itinerant childhood, an unfinished education, two harrowing tours of duty in World War II, and a persistent lack of confidence—and tackled such themes as rejection, isolation, self-doubt, and the desire for transformation. Jack Kent: The Wit, Whimsy, and Wisdom of a Comic Storyteller illuminates how Kent’s life experiences informed his art and his storytelling in both King Aroo and his children’s books. Paul V. Allen draws from archival research, brand-new interviews, and in-depth examinations of Kent’s work. Also included are many King Aroo comic strips that have never been reprinted in book form.

Full Product Details

Author:   Paul V. Allen
Publisher:   University Press of Mississippi
Imprint:   University Press of Mississippi
ISBN:  

9781496846297


ISBN 10:   149684629
Pages:   277
Publication Date:   15 August 2023
Audience:   Professional and scholarly ,  Professional & Vocational
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active
Availability:   In Print   Availability explained
This item will be ordered in for you from one of our suppliers. Upon receipt, we will promptly dispatch it out to you. For in store availability, please contact us.

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Reviews

Well-researched, breezy, and engaging, Jack Kent provides a lot of interesting information and useful insights about a comics creator and children's book author whose contributions had influence on a number of subsequent authors and artists.--Gwen Athene Tarbox, author of Children's and Young Adult Comics and coeditor of Graphic Novels for Children and Young Adults: A Collection of Critical Essays


Author Information

Paul V. Allen is author of Eleanor Cameron: Dimensions of Amazement and I Can Read It All by Myself: The Beginner Books Story, both published by University Press of Mississippi.

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