Volume One : 1937 to 1938

Classic Comics Press is pleased to present the first volume of Abbie an’ Slats dailies 1937 to 1938. Abbie an’ Slats was Capp’s idea; he intended to start a second strip after the success of his popular Li’l Abner. Instead of drawing it himself, Capp recruited well-established freelance magazine illustrator Van Buren. Initially, Van Buren turned down Capp’s offer, but he was lured by the prospect of steady work.

The strip was widely syndicated to 400 newspapers, but it never equaled the popularity of Li’l Abner. Capp abandoned the strip in 1945, turning the writing chores over to his brother Elliot Caplin. Van Buren continued to draw the strip, taking on Andy Sprague as an assistant in 1947.

Abbie an’ Slats continued for 34 years, until Van Buren retired in 1971. The National Cartoonists Society named him to their Hall of Fame in 1979.

244 Pages, Hardcover, black & white. – $60.00 plus shipping & handling. 

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Volume Two: 1938 to 1940

“…none of these later strips had the daring of Abbie and Slats to turn from slapstick to pathos, farce to tragedy, psychological conflict to mushy romance, often from one panel to the next. It not only had a big heart but a wide range of appeals to different audience tastes. And few strips, then or since, juggled zaniness and genuine humanity so effectively.” – from the Introduction by Steve Smith.

330 Pages, Hardcover, black & white. – $60.00 plus shipping & handling. 

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