Marge's Little Lulu: The Fuzzythingus Poopi

During this time of year (in the US), many of us stop to ponder what we're thankful for. This year, for me, one of them is finally taking time to read Little Lulu. It began as a classic one-panel comic strip, then became a cartoon and later a comic book, drawn by John Stanley. His stories are considered one of the gold standards in comics, and I can see why. I picked up a copy of the Free Comic Book Day floppy offered this year at my local comic shop, and my 5-year-old was very interested in checking it out. Long story short, those four stories really grabbed him and became a regular part of his bedtime story rotation. These are some fun, substantial, and engaging stories that are fun to read aloud, too.

The title character Lulu is feisty, confident, and smart. Over the course of the book she finds herself in lots of familiar situations, like being stuck home on a rainy day, wanting to buy a specific toy, or being caught in the fray of a snowball fight. She has to deal with her parents' rules but finds ways to subvert them. She also often contends with the local "boys club" and their strong anti-girl sentiment, coming out on top with subterfuge and guile. She is frenemies with one of those boys, Tubby, and the two of them embark on a series of adventures, most notably with Tubby being a detective. It is that constant combining of genres that help make this series so great. Sometimes, when Lulu tells stories to her pesky younger neighbor Alvin, the narrative delves into fairy tales and more fantastical adventures. There are the detective tales I mentioned above, and also gag and humor tales like the titular one, where a local man thinks that Lulu has come upon a rare species of flower and tries his best to swindle her. So much of this book is amazingly inventive and imaginative.

That these various stories work with this cast of characters speaks highly of their strong personalities and almost instant relatability. The superbly rendered artwork, full of emotion and powerfully clear storytelling, is a testament to the range and scope that comics can achieve as a narrative medium. The format of this book, which is a thick volume with nice paper and vibrant coloring, showcases these comics in fine fashion. And to top everything off, these stories are done with a robust sense of humor. Both of my boys think they are hilarious. I don't think I can say that they are universal, but these tales stand up to reading and rereading decades after they were originally published.

This collection has received rave reviews.  Lindsay Pereira wrote, "Her behaviour, undeniably subversive for her time, is still refreshing." Jeff Provine called it "an excellent read at any age. The stories are as wholesome as they are packed with action, making it a difficult book to put down."

The Fuzzythingus Poopi was published by Drawn & Quarterly, and they offer a preview and much more here.