What do Milton Canniff, Alex Toth, Hergé, Frank Santoro and a whole heck-of-a-lot of other cartoonists all have in common?  A solid appreciation of the genius of Roy Crane, that's what.  In the family tree of comics, one of the sturdiest and vital branches is that of Roy Crane.  A natural story-teller and fluid draughtsman who knew how to lay out a page like nobody's business, Roy Crane originated the adventure comic strip in 1924 with his Wash Tubbs daily strip (a full decade before Terry and the Pirates).  Populated with thoroughly likable, humble, human heroes, the Wash Tubbs daily comic strip, and its later outgrowth, the Captain Easy Sunday pages established Crane at the forefront of the cartoonists of his day.  Crane achieved a magic balance between realism and cartooning that went a long way towards defining the visual identity of comics in the twentieth century, and Captain Easy is his masterpiece.  This wonderful, oversize, full color, hardcover volume presents the first two years – and then some! – of this classic, from its very first strip, 7/30/33 through to 12/1/1935.  And, best of all, this is only the first volume of a promised complete collection, which will run through four volumes!  Five full adventures are herein assembled – "Gungshi," "The Slave Girl," "The Sunken City," "Pirates," and "The Princess."  Learn more about Roy Crane, Wash TUbbs and Captain Easy by reading this excellent article by R.C. Harvey.