And, speaking of successful cartoonists, what more can we say about Mutts that hasn't been said already?  Patrick McDonnell has managed to somehow graft a poet's soul and fine artist's sensibility onto the studied craft of a totally classic old school newspaper comicstrip cartoonist.  Mutts is truly one of a kind; and in more ways than one, not the least of which is the way in which it unfailingly manages to raise the spirits.  Here in this fine oversized hardcover edition is the distilled essence of Mutts, both the black & white dailies and the full color Sundays, in 254 horizontally formatted pages each of which can and will be enjoyed by one and all.

Animal Friendly is, by our count, the sixteenth Mutts collection.  Mutts, already the best pure comics strip in the business, just keeps getting better!  This volume, the second, after last year's Everyday Mutts, in the new, all-in-one format, contains pretty much all the Mutts that appeared in 2006.  The Sundays are all reproduced here in full color, as they originally appeared in the Sunday comics sections all over America, while the dailies get the deluxe treatment, appearing full size, enabling the devotee to admire the subtleties of McDonnell's dynamic yet elegant brush work.  As an added treat, three Sunday strips and one daily are hand-colored!  Printed entirely on flat, bright white, recycled paper stock, Animal Friendly is filled with miniature masterworks each of which will make your day.