He Done Her Wrong

Born in 1895 in the Bronx, Milt Gross was a cartoonist during the first half of the 20th Century. He's not well-known today, but among today's top cartoonists, he is considered one of the masters of the field. This 256 graphic novel was created by Gross in 1930, and like the movies of the era, is "silent" in that it has no words in it. It's no coincidence that Gross collaborated with Charlie Chaplin in the 1928 movie, The Circus.

When I first came across Milt Gross, I suddenly realized where Mad magazine creator Harvey Kurtzman got his inspiration. I think it is safe to say that if there was no Milt Gross, there'd be no Mad magazine.

Here's what Ren and Stimpy creator John Kricfalusi said about Gross:

John K: "The greatest guy even in that style is Milt Gross -- the greatest comic strip artist of all time and he does a style that's very similar to Gerald McBoingBoing except it's funny. It's funny and it's human. He'd draw a crowd scene and every character looks completely different, and you can tell instantly by looking at the character what kind of a person it is. He is amazing. And he has great drawing principles behind his work. A lot of people will look at his work, a lot of accomplished artists today and they would say he draws primitively. He doesn't at all. He has fantastic composition; the best composition of any cartoonist I've ever seen in my life." $11.53 on Amazon