Abbie an’ Slats was a long-running American newspaper comic strip distributed by the United Feature Syndicate. It launched on July 12, 1937, and enjoyed a successful 34-year run until January 30, 1971. While the strip was conceived and initially written by Al Capp (famous for Li’l Abner), its signature aesthetic and long-term success were defined by illustrator Raeburn Van Buren, an accomplished magazine illustrator whose refined, realistic art style gave the strip a distinct visual charm. The story originally centered on Slats (Aubrey Eustace Scrapple), a street-wise, newly orphaned boy from New York City who moves by train to the small, rural town of Crabtree Corners. There, he is taken in by his older, spinster cousin, Abbie Scrapple—a strong-willed, opinionated, yet warm-hearted woman who became the anchor of the strip. At its peak, Abbie an’ Slats was carried by roughly 400 newspapers. Though it never reached the absolute cultural saturation of Capp’s Li’l Abner, it was widely admired for Van Buren’s polished draftsmanship and gentle, character-driven humor. Van Buren’s work on the strip later earned him an induction into the National Cartoonists Society’s Hall of Fame.
Abbie an’ Slats Dailies 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 equalled 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, 11″x8.5″, black and white, hardcover
Abbie an’ Slats Volume 2 December 12, 1938 to October 12, 1940
Abbie an’ Slats Dailies Volume Two reprints dailies from October 12, 1938 to October 12, 1940 with an introduction by Steve Smith of Panels and Prose.
326 pages, 11″x8.5″, black and white, hardcover
