Being one of the most enduring comic strips of all time, Doonesbury has a special place in many people’s hearts. To commemorate its 40th year, fans can experience some of the Pulitzer-winning strip’s highlights with 40: A Doonesbury Retrospective.
Whether you’re ancient enough to have caught the first strip back in 1970 or young enough to find a joke about old dudes funny, if you’re a Doonesbury fan, we doubt this is a book you’re going to want to miss. Touching on all of the strip’s significant story arcs during its four decades of existence, the tome represents more than just a pile of funny cartoons — it’s a witty chronicle of American society over that time.
The most comprehensive collection on the subject by far, 40: A Doonesbury Retrospective collects an estimated 13% of the landmark title’s previously-published materials.  A total of 1,800 strips make it aboard the volume’s pages, mixed in with 19 contemplative essays from Doonesbury creator GB Trudeau about the strip and its ever-evolving cast of characters.
In case you’ve been confused by the sheer volume of major characters in the strip, the book includes a four-page foldout that maps their matrix of relationships in annotated detail. Be forewarned: this is over 700 pages long, so it’s likely not a book to consume in a single sitting.
There’s absolutely no good reason why the entire Doonesbury collection isn’t in a multi-volume series of books yet. For now, though, you’ll have to get your fix with 40: A Doonesbury Retrospective. It’s available online now for $59.
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