Gasoline Alley daily January 27, 1938

"My Love Has Gone Away" That is the title of the strip pencilled in on the left margin. A recent EBay purchase, this daily fits perfectly into my collection. (Thank you, Bob.) It comes from my favorite time period, 1938 and 1939, when Skeezix and Nina are teens stressing over friends and love. This daily is dripping with teenage angst which may seem a bit melodramatic, but for those of you who have teenage daughters you recognize this as minor stuff compared to real 21st century teenage drama. Some type of zip a tone thing was dropped onto the background of all three panels and that is something I don't remember King using much in GAs. The daily is a showcase for King's artistry in portraying natural, flowing movement. The figures of Nina and Jessica are expressive; full of emotion. The daily also is a perfect example of King's problems with faces. Never great with faces, Nina's facial features are non existent in panels one and two. King obviously had a great love for his story and his characters, but it is still a mystery to me how he could have been so great with his stoytelling craft, often in a brilliant manner, and so limited in his ability to draw facial features. His characters faces were simplistic at best. That said, I love this stuff. I LOVE THIS STUFF!!!