Comic strips by the first art director of The New Yorker

“The strips [are] gorgeously composed, with characters dancing elegantly on the page…. [A] playfully wry and tender portrait of married life among the social set.” —Françoise Mouly, The New Yorker THE SMYTHES Rea Irvin Edited and with an introduction by R. Kikuo Johnson & Dash Shaw Afterword by Caitlin McGurk Rea Irvin was The New Yorker’s first art editor and creator of the magazine’s iconic mascot, the butterfly enthusiast Eustace Tilly. In 1930, he ventured into new territory with the comic strip The Smythes. The Smythes—comprised of John, Margie, and their two forgettable children, Willie and Maudie—are a niceish suburban family, restless in their social stature, and eager to climb a sometimes wobbly social ladder. Irvin’s distinct, graceful line renders the Smythes in all their glory and hilarity as they navigate ill-fated dinner parties with pompous socialites, fend off robbers dressed as Santa, and get chased out of restaurants by cleaver-wielding chefs.  The Smythes drolly captures the joys, heartbreaks, and humiliations of being in a family. Handpicked by acclaimed cartoonists R. Kikuo Johnson and Dash Shaw—who also penned the introduction together—this new selection of Smythes strips also includes an enlightening afterword by comics historian Caitlin McGurk. An unsung masterpiece of cartooning, The Smythes is finally available to a new generation of readers ready to marvel at the full reach of Irvin’s artistic abilities. BUY THE BOOK   For three days only, The Smythes is available at 25% off along with two books by another New Yorker art contributor, Saul Steinberg: ALL IN LINE Saul Steinberg BUY THE BOOK THE LABYRINTH Saul Steinberg BUY THE BOOK   An event for The Smythes with R. Kikuo Johnson, Dash Shaw, and Caitlin McGurk Thursday, February 12, at 6:30pm ET Society of Illustrators 128 E 63rd St, New York, NY More information available soon You are receiving this message because you signed up for email newsletters from NYRB. You can choose the types of mailings you wish to receive: Update preferences   New York Review Books 207 East 32nd Street New York, NY 10016-6305 Not a subscriber? Sign up for our newsletter here. Unsubscribe