October 26, 1970, marks the 50th anniversary of Doonesbury‘s debut in 28 newspapers. Through the ensuing decades, the Pulitzer Prize-winning Garry Trudeau’s iconic, irreverent, and incomparable creation has kept readers entertained––and informed––through his deft depiction of the cultural zeitgeist. His widely acclaimed work has been prescient, provocative, and unerringly precise.
Considered revolutionary, and certainly groundbreaking, at its introduction, Doonesbury has evolved into a formidable phenomenon. Through an impressive chronicle of a beloved cast of characters engaged in political and cultural shifts concerning world and national events, including nine administrations, and hundreds of triumphs and crises, the venerable comic strip has served as a reliable companion and steady guide navigating these milestones. In a time of such uncertainty, the consistency of Trudeau’s work is welcome; readers can count on his trenchant commentary as American satire at its best.
To mark the fifty-year milestone, Trudeau’s entire Doonesbury output has been collected in an exceptional celebratory package: Dbury@50: The Complete Digital Doonesbury (November 17, 2020). This first edition set includes a flash drive with a searchable archive of every comic strip published, the 224-page Dbury@50 User Manual, which takes readers through each year of the strip, providing historical context and featuring key storylines, and a newly illustrated commemorative poster highlighting more than 50 prominent cast members.
Trudeau’s ability to present such a wealth of insight and humor in the economy of a comic strip makes his accomplishments even more remarkable. Reviewed as a whole, Doonesbury@50 reveals an astonishing retrospective of characters, experiences, and significant signposts of the last 50 years – and enables us to appreciate the brilliance of the comic strip – and its creator – as a gift to readers for the past five decades.
