LocalLit book preview: middle-aged in the 1970s, longing for the 1940s

Back in 2014, I wrote a story for The Herald-News about a former New Lenox resident, Tom McLaren, who collaborated on a book with Angela Cartwright.

McLaren is back with another book. Except this time, it’s a tribute to his father and his father’s single-panel cartoon “Thornsby,” which was published in newspapers across the U.S., McLaren said.

So I’ll be reviewing “Thornsby by Fred McLaren: The Complete Comic Collection” in Tuesday’s LocalLit newsletter. I’ve already taken a peek at it and it looks like fun.

Here is its Amazon description: “From creator, writer and artist Fred McLaren, ‘Thornsby’ was a topical and humorous single-panel cartoon published in newspapers nationwide during this splashy decade. The hero was a family man who longed for the nostalgic days of his 1940s youth. With his unique and quirky sense of humor, he struggled with the reality of being a middle-aged man in the 1970s. Americans faced a decade of jarring political and socioeconomic changes, including inflation, pollution, shortages, recalls, protests, women’s liberation, and so much more. Thornsby, his devoted wife Blanch, and free spirit son Tune-In (with his flower child girlfriend Vibes) had to find a way to muddle through this strange new world.

“For the first time ever, the complete syndicated run of 768 “Thornsby” cartoons is presented in this book as a tribute to its talented creator across over 450 pages of memories. Never-before-seen promotional and publicity materials are included, as well as other photographs, bonuses, and surprises. The very personal introduction and numerous cartoon anecdotes are written by Fred’s son Tom McLaren. ‘Thornsby’ is a witty and entertaining look back at the 1970s for comic strip historians, retro collectors and fans of good humor.”

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