“One Year Affair,” a comic strip that ran in National Lampoon by artist Ralph Reese and late writer Byron Preiss, is being re-collected for the first time since 1976. Originally published from 1973 to 1975, the strip told the story of one couple’s romantic relationship “from budding to flourishing, faltering, to reviving, and then ending.”
The new collection will be released later this year by Classic Comics Press, and all profit from the sales will go directly to Reese. There is not an exact release window or price announced yet, with Classic Comics Press publisher Charles Pelto saying, “plans are to squeeze this project into our busy schedule and get the book out by the end of the year.”
Preiss self-published the original collection in 1976, but it hasn’t seen another publication since then. It still goes for about $32-$44 on Amazon currently. The creative team did re-pair for “Two Year Affair,” a sequel that also ran in National Lampoon, but it ended after just a few installments.
Besides “One Year Affair” and Nation Lampoon, Ralph Reese has provided art for many publications, including Esquire, various comic publishers, and a year-long run on the “Flash Gordon” strip.
Byron Preiss’s work included developing The Bank Street series, which were educational comic books adapting well-known authors, publishing celebrity children’s books from stars like Billy Crystal and Jerry Seinfeld, and co-authoring the illustrated children’s novel, Dragonworld. He died in 2005.
