Tex Avery Books

To view individual cels from a Tex Avery cartoon is like a brief stop into an insane asylum. Fortunately, this book is chock full of film stills from vintage MGM cartoons such as Screwy Squirrel, Red Hot Riding Hood and lesser known but just as noteworthy cartoon shorts from the Golden Age of American Animation. The text by John Canemaker is just as light as it needs to be with some helpful intros. Avery changed how directors think about pacing, sight gags, and characterization while knocking off layers of the sugar-sweet Disney-stigma and this book does a fitting job paying tribute to that.

Tex Avery was and probably will be the king of the most wackiest animation the world has ever seen. Being the inspiration for future generations of cartoonists, Avery brought us such funny characters as Droopy, Spike the bulldog, Screwy Squirrel, and several Looney Tunes characters.

This book, originally published by the now defunct publishing branch of Turner Enterprises (now part of AOL-Time Warner) is an excellent tribute to the man who gave the cartoon world new ways to express comedy and feelings. From exploding cigars to eyeballs that pop out of their sockets, Avery gave many comedians and animators inspiration (the film "The Mask," with Jim Carrey and his facial expressions are a great example of this).

Most of the cartoons in this book are now owned by Ted Turner (president and CEO of Turner Enterprises, and now one of the executives at AOL-Time Warner) and Turner's preservation of Avery's works will give future generations access to some of the most wackiest cartoons ever made. Overall, an excellent book with beautiful animation cels and a wonderful history of Avery's life and contributions.

Tex Avery was and probably will be the king of the most wackiest animation the world has ever seen. Being the inspiration for future generations of cartoonists, Avery brought us such funny characters as Droopy, Spike the bulldog, Screwy Squirrel, and several Looney Tunes characters.

This book, originally published by the now defunct publishing branch of Turner Enterprises (now part of AOL-Time Warner) is an excellent tribute to the man who gave the cartoon world new ways to express comedy and feelings. From exploding cigars to eyeballs that pop out of their sockets, Avery gave many comedians and animators inspiration (the film "The Mask," with Jim Carrey and his facial expressions are a great example of this).

Most of the cartoons in this book are now owned by Ted Turner (president and CEO of Turner Enterprises, and now one of the executives at AOL-Time Warner) and Turner's preservation of Avery's works will give future generations access to some of the most wackiest cartoons ever made. Overall, an excellent book with beautiful animation cels and a wonderful history of Avery's life and contributions.

For us long-time fans of legendary cartoon director Tex Avery, we enjoyed the earlier Joe Adamson tribute, but were disappointed at the poor quality black and white photos included in it. Now at last the famous Avery shorts get the treatment they deserve, in this full-color, oversized coffee table edition straight from their proprietor Turner/MGM. Loads of famous scenes, model sheets and background designs are reproduced here, capturing the vivid color and style that we remember these cartoons for. Canemaker covers his subject mostly from a historical perspective, so you won't find any of the amusing anecdotal references here as in the Adamson book. Nonetheless, Canemaker covers Avery's cartoons with appropriate insight and reverence. If you haven't yet discovered the inimitatable style and hilarity of Tex Avery cartoons, you simply don't know what you're missing. And if you already know and appreciate the genius of Avery, your home shouldn't be without this book. It's a treasure.

Tex Avery was and probably will be the king of the most wackiest animation the world has ever seen. Being the inspiration for future generations of cartoonists, Avery brought us such funny characters as Droopy, Spike the bulldog, Screwy Squirrel, and several Looney Tunes characters.

This book, originally published by the now defunct publishing branch of Turner Enterprises (now part of AOL-Time Warner) is an excellent tribute to the man who gave the cartoon world new ways to express comedy and feelings. From exploding cigars to eyeballs that pop out of their sockets, Avery gave many comedians and animators inspiration (the film "The Mask," with Jim Carrey and his facial expressions are a great example of this).

Most of the cartoons in this book are now owned by Ted Turner (president and CEO of Turner Enterprises, and now one of the executives at AOL-Time Warner) and Turner's preservation of Avery's works will give future generations access to some of the most wackiest cartoons ever made. Overall, an excellent book with beautiful animation cels and a wonderful history of Avery's life and contributions.

Tex Avery was and probably will be the king of the most wackiest animation the world has ever seen. Being the inspiration for future generations of cartoonists, Avery brought us such funny characters as Droopy, Spike the bulldog, Screwy Squirrel, and several Looney Tunes characters.

This book, originally published by the now defunct publishing branch of Turner Enterprises (now part of AOL-Time Warner) is an excellent tribute to the man who gave the cartoon world new ways to express comedy and feelings. From exploding cigars to eyeballs that pop out of their sockets, Avery gave many comedians and animators inspiration (the film "The Mask," with Jim Carrey and his facial expressions are a great example of this).

Most of the cartoons in this book are now owned by Ted Turner (president and CEO of Turner Enterprises, and now one of the executives at AOL-Time Warner) and Turner's preservation of Avery's works will give future generations access to some of the most wackiest cartoons ever made. Overall, an excellent book with beautiful animation cels and a wonderful history of Avery's life and contributions.

This is an exciting, fast paced spy-type thriller that delves into what can happen when greed and ambition over-ride conscience and doing what's right. FBI Agent Monica Sinclair dons many disguises and puts her life in harms way to uncover the terrible secrets that cell phone mogul Gerald Conti is hiding.

Very well done and I look forward to seeing more of this lead character in other stories! -ES

An FBI Special Agent goes undercover to expose the deadly results of a test study for a new cell phone. Why are people dying? Is it a government cover-up or ruthless corporate greed?

This author has followed the maxim: write what you know & has penned a thrilling ride on the crest of today's headlines! Her characters are dimensional, & her pacing keeps you turning the pages, wanting to find out what happens next!

Well done!

I bet you "don't leave home without it". That saying, which once referred to a credit card, probably has more meaning today associated with your cell phone. While you might forget your credit card or even leave it at home on purpose, chances are, you won't go far without your cell phone.

Monica Sinclair is a retired FBI special agent with "active" status. That means she takes on the occasional assignment. But what she really wants to do in her "retirement" is write novels and be left alone. After completing a very successful assignment, her only thoughts are of sitting on the beach and of completing her next novel, which is due to the publisher before too long.

Monica's brother, Michael, is Assistant Deputy Director of the FBI. Michael calls to congratulate his sister on another job well done. But before concluding the call he starts to discuss another assignment. Monica wants none of it, but Michael convinces her to meet him at home for the weekend so they can discuss the details. He says if she still isn't interested after that, he will get someone else. "Home" turns out to be the residence of their 77-year-old grandmother "Sweets".

The assignment is to penetrate Bayou City Wireless in Houston, Texas. Bayou City Wireless is lead by Victor Conti. But it is his twin brother, Gerald, who is heading up the Excalibur Project. The company has been testing a new cell phone, the Excalibur, in the very small town of Bastrop. When most of the members of the test group end up dead, almost everyone places the blame on a small oil company and its hazardous waste site. Only one person in the test group wonders if it could possibly have anything to do with the new cell phones being tested. That was Monica's assignment. To infiltrate the company and determine if the cell phones had anything to do with the deaths. The assignment is full of twists, turns, and surprises. And if Monica is not really careful, it could be her last.

This is a very well written and a very suspenseful novel. Ms. Jackson, a real-life former spokesperson for a Houston wireless company, has delivered a very believable and up-to-the-minute tale of intrigue. Through the web of lies, hate, greed, and lust for power we see the story of real people and of life, just like we are living it today.

Who would ever thought that a cell phone could cause so many problems? In Sibyl Avery Jackson's suspense novel, Degree of Caution, the world of telecommunications takes a front seat. When Bayou City Wireless invents and tests their newest cell phone, the Excalibur, problems are plentiful. Many people who use or have access to information about the Excalibur die or disappear. The FCC and FBI are investigating Bayou City Wireless and its owners, the Conti Brothers.

Monica Jackson is a retired FBI agent and a current author of mystery novels. She is approached by her brother, the assistant director of the FBI, to help with this difficult case. Monica refuses until a friend, who discovered some vital information, is killed. Monica is transformed into Taylor LeBlanc and goes undercover as a public relations specialist in Bayou City Wireless company. In this job she uncovers many of the misdeeds of Gerald Conti, who is determined to get the Excalibur to the market at all costs. She elicits the help of Cameron Maxwell, an engineer in the company and finds herself falling in love with him. Together Monica and Cameron try to find the answers to why the people who used the Excalibur during the testing period all die from cancer. The answer lies with the last living survivor, Dave Carter who is presumed dead.

This novel has a lot of action and suspense that crisscrossed the nation between Texas and Washington DC. However, the use of technical terms and descriptions of the telecommunication industry at times slowed the reading down. There were very interesting secondary characters such as Jazz, ,Big Red and Sweets. I also liked how Jackson made the protagonist Monica a multi-dimensional character. Not only was she solving a case for the FBI, but had to deal with issues regarding her father, relationships and commitment. While this reader was able to figure out some obvious twists to the storyline, I would still recommend this novel as a good pick for those who get pleasure from reading suspense novels.

Jeanette
APOOO BookClub

Sibyl Avery Jackson's debut novel, Degree of Caution, is full of excitement with many
twists. It has everything you look for in a suspense novel - intrigue, drama, and murder.

Monica Sinclair is a woman of many faces. Writer, sister, undercover FBI agent, and one face
she is having trouble relating to, daughter. Her brother, Michael, also works for the FBI,
and he has a case in which he knows Monica would be perfect. Bayou City Wireless is under
investigation for its connection with some questionable deaths. Michael wants Monica to go
in to unearth the connection. The hard part is convincing Monica she is perfect for the job.
After an unforeseen incident, Monica cannot say no. What she finds is more than she
expected - a fashion designer, love, a brother who brings a new meaning to `sibling jealousy',
and her father.

Degree of Caution is a great read if you are in the mood to uncover some deep dirt. I did
find it at one point predictable. However, it did not stop my heart from beating any faster
or less anxious to turn the pages to see how it all turned out. Although it says Sibyl is
working on another Monica Sinclair novel, the ending rather puts closure to many of the
main characters as if this was the final book. I, personally, would like to see more of
Monica. This is a great start for a new series.

Jacki
APOOO BookClub

Written more than a decade before "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" made it okay for adults to enjoy animated cartoons, Joe Adamson's labor-of-love tribute to cartoon pioneer Tex Avery is a must-have for any scholar of animation. Containing perhaps the only extensive interview with Tex Avery before his death before 1980, the book looks back on the illustrious career of a shy, quiet man whose only ambition was to make people laugh. Walt Disney and Chuck Jones are the two most famous names of the Golden Age of cartoons, but they both owe a debt to Tex Avery. In addition to the personal look at Avery's life, the book contains a complete filmography of Avery's theatrical cartoons, plus interviews with the people Tex worked with over the years. While the 1996 book "Tex Avery" by John Canemaker provided a look at the more tragic side of Avery's career (as well as a wealth of background and behind-the-scenes material), Adamson's book is still the definitive look at the fun-loving, innocent personality of the creator of Droopy Dog, Bugs Bunny, Daffy Duck, and the man who broke the shackles of "realism" in animation by declaring, "In a cartoon you can do anything!"

This book is worthless because :
- it offers little insight into Avery's genius
- it's short on the man's biography
- it focuses too much on the cartoons
- a large portion of it is made up of interviews with Avery and others; it's easy to write books that way, using text that's already written
- every picture is in black and white; not a single one in colour; would you like to watch Avery's cartoons in b & w ?
- it is printed on mediocre paper; when you're reading a page you are very much aware of the pictures printed on the other side of the page
- it's grossly overpriced