Cartoons Books

Daniel Clowes is one of my favorite all time writers, and he is part of a list of writers whom I have treasured from my teen years on, writers who willingly explore dark/absurdist themes. This list includes the following: William Burroughs, Jean Paul Sartre, Jean Genet, Franz Kafka, Mark Twain, Alfred Jarry, Josh Alan Friedman, and Philip K Dick. When I met Clowes a few years ago, at a book signing, I happily told him this.

Anyway, Lout Rampage is a collection of mostly short musings - written and also brilliantly illustrated by Clowes - that deal with his peeves and obesrvations about life. They are entertaining, the way a carefully worded rant by someone in a deeply bad mood, can be. The highlights for me are two companion pieces within the book - "I Hate You Deeply", in which Clowes rants like a caffienated curmudgeon about such well chosen targets as "wealthy children who attempt to buy into the inherent `hipness' of the economic underclass" and "occultists, new-agers and anyone seeking simple catch-all solutions to unanswerable questions." Funny stuff, made all the more funny by Clowes' satirical drawings. - and "I Love You Tenderdly," in which Clowes shows his appreciation for misfits and for oddball stuff.

But generally, Clowes as a writer, writing in the visually appealing medium of graphic novels, uses his multiple talents to get at the absurd qualities of existence, that is, to mix ranting with close observation. For that reason, he should be read and be recognized as the great writer that he is.

Highly recommended and 5 stars.

Not being a fan of underground comics at all, I was a little hesitant to even open this book. Within seconds though, I found someone else out there was equally as twisted and full of angst as myself - and funny as ever. This is a 'best-of' type collection of some fantastic and well-contrived comics with a strong and bitter dark sarcasm throughout. Touching on many modern American social issues, this guy Clowes hits the nail on the head every time with his twisted insight into the human condition. No household is complete without this work.

Discovering the work of Daniel Clowes was like when I first heard The Replacements. I was actually angry I hadn't known sooner. This collection won't have everyone's favorite "Eightball" moments but it's an amazing collection.

I bought this item as gift for my fiance. He currently lives in FL & often ask me about Love Is which is printed daily in the Chicago Suntimes.
I saw this book and I knew I had to buy it for him for Valentines Day. He Loves it and says it is a treasure.

Product arrived as advertised - very good quality.
Larger than previous Love Is books - Very Satisfied.

This is a cute paperback version of the hardcover cartoon collection that is also sold on Amazon. Amazon has done a lousy job with thier item descriptions and you never know what you are ordering anymore.

I bought this book because I have "met" Donna Barstow; well, sort of. Anyway, that's not the point...she's a great cartoonist, so when I found out she was one of the authors to this funny book, I bought it! You should buy it too. Really, you should...go ahead, it's really easy. With the click of your mouse, voila!! See? Now wasn't that easy?

I really enjoyed this book of cartoons on the trials and tribulations of finding love. It makes no difference if you are male or female, you'll find something in it that you can relate to!

This book contains 200 cartoons created by five phenomenally talented women cartoonists: Donna Barstow, Liza Donnelly, Anne Gibbons, Stephanie Piro & Lynn Williams. Each cartoonist brings her own unique perspective on the subject, and each has an impressive list of cartooning credits behind her name.

I own several books of cartoons, but this one has quickly become one of my favorites. I appreciate that it is small enough to fit inside a purse, making it perfect for pulling out to enjoy during spare moments throughout the day. Whether you're already in a relationship or perhaps in the pursuit of one, this book will likely find you laughing aloud and nodding along in agreement as you peruse its pages.

This book is nothing but pure slander. Mr. Hutchins should be ashamed to calll the good character of our Vice President into question! I urge everyone to avoid this book!

Brimming with sarcasm, LOVING THE CHENEY WITHIN is a wry and twisted cartoon commentary on politics, psychology and popular culture. Hutchins really seems to have his finger on the pulse of today's disaffected voters and this book will be well-thumbed on any coffee table, bathroom reading table, or waiting room during the upcoming election season. Recommended!!!

Loving the Cheney Within is so hysterically funny, it is impossible for the reader to avoid laughing out loud. It may be inadvisable to read it in a public place like on a bus, or in a waiting room, unless you don't mind the stares that your involuntary chuckling may foster.

It is a rare book that gets the social commentary message across, while simultaneously amusing and engaging.

I can do no other thing than agree with Amazon's comments about "Mafalda" (the full series), but this title is very special, since it presents Quino's first strips of this comic masterpiece.

If you want to understand Latin America, you cannot go wrong with this or any other of the 10 books on Mafalda

This is not just a comic! It is excellent! You laugh and cry while you reading this book. We always ignore the children's world. We always forgot we are the echo of the children. It also reminds something you forgot. i read the Chinese version and want to find the english version for my friend! I got it!

Quino is just a mind-boggling genius. Everything is funny, everything is still applicable to things happening today. My dad had most of them when I was a little girl, and I started buying them for myself. Best seven dollars I have ever spent.

I adored these cartoons when I learned to speak Spanish years ago. While Mafalda's political leanings were definitely a product of the time and place, her interpretation of the adult world is hysterical and sharply insightful. I am only sad that I can no longer understand many of them since I haven't used Spanish for so long.

Parte fundamental del humor latino es y será Mafalda. Ella, como siempre, con su fino humor nos hace reir y reflexionar acerca de la vida y el mundo en general.

Hikaru, Umi and Fuu were summoned to Cephiro to save Princess Emeraude from the evil Zagato, but before they can become Legendary Magic Knights, they must first get some wicked cool weapons! With the help of Ferio the swordsman, Presea the pharle (weapon maker), Clef the greatest magician in the land and the cute fluffy Mokona, these girls are sure to go far! But what about that chick in the skimpy outfit, Alcione, sent by Zagato to kill them? Can they use their magic to protect themselves? And where does Mokona always disappear to whenever there¡¦s a battle? How does she manage to look so cute? What is her secret?!?
To find out the answers to all these questions and more, buy the second volume of the MKR series!! =^-^=

1. Story: Great story, very classical Shoujo storyline, but definitely original and captivating. I loved it!
2. Love Interest: Come on guys, it¡¦s a Shoujo manga; it¡¦s got the cutest love stories ever, but in the first cycle only Fuu gets a love interest, but boy! What a guy she gets! Ferio is really cute, and he¡¦s the only shonen that doesn¡¦t have shoulders out to here, and stands mountains tall compared to the girls. He isn¡¦t even wrapped up in cloaks, or have tons of hair, but he does have the coolest, wicked cool sword!!! (Don¡¦t worry parents, nothing offensive to the romance, and there isn¡¦t even any kissing ƒ¼.)
3. Artwork: Gorgeous. And you can trust my opinion; I draw manga, so I know good artwork when I see it, seriously. Mokona and Fuu are not drawn to my tastes in the first cycle; Mokona has these weird cheeks, but that¡¦s just me. The rest of the artwork will have you drooling (especially over Zagato) and the character design is scrumptious, but some of the battle scenes are confusing until you get the hang of them and know what to look for.
4. Translation: Great translation; great fonts. Princess Emeraude and Zagato both have their own personal fonts, a really neat stylistic quirk. It really adds depth to the story. There is a small problem cuz Japanese isn¡¦t written like English, so the speech bubbles are taller than they are wide, but that¡¦s usually not a problem. ¡¥Why don¡¦t you¡¦ is spelled ¡¥Whydoncha¡¦ and Ferio charmingly greets the girls with, ¡¥who are y¡¦all?¡¦ but overall it was perfect.
5. Quality: Excellent Quality, it¡¦s a beautiful book that will not fall apart like the Sailor Moon manga reportedly does. It reads from right to left; Japanese form, but since I can read and write Arabic, it came naturally to me. On the last page is a quick, useful tutorial to show you how to read authentic manga in its original form. Words don¡¦t lead off the page or anything, and the paper is beautiful.
6. Nudity: NONE (Only two skimpy outfits; nothing to worry about)
7. Price: Ok, now, as much as I love manga, ten bucks for a 120-page comic book is kind of a lot. I have to buy everything online, so I¡¦m under my parent¡¦s thumb, and though I would gladly produce the money myself, they don¡¦t approve of it. ƒ¼ -sigh-
8. Mokona¡¦s in it. Puuuu?

Another cool perk about this series is the extra part at the end of the book, where CLAMP talks to you (manga style) and tell you about the anime, the artbooks and, of course, themselves!! They¡¦re drawn in cute chibi-form, with some info on CLAMP¡¦s team. Puu! Puu!!

Once again, I am impressed with Clamp's artwork and storyline. The story starts of where Ferio joins the girls, and after a major showdown with Alcionie, they go their seperate ways. Unlike in the anime, the Fuu/Ferio relationship is shown more in depth, and is much more romantic and fluffier than in the anime. Also, he doesn't hit on Umi, although she is the first one to figure out that Fuu has feelings for Ferio, while Hikaru is clueless, as usual. The artwork is amazing, and the character development is noteworthy. :)

Rayearth is about three girls Hikaru,Umi and Fuu that were from Tokyo,Japan who were sent to a land called Cephiro to save Princess Emraude,the pillar(which is like the heart of Cephiro),from the one she loves; Zagato. The reason she must be saved from Zagato is the Pillar can not show love tourds anything besides Cephiro. But first Hikaru,Umi and Fuu must find the ancient ruin Gods,Windam,Rayearth and Seilus,(the girls all ready found Windam)and the mineral of excuta .So far only Hikaru has her magic (the magic of fire) though but latter in the book Umi and Fuu get there magic too (with the help of there bunny/marshmellow friend Mokona). Plus Fuu mets the man of her dreams^_^!(Ferio). The art is beautiful and the story's amazing but I do recomend it for some one 13 and older for some battle violence.
~*~Purin~*~

With its unique combination of cartoons, photos, newspaper clippings, this is everything a graphic novel should be. It's entertaining, informative and a page turner of sorts. As the memoir progresses, you get drawn into Long Tack Sam's life and you root for him. I felt myself wishing that I had been around to catch his act.

I read this in one sitting! This was done in a journal/comic book format that was informative, fun, and made me feel that when I ended the book, I left with something special. Sam was a pioneer, and all the amazing people he met and worked with (Orson Wells, Laurel and Hardy to name a few), it's like the back of the book said, how come no one knows who this famous man is? His rufasal to compromise to the Chinese steriotype in order to enter Hollywood, and that his daughters were considered too pretty to be filmed as Asians for any Hollywood pictures , really reminds you that the 20th century really changed our views of the world and culture. This man went all over the world, married an Austrian lady, and go figure, had competition from white magicians dressing in Asian motifs and taking similar names to him! I can go on ad infinitium about how great this was, and how I came upon this by accident. I strongly recommend this book to not only magicians, but also to anyone looking for a fun and entertaining read.

I had seen Ann Marie Fleming's documentary film about her great-grandfather, Long Tack Sam, and was thrilled to see that she had also written a book about him. I was expecting the usual sort of biography, text with a couple of photo inserts. Instead, the book is a mix of text, cartoons, and photos, much in the same style as the movie. It's absolutely beautiful, and the period images (ads and posters, photos, etc) convey the style and feel of the vaudeville era which was Sam's heyday. I love to read about vaudeville but it's the images that bring those times to life for me, and this book does it wonderfully.

I would recommend this book to anybody interested in reading or making manga. It is inspirational and provides an insight to the profession like no other book.

This book has no value what so ever for teaching you how to draw. That's not what this book is for, it's actually a interview with the hottest manga artist's ever known! I thought it would be a good idea to buy this book, just so I can get a preview of my favorite manga artists'art works, as well as what they have to say to other inspiring manga-ka's. I truly enjoyed reading this book, and I'm sure fans of golden boy,clamp, silent mobius, etc would love to hear about what their idol manga artist have to say. I loved everything about this book, and I would recommend this book to those who are interested in a behind the scenes look at the world of manga. If you are looking to buy this book for other reasons, then don't bother buying this book, you will be sorely dissapointed.

As a fan of the many styles of Manga, this book caught me rather by surprise. Most books in my collection that deal with manga analyze the work itself. However, this book is truly unique in that it explores the process of the actual creation of manga art. The methods used are delved into in a very fascinating way. The interviews with the artists themselves are well composed and the questions asked are far more novice.

The other outstanding aspect of the book is the use of various manga illustrations as well as photos of manga artists at work. These two items really serve to represent the many aspects of manga art.



If you are a fan of manga, then you owe yourselves this book. A definite recomendation.

GREAT MANGA!!!!
I'm in my twenties and this is one of the best mangas

I have loved this series so much that I was almost sad when I picked up this volume...I knew it would end! Normally, I'm not one for dramatic soap operas, but there's something extremely compelling about Rei and Kira's story. The characters of Mars are simply fantastic and a joy to follow along. In this volume, Masao (yes, I groaned, too) reared his ugly head once again and escapes from the hospital only to stab Rei on his wedding night. They really scared me for a few pages when it seemed Rei was going to die (relax, ladies, he's just fine and dandy), and then thankfully, Rei gets back to racing. I can't wait until the Gaiden: Horse with No Name comes out. June...*sigh* Anyway, a great end to a great manga series!

For those who picked the book up when it first came out, and where sucked into it's wonderful art and most creative story, then you must know that this series gets better book by book, and as sad as it may be, the ending is perfect for it. Several unanswered questions come into play... will Kira tell Rei about the letter form Sei? How will old characters come into play? Will they be happy or will it end in tears? Only one way to find out! I enjoyed this manga however, because it was a perfect ending!