Comics Books

All these books about Stand Up can not produce one good joke. Some of the techniques might come in handy when in front of an audience but laughter they will not bring. For that, one must be inspired and have a particular view of the world to attract people and share in a funny manner. Bought several books and fine and dandy to hear anecdotes and comedians in all kinds of situations but in the end, if you are really interested in pursuing Stand Up Comedy, a person must be willing to put themselves on the line. Attempt and fail, over and over, until one is recognized as a true comedian and has developed hers or his particular style of comedy. Taking an acting class might be beneficial for so many aspects of stand up comedy can be affected by theatrics. Kind of like wanting to play poker and become rich. You can read all the books you want but until you become one of the players you will not really know wether you are good enough or not. Practice makes perfect, theory does not accomplishes the same thing.

The first part of the book was very informative. It offers many tips and knowledge about stand-up comedy. They seem relevant to many types of comedy. I was worried when I saw all the reviews that it was just filler and they would be pointless. However, the author asks great questions. The interviews are a thrill to read. I could not put this book down and read it from start to finish in a couple days. I reccomend it to anyone interested in any kind of comedy or who want to be funnier.

Ajaye gives great insight to the aspiring comedian in this concise read. I have never been on stage but this book has helped tremendously in the writing process and my eventual presentation. The many interviews he conducts show a wide variety of approaches and thought processes. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone that is thinking of taking it to the stage.

The lone negative review is so off it's beyond belief. This is, in part, my defending a book which I found to be the most helpful of the 3 I own (the other two being Judy Carter's) and challenges the negative points in the bad review.
The author's introduction includes the information that he found law school disinteresting, which is a fact that cohesively brings him to his self-admitted bumpy first night at stand-up comedy. His analysis of comics was fresh information to me. I am relatively new to stand-up (one year) and never thought to specify what makes my comedic heros funny. This advice is tailored to the individual as a road to slowly find one's footing in this world of comedy, a full introduction.
The author does not simply state "tap into your own life experiences". What he does suggest is for the beginning comic to try and find their own voice, whatever that may be, i.e. what we are truly passionate about, as opposed to what we think we should write about. And he writes about this in great detail.
The "third eye" is explained in great detail. I was stumped when sitting down to my notebook to write jokes. I thought to myself "if only I could get to that 'zone' in which I'm on a roll with my friends, making them laugh". The author is urging the reader to expand on his/her own self-awareness as to when and why people respond to him with laughter, as well as asking them to stay aware to one's surroundings and environment. If you're funny or geared towards comedy, your original take on life will guide you, over time, to better writing. That's "third eye" in a nutshell. I'm not an author, nor an expert, but I feel compelled to offer just a tiny explanation of the in-depth book discussion so dismissed above on "third eye".
Lastly, I was at first concerned with the seemingly small portion of the book before the interviews. First of all, those pages offer so much more than previous, now dated books (i.e. Judy Carter) in less space; Secondly, the interviews are truly the most informative part of the book. Trust me. Most of the subjects are so humble and truthful about their beginnings. (I write most as there was one comic who I found egomaniacal, and that in its own way was informative about that world). Hearing their stories and different methods is priceless.
This book rocks.

Excellent looking book. Well organized information on the inside. Franklin Ajaye may not be a household name in stand up, but he's written a book that definitely makes him a household name in my life. I would one day like to make my living as a stand up comedian, and after much searching and perusing, I decided that out of the many books on stand up I would pick this one up first. The big selling point for me was all of the interviews. Once I saw all those names of comedians that I had watched for years I knew I had to read this book.


I have to say that this book was extremely encouraging. I consider myself a funny person, and judging by their reactions to me, I would say that my friends and coworkers think I'm funny as well. My big question was, "how do I turn being a funny person, which I think most people are, into a stand up career?" The first section of this book is a how to guide for doing exactly what I wanted to accomplish. I don't think an aspiring stand up could read this part of the book too much.


The interviews section contained the meat and potatoes that I was most looking forward too. I wasn't let down with any of these chapters, and Ajaye is a really good interviewer. The subjects of the interviews were a diverse group of stand ups and there is tons of methodical insight and stories from the road to be digested from each of them. Frequently, the comedian being interviewed will describe their style of writing and/or performing, and it will be a contrast to what Ajaye suggests beginners do in the beginning of this book. I like how this highlights that there is no formula for stand up, and it encourages one to be experimental and innovative in developing their own funny style.


The final section was also very helpful for someone in my position. It was a set of interviews with what I would call behind the scenes characters that are very important to a stand up comedian. What an entertaining read for aspiring comedians, people who want to be funnier, or just those who are fans of stand up comedy.

the first bleach book, it takes you into a fantasy world that is impossible to put down.

bleach is one of my favourite manga comics.I think every fan of manga should read at least one part of bleach.If you like manga I also recommend death note and naruto.

Bleach has become very popular so it may become easy to over look it as over hyped, but it really is a fantastic Manga. The characters are extremely well developed and nuanced for a "boy" or "action" manga, that being said the action is still great. Ichigo (strawberry) has to be one of my all time favorite characters as is Chad a big guy who like all things cute. Bleach is worth the investment such a long series entails.

I'm 27 years old and my hubby is 34 and we're proud to say Bleach is our new obsession...it's appropriate for pretty much all ages, witty, and highly addictive, even for folks who aren't comic book people.

My 9 year old son loves all of these type books and whatever it takes to keep him reading makes me happy.

I began reading Box Office Poison in 1995 when it was a Xeroxed mini-comic in the $1-box at Jim Haney's Comics (NYC) and devoured it instantly. I loved the shadowy back and white drawings and the quirky dialogue. All the characters seemed real; they live in shared apartments, have uneasy first dates, and work in jobs they don't like. This was a lot more REAL than MTV's REAL WORLD series. Then again, maybe this comic shows you "the real world" with the overweight guys and girls.

After a childhood of comics with muscle-freaks leaping around in pantyhose, I was glad to find comics where people actually get old and DIE. Robert Crumb drew adult-themed comics for 40 years before his stuff was put in regular bookstores, but Robinson's Box Office Poison can be found in Barnes and Noble. Hopefully the Pubic Libraries will soon stock up on graphic novels, which are finally being taken seriously as literary works.

reading an original graphic novel. I love every one of the 602pgs of this book.
thank you, Alex Robinson.

There is something wrong with this book. There are many characters that should be interesting, who have interesting situations and back-stories, but they act like paper cut-outs. This book is boring. There is no spark in it, no life or soul or whatever you might call it. Everything in this book just generally falls flat, in my humble opinion.

A bunch of recent arts college graduates in NYC: their ups, their downs, tears and laughter. That sums up the weaknesses of this book, which sometimes swings into soap-opera land, but only sometimes.

The great strength of the book is the Irving Flavor character, a grumpy old comic book artist who draw the NightStalker, then got shafted. There's some great nuances to his character, and a wonderful section about his attendance at a comic convention.

I'd liked the experiments with story-telling styles, with disorganized panels, overlapping dialogue, and out-of sync visuals.

I read this book (all 600+ pages) in one long sitting and I will definitely be back to read it again and savor it. It's the story of an interwoven group of friends and acquaintances, mostly in early post-college life, in New York in the mid 1990s. The book mostly focuses on Sherman, a frustrated bookstore employee/wannabe writer and Ed, his close friend who aspires to be a comic book artist. Around them orbit a host of characters, from Sherman's roommates Jane and Stephen, to elderly Golden Age comics creator Irving Flavor (Ed's "boss"), to Sherman's kind-of-crazy girlfriend to secondary and tertiary characters who drift in and out.

Alex Robinson has a great talent for both the artwork (he has a knack for individuating his characters so that it was easy to keep them all straight by their appearances) and storytelling. The dialogue and situations are naturalistic and believable, full of small and large real life dramas, struggles, questions and yes, laugh-out-loud funny moments. Every character has moments of showing deep flaws but at the same time nearly every one has a moment or two of deep nobility. Just like people.

I loved the clean black and white art style--I'm a big fan of Alison Bechdel's Dykes to Watch Out For, and this book reminds me somewhat of her style--very distinct looks for each character, sharp clear images and (it's underrated but a downfall for a lot of indie books)--crisp readable lettering. I'd never make it through 600 pages of poor lettering!

Definitely not for kids (one of the characters introduces himself on page one as someone who you get to see naked a lot and he is not kidding), this is a story that will keep any adult reading and turning pages to find out how these characters' lives turn out. This is one of those graphic novels that I'll not only re-read myself, I'll recommend highly to friends and happily loan it out. Gorgeous work of art and storytelling, and richly deserved every award it won.

My wife has always been a fan of Peanuts, and I found these to be perfect. She's so happy each time she opens a new one.

I received this set as a gift for someone else & ended up keeping it myself because I didn't want to part with it! Really nice little set of books, it's so much easier to have everything neatly compiled like this. I'm looking forward to getting the rest of the set.

When I first heard that "The Complete Peanuts" was going to be published, I could not wait for the first one. The wait was very rewarding; not only could I read the comics and see the characters as they grew in the strip, but I could also see the flow of the strip with the Sunday comics in the proper order. Schulz would often continue a story line in the Sunday comics, which many strip writers do not. As a child I had over 150 of the small paperbacks, watched all the specials, and loved the lessons in the story lines. As an adult, I watch "A Charlie Brown Christmas" with my family every year and still read the comics to start my day off right. If you have a love for Peanuts and want to rediscover the characters, buy a few sets or the whole series and connect with them again.

I am so glad I purchased these books. I love Peanuts and it is wonderful to have a collection in chronological order. I have really enjoyed seeing the early stages of Peanuts as they were evolving into the familiar characters. As my finances are slim, I cannot get all the books at once, but I will be getting the subsequent years as soon as I can afford them. The packaging of the books is also very attractive and of good quality. They will last for many years and many readings.

Who doesn't like "Peanuts"? Well Charles Schultz hated the name "Peanuts" but that's another story altogether. Collected here are the entire daily strips and Sunday strips for the first four years of the comic. Most of them have been complied over the decades but more than most are seeing the light of day for the first time since they originally ran. Here we saw the genesis of Charlie Brown and Snoopy and the introduction of Lucy Van Pelt and Schroeder as infants. Things were very embryonic at this stage and Schultz was still finding his footing with his characters behaviors and future neuroses but still manages to make you laugh.

If you a fan and your looking to start a collection here is your chance. Enjoy.

A very enjoyable read and inspirational. I went out purchased a sketch pad and started drawing after finishing the book!

This is a great book! I read it in an hour and a half. I enjoy knowing the process people take in order to deal with life's occasional hiccups that knock the world out from under you. It helps to know that you're not the only one sometimes. It's always a relief when the person works it out positively and thinks enough to want to share it with others. Thank you, Danny!

love it, love it, love it !!!!
a wonderful inspiring little book.
perfect smaller size (6"x8") to carry along with your sketchbook to keep you encouraged in your drawing.

I suppose I had some misperceptions of this book. I was assuming there would be more inspiration that would cajole me into journaling and artwork. I also thought is was he who was disabled - it was his wife. There was little mention of how his wife's diability figured into the whole pictue of his life. As a disabled person, I thought there would be some insight into overcoming disability to do what you want. I do however, love the way he draws and journals. In the end I saw this as a simple journal that anyone might have done. I still have his other book and I have higher hopes for that.

i loved it! i recived the book for valentines day and finished in a day...its very intresting to examine dannys drawing and learn about his life in nyc..

This is often the first book I read to my upper elementary student children. Many have not been read to or for some other reason do not know the JOY and FUN of a good book.

We act this one out. From getting their muscles "kneaded" and arms "stretched" like dough. I get their permission first. Sigh... that is the decade we are living in.

We "shake" flour (really a salt shaker.) And sprinkle oil (in a firmly sealed vial.)

We whirl and twirl a stuffed animal in the air. Next the checkers (pepperoni)

Then the children "cook" in the oven. (actually under a desk.)

This is one book the children ask for and moan when I tell them it is at my other school.

It makes believers of them that books are exciting.

What a fun book! Our 3 year old loves being made into a pizza with all sorts of toppings made from paper or play food. Great activity that ends with a nice hug!

This is a wonderful and exciting book for all family members of every age. It's sturdy, nicely illustrated,easy to hold and to read. Talk about love in the family, this book illustrates to parents the importance of communicating, touching, and just having a good time with our children. Pete's a Pizza brings out the child in adults and keeps the child in children.

Cheer your kids up by turning them into pizzas. A cute book for any collection.

Petes's in a bad mood because he can't go oult to play with his friends on this rainy day. To cheer him up and pass the time, his dad invents a fun and unique game. He is going to make a pizza out of Pete! The book is very amusing as the dad rolls the dough (Pete) and sprinkles cheese (paper) and tomatoes (checkers) on the pizza. This could be a wonderful game to play with your own children. Loads of fun to be had.

Page-Turning Southern Novels!

Shadow of Dreams Book Review by Barbara Robinson
The novel is full of realistic Southern characters. If you love Southern novels, don't miss out on this one! Shadow of Dreams by Eva Marie Everson and G. W. Francis Chadwick is a well-written, well-developed novel full of foreshadowing. The main character serves as an excellent example of what happens to many young teens glamorized by the big city and running from problems at home. Instead of the prodigal son, the main character, Katie, is the prodigal daughter. I couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen to Katie and her husband, and the bad guys. I loved the way the authors used literature for clues. I also loved the way the small-town Georgia guys protected their own and took care of the big-city guys. These authors do not preach, but they certainly know how to spin a tale that could serve to help others. These authors offer much insight, and a reflective reader will benefit from the experience of having read this novel. A good, reflective reader will find that this book is about many things that connect to life in such a way, it can't help but be realistic. The characters are realistic, not mere shells of characters. The way they talk and the things they say, the dialogue, provide that realistic touch to make them come to life. Katie's mom is really a Southern character. It is ironic that she seems to treat Katie as her own mother treated her, but she does not realize this.

Summon the Shadows Book Review

By Barbara Robinson

Summon the Shadows by Eva Marie Everson and G. W. Francis Chadwick is the second novel in a trilogy you won't want to miss. Katie, the main character loses her husband, but refuses to believe he is dead. She is forced to take over his business, running a posh hotel, as she faithfully waits for his return. Her faith in God sees her through. Katie remembers her roots and from where she has come. While being thankful to God for her own escape from the world of exotic dancing, she tries to help three other dancers find their escape by offering them jobs in the hotel. Looking back unable to let go of her past, one dancer secretly returns to the exotic dancing.

This book will not offend anyone with its subtle message of God's caring and love. Everson and Chadwick have interwoven the hope, love, and joy of His message throughout this exciting journey of Katie's life. Katie escapes the evil plot of others with the Lord's protection. Her faith and belief in God see her through the trials and tribulations she encounters at the hands of others. Even with so much turmoil in her own life, she still finds the time to love and care for others and opens her heart and hotel to saving the three dancers and turning their lives around.

This novel will keep you turning pages to find out what fate befalls the dancer who returns to exotic dancing. You will be on the edge of your seat wondering if Katie's husband will reappear, when she starts receiving gifts from an unknown admirer. Next, you will hold your breath as you await Katie's fate at the hands of so-called trusted friends who worked in her hotel. This novel is full of plot twists that make savory reading. Curl up with wonderful winter reads just in time for Christmas with this trilogy available through www.amazon.com because you won't want to miss a single book! What wonderful gifts of reading your presents may offer others!

Shadows of Light Book Review
By Eva Marie Everson
Book Reviewer: Barbara Robinson, Avid Reader and Passionate Writer, Educator

Shadows of Light is a page-turner with a Christian message delicately interwoven, so that the novel does not come off as preachy. Yet, it clearly delivers a much-needed message of God's love and forgiveness and how none of us are perfect. We all need loving kindness, compassion, forgiveness, and redemption, and the set of three novels in this collection clearly provide this message. Shadows of Light is the concluding book in the three-part series, one you will not want to put down until you see how it ends.

This final novel in the series of three illustrates how prayer and faith work in real life. Katie, the main character holds on to her faith, like the treasure it is, until her husband returns. She never gives up on him. Even when he returns and things are not picture perfect, she understands, has compassion, forgives, and continues to have faith in God. Maggie, the housekeeper, also models faith and how prayer works. She is not afraid of death and meeting her maker. In fact, she illustrates how she looks forward to doing so, and she tries to encourage Ben's faith. Just as in real life, all family members do not always share the same faith or amount of faith, but the novel displays a fine example of how one can model faith and belief in the power of prayer without preaching. One of my favorite parts of this novel is how Maggie is found with her finger marking a Bible verse and how Katie remembers the small things about Maggie, like where she kept Katie's slippers. For, when we lose our loved ones, it is always the small, simple things we miss the most about them.

Another favorite part is the epilogue and how the novel ends. I won't spoil the ending for you though. Read the book and find out for yourself! The ending ties in with an ongoing theme from the other two books as well as the third novel and wraps things up nicely like a well-wrapped Christmas gift. These novels would make great stocking stuffers for the readers in your life.

The novel also illustrates a love story and romance between Ben and Katie, the two main characters. It is very realistic to life and provides insight for the reader. If you like Southern novels, romance, or love stories, do not miss this delightful book. In fact, you won't want to miss a single one of the three.

This novel is full of plot twists that make savory reading. Curl up with wonderful winter reads just in time for Christmas with this trilogy available through www.amazon.com because you won't want to miss a single book from the collection: Summon the Shadows, Shadow of Dreams, and last, Shadows of Light.What wonderful gifts of reading your presents may offer others! Check out all of Eva Marie Everson's other great books online.

I'm hesitant to give low review to any author but felt compelled to do so because I was so disillusioned by the other reviews.

I kept waiting for something to happen in this novel and when it did, I was disappointed. It seemed that the entire book was written for the "surprise" ending which was overly dramatic and too unrealistic to be believable.

Then again, I had just read Francine Rivers' "Redeeming Love" and not much compares to that, now does it?

Eva Marie's series is fabulous. I couldn't wait to find the time to read the next page. I fell in love with Katie and hope there are plans to read more of her. Eva Marie's 3 books in this series is filled with exciting plot twists, suspense, and drew me closer to the Lord, plus making me even more appreciative of my wonderful husband. These books are delightful!

Once I started reading, I could not put it down. The characters and storylines are so realistic. I feel I know Katie personally (we are both from Georgia, after all). The suspense kept me on the edge of my seat with anticipation and the love between Ben and Katie warmed by heart. This is definitely a must read and will keep you coming back for more!

The prodigal daughter returns to her southern home after twenty-five years of absence. Katie runs from her problems, and she discovers she needs to make things right with God before she can solve her problems. This book was intriguing and suspenseful, and there were times when I was sitting on the edge of my seat! The characters were well-developed, and I'm anxious to start the sequal!

"Spider-Man: The Ultimate Guide" is a must-have book for all the wall-crawler's fan! It has information about lots of characters and a fantastic spidey's time-line! The illustrations are as good as well, and you can even find information on alternative Spider-Man series, like Spider-Girl, and Spidey 2099. Although the book is very nicely done i still missed more detailed profiles, anyway you will sure not regret for buying this one!

I never read a Spider-man comic book, but I wanted to know all about Spidey, his allies, and his enemies. This ended my search!

We bought this book for our five year old who loves Spiderman, but our whole family has enjoyed learning more about the villains and other characters in Spidey's world. It is fun to learn the origin of characters we are familiar with and some we had never heard of before. There are lots and lots of illustrations to keep the kids' attention, and the stories and bios are interesting enough for adults as well. The binding has fallen apart on our book- which may have survived better under normal wear and tear- but that is mostly because my son takes it to bed with him since he loves this book so much. Overall, a great book for kids and adults too.

Tom De Falco's comprehensive SPIDER-MAN guide is one of my favourite spidey books, covering everything from the comic's origins in the 60s to the recent movies. With some great insight into the characters in the world of comics and good layout, this guide tells you all you need to know about Peter Parker, Mary Jane and assotment of villians (Green Goblin, Doc Ock, Venom et all). DeFalco's extensive research has paid off, making this an essential addition to the already bookshelf-breaking collection of comic book guides. This is a must-have book for any SPIDER-MAN enthusiast.

I have been a rabid Spider-Man fan, reader, and collector for the past 13 years. In that time, I've seen some of the best (1980's to 1993) and worst (Clone Saga) this hero has to offer. IN addition, I have collected every issue ever published. So, I'm very knowledgable about SPider-Man and his world. Still, this book is a delight to read. I didn't learn anything new, but it is well written, spectacularly illustrated with original comic art from some of Spidey's most legendary artists (Ditko, Romita Sr., Romita Jr., Frenz, Andru, Sal Buscema, Gil Kane, McFarlane, Bagley, Larsen). New fans will learn a lot from this book, but no matter how long you've been a fan of Spidey, this book is a treasure trove for you!!

I bought this book for my father who is a WWII vet. He sat and laughed and laughed. He loved it. He even brought it with him to his WWII army reunion for the guys to read. I would highly recommend this book.

I really enjoyed the experience of reading and viewing "Up Front". My parents had the book in our home and I remember having the same experience in the early 50's. I truely enjoyed the art work of Bill Mauldin. It was around that time that I became interested in World War II history and drawing and I think I was influenced in both areas by this book. Over the years and as a result of several moves the book disappeared. I was recently reminded of it's existence by a recent issue of World War II Magazine which had a article about Bill Mauldin, "Up Front" and showed several of the cartoons. I immediately purchased it on amazon.com. It bought back so many memories. The hard cover was the same as the book in our home so many years before. If you are a WWII buff you will definately enjoy Mauldin's insight into the lives of the infantry soldier in the front lines. It's a great book.

I received my item as described and delivered as scheduled.
I am very satisfied with my transaction.

The copy of this Book, that I grew up with was my Father's 1945 Paperback Edition. As a Kid, I was drawn in to these amazing Cartoons by Bill. When I was about 13, I read the Text to this Great Book, and was Blown Away by it! In my view, Bill Mauldin has written the Most Honest Account of World War II that you are gonna find. From a Dogface's Point-Of-View, this Book is a History Lesson for all of us.

War is indeed a Tragic Thing, and it is still Real in 2008. But to be Honest about it AND to be able still Laugh, This is what makes: "Up Front", such a special Book for me. It reminds me of my Pop, who served in Patton's Third Armored from 1943-1945. My Dad loved a Good Paperback, and through his Bookshelf, I was able to Discover some Fantastic Stuff, but from Mark Twain to Steinbeck, this is my Favorite from his Collection.

The Muddy Faces of Willie and Joe are the faces of Millions of American Veterans of World War II. These were our Father's and Grandfather's, this is the Story of those GI's....From their Muddy Foxholes...FIVE STARS !!!

Of course, this is not a novel. It's a collection of cartoons as they appeared in the Armed Services newspaper Stars and Stripes. The cartoon began to appear in 1944 as the invasion of Europe was underway and millions of Allied troops were fighting their way through Italy and France and into the heart of the third reich.
After a few false starts, Mauldin settled on two characters, Willie and Joe-infantry men. Willie and Joe (who were barely distinguishable from each other) were concerned with all the things that veterans said concerned them during the war. Lousy food was as much of a concern as enemy artillery, fear of cold, wet feet as annoying as the fear of death.
The cartoons, and Mauldin's self-effacing recollections together form a kind of narrative that is at once immensely personal and deeply historical. Mauldin was a pioneer. It was ten years before Cornelius Ryan The Longest Day: The Classic Epic of D-Dayturned personal narratives into history and almost forty before Ken Burns came along.The War - A Film By Ken Burns and Lynn Novick
Mauldin was, in effect, the only war reporter who was relatively uncensored. Since his cartoons carried no strategic information, his only worry was the military's possible perception that he might be lowering troop morale with his swipes at the brass and the rear-echelon. Fortunately, some American sensibility that 'it's good to laugh at the boss even if the boss is us' prevailed.

Up Front was one of the few books that my parents kept by their bedside. This is the book that helped the post-war generation remember the war as it was fought by the men who did the hard work. A quiet masterpiece.

Lynn Hoffman, author of bang BANG: A Novel

What a visially stunning book. Bruce Timm's artwork is sensationally brought to the reader through Chip Kidds fantastic use of photo design. This book thoroughly examines the behind the scene design concepts of Bruce Timm and Paul Dino and company with insightful reading on how they got to create one of TV's best animated series. A valuable piece of work collecting wonderfully laid out illustrations. Highly recommended for the curious and pure fans of the Batman character.

A very good buy, i was waiting to have this book in my hands for a long time and i finally have it, it's just excellent for those who love the batman animated series and animation. It has a lot of tips and information "behind the scenes" of the series.
very recomendated, the only bad thing is that it was the only book this kind, i'm still waiting for something similar but of justice league and batman beyond.

"Batman: The Animated Series" was one of the most revolutionary and influential cartoons ever created. This book, written by B:TAS writer/producer Paul Dini, is an essential look into the creation and phenomenon of the series. While a little slim on actual reading, what is there gives you that most coveted "behind-the-scenes" info on what it took to make "Batman". (For another perspective on the show's creation, check out the "Modern Masters: Bruce Timm" interview book.)

The real meat of the book lies in its visuals: photos, line art, animation cels, background keys, licensed toys, etc. The layout of these materials seems a bit haphazard (for being done by the "design-god" Chip Kidd), with captions sometimes hard to correlate with their images and numerous fold-out pages (which I really don't care for). However, the sheer number and quality of images is amazing, and some of the full-page renderings of production key art is breath-taking. I question some of the image choices in the character-design section, particularly the villians. But, again, there's a lot of ground to cover here and the quality and quantity of pictures is overwhelming.

The book was published before Batman Beyond and Justice League, so the ending comments might seem a little off. Still as a retrospective on the "B:TAS", you can't ask for much more. This would have been a 5 star review, if only there'd been a little more reading and a bit less visual confusion.

Bottom line: Love "Batman: The Animated Series"? Buy this book.

Who best to write a book about this justifiably award-winning animated series than one of the series writer/producers--Paul Dini (who wrote one of my favorite episodes--"Heart of Ice")? And with graphic designer Chip Kidd involved, you have a book that looks great on the coffee table. The best word I can use to describe this book is "thorough." It contains superlative art in full color, storyboards, character designs, in-house memos, licensed products, an episode guide from the animated series, plus great information on why the series was created, why the censors said no to certain aspects, as well as facts about the movies based on the series (SUBZERO, MASK OF THE PHANTASM). My only complaint is that the book isn't longer. But that's not the authors' fault. They put together such a great book, you'll want as much insight into the creation of this series as you can get (like a good DVD provides). And these guys deliver! This is a great "backstage" look for fans of the series.

I really was blown away by how meticulously put-together this book was. Besides the animation being great, this documentive source included everything from the episode guide title cards, merchandise (including ice cream and bubblegum cards), storyboards, character concepts, and a hell of a lot more! It also includes a great photo of Bruce Timm's drawing desk- complete with all the references he uses such as G.I. Joes & knick knacks. Color photos are adorned throughout, but besides that, there are also great stories of what the animation department went through with the head leaders of Warner Bros. There is even a charicature drawing that includes everything that the animators were restricted to draw (a nude, smoking Catwoman, a boozin' Joker, Batman strangling his foe, etc- it's really a treat!)
Even if you've had the misfortunate of not being familiar with this cartoon series, owning this book will make you realize how much effort is needed to create something this vast, and how much more we need to practice to ever reach this level!