Caricature Books

The Architects Of Rap: Poison In Our Culture by Les Taha is a stinging, articulate, timely denouncement of the negative influences that rap and hip-hop culture and lyrics have on African Americans today, ranging from its portrayal of stereotyped violence, to promiscuity, to criminality among black people, to its glorification of despicable and inhumane behavior. Pen-and-ink cartoons add a satirical punch to this strident, much-needed "wake-up" call concerning how prejudice and poisonous values influence our impressionable youth through the guise of rap and hip-hop.

It has been a while since I have heard from someone who have entered the world were most are afraid to go, HIP HOP. My salutation to brother Taha for being bold enough to tell the truth. We as older A/A men have failed our communities and the disgusting words of rap music are the result our negligence. Our young men who are making grand theft money are really destroying themselves and the young fertile minds that are listening to these sick words due to their lack of knowledge of self. You can't know you self and say the the disrespectful lyrics that come out of their mouths. You can't know yourself and display their bodies in the manner that they do and realyy think they have sense because they make money. Reality with common sense does not exist in the world of Hip Hop. As Brother Taha so eloquently stated the music is what brings us to the table but the vulgar and immorale language is disgusting. Our true make up as humans are really words. We are merely a culmination of words that our minds have heard over the years from birth to now. Every single word that goes into our heads must have a reaction. If we feed negative and immoral words into our KING(dome) what comes out are the same negatives that go in especially if we don't have a good knowledge base.
As the old saying goes you are what you eat that is physically as well as mentally. We must began to war against the powers that be to fight off this destruction of the A/A mind an that war starts at home. Gathering troops will be difficult when you find millions of young women who are still children in their thinking and are bring more young troops into this hip hop battle becasue they don't have a clue. We have very little to fight with except the truth. We as OG's must find a way to attract these gifted young men and women to the table and began to share with them a master plan that we all can support are this battle will be lost and we will continue this immoral downfall. The Architect of this detrimental behavior have also infected other cultures now so they have a powerful Army standing up for what they think is right.
If we are to save our babies and put the forces of wrong on the track to retreat we have some serios times ahead of us that will not reflect a rosy future for any of us.
It is time for the MODERN DAY ACHIEVERS to stand up and lets remake our world with a new way of thinking,speaking and wearing our clothes and let those so called brothers and sisters who take your money and give it right back to the Master. We must began to pool our resources to create food centers, mechanism to buy the housing in our communities so that we will have communities and develop clothing thats demonstrates class and not a thuggish look. We should began to boycott all foolishiness and negative influences and quit letting people with our own color continue to sell us bags of garbage Lets Tell Ebony,Essence,Vibe etc. an any other Magazine to quit promoting these people,quit promoting alcohol/cigarette ads, and showing our beautiful women and men half naked in thier publication and respect our childrens minds for the future. Onces and for all lets quit telling people that sex sales. We have a long way to go to reestablish morality and common sense back into the minds of society. We should create a National Cortisium with a twenty-fifty year plan to change our condition. I am working with brothers on such a program currently.
Let us quit being used by the MASTER ARCHITECT!!!!!! Thank you Bro Taha for letting us all know that the truth shall set us free.
R.A Salaam

This isn't just one of the best comic strips of all time, it is one of the best books of all time. Do whatever you can to find a copy, and then treasure it for the rest of your life.

It is a crying shame that Barnaby is now out of print, except for the reprints in Comics Revue magazine. This is a book that deserves to be kept in print forever. Write to Dover, and urge them to reissue it.

The only way to safely express the feelings Bill Clinton's conduct produces is the editorial cartoon. The man just defies words. So this was a vintage year for cartoonists - and it shows. The cartoons in this book are just great. They canalise wrath into laughter, but also - on social issues - create the awareness that some matters are too serious to be laughed at.

A very good reason to buy this book: it features some of my own work. Really, this is reason enough to buy this excellent volume. Trust me.

Charles Brooks edits the 2003 edition of BEST EDITORIAL CARTOONS OF THE YEAR, a powerful and pointed collection which packs in political commentary and cartoon renditions of major events of 2002. Newspaper readers will find these satires hilarious.

Best Editorial Cartoons Of The Year 2003 Edition is a superb collection of black-and-white political and social cartoons that aptly summarize the turning points of the year. Including numerous award-winning cartoons among its 420 selections, Best Editorial Cartoons Of The Year 2003 aptly captures the range of political turmoil, governmental indecisions, social ills, and sardonic looks at the near and far future. Highly recommended, especially for political science students in need of a little levity showcasing what are often keen political insights.

The year 2003, which is what is covered in this book, was the year when the United States invaded Iraq. Looking at these cartoons, you can see the rush to war, but you can also see the glimmerings of doubts of people who questioned the wisdom of the war. With the genius of hindsight, it is clear as to who was right and who was wrong.
Some of the cartoons, particularly those about the French lack of support for the war, are reprehensible. As the intervening years have demonstrated, the French showed a degree of intelligence and good judgment that was lacking in the United States and Great Britain. As so many wars over the years have demonstrated, the end result of the war is the destruction of what the countries went to war to preserve. A few of the cartoons in this collection point out how many of the fundamental liberties of U. S. citizens have been compromised by the war in Iraq.
Like the American body politic, editorial cartoonists inhabit a wide spectrum of political opinions, which is demonstrated here. If you are interested in how they expressed their thoughts, which is a reflection of the nation, then this is a book that you want to read.

Compiled and organized by Charles Brooks, Best Editorial Cartoons Of The Year 2004 Edition is the Pelican Publishing Company's latest annual anthology of editorial cartoons. Here is a very highly recommended compilation of political cartoons which are keenly in touch with the current pulse of modern history. Featuring the black-and-white work of award winning cartoonists, along with a very brief recap of the current events directly relevant to each section of cartoons preceding the wry masterpieces themselves, Best Editorial Cartoons Of The Year 2004 Edition is as much a classic as the preceding volumes in this outstanding series and extremely difficult to put down once it's picked up.

I love editorial cartoons and love Brooks' collection. It is aklways a treat to review the year this way. I could not give his collection a bad rating and admit to being biased in that way.

The cover of the Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year, 2006 edition just about says it all as a blimp is pictured with the words "Bad Year" as its message. No one can disagree there as 2005 began with the aftermath of the Tsunami on the other side of the world, and continued the ongoing wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, the disaster of Hurricane Katrina, the failing economy, and various political scandals. Not a year to be remembered. These truly are the best political cartoons leading off with Pulitzer and other prize winners and covering a variety of subjects such as those various natural disasters, terrorism, congress, the economy, sports, foreign affairs, and more, from some of the leading newspapers in the nation.

As one would expect, President Bush is the target for many of the cartoons, lampooning his handling of Iraq, Katrina, the nomination to the Supreme Court, the economy, and, well...just about everything else. Several cartoons take Bush to task for his seemingly uncanny ability to be on vacation whenever a disaster strikes.

Two great cartoons take opposite sides and use the name of the fallen soldiers in Iraq as their ammunition. One, from Mike Luckovich of the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, uses the names to spell out in big letters, "WHY?" On the other end of the spectrum is Bob Englehart of the Hartford Courant whose cartoons show a version of the Constitution which reads, "We the people of Iraq should get down on our knees and thank..." with the list of names following. Both are well done.

The topic of racism is dealt with frequently, particularly in regards to Katrina and there are several humorous, yet sadly tragic cartoons that deal with last August's hurricane. Other subjects that get deservedly skewered are Michael Jackson, oil companies and their gross (as in disgusting) profits, and the Bird Flu. The bulk of the sports cartoons cover the ongoing steroid scandal in baseball.

It's a brilliant collection from beginning to end with cutting edge cartooning and biting political statements. A real gem!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

As a Cartoonist for a Small Town Newspaper, somewhere in the Mountians of California, every year I purchase: "Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year".

The 2008 Edition is outstanding and full of Wonderful Political Insight from the year 2007. This Series spotlights The Best of the Best, and they are here: Walt Handelsman, Jimmy Margulies, Mike Peters and Dick Locher. Over 100 other Great Cartoonists are included in the pages of this Book, and I cannot recommend this Series highly enough. This is The Bible of the Best Political Cartoons of the Year, and it is as Entertaining as it is Educational.

Subjects included in the 2008 Edition include: The Presidential Campaign, The Bush Administration, The Economy, Crime and Entertainment. From Dick Cheeney to Britney Spears, nobody is safe from the Wrath of these Cartoonists. The Iraq War, Gas Prices and Immigration are all under attack here.

From 1972 to 2008; "The Best Editorial Cartoons Of The Year" are THE Books on this Subject. And if: "The Daily Show" is must-see viewing in your home, this Book belongs on your Bookshelf as well...FIVE STARS !!!

Since the 1980's I have purchased this book. Each year I find it rewarding. I am disturbed at the fact that too many papers do not have regular cartoonists. They are valuable and needed. There is indeed humor, as this collection so well shows, in the foibles of our political life. If you don't have it, buy it. Better still, try to get your library to get this and past issues. It is a valuable resource.

I have almost all editions collected by Charles Brooks since 1990, and this is an excellent supplement. As before, the presentation is a diverse combination of the very best in editoral cartoons. This book presents a genuine self-examination of not only US politics but all aspects of life on Earth.

The 2000 edition is out, and it provides hilarious analogies of Kenneth Starr and Clinton, Y2K, and other major editorial issues of our times. From a Coke-snorting Al Gore to the appearance of the ghost of labor day past, Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year is filled with black and white editorial cartoons from a variety of sources who remark on modern ironies and inconsistencies.

When this book first came out, I ordered it immediately. Jeff's humor has been depicted in the pages of Navy Times for years and I had to have the collection. His humor targets all groups and aspects of life. Some people have taken offense at his stabs at their "interest group"(i.e. Coast Guardsmen and Reservists, of which I am one now) but I assure you that their feelings are only due to their lack of ability to look at themselves and laugh. I had the pleasure of serving briefly with Jeff and found him to be one of the finest officers and people I have ever come in contact with. I agree with the previous reviewer in that this should be required reading for anyone in the maritime service - it will help you look at the lighter side of the BS and drudgery. I will DEFINITELY be buying his second book - "The Rest of Broadside".

Jeff Bacon is no stranger to Navy and Marine Corps personnel. His cartoon has amused members of the sea services for years. No one within these communities is safe from his witty and humorous barbs. It's like he has a direct line into the minds of the service men and women that he portrays and that he is speaking for you as he takes a jab at others. And when you seem to be the recipient of his latest insightful commentary on some absurd aspect of life in the military you just cannot get mad. I read this book years ago and still catch myself laughing out loud as one of his cartoons pops into my mind. For anyone who has served in the Navy or Marine Corps I would make this required reading. I sincerely hope that Jeff Bacon will bring us more volumes of his unique humor.

This is a great book about South Park and its relationship to contemporary culture. Many of the insights end up surprising. There are three parts to this book. The first part mentions the impact of South Park on culture and how it became popular and widespread. The second part is about the show itself: the dialogue, sounds, characters, and visuals. The third part deals with the issues presented in the show. There was an extensive amount of research done for this book and it shows. The author is also not a fan, so the insights come from a more neutral perspective, which makes the book an even better read.

The author also spends a lot of time on the impact and popularity of the show, which is unlike most book about tv shows and culture. The characters chapter is long but still unusually short for a tv show and culture book. Most books about TV shows and culture devote and entire unit and at least 40 pages to talk about the characters. Because she only devotes a chapter, there could have easily been more said about the characters.

All in all, if you are a fan of South Park or like reading about popular culture, then you should read this book. It is entertaining, insightful, and enjoyable.

Just when I began to despair about finding a real fan resource for South Park, along comes "Blame Canada". The various edited volumes about South Park and philosophy (Arp and Hanley) seem to be collections of scholarly opinions that I am sure are important to some obscure university lecture series on philosophy, and Anderson's "South Park Conservatives" is really only of interest to militant Log Cabin Republicans. "Blame Canada" is well constructed, well written and thought provoking. As a fan, I find it a fascinating resource, more so because the author is clearly NOT a fan herself. Neither a sycophantic piece nor a knee-jerk condemnation, "Blame Canada" is accurate and dispassionate.

My favourite chapter in "Blame Canada" is the chapter on South Park and the internet. It documents a period of internet history that had nearly been lost, in which South Park featured uniquely as a pop culture window into the infancy of the internet. I myself, who came late to the South Park phenomenon, had been unable to track down the grass roots fan information that should have been available on the internet for any pop culture icon as important as South Park. Now I know that it is a result of the engulf-and-devour policy of Comedy Central towards "unauthorized" South Park content on the web, which is somewhat ironic considering the libertarian content of the show. I am left to wonder how much more of internet history is being lost forever as technology changes, web pages are updated without being archived, and corporate America exerts more and more control over internet content.

The most interesting aspect of "Blame Canada", however, is the theoretical framework in which Johnson-woods places the show. South Park is nothing if not carnivalesque, so it is an apt analysis. But more than that, through the Baktine analysis South Park fandom becomes legitimized, and South Park becomes as much (and as normal) a pop culture influence in its time as Star Wars or I Love Lucy were in theirs. It is refreshing to know that fan attraction to fart jokes is as old as fandom itself, and not some new aberrant form of entertainment that is a result of (or even responsible for) the moral decay of our society.

I thoroughly enjoyed "Blame Canada", and I am happy to recommend it highly to any South Park fan. It is a worthy read.