Caricature Books

This was a surprisingly funny little comic book; Dogs doing outrageous pranks to their humans! Thats all. 107 pages of giggles.

I found this collection of one page comics only slightly humorous. A lot of the "canine pranks" seem to be repeated throughout the book. Basically I was disappointed.

Keiji Nakazawa, Barefoot Gen: Out of the Ashes (Last Gasp, 2005)

In the fourth and final volume of the Barefoot Gen series, Gen and his family have gone back to Hiroshima and, nine days after the detonation of the atomic bomb, are trying to pick up the pieces and move on with their lives. School has begun again, and Gen meets a whole new set of classmates, with the attendant budding friendships and immediate rivalries. Then, the unthinkable happens-- Gen's baby sister Tomoko is kidnapped. The bulk of the novel concerns Gen's attempts to find her, and the moral quandary in which he finds himself when he does.

As usual, Nakazawa's clean, crisp prose is often understated and compelling. The exception to this is in the final few pages, when a scene set up early in book one becomes relevant, and instead of letting the scene do the talking, Nakazawa gives Gen a "wow, look how relevant that was!" speech that ends the series on a slightly sour note. As usual, the characters are well-drawn and likable without being archetypes or ideals. Some of the ultimate fates of characters (telling you which ones would probably constitute a spoiler) are surprisingly realistic, and work very well considering those characters effectively drop out of the story, never to be seen again; rather than grating, it seems almost inevitable that in the chaos that is post-bomb Hiroshima, people will simply vanish into the night, never to be seen again.

This is a fine series, and well worth reading. If that final scene had been handled better, it might have been one of the best series I've read this year; as it is, it's a good one. *** ½

Japan has surrendered, the war is over, and American troops are securing the mainland. Gen and his family are suffering from malnutrition. The Americans aren't allowing Japanese police to carry weapons, so criminals and black-marketeers are running rampant. People are still dying from radiation poisoning. Gen's little sister is kidnapped. These are some, but not all, of the problems that Gen and his family are facing.

This book is powerful and moving, but it is heartwrenching and very difficult to read. Technically this book is fiction but Keiji Nakazawa did live through the bombing of Hiroshima and these stories are based on his experiences. It will make you cry.

The "Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year" series has been around for at least 30 years now.

I know this because I actually remember the 1972 and 1973 editions. The differences between those editions and this one show how far the art of political satire has declined and how far the Matriarchy has progressed.

We're never told what standard is used to rate a particular cartoon as among the "best" of the year, and it's fairly safe to say that it's purely based on the subjective preference of the editor, Charles Brooks. And this much has to be said for him - he includes cartoons from a number of perspectives but leaves out left-wing heavy hitters such as Conrad, Trudeau, and the recently deceased Herblock (did they hit him in the head with a shovel to make sure?). This is important for balance, simply because there are no right-wing heavy hitters among political cartoonists to even the score.

For the most part, the cartoons included in all collections have been from relatively obscure contributors - both left and right. This is all to the good.

But this year's edition was just a lot of pap. For one thing, Gary Condit had been the big story before September 11. Where are the Condit cartoons?

Of course, the biggest story in 2001 turned out to be the terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and the World Trade Center. So the "best" cartoons mostly repeat conventional sentiment - what a tragedy, but we're strong and united now so we'll get the bastards, blah blah blah.

How many cartoons were drawn which showed the Statue of Liberty, Uncle Sam, and the American Eagle alternatively weeping, praying, retaliating etc. etc.? What a self-replicating show of pompous victimologistic self-assuming virtue!

Incisive masculine wit is disappearing from the modern political cartoon, and cartoons that are supposed to make you EMOTE without THINKING have become the rule.

Get a load of the contribution from Richard Wallmeyer of the Long Beach Press Telegram about "anti-bully" legislation. In the penultimate panel, one kid suggests that people just live by the Golden Rule instead of passing a law and in the last panel, his friend responds by reminding him that religion isn't allowed in public schools.

That's it. No wit; no nuance; no attempt to make the reader THINK about what the cartoonist is trying to say. No symbolism even. Wallmeyer tells you straight out what you should believe.

And Jeff Parker's post-September 11 contribution from Florida Today showing two Floridians wearing "I Love NY" paraphernalia and agreeing between themselves that "We are all New Yorkers now".

No biting masculine wit, no nuance, no intellect, no symbolism. And suck a lozenge, Jeff Parker. All of the terrorists attacks in the world won't turn the average New Yorker into a human being, any more than the 1989 earthquake could do so for the average San Franciscan. Parker is just engaging in cheap sentiment masquerading as patriotism.

The decline in quality of political cartoons stems from the fact that as women continue to make war on men and as the Matriarchy's grip becomes more crushing, male cartoonists have become softer and more effeminate (this is happening in other settings too, obviously).

And more women have become political cartoonists. There's an Ann Telnaes cartoon in which Joseph Lieberman's statement at Notre Dame that public morality should be based on faith is juxtaposed against a picture of Moslem women wearing veils.

Even assuming that it's BAD for women to hide their features, is it really accurate to suppose that a faith-based public morality would require an imposition of the burqua? No more than it would require baptism or a kosher diet but in a feminized world, the reader is not supposed to think but to emote, emote, emote.

Of course, as anyone who has seen her recurring appearances on C-SPAN knows, as a political cartoonist, Ann Telnaes is one hot babe whose face definitely should NOT be covered. But her cartoons would only be improved by the camouflage that a veil would provide. They are hardly worthy of inclusion among the country's "best".

And the feminization of the American political cartoon isn't just limited to matters of style.

Resistance to the Matriarchy has become unthinkable. In the 1973 edition, there is an entire section devoted to "Women's Lib", most of the contributions deliciously skewering the feminazis.

In one uproarious example, a man is standing at the altar looking apprehensive while hooked in his arm is his "bride", a man in drag. The preacher performing the "marriage" ceremony asks the "groom", "Do you, John, promise to love, honor and obey the Equal Rights Amendment?"

Go try to find a cartoon like that today! We've come a long way from when Thomas Nast cartoons afflicted and ultimately defeated party bosses such as Bill Tweed. Today's feminist bosses have no reason to moan, "Stop them damned pictures!" The people drawing them come from the same New Class that their masters do.

So where gender issues are concerned, the drawing board cult members bow their collective heads in deference to the "women are strong and good; men are weak and bad and deserving of punishment" party line. The 2002 edition shows an androgenized Statue of Liberty punching a Taliban member in the face in a display of women's "rights" (get it? She`ll throw her "left" at him next).

The Evil Rights Amendment might not have been enacted, but feminism has still become the official state religion of both left and right. As such, it stifles masculine energy, independence, and creativity. These can only return when and if a younger generation of males rebels against the imposition of public morality in the name of this particular faith.

Until then, the quality of written protest, in the form of political animation, can be expected to continuously decline. But I wonder what the 2032 edition of "Best Editorial Cartoons" will look like.

Leading editorial cartoonists are presented in a volume which focuses on concerns over terrorism and political actions. Best Editorial Cartoons Of The Year, 2002 Edition packs in popular black and white editorials that reflect the major concerns of the Year 2001: any that wants a record of events and opinions will find Best Editorial Cartoons Of The Year, 2002 Edition intriguing and fun.

I have to admit that I had high hopes for this book, having read many of the authorýs other terrific books.

For me, the beginning of the book was the most interesting. It covered the evolution of communication, starting with single celled organisms and moving to fish, small mammals, and man. He describes how important our reptilian brain (i.e. the primitive portion of our brain that controls emotions and basic desires such as food and sex) is to communication, providing examples of how it can subconsciously shape messages.

The rest of the material, however, just didnýt grab me as did his other books. He describes language and the use of icons, symbols, and kinesthetics ý but I didnýt find that the cartoon format helped much. The next section describes the application of logic to communication, although I came away with the sense that the examples he used to support his theories had counter-examples that were ignored. Principles of good communication come next, with a nice pitch for replacing legalese in contracts with plain English. The second part of the book deals with the delivery of communication, including the use of images, writing, printing, television, and computer graphics.

I think that there is certainly a lot to learn from the book, but if you are new to the world of Gonick you might start with his books on Genetics, Statistics, or Physics in which his gift for illustration helps make difficult subjects much more digestible.

Communication between humans is very hard, as there are so many different ways in which information can be sent. Furthermore, all communications are carried out in a historical and local context. There is the history of all previous communications between all involved and there are the current surroundings and exterior conditions. Even the same words spoken in a different tone of voice can impart different meanings and there are the local restrictions imposed by the rules of social interaction. If you study communication between humans, your conclusion is often that it is surprising that it works so well. It is for that reason that nearly all people who study human development believe that we possess an innate ability to communicate with others. The speed and skill with which young children pick up language is nearly conclusive proof of that.
Gonick takes us back to the fundamental reptilian brain that mammals have and discusses the emotional responses that we have to communication. Ritual, major theories of communication, new ways to communicate such as through e-mail are some of the ideas presented using cartoons. They are amusing and thought provoking and explain the problems and main ideas of communication in ways that are easy to understand. Technology has made it easier to send messages, but it is not yet certain if it has made it easier to communicate. Television has made it easier to send incorrect messages, and some examples are cited. Because they do require action on the part of the participants, computers are much better at facilitating communication, although problems in the use of e-mail are persistent and emoticons had to be invented to reduce the level of problems.
Communication is something that is much more difficult to understand than it is to use and few really understand all the subtle aspects of how it is done. This book will help you learn some of the different components of communication and in a manner that will never cause you to scratch your head in wonderment as to what it is you just read.

At the risk of sounding Scrooge-like, I really can't go higher than 2 stars for this collection. DC has done a nice job of collecting 17 Christmas stories spanning more than 60 years, but the book is overpriced for such a slim volume, and most of the stories are nothing special.

The book starts out with the seldom-seen Denny O'Neil/Frank Miller "Wanted: Santa Claus- Dead or Alive!", which is apparently seldom-seen because it stinks...It's only noteworthy to see Miller's evolving art style, which he would soon perfect on his legendary Daredevil run. (It's also curious to see the resemblance this story bears to the Simon & Kirby Sandman story that comes later in the book; The plots are virtually identical...) After that we get tales that range from excellent (The Harley & The Ivy) to just plain BAD (A Swinging Christmas, starring The Teen Titans), with most of the book leaning towards bad. The Darkseid story is excellent, and the vintage Superman story is fun, but does the Green Lantern/Green Arrow story REALLY deserve to be reprinted? It was bad when it first appeared, and certainly hasn't gotten any better in the years since. Luckily, the book gets better towards the end, with John Byrne's excellent Enemy Ace story, and a touching Impulse tale. But couldn't DC have made room for the classic "Silent Night of The Batman"? Fans interested in seeing a retrospective of DC's long publishing career will doubtless enjoy A DC Universe Christmas; If you're looking for great stories, you might want to look elsewhere.

From a charming Superman story from 1940, to a "groovy" Teen Titans tale from the 60's, to a frenetic Impulse story from the 90's, this collection spans the entire history of Dc Comics. Included in this volume are 17 Christmas themed stories starring the legendary DC Comics Super Heroes!

The stories feature such "heavy hitters" as Wonder Woman, Green Lantern, and Flash, but space is reserved for minor characters such as Bat-Lash and Enemy Ace. The tales vary in tone: Some are quite somber, while others are hysterical. Each one serves as a reminder of why these characters have lasted for over 60 years. This is a book you must have!

Among the highlights-A Batman tale told in the "Animated Series" style featuring Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn, and a story featuring Darkseid of all people! The latter story is the shortest in the book (2 Pages) and it is also the best. It's worth the cost of the book alone simply to see how Darkseid deals with an intruder to Apokolips on Christmas Eve!

"A Dc Universe Christmas" is one present every comics fan needs under their tree!

There are many, many, many good books on how to draw faces. This isn't one of them. The illustrations lead you to believe that the guy has a hard time drawing himself. I was very disappointed.

i'm very interested in drawing all sorts of things , i can't say i'm an expert or anything like that but after borrowing this book from a friend i was hooked on caricatures , its so interesting ,its bound to keep you buzy for ages,this book is the best of its kind , i went out and got my own copy of the book which now is one of my most treasured books.

I bought this book because Callahan is one of my favorite cartoonists. He has a razor wit and creative bent unique in our time. However, this book is merely a retrospective of the development of Callahan's art over the years (I'm assuming; the panels are undated). Many of the early pages are useless as humor; their only value is for an academic or a family friend. Many of the drawings are crude (early career?), and many of the concepts are repeated or are just not enlightening as humor. I was hoping for a collection of his finest work. Digested and passed in twenty minutes. Woof.

If you are not afraid of humor at its darkest, sickest, strangest and certainly most un-politically correct you'll love this book. These cartoons reminds me of Spike & Mike's Sick & Twisted Animation Festival. It's also nice to see a Callahan book with a theme (Dogs). On the other hand if you like your humor simple & sweet I suggest you stay with Family Circles.

How many ways can Dickens' classic story be retold? What with Muppets, comedies, musicals, and dozens of dramatic renditions, one might think that there is no fresh take on this tale.

If one thought that, though, one would be wrong.

For anyone who enjoys Jeff Foxworthy's "You Might Be a Redneck" style of humor, this book is a must. David Boyd's illustrations will look very familiar because he also illustrates Foxworthy's books. The text is clever, fast paced, and awfully funny to those of us who live in the South. (Hey, I just got a dead car out of my yard, so I can't be too quick to point the finger at rednecks!)

A great gift for your favorite redneck or recneck wannabe.

Laugh at all the rednecks you know and love with this dead-on parody of Charles Dickens' Christmas Carol. Helton and Yow's jokes and gags are perfectly illustrated by David Boyd.

This book was published at a time Mike Peters had a TV show in the US. This was never seen in other countries so reading this book may make you feel a little left out not knowing the man or his thoughts verbally.

This book however is fantastic and really shows you an easy and fast technique to drawing a unique style and how to adapt that to anything you draw as a cartoon. The best section of the cook is about caricaturing. Mike is one of the best to capturing a likeness in a cartoon like fashion without losing it.

After 16 years of cartooning myself, I keep this book as a reminder of what simplicity and style is all about.

If you are looking to learn to cartoon or draw caricatures then please avoid this book. The cartooning style is poor and the book just has the author chat about how good he is and why he drew this and why he drew that - no real instruction - just some guy explaining how good he is. If you are a Mike Petere fan then you may like it but if you are learning or studying caricature or cartoons there are some very good books on the market. I actually felt ripped off buying this book.

If you like Danziger's work this is a great compilation. The artwork is excellent, the humor is cutting and provocative. This is a cartoonist who can make a picture speak a thousand words. Danziger captures the emotion of the world events that have impacted us all, and still makes them funny with a dry sardonic wit. Many of the cartoons are very poignant.

If you think politicians and the poweful deserve referential treatment and respect, by virtue of their position, don't buy this book, unless you want to be outraged.

The title, Wreckage begins with W doesn't really do the collection of cartoons justice - it covers the full spectrum of events over the last four years. It goes far beyond lampooning one easy target (not to say that coverage of W is in any way lacking!).

This is a must read book for anyone who enjoys political cartoons and satire.

The current Presidental adminstration will already go down as one of the worst in American History. Stealing the 2000 Election, the mistakes made on the war on terror after 9/11, getting us caught in a war that is Vietnam all over again, getting advice from military people who have the brains of two year olds, and having spokespersons at the news conference who have the people skills of a bully three year olds. These cartoons are not funny, they are sadly all too real.