Cartoons Books

Whether you're interested in 2D or 3D, Preston Blair is an excellent source for animation principles. It's a shame it's Out of Print and only available through scalpers who apparently care neither about good animation nor passing on Mr Blair's wisdom accessibly - it's all about the bottom line for them. At over $5.00 a page (I wouldn't mind paying Mr Blair this much directly, but not some scalper), check your library instead. Or write to the publisher and ask them to put it back in print. Great book though! Bad scalpers, shame!

Preston Blair does it again - another fine instructional guide on animation.

I wish his books never went out of print -- It was challenging to find the predecessor to this book (Animation I).

I want know about Animation .

I was facinated as the artist/author gave me a glimpse into the style and technique that Walt Disney and his crew of animators developed to create Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, et al. It was really ground-breaking stuff in its day. Explained well; illustrated well.

We met Sherman & Friends in the SFO Chronicle, but they aren't in our local newspaper, so we acquire each collection as it is published. Jim Toomey's undersea cartoons are laugh-out-loud for our family. Then they go into the sailboat's library.

If you've ever wondered what the fish in the documentaries do when the cameras are off, then this is the book series for you. From the first page of the book, you are trasported to Kapupu Island Lagoon and the world of Sherman, a not so Great White shark, his femenist wife, a sea turtle who tries and fails in the mating game, a money hungry, federally watched hermit crab, and an uber-hacker fish who is a member of anarchy anonymous. Their world parallels humanity. Its a riot!!!!

I personally think Jim Toomey is the consistently funniest cartoonist working today.

When I open my morning paper, I go right to Sherman's Lagoon first thing, because I know it is going to make me laugh.

This collection illustrates just how funny man-eating sharks can be, especially when supported by crabby con-artist crabs, bookish sea turtles and polar Bear party animals.

I put Sherman's Lagoon on the same plane as Calvin and Hobbes, Bloom County and the Far Side: classics all.

This eighth collection of Sherman's Lagoon proves that the waters of creativity have not dried up. Although the back cover may be a little disturbing to some, most of the contents are just plain fun. Some of this volume's story arcs include:

Sherman starts a band

Fear Factor Comes to the Lagoon

Hawthorne starts a fitness center

Antiques Roadshow comes to the lagoon

Fillmore succeeds at Ascension Island

The Hawaiian vacation

And lots more including appearances by many old favorite characters. If you are looking for a fun read and some chuckles, you won't go wrong with this one.

"Millions of us have loved B. Kliban's Cat for a couple of decades now, ever since we were first introduced to the frolicky feline in the mid 1970s through the now-classic book 'Cat.' Kliban's Cat is one of the most beloved icons of popular culture. The drawings and paintings Kliban created have lost none of the appeal that first grabbed us back then and that continues to grab initiates today.

"CatDreams brings together the joyfully mesmerizing paintings Kliban executed for a series of calendars first published between 1977 and 1981 and juxtaposes them with many of his irresistible cartoon drawings. A keepsake volume that generations of Cat lovers--and soon-to-be Cat-lovers--will bask in for years to come, it is the first full-color book to compile all of Kliban's calendar paintings, allowing us, at last, to keep all our Cats under one roof. ¶ 96 pages, size: 10.25 x 8.25". 84 full-color painting reproductions and cartoons. Smythe-sewn paperback book with flaps."--© Pomegranate

When I was a grad student and T.A. in the '70s, I had on the wall of my office Kliban's "Love to eat them mousies" poster, which frequently caused passersby to stop in for a closer look. Some laughed while others just shook their heads -- which is pretty much how people have always reacted to what I regard as one of the slyest, most consistently funny cartoon artists around. While he did a lot of terrific non-cat drawings, it's for those chunky, funky cats that he's best known, and this collection should please his many fans. They're all here, too: Cats in red basketball shoes and cowboy boots, cats walking their dogs, cats pursuing mice on cross-country skis, cats feeding wieners to the birds in the park, sumo cats, cats enjoying sushi, disorganized cats competing with mice in outrigger canoes, cats playing Dixieland, cats trying on fashionable tail covers in a cat clothing store, cats painting murals, cats lounging around the campfire, and (of course) cats playing mousie-eating folksongs on the guitar. To put it simply, this is great stuff from a very talented man who died much before his time.

Absolutely fabulous collection of in-full-color surreal cat illustrations that are just plain dreamy. If you're more into the offbeat humor of Kliban's book than his signature artwork, this may not be the book for you; while some of the Kliban humor is there, the focus is definitely on the artwork. These "Catdreams" are simultaneously bizarre and calming. My personal favorites are the Astronaut Cat-Napping in Space, the "Hawaiiana-Cat," with flower & ukelele on the moonlit beach, and the cats having high-tea in the middle of winter. Essential item for anybody who is a fan of Kliban and/or cats.

Pomegranate has done a wonderful job of gathering all of Kliban's paintings from a series of calendars that were published from 1977-1986 and presenting them here in full color for the first time. A true treasure trove for any Kliban fan or cat lover.

I loved this book. Cathy is gone forward, backward, and sometimes sideways in an attempt to find the man of her dreams. I found myself in the comics at times and wondered, what was I thinking? Now the only thing I'm wondering, did she marry Irvin or her dog?

I grew up listening to my mother & aunts complaints about the joys & frustrations of been a full time working women/mom/wife/girlfriend ect.Cathy was part of our life back them & today. My mom is not a wife anymore she is a girlfriend now & my aunts are single & Married moms trying to figure out what is best for their kids, having a working mom or PTA mom. Cathy make us laugh when we though that crying was the only thing we could do,I dated like she did,I did stupid diets like she did but I survived like she did. With class & "dignity"

For a useful look into Cathy's past, and her gradual growth (riiiight) this book is a must. It charts from the early, basic strips upon which many of the present ones have grown from, to the current form of Cathy who is more polished and more refined in appearance, but she's still the same neurotic wreck we know and love.

We see Cathy Guisewite's "energetically primitive" style change into a more ordinary, refined drawing style (all cartoonists do this) and enjoy her hilarious comments interspersed amid them. Though all of the strips are from previous books, there are probably some you missed, and they're arranged so pleasingly that you don't care if they've been done. This book is a gem!

I love this book. It's so honest about what it's like to be a kid, the good the bad and the ugly. Love the types of moms and dads, the stuff about growing up at every age. "Your Childhood Trauma Checklist" is the best. I think I never knew that anyone else felt this way before I saw this book!

After a while Bongo, the young rabbit that Matt Groening insists on drawing with ony one ear (I think the left one is right) really creeps me out after a while. I prefer to get my insolent wisdom from Binky or even Akbar and Jeff, but Bongo shows up in the fast majority of the 48 cartoons from Groening's syndicated "Life is Hell" comic circa 1983-1988. The actual "Childhood is Hell" maxi-series consists of 25 chapters specifically intended to teach kids about wising up before it is too late, starting with "Tips for Tots" and providing sage advise for being all you can be for kids at odd ages 1 (Wily) through 9 (Naughty), with 10 (Twisted) thrown in for good measure. There are also several one panel cartoons, including two that totally capture the Christmas spirit that parents will find useful at before and after the opening of presents (show the little kiddies that Santa is not the only one who knows exactly what they are thinking in their warped little minds). As is the case with the more famous Matt Groening creation, "The Simpsons," the sad truth is that "Childhood is Hell" is too good for those who are still experiencing that particular state of arrested development. But unlike Bart and company, Binky, Bongo, Sheba and the rest of the gang are all wallowing much more in the depth of despair. However, if you are actually part of the age group that is intended to benefit from the weird wisdom collected within these pages, do follow the instructions provided on the back cover: read this book under the covers late at night with a secret flashlight and a bowl of ice cream for nourishment. But even if your Mom does not catch you remember that childhood is hell and none of us get out of it alive.

This book in the life is hell series is a great parady of childhood.I am 40 years old and this book brought back memories I forgot that I ever had of being a kid.Every page is full of #%&@s and giggles!!If you are a fan of kids and old memories of childhood past? you will enjoy every page of this Mat Groening satire.

I first bought this book in the eight grade and Matt Groening's wry humor got me to understand that I wasn't the only kid with these problems; and that when you think about it, it's all pretty funny. I still have have my original copy and evey other "Life is Hell" book. An early fan has become a life-long fan! EXCELLENT! :)

I've had this book for years and still cannot bring myself to pass it on to Goodwill. It's somehow perfect both from parents' and kids' perspectives. One of my favorite cartoons is the contents page from Understanding Your Parents: one listing is Why Do They Not Know Anything?

This is a really funny book. All of the cartoons are funny. Great for anyone who has kids or just wants a good laugh.

Just reread Childproof for the dozenth time and it still makes me laugh out loud. Roz Chast is always surprising and always hilarious.

A collection of Roz Chast cartoons about parents and children, featuring, for instance, "bad mom" trading cards, and America's Ten Most Wanted babies. You may even learn a few things, such as games to play during a long road trip with children- suggest the "quiet as a mouse" game - the first one who makes a peep loses. Great gift for parents and/or Roz Chast fans.

This is one of the best Citizen Dog books ever printed. Each and every page either brings a chuckle or a full laugh out loud roar. I seriously advise you to read this one.

Gayle Waters

Another great book of Citizen Dog strips from Mark O'Hare. Though this volume seems to devote quite a few pages to Cuddles the Cat, that doesn't detract from the essential "dogginess" of the collection. Frankly, it might even enhance it. Depicting Cuddles as the rather timid and hapless feline that he is only serves to magnify Fergus' robust, spirited, intelligent, charming, and confident canine nature. More than a bunch of comics, this book is a fabulous tribute to Fidos everywhere. I highly recommend that you get a copy for your favorite dog. (You're sure to enjoy it also!)

Mark O'Hare continues his string of hilarious collections of the misadventures of Fergus, Mel, Cuddles, Bruno, and Fluffy. The humor is sly and mischievious. There are plenty of recognizable situations and far out extrapolations. For folks who enjoy a daily giggle via the comics, I highly recommend this collection, as well as the previous two books.

I was so happy to find that Citizen Dog had finally made it to the status of a cartoon book -- I had missed it terribly after moving from the St. Paul area and have been on a start-and-stop letter-writing campaign to my local paper, repeatedly advising them to add this great little cartoon to their selection. (They never listened, unfortunately).

I had first seen Citizen Dog in The St. Paul Pioneer Press when I lived in nearby Inver Grove Heights, between 1996-1998. It was an hysterical cartoon. In it Fergus (the dog) and Mel (his human), are amazing equals, which I think expressed the closeness one can have with a pet. But I doubt Mr. O'Hare intended that-- it seems more of a natural evolution of the characters.

All I know is that it wasn't that surprising to find Fergus the driver and Mel the passenger in the car. Or, in one memorable instance, Mel chastizing Fergus for setting up Cuddles (the local cat and perennial target of jokes) by loosening the shaker of salt at the diner just prior to his joining them.

The situations they confronted were forever filled with mundane eccentricity -- like Fergus and Cuddles walking up to the Drive-Thru and, when Fergus explains to Cuddles, "you order anything you want here." Cuddles proceeds to ask for, "World Peace."

I was sad to hear that Mark O'Hare no longer draws Citizen Dog. There is only what is contained in this and his other books now. We'll miss you Mark. . . and Mel. . . .and, especially, Fergus.

Very mild compared to todays porn. Mostly female nudes done tastefully and very few males. I saw more naked people at Seattle's Fremont Parade than I saw in this book. It was a great book for learning about clean cartoonists.

I'd been waiting for this book for a long time, reading about it on the web site, and anticipating it anxiously. I wasn't disappointed.

It's a tricky topic and I can see how it could easily have been mishandled. Make it too dirty and people are offended. Make it too clean and they're disappointed. I think Craig has achieve the perfect balance of showing the work of familiar cartoonists whom we know from the funny pages and the comic books, and giving us just a peek at what they draw for themselves in their private moments.

Art schools are full of nude models in life drawing classes, so it should come as no surprise that most artists have drawn an unclad female at one time or another. The fun is in seeing drawings like this from the pen of well-known cartoonists who specialize in family-friendly material. It's a novelty that in no way detracts from their vast body of work but shows them as rather human.

I also have to mention the beautiful production. You don't usually find such high-quality paper and printing in a book at this price point. The cover alone is impressive, gorgeously printed with embossing and spot varnish. A real art book kind of treatment, nicely designed and executed.

I'm looking forward to the next volume!

This book is just what the title offers; a very nice collection of early 1900's era dirty cartoons from some of the worlds most famous cartoonists including surprises from creators like Charles Schulz (creator of Peanuts) and Jack Kirby (creator of the X-Men, Fantastic Four, Hulk, Thor, etc.). As a self-proclaimed pervert I thoroughly enjoyed the drawings in this book, my only complaint, and thus the 4 out of 5 stars, is that each cartoonist features only a page at most of their work. While this allows the book to collect a prolific number of creators, I would have liked to see a full strip or story; I guess I'm just a sucker for a plot.

A book of cartoonists offbeat drawings-including risque, and glamour drawings by such artists as milton caniff(terry and the pirates), chuck jones(bugs bunny),ham fisher(joe palooka) and al capp(li'l abner among others. A good book if you are interested in cartoons or comic book art.

Innocent Bystander is tough to pigeonhole....It's filled with humerous anecdotes from the life of the Writer/Artist, but it also has stories about various other subjects that interest him, such as a long discourse on his love of the Marx Brothers. (My personal favorite story....)

The book is alternately funny and touching; I particularly liked the one-page story about a sign the Author saw once, "A Deaf Child Walks This Road". The one drawback? I'm not a cat-lover, so the fact that one-fifth of the book is dedicated to the antics of Sassaman's cats, Stan & Ollie, didn't really thrill me....

Comis fans looking for something out-of-the-ordinary would do well to check this out.

I've always enjoyed good comics, from the newspaper funny pages to Superman and Spider-Man comics. My wife doesn't, but she does like cats. And that's why I had to bring this comic home to her, because the antics of Stan & Ollie are eerily similar to the antics of the feline masters of my household. But there's more to Innocent Bystander than the cats -- lots more. But the cats make a good introduction. Show those sections to cat lovers, and watch as they gradually move on to the other sections of the book that cover the Marx Brothers, television and everything in between. This is a fun comic that illustrates the best of what the comics medium has to offer.

If you've ever been a kid, breathed the air of summertime freedom when school lets out, sneaked out of the house at night to look at the sky or played kick-the-can and hide-and-go-seek in your local cemetery, this book is irresistible. Gary must have had a warm, wonderful childhood and lots of family around to keep him honest. IB is ageless and like an orange popsicle on a hot summer day. It may even make you go out and get a cat!! Who could resist? Warm, wonderful, honest and funny. Absolutely five stars.

The wonderful thing about Innocent Bystander for me is the effortless way Gary Sassaman is able to tap into our collective lives. His observations about life, love, work and, of course, cats are depicted with an eloquence and wit rarely seen in comic books. There is literally something for everyone in this fine collection. My personal favorites are Mr. Sassaman's beautifully romantic memories of his childhood such as summers spent at Atlantic City and his first taste of unrequited love. How could you go wrong? So go buy it already!!!!

I'm as much a fan of comic book history as I am of comic books themselves. The history is absolutely fascinating as one delves into just how the business started and some of the real-life unusual characters who are largely responsible for comic books as we know them today. Ron Goulart's "Comic Book Culture: An Illustrated History" has just been released again by Collector's Press and it should be required reading for comic fans, especially younger fans who are not familiar with over eighty year history of the business.

Most people associate the start of the comic book era with the release of Action Comics #1 in 1938 that featured the introduction of Superman in a thirteen-page story. But the fact is that comic books had been around for many years before Superman came along. Heck, Action Comics was not even the first title put out by National Comics/National Periodical Publications, which would later become DC. National's first book was New Fun Comics in 1935, which would later change its name to More Fun Comics, and introduce characters such as The Spectre and Doctor Fate.

Comic Book Culture takes fans back to the earliest days of the bound comic, which originally just collected popular newspaper strips of the day and reprinted them. Detective Comics #1 actually preceded Action Comics #1 by over a year, making its debut in March 1937. Detective Comics was heavily influenced by detective pulp magazines of the 30's which were among the most popular pulps of the day. Another early National title that would thrive for years would be Adventure Comics, also debuting in 1935.

One of the great pioneers of the Golden Age of Comics was M.C. Gaines. Gaines headed up All-American Publications, the sister company to National. All-American would introduce such characters as the Golden Age Green Lantern, The Flash, Wonder Woman, as well as the Justice Society of America.

But before you think this book is all about DC and marvel, think again. I was pleasantly surprised at how much coverage was given to companies, titles, and characters long lost to the sands of time. There was Mystic Comics featuring The Destroyer and Dynamo Man, Mystery Men Comics featuring the Blue Beetle, Wonder World Comics featuring The Flame, Hit Comics featuring Hercules, and countless others.

Of course, the other major players of the Golden Age are covered in full with sections devoted to Captain Marvel and the whole Marvel family, and Timely Comics. Goulart also devotes sections to the "Old Masters" of the day such as Jack Kirby and Alex Schomburg, presenting dozens of examples of their cover art. And in the end, the biggest attraction of Comic Book Culture is the hundreds of cover reprints from the most famous to the most obscure of the Golden Age. You'll feel like a kid browsing in a toy store exclaiming, "Oh! I want that! And I want that one, too!" The covers are beautifully reprinted and one has to imagine that it was no small task finding covers that were still in good enough shape to reprint.

This is a gorgeous book, filled with long-forgotten nostalgia and brimming over with a wealth of information about comic's Golden Age.

Reviewed by Tim Janson

Comic book collectors, researchers, and fans will appreciate this reflection on the rogues, heroes and creators of comics in Comic Book Culture, a visual celebration of the Golden Age of comic books from the 1930s to the 1940s. Goulart explains and traces the changes of the comic art form, using his extensive collection as a foundation for examples which are colorful and which celebrate the history of comics. The full-page comic book reproductions are striking and the history and commentary involving.

A beautifully presented coffee table book showcasing the earliest days of a true american art form - the comic book! The grouping of comic covers by theme and by artist work well and highlight some truly great pieces! Popular culture at it's finest!

As the author says in his the Introduction `Comic Book Culture' is basically a picture book and as such I'm pleased to have a copy. Goulart's history of comics Golden Age, roughly mid Thirties to the late Forties, is adequate though you can read more in his previous book `Over 50 Years of American Comic Books' but it is the four hundred covers reproduced that I think will interest readers more. Page after page of superheroes battling crime and or evil in dazzling 100 Magenta plus 100 Yellow, that's the printers term for the vibrant red that the comics biz could not do without. All these covers had to compete on the newsstand and the more 100Y+100M the better it seems, page 130 has the cover of The Human Torch (1943) leaping off the page, it couldn't get any brighter.

I have always been rather critical of Collector Press books, they always seem a bit over designed but this one is great, each of the sixteen chapters starts on a spread one page of which is a huge color blow-up of part of a picture, many of the spreads just have covers and captions on them and the designers have resisted the temptation to angle or overlap the covers. The typography, layouts and printing are excellent. There are two chapters devoted to some of the great comic artists of the period, Everett, Fine, Patenaude, Kirby, Schomburg, Ricca and Cole. The last chapter has a (very) brief look at what is called "Good girl art", presenting heroines in as provocative a way as possible and you can't get more provocative than Matt Baker's April 1948 cover of Phantom Lady, sales must have soared!

If you want to see more covers have a look at the two volume `The Photo-Journal Guide to Comic Books' by Ernst and Mary Gerber, more than 21,000 beautifully printed on gloss paper (another two volumes covers 7,000 Marvel comics).

***FOR AN INSIDE LOOK click 'customer images' under the cover.