Cartoons Books

I bought my 6 year old grandson three of these books for Christmas. He uses them almost daily. The step by step instructions make drawing so easy. He loves seeing how quickly he can come up with a professional looking drawing!

1-2-3 Draw Cartoon People: A Step-by-Step Guide was created by syndicated comic strip artist Steve Barr as a useful and "user friendly", methodically crafted instructional guide for young people wanting to create their own cartoon figures. Beginning with some expert preparatory advice and a few invaluable cartooning tips, Barr stars with simple, basic shapes and lines which can be quickly copied and expanded upon. The very nicely illustrated instructions continue on for drawing heads, hair, expressions, emotions, hands, arms, boys, girls, grandparents, and characters in motion. Also very highly recommended for budding artists are Steve Barr's two companion instructional books: 1-2-3 draw Cartoon Faces: A Step-by-Step Guide and 1-2-3 Draw Cartoon Animals: A Step-by-Step Guide.

If you are just starting out, or are looking for an easy-to-follow instruction book that gets you to *actually put a pencil and paper in your hand* and start drawing in the next five minutes, you MUST have this book! The art of simplicity is not that of being basic in your explanations. It is the highly evolved skill to present to your recipient (in this case the reader) everything you need them to know WITHOUT them getting overwhelmed, becoming frustrated, or feeling that what you are teaching is beyond their abilities. This book is a masterpiece of highly entertaining education. You will watch your skills develop even as you scoff that this can't possibly be this easy to do.

This is a fun book, and while its surface qualities may give the impression that it was written for the "under 8" crowd, nothing could be further from the truth. This is a book that anyone can learn (quickly) from. You begin drawing the most elementary of shapes, which you connect (step-by-step) to more simple shapes which, when you step back from your labors and look is suddenly a recognizable picture. The author does not limit your style at all, but instead starts you off with the basics of style that you will use in many formats of illustration. This is all done with such non-condescending verbiage and format that you will think to yourself "this is too easy," and before you know it, you can draw very complex cartoons.

Cartoon illustration is a staple in our society. From greeting cards to "how to books" and multi-billion dollar corporate logos, cartoon illustrations have become embedded in all aspects of marketing. You see them everywhere, and they seem easy enough to do, but for most people the moment you pick up a pen, something horrible goes wrong in your hand-eye coordination.

I have read a LOT of books on cartoon illustrations and even after absorbing their collective wisdom, I generally limit myself to stick figures to this day. This is one of those rare books that come along quietly and breaks the teaching mold; allowing ANYONE to be able to create fun cartoon illustrations with minutes, and over time to create increasingly more sophisticated illustrations. A must have, and fine addition to any library for anyone who has, or will, ever pick up a pen and try to illustrate a point to someone else.

My 2 persian cats are my children so I could totally relate. This book would be a fun read for any cat lover, whether they have children or not. Also, I found the illustrations very enjoyable.

For those of us who choose to have kids with four legs and a tail, this is the perfect book. You'll never have a cat asking for piercings, never have to change diapers, they LOVE liver and litter training is a breeze. Sure, some people will never understand the bond between cats and humans but I know I'm their mama and they're my kids.

This book mirrors reality.
My wife and I have 3 short hair domestic cats, all adopted.They are our fur-children!
My Dad calls them his grandcats.Not having any children in our younger days, and unable to have them now, our cats are our 2 year old kids.
Watch your cats.
By far, this book is well written, and the graphics are excellent.If you have no cats, this book is not for you.
Also recommended is "I learnt everything for business from my cat". E-Ruff-moew-gruff or read this book, lady.

Fontanarrosa es una maestro absoluto en el arte de concatenar ideas, muchas veces disímiles o incluso absurdas a través de las palabras y juegos de palabras, de tal manera que finalmente se transforma en una lógica propia de Inodoro, El Renegau, y su perro Mendieta.
En las primeras tiras, las historias contadas son más largas, y de entidad propia; en la tiras más recientes, de una página, cada cuadro típicamente contiene un juego de palabras, y la concatenación de los mismos casi va guiando el desarrollo de la historia. De esta manera pareciera que cada episodio se va moldeando a partir de la conexión de los cuadros.

Inodoro es domador de caballos, holgazán, y un agudo observador de su entorno. Gusta del diálogo, la siesta, y de las mujeres, aunque su concubina, Eulogia, no le permite desarrollar esta afición; por ello también es un machista frustrado...

Acá van dos "perlas" del Inodoro Machista que lo ilustran en alguna medida:
"Después de tantos años, si tengo que elegir otra vez, la elijo a la Eulogia con ojos cerrados. Porque si los abro, elijo a otra"

"¡Malaya (maldición) con las mujeres! Andaríamos todos más tranquilos si Tata Dios con esa costilla que le sacó al Adán se hubiera hecho un buen asado de tira"

Inodoro Pereyra is a very funny and innocent character living in the Argentine Pampas with his dog "Mendieta" and his wife "Eulogia". In this book, you can read all the comic strips that were published for 20 years in Argentina, as well as other foreign countries. The author, Roberto Fontanarrosa also known as "el negro" was born in Rosario, Argentina, and has delighted his public for a quarter of a century with his play on words and the innocent character of Inodoro Pereyra.

It is hard to recommend this impressive volume to non-Argentinians (perhaps Uruguayans could be an exception). In my honest opinion, this comic strip is the best Argentinian one after immortal Mafalda. Every single aspect of Argentine society is reflected with sarcasm, tenderness, wisdom by this absurd gaucho character. If he wasn't funny enough there is his loyal squire Mendieta, or his "Dulcinea" Eulogia, or the irreverent parrot flocks, or Nabucodonosor, the arrogant champion pig. Since a heavy component of the comic strip is the language used (or abused by Don Inodoro) I feel that many non-native Spanish speakers may get lost. In a personal note, to give this book only five stars is being unreasonably selfish. It deserves 10.

very extencive and complet.

The Comic Book Checklist and Price Guide published by KP Books and the editors of the Comic Buyers Guide continues to be my comic price guide of choice. The 2007 edition is another 832 pages of prices and information from primarily1961 to the present. A more apt description may be from the beginning of the Silver Age to the present as if covers those DC books such as Showcase # 4 which kicked off what we know today as the Silver Age of Comic books.

There are several things I love about this book. First, it can, if you wish, be used as a checklist. Rather than list comics in a run of issues (for example, Avengers 101 - 110) and listing one price for each issue in that run, this book lists each issue number individually with a check box next to it to check off if you own that issue. Hence the reason that it covers only the silver age to the present, otherwise it would be about 2000 pages instead of 800. I like this idea as a quick reference to one's own personal collection. Second, it lists only the near-mint price for each book with a grading guide to figure out prices for lesser condition books. Anyone who's been collecting comics for any length of time can easily do this right off the top of their heads and I've never found it necessary to list three different prices for comics.

Another thing I like is that the book lists the month and year of each issue. This is a small tool that I think people overlook but that I have found to be very useful. But I think what the Comic Book Chcecklist Price Guide doesn't give you is just as important as what it does give you...namely it doesn't give you hundreds of pages of ads like Overstreet does. It also doesn't give you dozens of pages of stale market reports from dealers whose motives are somewhat dubious in what they report in terms of price information. Rather than rely on this `advisor' information this book has garnered real world data from auction services like eBay to provide what I feel is true pricing, black & white data and that's all I really need...not some dealer in Hoboken claiming to have sold book X for seven billion dollars.

If you want a true price guide without all the vacuous fluff then this is the comic book price guide for you!

Reviewed by Tim Janson

Best title in its class!
This Title has a very diverse collection of titles and values good for finding the value of an old unheard of comic. There is normally multiple dollar values for each comic edition and its associated grade on a scale of 1-10. All this book needs is some more guide lines on how to price out comics that are signed and have CGC authentication. They do have general rules for determing CGC (professionally graded comics from a new company) comic values but they seem a little off especially when combined with fractional grades.

G is for Genuine - a witty and hilarious book on vice by Gina Barreca and Nicole Hollander.

I is for Insatiable - both authors' thirst and talent for uncovering the nuances and humorous truths about women's intimate secrets, everyday habits and complicated needs.

N is for Nursing - which is what you're going to be doing to your sides from laughing so hard, and...

A is for Again and again and again! You can't read this just once.

Learning your ABCs never felt soooo goood! My friends and I laughed and snorted and guffawed - this book is wickedly funny and astonishingly accurate. Whoever said that vice was something to be ashamed of never had the pleasure of reading this little gem. E for Excellent.

G is for Genuine - a witty and hilarious book on vice by Gina Barreca and Nicole Hollander.

I is for Insatiable - both authors' thirst and talent for uncovering the nuances and humorous truths about women's intimate secrets, everyday habits and complicated needs.

N is for Nursing - which is what you're going to be doing to your sides from laughing so hard, and...

A is for Again and again and again! You can't read this just once.

Learning your ABCs never felt soooo goood! My friends and I laughed and snorted and guffawed - this book is wickedly funny and astonishingly accurate. Whoever said that vice was something to be ashamed of never had the pleasure of reading this little gem. E for Excellent.

...Just when I thought I had seen it all...The ABC OF VICE comes along! For less than the cost of a couple of happy meals...for less than the cost of a movie AND popcorn (with extra butter)-
BETTER THAN A KLONDIKE BAR!- this book offers some real bang for your buck...26 choices of vice, including your own "bad girl coupons" to match...ingenious!

...a diet defined by eating just one bite out of every fancy chocolate in the box?!..There is something here for everyone to laugh out loud! I'll be giving this book to all of my friends for Christmas.

Girls not only want to- but these girls KNOW how to have fun!

Big Nate is a crack-up...the picture of the 11 year old boy! his sarcasm and wit cross generational and gender lines-it's just plain funny! very smooth, simple drawing style is perfect for the subject matter...i could read it over and over and never tire of it! EXCELLENT!

Great comic strip about a kid who likes to draw cartoons. The illustrations are very cleaver because they look like children's illustrations on lined paper. It has very funny dialoge. Can't wait until your next book!

These comics cracked me and my parents up! Nate is a realistic sixth-grade boy. He has all the characteristics of the class clowns in my school! He is witty, a show-off, and is a kid obsessed with blood and gore. Much to the disliking of his teachers. Read it and be careful or you might fall off your chair laughing like an extremely cracked nuthead!

I'd give this 6 stars if I could! I work with struggling readers who will find any excuse to NOT read, but when it comes to this series they beg for more time to read the books!

My son who reads only when he has to loves to read these comics.
Give it a try for the "do I have to" readers.

I have a ten year old who is struggling with reading. He is caught in the cycle of reading is no fun because he doesn't do it well, and the only way to improve is to read more, but he doesn't want to read because it is no fun. This series breaks that cycle. He reads and re-reads these over and over and I have noted a marked improvement in his skills over the last few weeks.

I love this book so much.The story is great,the pictures are absolutely gorgeous.There are funny parts,meaningful parts,sad parts,good parts,ect.,
all illustrated with beautiful pictures. LUNA IS SO TOTALLY AWESOME!(and oliver is really funny!)

If you've been keeping up with the Amazing Agent Luna manga, you have a lot in store for you in this latest volume. Writers Defilippis and Weir (Destiny's Hand) and artist Shiei (AOI House) return to the incredible world of Luna Collins, as she once again struggles between her school girl cover and her secret agent double-life. However, in this installment, Luna must focus more than ever on the kidnapping of Principal Ohlinger at the same time trying to balance the trust between her friends.

Things definitely heat up in this volume as the characters' motivations surface in a torrent of fury. Luna questions about Francesca's "friendship" with Jonah while Oliver lets his jealousy get the best of him and winds up on the wrong side of the school's behaviorial conduct system. Mr. Dreyfus closely follows the trail to Nobel High's mysterious female ninja, and Luna can't risk having her secret identity exposed. Meanwhile, Count Von Bruken makes arrangements for our amazing agent to be silenced once and for all.

More evil henchmen, massive amounts of humor, a ton of high school drama, and a pinch of Luna's charm creates a deeper, darker, and much more spectacular Amazing Agent Luna. So don't let it slip by you, folks, because this is certainly a volume you don't want to miss out.

Authors Nunzizo DeFilippis and Christina Weir along with artist Shiei (AOI House) have given fans of Seven Seas Entertainment's Amazing Agent Luna series a third volume that more then satisfies expectations. Opening with a flashback that foreshadows events to come Amazing Agent Luna volume 3 shows there is no fear in taking Luna down a new excitingly darker path as the story progresses. Though some fans might worry that this path, which could seem far different from the lighter path seen in volumes 1 and 2, is too abrupt a change, the excellent artwork by Shiei and the wonderful story telling abilities of Nunzizo DeFilippis and Christina Weir keep Luna true to herself despite the new path she is taking. Amazing Agent Luna Volume 3 picks up where the story left off in volume 2, with Luna trying to discover what Professor Tromperie is doing for Count Von Brucken and if whatever he is doing has anything to do with the mysterious "Project Scion" which might involve the giant cloned owls. The last giant cloned owl is still being sought while Luna also attempts to discover what happened to Principal Ohlinger. However, these are not her only worries as it becomes clear Mr. Dreyfus is coming close to finding out the identity of mysterious "ninja girl" which would ruin Luna's cover and ability to stay in the school if she is discovered. If that possibility of discovery wasn't enough, Luna's feelings for Johan and her friend Francesca become far more jumbled as she remembers who Johan is, and sees him spending a lot of time talking to Francesca, all while Oliver is making it obvious he likes Luna a lot and is even willing to fight Jonah to show how much he cares for her. Add to this the event that was foreshadowed in the first chapter and Luna is left having to make a decision that will alter her life forever, and leave her more uncertain about herself and what she does then ever before. Amazing Agent Luna Volume 3 leaves the reader very eager to see just how deeply a key decision Luna has to make has hurt her and if Count Von Brucken can truly carry out his desire to have the identity of "mysterious ninja girl discovered" before she messes up his plans again. The final plot twist though, is enough to have this Luna fan longing to see what will happen next. This is a great read for fans new to Luna and fans returning to this wonderful series and this volume. This entire series, is a must for any manga collection.

There's not doubt that Terry Gilliam is a contemporary genius and a master of the cut-out animation.
Throught this wonderfully created book, you can discover the complete process of making one of this amazing animations, that appeareds between some python sketches and other popular tv shows.
From the finest political humour to kinda simple kiddie humour!
Terry Gilliam at his very, very best!!

I acquired this book when I was in high school, having just discovered Monty Python. I was fascinated by the strange cutout animations that joined the skits, and that's what drew me to the book originally. Now, it is a rare, classic treasure. Mainly, it is a book overviewing cutout animation. The fun part is the documenting of a body of work that Gilliam has now moved away from as a film director. There are a few political cartoons, not used for Python, and some pages of raw sketches that show the darker side of animation. Plus, as a bonus, you get a running gag about a black spot and a badger that keep trying to hijack the actual book as you read it.... Technically beneficial to animators, a Holy Grail of acquisitions to Gilliam fans.

Terry Gilliam is a wonderful animator, the success of Monty Pythons Flying Circus was to a large part because of his graphic abilities. Everyone who has seen the opening titles with the big foot squash will know what to expect from this book. In this book, he goes to great lengths, to help you make graphics that can be funny. Even more importantly he shows you how to make animation with very little effort. This book was a lifesaver for me when I made my first Hollywood animation back in the early 1980's. Absolute essential reading for every cut-out animator or pixilator, and recommended to all who aspire to amuse others. Suitable for all ages, as my three children loved it.

This book is again a phantastic collection of funny
and often very curious fish cartoon stories. Even the 4th
book is as good as the first one. The author projects
ordinary (and not so ordinary ;-)) everyday situations on
a couple of fishs around sherman the shark living in a
little lagoon at Kapupu Island. It is one of the best
cartoons and I think the best fish cartoon available.
For fans it's a wonderful reunion with Sherman, Megan,
Fillmore, Capt. Quigly, and all the others.

Have Fun!

Karl

It'll never look the same again. We visited the Texas State Aquarium, in Corpus Christi- which happens to have a special exhibit of Jim Toomey's cartoons, with original drawings, used to raise awareness of marine conservation in kids. Fun for adults, too!

Who couldn't want marine conservation after becoming familiar with the inhabitants of Kapupu Lagoon? Sherman is a shark with, let's say, not too much in the way of brains; his mate, Megan, is much smarter - but has her weaknesses. Hawthorne is an irritable and irritating hermit crab, who wears a beer can rather than a shell. Hawthorne has a rather elaborate crab hole- Persian carpets, golf putting range - and is always dreaming up schemes to make more money. Fillmore is an endangered turtle, who can't find a mate, possibly because of the extremely bad poetry he writes. Other characters we see regularly include a polar bear who visits the Lagoon every year instead of hibernating; a computer-savvy fish who swims around with a laptop and hacks into important systems; a giant squid who always keeps his appointments; an orca formerly in a sea-entertainment complex, who can't quite cope with life in the wild; and the occasional herd of vegetarian piranha. There's also a couple of human characters once in a while- a fishing boat captain trying to catch Sherman and/or his friends, to use on the menu at his seafood restaurant; the people who run glass-bottom boat tours; and of course the hairless beach apes whom Sherman tries to lure into the water for lunch.

Every strip is funny; the messages about marine conservation, about cable lines under the ocean and other human incursions affecting sea life sneak in at you without detracting from the humor at all.

Sherman's back. Still eating most everything in sight. Still failing Megan in the romance department. Still losing his fights with the giant squid. And still hilariously goofy in the process. Weird, wonderful, and hard to describe, I suggest you check out some of the strips online (you'll have to search for them, Amazon won't let me include the URL) and, if you laugh hard, buy this book. If you laugh a little read a few more until you do laugh hard, then buy this book. If you have no idea why anyone would laugh at this stuff, better stick to Family Circus!