Cartoons Books

Unfortunately, my local paper dropped Ernie like a hot potato years ago. Collections like this are the only way I have to satisfy my craving for "Sophisticated Literature". B. Grace keep them coming.

To my knowledge, this is the first collection from Bud Grace's excellent comic strip 'Ernie' (now known as 'The Piranha Club'). Not done in the typical comic strip book style of publishing all comic strips from a certain time period, this book is divided into chaptered segments containing some of Bud's favorite earlier work. A must have for any Ernie fan!

If you are not already an Ernie fanatic, look at the cover of this book. If you suffer a hernia or suddenly find yourself in a room with padded walls, chances are you liked it. If you want to read about erudite subjects like moose-milking olympics, going on a date with a chicken, cross-dressing, nose-hair removal systems, etc., or merely want to find out whether Quacko the human duck is a duck who looks like a man or a man who looks like a duck, or in fact a mongoose, buy the book immediately. If you don't like it, give it to your mother-in-law. On second thoughts, even if you like it, give it to your mother-in-law. Chances are she'll never bother you again. On the other hand, of course, if you are already an Ernie fan you're probably too busy reading the book in your padded cell to read stupid book reviews.

This collection of Booth cartoons is brilliant and off the wall. There is no end to the "windmills of his mind". I bought two copies to share with my similarly weird friends and may buy more. This man knows cats and a whole lot about the world that I've always wondered about. Keep on truckin' Mrs. Ritterhouse!

I am a Booth FREAK. His hyper-detailed observations of "nothing" and "new yorkers" obviously influenced the sitcom "Seinfeld."

Also, anyone who loves animals to an almost "nutty" degree will appreciate the emotional dependence depicted in these little (cracked) windows on life.

Another book with humorous cats worth having is Henry Beard's "French For Cats;" Booth would approve!

Lee Lorenz has indeed captured the essential George Booth. Not only has he given Booth's adoring fans a beautiful collection of his work, he introduces us to the sources of his brilliance - his smart, talented, humorous, proudly individualistic parents - and he spices the book with just the right number and types of Boothianic stories to make us yearn for more. This is a rare find.

This book is vey comprehensive, easy to read.. full of colorful quality pictures, and interesting info. It is very hard to summarize the information about world comics. But, the authors have done a good job by talking about the important publication of each country. I strongly recommend this book!

Tim Pilcher knows his stuff. His homework is excellent, 10/10. This book is a fundamental fount of all knowledge either for...
"tragedy,comedy,history,pastoral,pastoral-comedy, historical-pastoral... Manga cannot be too heavy not Dennis too light.For the law of comic writ and the liberty, this is the only book. An essential tool for any illustration and comic book buff. The director of any media studies course that hasn't yet included Tim's book as a resource better rush off helter-skelter before any embarrassment ensues.

In The Essential Guide to World Comics, co-authors Tim Pilcher and Brad Brooks crisscross most of the globe on a 320-page whirlwind tour, which leaves them, and no doubt most readers, "flabbergasted at the sheer scope across the planet." Like TV film critics Siskel and Ebert, this guide benefits from Pilcher and Brooks' dual viewpoint, which strikes a balance between Brad's faith in comics as art and Tim's more prosaic view of comics as fun. As they say, "Both views are valid and the truth probably lies inbetween". Almost everywhere they turn, they find that the mass-market mainstream and the more artistic alternatives co-exist and often overlap. In fact, perhaps the most overused word in the book is "cross-pollination", as they observe how interconnected different countries' comics cultures have become

They carve up the world into ten chapters of between 20 and 36 pages, charting figures and favourites that made history, sometimes starting from the 19th century, but mainly from the 20th. North America and Britain lead off, followed by Japan, the rest of Southeast Asia, France and Belgium, and the rest of continental Europe. Next come South America, Scandinavia, and Australasia, and finally India, Africa, and the Middle East. They close each chapter with a spread on one 'World-Class Creator", like Kirby, Baxendale, Hergé or Tezuka, or less well-known geniuses like Uruguay's Alberto Breccia, Denmark's Peter Madsen or New Zealand's Dylan Horrocks. They pack in some great anecdotes, masses of names, titles, facts and figures and rarely seen imagery from lovely crumbling antiquities to obscure small press gems. My one quibble is that, while they offer an index of about1,000 creators (some cited on the page only in a list), they did not index the vital characters or comic titles, surely more familiar to most readers.

It is still a remarkable achievement, colourful and sharply designed. Of course, no single book can ever contain the entirety of the world's comics, but maybe the web could. As Dave Gibbons muses in his foreword, "Maybe someday in the future, comics aficionados will have the equivalent of the technology that brings music from around the world to my computer desktop." Already fan-created websites are sprouting with impressive resources, but imagine being able to read online archives or downloads of whole runs of any of the strips shown here, translated into whatever language you need at the touch of button. Whether this happens is probably more a question of when than if. Till then, this Guide is a dream round-the-world ticket.

Poor Ethan.

Orner watches his world carefully and with sympathy and empathy he brings his characters to life and makes me laugh.

A few of things spouted by characters in Ethan's world are direct quotations from my ex-boyfriend (Who now, by the way, has frosted his hair and gained 30 pounds---he looks like a bloated Vanilla Ice. I'm not even vaguely bitter.)

I bought all the Ethan books at once and never tired of his antics.

I will be brief. This book by Eric Orner is often hysterical; but it goes beyond being funny and those who have read Orner's three previous books know this. It is a journey into a world where humor, love, death, and relationships are explored in entirely new and different ways. A book that will make you laugh at loud and then rush to mirror asking is this me? Is this my life? And it is, in all it's saddness, comedy, and moments of bumbling glory.

Ethan Exposed is the third in the published series of the cartoon adventures of thirty-ish gay guy whose life is so instantly recognisable to all of us, and the friends and lovers who share his social circle somewhere in New England, judging by the odd clue - Cambridge Massachussetts, perhaps? The drawings are well draughted (English spelling - I'm English), and the real joy lies in the tiny incidental details, which means that to get the most out of an Ethan Green cartoon, it needs to be revisited constantly, and this is always a pleasure.

The character of Ethan himself, who is sympathetic but by no means perfect, just like the rest of us, is the true reason why these cartoons are so good. We see him coping with his ghastly Jewish family on compulsory visits home, consulting the mercenary (though Eth doesn't realise this) Madam Zolna about the future, trying to persuade his on/off lover Doug to commit himself and buy a house with him, and indulging in cybersex only to be interrupted by a chatty instant message from his adoring mother.

Other joys include the Hat Sisters, supportive of Ethan at all times, Ethan's almost-human cat Lucy, who acts as a kind of Greek chorus on much of the action, and the odd cartoon which does not involve Ethan at all, but is a kind of commentary on other aspects of gay life.

This book, and the other two, are collections of cartoons published in the Washington Blade and elsewhere, and long may Eric Orner continue to draw them, and observe the gay scene so realistically.

The "Mutts" books are delightful. So easy to just pick up the book, open it to any page & chuckle. All the characters are fun & have distinct personalities.

Another wonderful volume that continues the series adventures of Mooch and Earl, plus the rest of the cast of characters from the world of Mutts. A must-read for animal lovers, conservationists, and Mutts fans. If you haven't read Mutts before you will simply love this book for its simplicity, humor, and themes.

What's not to love about MUTTS? The characters are all amazingly big hearted, including Sour Puss, and it's just a feel good Comic. If you haven't read any of the MUTTS stuff, start now! Buy Mutts, the first collection, and go from there! If you are an animal lover and an "environmentalist" this is the series for you! Patrick McDonnnell presents his ideas on conservation, preservation, and doing our part for the world and for all the living creatures in it in a humorous and heartfelt way.

This book is worth every penny you spend on it! Brad Guigar writes in a conversational manner that is easy to follow, and yet detail oriented. The material is very well organized, with well placed illustrations to make his point.

This book is very comprehensive, and covers topics that I never thought about. Brad Guigar provides specific instructions on drawing everything from heads, hands and feet, background scenes, to caricatures and editorial cartooning. In addition, he directs to you additonal resources online for further information on such subjects as copyrighting your work, and self-publishing online.

This book is ESSENTIAL if you're looking to create your own work.

I'm not sure what Ms. Hubbard was smoking when she read Mr. Guigar's excellent book. Suffice it to say that the previous reviewers have done a MUCH better job of describing it accurately.

I own several books on cartooning, and have perused numerous others. Brad Guigar's "Everything Cartooning" is easily the most comprehensive and the most useful.

--Howard Tayler

I've spent months looking over all the books on cartooning I could get my hands on. Most of them have one or two tips that come in handy.

Brad Guigar's book is an amazing overview of the field. It covers the basics efficiently and well, giving the reader enough information to get started with drawing.

Most books leave off there, but this one goes on to address the various professional opportunities for cartoonists, as well as very specific tips on getting published and even an entire chapter on creating the humor in comics.

This is also the only cartooning book that I've seen that has an up-to-date approach to technology. Excellent tips on using computers for production and for creating webcomics.

It's a very adult approach to a very fun subject, written in a casual conversational and yet authoritative style. Certainly worth picking up.

Now here's a clever little book chock full of funny drawings that are guaranteed to make you laugh out loud or you are seriously lacking a sense of humor. You don't even have to have watched any television to enjoy the visuals.

This satire of American television is very funny. The cartoons in the book poke fun at some of the cliché's that are the staple of network television shows and commercials. My favorites are:

* Teachers and parents are all idiots who are easily fooled by kids.
* Each of us has at least one identical look-a-like, usually evil.
* There really IS life on other planets, oddly enough, all the aliens speak perfect English and look suspiciously human.

and the best:

It is possible to jump through a plate glass window and not get a single cut on you!

I enjoyed every one of these cartoons, they are all accurate depictions and make you think about the absurd premises that some television shows are based on.

Ever wonder why the heroine twists her ankle whenever she's running away from the bad guy? How come all the actors who play high school kids look like they're 30 years old? The authors skewer TVs cliches and assumptions in a very funny illustrated manner. Everyone who watched the Brady Bunch or Dukes of Hazzard must read this book

I'm the proud owner of the entire Eyebeam series. They are constantly out on loan. This book shows that humor can be brilliant, but not vulgar or cynical. Adults get it on a certain level and kids on another. Rare in that it has the nationally syndicated chracters from the Universal Features "Peaches" strip, as well as the ones that were too "grown up" for that strip, interacting together. Rod and Ratliff are developed in this book. I sure miss the old "Eyebeam" Strip..... This reminds me why.

This book of Eyebeam cartoons contains some classics--Ratliff leading the cops to the mall parking lot because a windshield sunshade says "Help! Call Police!"; the one about the Night Pedestals for cats (cars parked along the curb); the sequence in which Three-Initial Corporation is taken over by Brand X.

Direct, clear humor. Unusual drawing style. Characters include lawyers, children, pompous yuppies, hapless students, and the all-time favorite--"Hank the Hallucination." Captures Austin's surreal reality perfectly.

It is absolutely outrageous that the Eyebeam series is out of print. Example: Ratliff is in the tub singing Michelle Ma Belle, Eyebeam enters and says " is that ABSOLUTELY necessary?" and Ratliff innocently replies, "well no, but it sure makes me smell better." This was bar none the funniest comic ever done. OUT OF PRINT? Criminal.

This mini-serie is as close to perfect storystelling as you can get . The 'Reed's diary plot' is incredible . It seems to me the FF were created only to have this one story told . The Ben Grimm/Thing pages are terrific ,highly emotional . Claremont at his very best . Plus Jon Bogdanove pencils and Terry Austin inks !

For anyone dissatisfied with Chris Claremont's current work on FF, or thirsting to see some classic Claremont work on both X-Men and the Fantastic Four, read this series. The characterization of both teams is excellent, and Claremont excels at telling an intriguing tale involving the very origin of the Fantastic Four and a vital turning point in the life of Kitty Pryde. Franklin Richards is the focus of this book, and his take on his family and on the plight of Kitty Pryde is fantastic. Read it.

I have long been a fan of Chris Claremont's stories, and books like this are the reason why. The book provides a beautiful transition for both X-Men fans wishing to learn about the Fantastic Four and FF fans trying to start a knowledge of mutants. This reprints the four issue limited series of the same name and is a tribute to Claremont's excellent ability to capture humanity in the most unlikely characters. Although well-known for his work on X-Men and other mutant books, Claremont has also wonderfully characterized the Fantastic Four showing both their great strength as a group and family as well as their weaknesses of self-doubt and uncertainty

Man, I love the Far Side. I've been getting these calendars every year for the past 5 or so years. This one is deifnately the best. Seeing as how its already halfway through March, its kinda pointless in buying it now, but theyre always good for notepaper and a laugh or two...or 365.

My calendar had the dates of April 15 thru May 5 glued in backwards.

I really liked it. It made me laugh. A lot. I like to laugh. Especially at calendars. They're funny. Especially this one. Its funny. Buy it.