Graphics Books

This is the best C++ book i've ever read (and i've read many good authors). It explains the concepts in depth with plenty of sample-code and drawings. The author seems to be aware which concepts could be misunderstood and repeatedly clarifies them in his examples.You cannot become a serious C++ programmer, if you don't understand these concepts correctly. Most of the object-oriented concepts are illustrated with real-world examples, so u learn how the language can be applied practically. I wish i'd gotten this book during my school days.

This text is definitely classroom quality, covering almost all aspects of the language, both theoretically and practically, and the books size reflects this. It doesn't cover the STL at all, but to do so would have made the text too large. The best thing I liked about the book is that it discusses object oriented design concepts (as pertaining to C++) very well.

This is am amazing book that very clearly explains the 'how' and 'why' of each feature in Object Oriented Design.My design skills certainly got a lot better with this book.I loved the chapter on Inheritance.Inheritance is one of the most powerful features of any object oriented language and the most effective form of code reuse.This book does a very good job at giving the reader a good idea of how to exploit this feature effectively.

this is *the* C++ book that got me thru my programming assignments. from concepts to code, from design to implementation, the author detailed everything very clearly and thoroughly, excellent job! this book is evenly-paced and highly readable with golden nuggets everywhere. before getting this book, i used to be lost in lectures and assignments, confused about concepts of pointers etc, but after carefully studying this gem, i could truly understand the essence of C++ and write solid, high quality code. to sum it up, i have three words for you: GO BUY IT!!

I read most of the 1st edition.
A very insightful look into C++ programming with
detailed but simple examples to explain the fundamental
and yet powerful concepts and intricacies with the language!

I was surprised to find it was in comic strip format, but I enjoyed the lite reading.

Without harping too much on what has already been said about the political observations that Satrapi makes or her commentary on the limits faced by everyone (and most especially) women in Iran, the truly inspirational achievement of this work is how honest she can be about herself in the story. That with everything whirling around her, the fact that she can be honest about both the good and the bad of the relationships she'd been in, the despair both at home and abroad, the flickers of hope that she clung to during the darkest times and how (true to the reality of a hopeful young woman) the very worst thing that can happen is ultimately to let down yourself and to let down your loved ones is stark and amazing. The scene where she loses the trust and the good standing with her grand mother is heart-breaking and yet could happen to any teenage girl anywhere in the world. That it's depicted in basic drawings doesn't detract from the power of the moment in the least.

And not that graphic novels these days have any trouble being seen as legitimate art, but Persepolis certainly puts a nail in the coffin of the arguments made by detractors.

Trust this book for it's emotion, for it's personal honesty, for it's attempts to always find something good even under the most extreme circumstances. It is not a history book. It is a personal history book. And it is one that deserves applause.

In the chapter "The Shabbat", set before she leaves for Austria in 1984, Marjane describes how Iraqi Scud missiles start raining down on Tehran, killing her Jewish childhood friend and neighbor, Neda. However, according to Jane's Intelligence Review and other sources, no missiles reached Tehran before Iraq's Al-Husayn missile programme in February 1988. Why would she lie about this?

This book can join Art Spiegelman's "Maus" and Joe Sacco's "Safe Area Gorazde" as yet another graphical masterpiece. Very enjoyable book, couldn't put it down.

Even though I don't know much about graphic novels, I thought Persepolis was incredible. Also, I learned a lot about Iranian history from it. Also, even though I'm not Iranian, there are many parts of the book that are easy to relate to, for instance going to school thousands of miles from home. A great read!

I am a student studying animation, and I purchased this book for my character design class. I really love this book, it is quite usefull, and my two roommates reference it as well! One is an illustrator, and one is a video game designer. Useful to anyone and everyone...

This a great book for the beginning character artist. I often have a hard time drawing cartoon characters but this book always helps me out. Covers everything from personality to color, from exaggerated to semi-realistic. Highly recommend!

Nice book , a lot of ideas , examples. Very good choice for beginners. My students loved it.

This is a great book to take your drawings to the next step. I've been frustrated that my characters lacked that certain special 'something' to make them pop from regular ol' dry drawings to likable, engaging characters. This book illustrates simple examples of a line here, a curve there, to push it up a notch. I really enjoyed the suggestions, and this book has been very helpful. myspace/kris10cartoons

A great useful book! The best way to learn and draw your own appealing characters!

Ok, I have 4 Pearls Before Swine books: "Da Brudderhood of Zeeba Zeeba Eata", "The Ratvolution Will Not Be Televised", "This Little Piggy Stayed Home", and "Sgt. Piggy's Lonely Hearts Club Comic". I have to say "Da Brudderhood of Zeeba Zeeba Eata" is the funniest one. It has all the strips from 2006. I consider it a must buy for any Pearls fan.

Love the strip-love the book. Pearls appeals to my slightly acidic sense of humor.

The book was a wonderful collection. and I had many laughs from it. I have ordered other Pearls before Swine books as a result.

If you are a fan of Stephan Pastis' twisted humor, you will love this book! If you never heard of him and are slightly "bent", you'll soon be a fan.
I purchased two previous books and gave them away as gifts (after reading them first, of course) and the party turned into a "listen to this one" and "where did you get these?" event.
I love the crocodiles and their phonetic accent and their struggles with the wary zebra who is too smart for them....because EVERYONE is too smart for them.
The other characters are great too, but this one is the best of the three I've read. Do yourself a favor and order this book. Laughter is the best medicine and Stephan Pastis makes a great doctor!

Dis booka lotte fun!! Me geets it fer Chrissmass. Me laugh so hard Zeeba hear me an runna way. Darn book too funnee. Now me sad but steel laffeng.
Bob Da Croc

I have been a faithful FoxTrot reader for years. Roger, Andy and their kids Peter, Paige and Jason are always good for a reality check with a large dose of laughter. I've got two girls and let me tell you, I see a lot of my kids in Paige with, I believe, even a healthy dose of Jason thrown in. And they have Peter's bottomless stomach. Of course, they're faithful FoxTrot readers too. I used to read the strip to them, explain what was going on, but now they get it just fine and we three all laugh together. Then my girls try and explain the strip to their dad, who pretends he doesn't get it.

The FoxTrot folks are a great family, one we sort of got used to checking up on every day, so we took the news that Mr. Amend was going to cease daily distribution of his wonderfully funny people and turn his strip to Sunday only, with a bit of sadness. Still, we have these terrific FoxTrot books to keep us going with our FoxTrot fix. Mr. Amend is to be commended for his great gift to our culture and his great gift to so many lives. I truly believe a laugh a day, helps keep the blues away and the FoxTrot gang are always good for a laugh. Heck there are a lot of laughs in the FoxTrot books. I know, I have them all and I am, along with my girls and my hubby dear, eagerly awaiting the next one.

Oh yes, I forgot to mention, we don't have an iguana, but my girls do have a pet gecko and, you guessed it, his name is Quincy.

I've been a Foxtrot reader for a long time and personally I think there is something suspiciously wrong with people who don't find Bill Amend's characters funny as all get out. If you want a good laugh, check out Bill in your local newspaper, or better yet, get one of the Foxtrot books. They are all great, really, they are.

Like many of Mr. Amend's fans I'm a bit disappointed he's switching his strip to Sunday-only, but fortunately I can still read him daily in the Foxtrot books. Get them one and all and you can keep right on a laughing.

Needless to say, this FoxTrot comic book is very funny. Needless to say, if you are a fan of comic strips of any kind, I would quickly usher a large amount of FoxTrot books your way.

The outrageous series in this book include:
-Sportschatter vs. Duke Nukem
-Titanic Craze
-Valentine's Day
-Power shut-out
-gotee magic
-finals week (always a FoxTrot staple)
-BittyBaby Craze
-X-Men the movie
-Jasondows98
-Football training
-mutant zucchini
-Tomb Raider 2
-Babysitting (for Mrs. O'Dell)
-Airguana
-First day of school clothes
-The 97-panel comic
-How to promote your comic
-Wind essay
-POST-Halloween craze

Now, you SHOULD just be imagining in your head right now the funny twist that Bill Amend puts on these. If not, well, you should!!!

Great job Bill Amend, you rock!!!!

If you don't think that getting 369 good laughs for 10 bucks is a good deal, don't buy this.

Great book! One of the best, actually. As I said in my other Fox Trot review, I just can't get enough! I dread the day Bill Amend decides to retire. May that day never, ever come!

This book is must for your collection!

I have always enjoyed the Foxtrot series, and this collection is a wonderful addition. The strips are very timely, so the pure bite might have faded a bit -- for example, references to Tomb Raider and Titanic seem a little outdated now -- but they still have the power to make me laugh out loud. Seeing Andy surrounded by Kleenex and sobbing because "My Heart Will Go On" is on the radio still makes me crack up!

Another winner from Bill Amend. Enjoy!

It starts off slowly, but then there is gradual progression in suspense and tension. That said it leaves you wanting MORE so very badly.

Robert Kirman's writing is good and mature in tone for this contemporary reader.

So for taking a chance on a book I never read one issue of, it lived up to it's hype, and I think has a lot of momentum moving into the next volume which will make me buy volume 2 if not 3 as well.

...i was always skeptical of this comic from an "alternative" publisher...until my wife gave me Invincible the Ultimate Collection vol. 1+2...
....these stories bring back memories of when comics were fun (and not so serious and dark as they tend to be these days)....Kirkmans tales easily fit in the comics tapestry along with classics like Amazing Spiderman , The Justice League, Superman...ect...
....

If you are a fan of Invicible the series. Or you like anything that Image comics puts out, by this! The best series i have read in a while, and the best super hero series i have read in years!

I didn't read comics as a kid, but I have always been fasinated with superheroes. After consulting several recommendations lists and reading lots of reviews, I chose Invincible as my first comic. I wasn't disappointed. It has everything I expected from a comic - a larger than life hero, lots of action, excellent artwork, and easy to read. It also had things I hadn't expected - the hero has more than one dimension and story is mature enough to hold an adult's attention. I read a wide variety of genres from classics to biographies, from fiction to science fiction, and this was just as enjoyable to read. I'm looking forward to getting volumes 2 and 3!

I picked this up without reason, I'd long since outgrown Comic Books and was really only drawn to the image on the cover and thought it might be interesting for the little boys I work with. I, personally, did not have any interest in it myself. But then the boys didn't care, it wasn't Batman or Superman and so it wasn't interesting.
It sat around for some time just looking like a big giant book until I had to take a long trip and needed something with more than just words to pass the time.
I was hooked.
As soon as I got home, I went right to the store and started buying back issues and trades to catch up.
This is one of the best modern superhero stories out there, it's a wonderful collection of great writing (kirkman's other series The Walking Dead is also great)and amazing graphics. The story lines are compelling, and I always want more at the end of an issue. In fact, I am always digging through old issues and climbing the walls waiting for new issues.
If You're looking for a new hero, Invincible's the guy. The series is terrific, it's just what I was looking for, serious reading for a serious reader with pictures.
It's worth the investment.

What can you say about this, the classic fantasy trilogy? In one word: brilliant. It has all the elements one would want: friendship, adventure, love, magic, excitiment, a laugh and a tear. But what strikes me most about this series (especially if you read the chronicles and everything afterwards) is the fact that right and wrong are not so black and white as they so often are portraited. The 'good guys' as whitecloaks are not so good at all, for instance. And off course, there's Raistlin. My favourite character of all time, combining the good and bad of man so perfectly... a must read for every reader on the globe!

Me and my sone both really love to read these book. The are really good.

This trilogy is just as perfect as Chronicles.
Maybe you have to give a little time for the story to take off in the first book, but it's worth the reading, for the two other books are just amazing! I tottaly recomend!

I first read this trilogy as they were first being written many years ago. I bought the set just to have the books again and I have to say I enjoyed reading the books just as much as I did initially. As with the first Trilogy, Chronicles, they are fun and exciting and detailed and all that you would want in an adventure. Strongly recommend these books to anyone that likes the D&D type stories.

I couldn't put these books down! I devoured one right after another and read all three in just about a week. The three books flow seamlessly from one to the next, and I am eager to read more by these authors.

I read the strip in the paper and occasionally he's hilarious, like the strip last month when Larry the gator's wife says she's leaving him, that was a classic. More often it's really nothing much and that's pretty much how this book is. I find myself pushing myself to keep reading rather than hungering for more. He just isn't as consistently witty as Dilbert or Get Bucky or Marmaduke. Just kidding Marmaduke sucks like a whirlpool, it's the same gag every frickin day, I wish they get it out of the paper already. I love off the wall humor, and he's got talent, so I'm glad he's around because it's one of the better strips today, but he too often just tries to pass off crassness as humor, which it seems is popular by the likes of many comediennes today, however I prefer more talented wit in my humor like his strip from last month I already mentioned.
I bought this book because it's a compilation and a good way to learn more about the artist and his art, so no regrets.

I love Pearls Before Swine, and this is a great compilation. I enjoyed it so much, I plan to send it to my son so that he can enjoy it as well.

Got this book for my daughter this Christmas because she loved the first one I bought, St. Piggy's Lonely Hearts Club. She loves reading the comics on the Sunday paper, and that's how she first asked for her first Pearls Before Swine book, because she was curious if the strips on the Sunday paper were all there was to it. Like the other book we have, the strips offer nuggets of humor with hints of worldly wisdom, cynicism, satire, hyperbole, analogy, smart-alecky and "That's life" kind of stuff that becomes part of our life experience as we go on living in this world. This book's characters somewhat epitomize how we should not take life too seriously so we don't go bonkers trying to live too hard!

I purchased this as a Christmas stocking stuffer for my beloved. I know that she is fond of this cartoonist's work. Now, when we have occasion to spend a quiet evening together watching TV, she amuses herself during bouts of advertising by perusing the cartoons in this book. She laughs out loud for several minutes at a stretch, until whatever show we were actually viewing returns to the screen, at which point she reluctantly puts the book back down until the next bout of advertising. I know from her laughter that she is enjoying the book, and I enjoy hearing her laugh, so its a win win. Plus she feels compelled to share some of her favorites with me, on the spot. They are really funny, and when she finishes going through the book, I will probably use it as she has been. If this catches on, I'm sure that television advertisers will put a hit out on this cartoonist.

This book is just the thing to pass the day and to bring some humor to
your day and to teach how to see the funny side of life as well.

The Preacher series is a very well written, unusual graphic novel. I have liked every one of them.

Hilarious background on a major antagonist, detailing the utter and total insanity of their organisation. This is one of the weirdest, most screwed up villains you can imagine. He loses body part after body part, function after function, and has indignity upon indignity heaped upon him and still continues upon his crazed quest and towards his nutjob goals.

The Preacher series is a "must have" for any collector of stories who likes a little extreme in their fantasy. Some of the greatest lines and characters are put forth by the incredible team of Ennis and Dillon. If one suspends disbelief on one's own feelings about God and the devil, one can enjoy lightheartedly this tale of servitude...or something.

John Wayne. God. War in Monument Valley. The Preacher--Jesse Custer. Cannibalism. Irish vampire. Starr. Betrayal. Sex. Cigarettes. Chicks with guns.

This volume is about as good as it gets.

The 6th installement in the 9 volume Preacher series, definitely the most action packed Preacher of them all. Garth Ennis(Punisher, Hellblazer, Hitman) and Steve Dillon(Punisher, Supreme Power:Nighthawk) did a great job, tanks, guns, blood, and violence, what more would you want.

The book starts with an origin story about Starr, telling us about how he got involved with the Grail, and how he took interest in Jesse Custer. Then Starr takes control of the U.S. Army and attepts to capture Jesse Custer and kill the Saint of Killers with the army. Fortunately the Saint of Killers was there doing what he does best, blow things up. Nothing can take that guy down, not machine guns, tanks, not even missiles. Meanwhile, when Jesse falls out of a plane and is presumed dead, Tulip falls into depression and takes refuge in Cassidy. Jesse, somehow survived the fall with only the loss of an eye. He was rescued by an astronaut wannabe called Johnny Wee Wombat. One of the best Preacher stories wirtten by Garth Ennis, showcasing his dark humor(which was superb here in War in the Sun), his bizzare characters and plots, and his ability to write a compelling story.

The art by Steve Dillon was great as usual depicting, in great detail, the faces, expressions, and the graphic violence. After the work Dillon have done in Preacher and the Marvel comic Punisher, also written by Ennis, he has become my favorite artist, his best quality being his abilty to draw faces, and exppressions, it is said that he has never drawn a face twice. The story arc about Starr's origin was not by Dillon, and nothing personal by I just don't really like it, expecially for Preacher.

The most action packed Preacher, one of the best of the series to me. Ennis and Dillon have brought us yet another masterpeice, a must-read if you liked any of the other Preacher books. If you are new to the series, I suggest you read the first volume, Gone to Texas, and see if you like it(I can't imagine why not), if you do, then keep reading until you reach this volume, it's worth it. DO NOT purchase this book or any Preacher book if you can be offended by eccesive violence, gore, extremely bizzare plots, sexual themes, or profanity.

There would be millions of young boys out there that would love to invite Calvin over when those oh so annoying parents inflicted one of those evil girl babysitters on them. There are quite a few other storylines involved in this book, but that strip is definitely worth of the title billing in the publication.

Bill Watterson is a genious. There's no other way to put it. Calvin and Hobbes is one of the Great Comic Strips of our times and this collected edition is an incredible read. Highest possible recommendation.

This book is a collection of short comic stories about a 6-year old boy named Calvin and his "invisible" friend Hobbes. Hobbes is Calvin's stuffed-animal toy tiger that is real to Calvin and only Calvin can hear Hobbes talk. Rosalyn is Calvin's babysitter and he almost "hates" her.

Calvin spends time with his babysitter because he is simply too much for his parents to handle and they need an occasional break like going out to dinner together. So they hire Rosalyn, a teenager, to sit Calvin. Rosalyn is paid well, so she agrees to babysit the little "twerp" but she regularly is asking for a pay rise.

The conflicts between Calvin and his sitter Rosalyn are the source for the many great comic interactions. For example, when Calvin learns that Rosalyn wants to study for an important school exam, he tells Hobbes - "Tonight Hobbes! The Revenge of the Babysats! Thus begin the hilarious antics that everyone from ages 8 and up will love to read about.

It is my feeling that Bill Watterson had enough integrity and ethics to prevent the syndicate from cranking out endless meaninglessly repetitive compilations. Of course, he did quit partly because he was becoming disgusted with many of the commercial aspects of his work. With most comics, even good ones, the collections get stale after a few. Watterson's collections dont. There are a dozen or so C&H compilations/collections, but you wont be dissapointed with owning the whole shebang, especially since Watterson frequently did a lot of extra work to ensure that each collection had something new to offer. Even without this extra stuff, Watterson's body of work is extensive enought to warrant owning all these collections. He was steadily cranking out great material for a decade or so, and if you are like me you will be reading some C&H weekly for as long as you are on this earth, so tons of books is not a bad thing. Basically, I wholeheartedly reccomend all the books. If you like one you will like them all. They only get better as you get to know the characters. Watterson never goes for the cheap laugh by having any of the comic's principals act out of character. As you progress through the years with C&H, and I do reccomend reading them in order, you will see how art progresses and grows when the artist is committed to excellent work. So, go get the first one, titled simply Calvin & Hobbes, and then start down the enjoyable road to making Calvin and his tiger a pleasant little chunk of your life. (Yes, i have repeated this review for every C&H book I own, wich is all of them, so get used to seeing all this anytime you look one of them up)

No matter how many times I read them, I can never get tired of Calvin and Hobbes. They're funny, creative, and are always getting into some sort of hijinx that could just about get them grounded for life. "The Revenge of the Baby-Sat" offers such adventures as that in a funny and entertaining way.

Calvin is always getting into trouble. Him and his stuffed tiger, Hobbes, are always faced with obstacles; from Calvin's parents to his teacher. One of the main obstacles he faces in this book is a deranged baby-sitter (or at least, that's how he sees her). But hey, no problem! Calvin and Hobbes have a plan to get back at the baby-sitter once and for all!

Other adventures in the book can be found, such as:

*Calvin tries to play hooky*
*Calvin's picture session with his father*
*The Beanie Epic*
*Calvin forgets his "bug project"*
*Calvin's house gets broken into*
*"The Pushing of the Car Down the Drive" incident*
*Calvin cleans his room*
and many more!

"The Revenge of the Baby-Sat" is127 pages of Calvin and Hobbes hilarity. Bill Watterson never ceases to amaze me with his witty creativity and well-executed humor. This is something that can be enjoyed by kids, as well as adults. This is an outstanding collection of Calvin and Hobbes comic strips that should be checked out by anybody who's a fan of the comic strip (or anybody who loves to laugh). A five-star collection that continues to entertain me without missing a single beat.