Cartooning Books

The other reviewers of this book do an excellent job of describing the book. I bought the book based on their opinions, as I grew up with Peanuts and thought additional insight into Schulz would be interesting. However, I must say that I was slightly disappointed in the book. Why? The book is a series of interviews (reprinted magazine articles) of Schulz over the years, but many of the questions get asked over and over again. The result is that the first few interviews are fresh, but as you continue reading, the material starts repeating itself. This started to bore me by the middle of the book. By the last chapter, you can pretty much predict every answer that Schulz will give to the variations of twenty questions. If you want to learn about Schulz's life, you might want to look at the actual biographies.

This interesting book which consist of about 16 interviews done by Charles M. Schulz (out of nearly 300) which Schulz revealed his backgrounds, motives and understanding of his works. Reading the interviews from the 1950s to the 1990s, it revealed an interesting evolution of Schulz's character, insights and his development as a cartoonist as he grow older and his "Peanut" empire got bigger. While you can't considered this as a biography, reader will definitely get a clear understanding of Schulz's personality from these interviews.

I was surprised that there was no mentioned of how Schulz and NASA got involved since Apollo 10 used Charlie Brown and Snoopy as code names. Such absolute faith in NASA probably needed further review.

Overall though, an excellent book that probably should be read by all fans of Charlie Brown and Snoopy strip.

Not the usual skimpy biography or comic compilation, this is a lengthy (300-plus pages) and thoughtful Q&A session between Schulz and well-prepared and insightful interviewers. Schulz' modesty, thoughts on life and humor, and love of his craft are easy to discern, and the details of the history of "Peanuts" and the creative process are, quite obviously, as "inside" as they come. Amply illustrated with comic strips. A fitting tribute.

I picked up this book of various interviews that Charles Schulz did from the mid-1950's to the late -1990's to get a better feel for the creator of the world's greatest comic strip, Peanuts. There are some interesting insights here, particularly into Schulz's personality. You really see that the lonliness and feelings of defeat suffered by Charlie Brown for almost 50 years were what Schulz felt for his childhood and a great deal of his adult life.

A lot of the questions asked by the various interviewers dealt with Schulz's religious beliefs, given the fact that many of the Peanuts comics had a religious tone to them. I found some of Schulz's comments interesting, but I never cared that much for those particular Peanuts strips, so a significant portion of this book didn't hold much interest for me.

It was interesting to see how the interviews conducted by writers employed by comic book magazines seemed very critical of Schulz related to the commercialization of Peanuts (i.e. Ford Motor ads in the 1960's, MetLife, etc.) I think Schulz handled these queries very well and also shows how tough he could be when pressed.

I think if you've read Rheta Johnson's terrific biography of Schulz and seen thegreat documentary on A&E, you'll have the best background of Schulz. This book is best served as a "fill in the blanks" supplement to those media.

All of the comics, and some parts of popular culture in general, continue on in the shadow of "Peanuts". True, the strip's popularity declined in the late 1990s. And some found it "too commercial". Not only that, the comic strip itself has seen a depressing decline (the fate of the traditional comic strip gets tied to the fate of newspapers in general; the two seem inseparable; today's internet comics have a different sort of life). Still, Charlie Brown and Snoopy, in some ways, have become as ingrained in popular culture as Charlie Chaplin or John Wayne. And nothing has come close to filling the void that "Peanuts" left behind in the year 2000. After all, "Peanuts" was to the comic strip page what the Beatles were to popular music. Both heightened and expanded their genres irreversibly and with undisputed universal influence.

Though "Peanuts" remains somewhat ubiquitous, its creator, Charles Schulz, remains downright enigmatic. He never openly courted fame, and he poo-pooed notions that his comic strip represented any sort of an "art form". The interviews collected in this book help bring Schulz to life. They lift that strange veil that surrounds his character. But even after reading this entire book, Schulz retains a good deal of his strange elusiveness. And that might have just as much to do with the readers than with the creator of "Peanuts".

We've come to expect celebrities to act a certain way, to be a certain way, and to flaunt themselves in a certain way. Schulz contradicted most of our assumptions about what a celebrity represents and stands for. With all of his lavish success and international honors he continually downplayed his achievements by saying that he "only draws a comic strip". He seemed confused, but gracious, by the fuss that people made over "Peanuts". When asked about his creative process by multiple interviewers in this book, his collective responses pretty much sum up to "it's a job". He claimed he didn't know where his ideas came from. And his focus remained on drawing 365 strips a year, and that remained the main focus of his life. The Schulz that ultimately emerges from these interviews seems self-deprecating and a little bitter, but nonetheless cautiously proud of his stature in the comic strip realm (though always adding "it's only a comic").

On the flip side from Schulz's Midwestern "boy next door" demeanor stands his fairly lavish lifestyle. The soft spoken, modest Schulz lived in almost palatial estates packed with the luxuries of the day. Kenneth Wilson's interview from 1967 begins with his becoming almost hopelessly lost in the vastness of the "Coffee Grounds" in Northern San Fransisco (where Schulz lived with his first wife until around 1972). Schulz later admitted that the Redwood Empire Ice Arena had cost him $140,000 a month to maintain. He also had his own private golf course. So there's a tension between the soft-spoken comic strip man and the man possessing a fabulous, unimaginable fortune.

So something's happening here. And this something makes these interviews scintillating to pressure point. Schulz also claimed that he was not an intellectual; that he didn't understand deep appreciations of his work (such as Umberto Eco's rhapsody on the psychological wonders of "Peanuts"). Nonetheless, he enjoyed Fellini movies, great novels (Tolstoy), "Citizen Kane", Classical Music (particularly Brahms), and George Herriman's "Krazy Kat" (a wildly intellectual comic strip; the only one that usually beats out "Peanuts" on "best strip" polls). He was also deeply religious, had taught Sunday School to adults, didn't believe that Christianity should have denominations, and had a well thought out argument against prayer in public schools. So his innocent child-like persona either belied self-knowledge on his own part or was a facade put on for the public. Thomas Hart Benton, the famous American painter, was deeply intellectual and well-read but was terrified of letting his fans know this. He thought it would negatively affect the public portrayal of his paintings. For similar reasons Ben Franklin wore a fur cap to Versailles. Was Schulz up to the same thing? He comes across as a pretty smart and worldly guy throughout these interviews. But he also continually made statements such as "I don't get that" or "that's above me". Maybe he thought cartoonists shouldn't display intellectual capacities publicly? Or perhaps simple modesty motivated him? Of course it's all speculation to a degree, but this tension runs throughout the interviews. Particularly following his astonishing remark from 1956: "I guess I'm the worst sort of egotist-the kind who pretends to be humble." One thing remains clear at the end of this book: there's much more to Charles Schulz than meets the eye.

One of the most interesting (and maybe revealing) passages in the book comes in the book's final interview. Gary Groth, from "Comics Journal", outright asked why Schulz takes part in such commercial ventures as the Metropolitan Life ads. Schulz dodged the question somewhat, but Groth didn't swerve. He claimed that Schulz has enough money to keep going without the licensing of his characters. Schulz replied, "Yeah, but I couldn't do all of the things that we do... If you turn that off, I'll recount some of that." And Groth inserted: "[The tape recorder is turned off and Schulz recounts some of his philanthropic work.]" Again, more evidence that things just aren't as they seem.

Anyone interested in the creator of "Peanuts" should read this book. It runs the gamut of his career from 1956 to 1997. The book's final interview runs nearly 100 pages all by itself. It covers voluminous topics. Also, "Peanuts" strips from all eras dot the pages, including some of Schulz's lesser known Saturday Evening Post comics and his first ever published drawing (of his dog from a "Ripley's Believe it or Not" strip from the 1930s).

Schulz's "Peanuts" stands as the pinnacle and, sadly, probably as the swan song of a printed medium in fast decline. It's difficult to imagine that a comic strip will ever again capture the public's imagination the way "Peanuts" did in the 20th century. This great collection of interviews allows readers a small glimpse of the person who made it all happen.

It's good if you're intrested at just a quick look into other asian manga. But i would recommend other books. It has good pictures, very detailed. But because the styles are very similar it's better to get just Manga or just Manhua.

I fell in love with this book and i am obsessed with D.K's artwork! But i must admit that one or two art pieces were kinda shocking to be put in. Mainly on page 50 done by MAXX, although i love the rest of his work. It wasn't that i was grossed out by it though, it just means that it seemed completely different then all his other works put in there. Then again, it might just be me.

This book is positively incredible! If it sold for 30 bucks i would still have bought it! For someone like myself who aspires to work in the animation field it helps with ideas, work, and overall is just fun to look at every time.

It contains artwork of every area truly! Pop-art, Realism, Anime (of course), and mixes of everything else! Even if someone did not like anime/manga/manhwa/manhua one would still love the greatness of the art itself. It shines a brighter light on how hard and diverse the asian arts can be nowadays.

This book is awesome, if you are a fan of manga or Japanese anime art styles this is must have book. There are many great artist in the book that show their work process. Being able to see how these artist work was great. I definately recommend this book for any fan of Japanese art and especially to artist.

Manga/ anime fans interested in pursuing this genre of drawing comics are recommended to get this book. It provides a quick glimpse to different forms and interpretation of the asian comic-art genre with different mediums (digital, traditional) and illustration styles.

There are 12 artists featured in the book and though the title of the book may suggest submissions from China/ Korea / Japan with equal emphasis, the book predominantly features artists from Japan; with 3 entries from Korea and only 1 from Hong Kong.

Despite this, I still think it's a worthy purchase with its glossy full colored prints and brief insight on how the artists achieve the result of their artwork. I enjoyed the book, often re-read it and was a good source of inspiration. Some artists' level of details and realism are astounding, and it's good to know that some are already industry professionals. Looking forward to a 2nd release!

I gave it five stars because I just love manga, as many people do. I have lots of books on the subject, but what I really liked about this one was the varied drawings of different artists. It really gives you a big idea about how manga is structured. You have a certain way of drawing things and people, but you're free in the way you draw them. Different styles of the same things; it really is amazing. I enjoyed Comic Artists- Asia, and continue to enjoy it every time I read it again!

It was by great and curious fortune, that I obtained some years ago, an aged edition of the text of Milton's incredible poem, illustrated by Gustave Dore. These illustrations are amazing. One can only ruminate on the complexity of carving such woodcuts. But, I cannot understand why Dover does not reissue the original, with the illustrations inlaid in the text. For the power of these cuts, at least in part, emanates from their placement in the text, reflecting the full intention of the artist.

well, this book has my favorite drawings of gustave dore , but the priting quality is really bad , you better get pictures from somewhere. or may be look for another published version may be ...

Dore, known perhaps best for his woodcuts of Dante's "Divine Comedy", was not only a fantastic illustrator, but a prolific one as well, producing scores of woodcuts for great literature, including "The Holy Bible" and "Orlando Furioso". Before there were movies, a person could look at these pictures for motion, excitement, and dramatic storytelling.
This is a necessary companion to "Paradise Lost", a great work in its own right. Dore's illustrations clarifies, vivifies, and expands on the reading experience. The pictures are brilliantly reproduced here at a small cost to the consumer. The book stands alone for great artwork and is worth the minimal price.

This is with out a doubt the best of Gustave's biblically inspired works. His mastery is proven by creating a visually stunning and poetic world of a time long ago but not forgotten. It's hard to remember what I used to imagine when I thought of the Garden of Eden or the descension of the fallen angels must've been like prior to reading this work.

It is amazing how such complex woodcuts could be done! Some of these are used in books. An example is the book cover illustration of the book "Raising Hell: A Concise History of the Black Arts and Those Who Dared Practice Them" (ISBN: 0399522387).

If you like to see high standard of woodcuts, get this book.

this is really one of the best books on the market. i really dont want to make this a long review, so ill go straigh to the gut on this one.
the art is great, its really easy for you to understand, and its very helpful for any kind of drawing style you are into.
im very happy to have ought this book.

I just finished reading this book and I still need to read it again to really grasp the many different things being taught. This book touches on a lot of different subjects from drawing anatomy to how other professional artist approach the fight scene. It is obvious that Johnson(no immediate relation) clearly knows about the fight scene since he is trained in martial arts, it shows in his in depth analysis of this essential element in comic book illustration. Each chapter has some sort of exercise that tests you over the material covered in that chapter. Some of the other topics covered are: different fighting techniques, character development, super powers, environments. In my opinion his use of arrows to show different action elements of a scene is very valuable to understand. This use of arrows trains you to think a certain way when you are laying out your scene. The only drawbacks I think were their is no answer key for the exercises! And it would have been nice to have some sort of further suggested reading list. It is still a valuable book to have both as a learning tool and a reference for future use.

There are a lot of "How To" books in the comic world. There are guides on everything from Super Heroes to Monsters. From Splash Pages to Alien Worlds. On the surface Mr. Johnson's book seems to follow the standard formula, with plenty of exercises to challenge even the most experienced artist. However, this book goes much deeper than simple lesson plans with careful illustrations. Behind the exercises Mr. Johnson has created a new way for fans and artists to break down comic book's most eduring cliche, the fight scene. He sees it not as an excuse for violence but as the most revealing examination of character and relationship. Fight Scenes, according to him, are the essential conflicts of the story made physical.
This is not to say that "Draw Fight Scenes Like a Pro" isn't a practical guide to improving your work. It is. There are dozens of exercises which any aspiring artist or even seasoned pro would benefit from, but there are deeper lessons here. It is well worth the time for every Comic Book creator and fan.

It's ok, but why can't they show you how to draw women that aren't trashy?
I would like to see a "how to" book that shows how to draw real fighting woman and what they would look like not an over-inflated,weak, want to be Barbie. That couldn't get out of her own way.

Draw Fight Scenes Like a Pro is more than a book on fight scenes. It gives you basics on figure drawing, like sweep and action line, basic perspective and storytelling and a way of thinking.

His introduction spells out his ideas on what the fight is all about - the actual conflict and resolution between the characters encapsulated in the fight.

Chapters break down like this:
1) Basics - covering figure drawing.
2) Comparative Martial Arts - how characters are defined by their art.
3) Drawing figures in combat - Movement, action lines and secrets of basic figure drawing, including drapery!
4) Drawing Super Powers - how line work can define powers, energy, the iconic depiction of the powers, and how a figure's stance is a part of their depiction.
5) Creating Environments - the essential importance of backgrounds, including basic perspective.
6) Defining your Characters - physical lexicon of movements, arts, morals (or lack thereof). How and why they fight and what they fight with - defining the characters.
7) Stages of a Fight scene - the basics of camera and storytelling - the establishing shot, long, medium and close up shot and the all important reestablishing shot.
8) Putting it all togther.
9) Other Porfessionals - friends like Avengers, Thor and Flash artist Scott Kolins. Andy Smith, student of Bart Sears. Dan Panosian. Storyboard artist and animator Joaquim Dos Santos and more!
A handy Index too.

This is a book by a comics professional who has worked for Marvel and in comics for over a decade. A master.

KA POW! Go and get this informative book!

I bought this as a gift for the daughter (7 years old I believe) of a friend of mine. I am very impressed by the results. She snapped it up and immediately began using it. You could see her drawing improve almost immediately, and she came up with some very impressive (and hilarious) drawings.

I can't really give the book any higher praise than that.

I was a little irritated that I paid 5 bucks for the book and when I received it, the suggested price was 2.95. I thought Amazon would be cheaper, not more. Learned my lesson.

I was trying to find Spiro-graph for my niece when I read the reviews of the new version. So I realized what my niece might really enjoy is something to help her learn to draw free-hand. She loves them! She's mastering the images too quickly!

This book is very good for children. The children have not put it down. It teaches them how to draw basic animals and gives them a sense of accomplishment!

I'm an Ed Emberly fan, and as my children (and admittedly myself) have drawn so much out of his books, we've started to branch out to more sophisticated drawings. With the exception of Ed's, most "how-to" books pretty much "teach" in the same way: They give you a number of guides which are supposed to take you from simple shapes to the picture you're trying to arrive at.

It's apparent to me now, having revisited Emberly's work as an adult, and going back to books like this, which were tremendously frustrating to me as a child, that the key difference between a book like "How To Draw Animals" and "Ed Emberly's Drawing Book of Animals" is =not= the complexity of the final picture.

The key difference is the =gradient= between the guides.

In an Emberly book, each guide adds one or two very simple shapes to add--and tells you which shapes to add and often where (though it's usually obvious) and maybe even some explanatory text, etc., etc., whereas a book like this often gives you half-a-dozen shapes, and requires you to tweak the shapes you drew previously, all without a word of instruction or a different color or kind of line showing where the changes are.

Of course, these things are obvious to someone who already =can= draw, but very frustrating for those who can't.

Now, in my experience, most drawing books are like this, and you can't realistically buy them and be shocked when they all more-or-less take this approach, so I didn't really mark Ms. Soloff-Levy's book down for it.

Parents and teachers should pay close attention when buying these books for children. They all have different skill levels and the difference between ending up with a kid who gets frustrated and wants to throw the sketchbook away and ending up with one who enjoys drawing is, in a large part, going to depend on the adult's understanding of what skills a particular book requires.

For what it's worth, I'll continue to post my experiences here.

From a skill standpoint, I'd put this book after Ed Emberly's Big Red Drawing book. The shapes used are subtler than straight geometrics, but there are often only a few elements to a picture. And, thankfully, there are more than just three guides. (Some drawing books give you just three--or even two!--guides to go from nothing to a finished picture.)

I'd give it four stars but in some of the drawings, the guides don't match! I don't mean that a shape has to be tweaked or subtly altered, but simply that a leg in one guide is in a different position than the same leg in the next! Other than that, this book is recommended.

I was completely terrible at drawing, but I wanted to learn how to construct manga characters. This book is good for basics, a few eye shapes, head and body shapes, basic motion. There's even a bit on robots, so mostly what I expected. My only qualm, no mention of hair or clothing technique. Now, I've only had it a day, and I can spit out a generic face. Also, I can draw a much nicer circle.

Excellent book, excellent drawings, great instruction. Christopher Hart shows the development of his drawings in a clear, step by step fashion, allowing you to see his thought process. This is fun for the whole family.

I loved this book for its innovative way of simplifying with out loosing the creativity.
Basic four to six steps to creating the figure, motion & expression that makes up the character. Brining the book home instantly drew kids from our neighborhood to our kitchen table where they all gathered around for a morning full of fantasy. I'll probably back to purchase another one of the series soon.

My sister had bought this book because she was interested in drawing manga a small bit. I flipped through the pages and found it very misleading for a "manga" instruction book.

First off, this isn't manga; though it may seem very stylistic and similar to the real thing it's not showing you how to draw manga, it's showing you how to draw American cartoons. The reason that it's not manga is that they pinpoints in the style of Japanese comics were missed a bit. The eyes were probably the worst aspect of this book being "fake", they were opaque circles with random shines within them--all style, no substance. The hairstyles did not show diversity, all spikey, while real anime/manga hairstyles had meaning to them or certain patterns. The sections on drawing character stereotypes were very pointless and long, considering that the author could have just written "here are the features of a [insert anime stereotype(s)]" insteading of having a detailed instruction that wasn't even necessary.

The best aspect of this book was the detailed instruction to drawing anatomy and proportions, not manga. That seemed to be the only somewhat useful part in the book.

Overall, this book receives about a 15% in grades, not good. If you're looking for an introduction to drawing MANGA, buy Katy Coope's book, but if you're looking for a simplified version of drawing anatomy and proportions, buy this--don't let "manga" in the title delude you into thinking that it is the real thing.

I bought this book for my daughter who is 12, and she loves it. She said it has helped her learn how to draw Manga character arms, hands, and facial expressions better. It is easy to follow with lots of examples.

When I saw this book in the store I was drawn to it becuase of its
beautiful luminous cover. The inside was just as lovely. It may not be explicit but that does not detract from it. It has helpful tips
on body types, clothing, eyes and expressions. The two boys who are chapter guides grow up as they progress through the book, a cute idea.
The complete portraits of yaoi couples types are beautiful. Just
enjoy them for what they are lovely portraits. I liked the book
enough to buy two, one to use and one to save. Highly recommended!

this was really really good! not only is there multiple pages of pure eye-candy in the beginning, beautiful boys and men were though out the whole thing! in the how to draw manga: yaoi edition, there were like two pages of embracing... this book owns so hard. it has really great tips for how to draw the yaoi-style male and even the way a yaoi manga looks. (in comparison to regular ones) i do suggest u wait till u see this one on a cheaper price, cuz unless u r a super yaoi addict fan that wants yaoi everyting or ur going into the yaoi drawing business, this is a complete (but worth it) splurge.

THIS IS A VERY VERY USEFUL BOOK!! i like it sense it gives the adult and young boy body types, something that was lacking in How To's Male Character book. Yamada-sama's art style is beautiful and she gives great references. Even Helpful references for Kissing and Hugging. I Bought it with the How to Couples book but i am using this one a lot more! It's a great reference boy how to draw guys if you don't mind the kissing. It doesn't go into the finer details of lovemaking like How To's couple does. I am wondering whether i should bother buying How To's Yaoi guide now.

I got this for a friend who is trying to learn how to write mangas. It has been helpful to her.

I wanted to get :How To Draw Manga Volume 42: Drawing Yaoi (How to Draw Manga) but got this by mistake.

Nothing here unique to yaoi; instead we get sections on how to draw male anatomy and male clothing, a teeny section on how to kiss, guy hairstyles, how to make a comic story, etc.- stuff that's been covered by other, better books. Instead in this book we have a) no sex scenes b) no comics/manga c) no mention of the history or styles of yaoi. It's a collection of drawings of guy characters cuddling up to each other. If the artists's art style doesn't appeal to you, don't buy this book, because there's nothing else worth looking at.

This is not a book for the casual or the timid
because the text is in a European language and
at times the images do get pornographic. Both add
to this book's charm, as does the design and
quality of paper. The thick non-gloss pages
have great texture and overall the impression is of
a manuscript dropped by basket and rope from
an Alpine studio redoubt.
The book is not related to Giger's SF movie work
such as ALIEN so don't buy it for a Fan of that
genre. It is produced for those who will accept
the challenge of exploring new territory, and who
relish an opportunity of exposure to fresh
ideas, some of which may require revisiting
until they "get it". I like Metropolis, Weimar
photomontage, Riefenstahl films and even the
RAF MP5 logo, so I approach Giger's graphics
from broader perspective perhaps. This book is
a solid investment, if you are kindred and
building your own a wall of modern culture.

This is a great book. I read this book many times and everytime it gets better. The combination of HR Giger's sketches and expressions and the text are so well done in this book that it makes it a highly recommended piece for not only Giger fans but just anyone who appriciates art.

The book is filled with fantastic pieces of art that audiences aren't used to see in other books from Giger. The best thing about this book and it's reading pleasure is the German language which is Giger's native tonghue, which is also the charm of this book. Many average readers who only speak English and don't know German would definately miss this point entirely. In fact even a translation of this book to English would not help, simply because there are so many cultural slangs in German that are directly linked to the dark imagery of Giger that by merely translating the book in plain English it would not do any justice to the dark-German-humor that is beeing depicted here so brilliantly by Giger.

This is a book on Giger's cultural roots and couldn't be done any better than in Giger's native tonghue, German. Simply brilliant and dark. My Giger's book collection wouldn't be the same without it.

I'm a huge fan of giger but i've not bought this book because it is in german. Why did they publish this in america with german text? Was it some kind of joke? I'm still waiting to buy a version with english text.....

A lot of nice sketches (mostly pencil,) but unfortunaltely for me this book is completely in German...

This edition is entirely in German and is probably the hardest Giger book for American fans to swallow. Nevertheless, the drawings are fascinating and should thrill anyone who has followed Giger's art from the "Necronomicon" books to the present.

... I'm curious... how many aspiring pencillers out there have picked up this book (or its' sequel) as a source of scripts from which to prepare sample portfolio page layouts?

This book is amazing. It is a real pleasure to read these scripts and to admire the different styles. This is truly inspiring but... What is this ugly cover ? Why is the inside presentation so cheap ? I'm sure there are a lot of explanations, but, in case you re-edit it, would be a good idea to make this jewel shine.
Thanks a lot mister Gertler.

It seems like such an obvious good idea.
It's a wonderful glimpse into the creative process.

Just received it last night, and I'm already half through it. I haven't done that since I was eleven and got Stan Lee's How to Draw Comics the Marvel Way. Not that this book has any similarity to that one. This is not a how to book. Its a more intimate, than any instructional book. Its a similar difference in experience to watching a biography to reading someones private correspondence. The presentation adds to the feeling as well.

Better than seeing pencils, better than watching a demo, or hearing someone try to explain the creative process. You actually see it and are part of it because this is what the artist sees, while he is in the process.

As a comic book fan for years and creative hopeful (which I believe is a large part of the intended audience), I hope this is first in a long line.
Great job, thanks Mr. Gertler.

This is a great text that takes you through the creative process of several unique writing styles. The variety of script and drawings from a host of authors, really made this book encouraging to the aspiring comic writer. I'm looking forward to getting Panel Two when it comes out.

One thing that's bugged me in my various efforts at writing a comic book script is that no reference I checked seemed to agree as to what format is right. As this book explains, that's because there IS no "right" or "wrong" format, just different ways to do it.

Every script in this volume shows you something. Gaiman's reads like a personal note to the artist, Wolfman shows how plot-first can work, McDuffie shows you how to work in a recap, Kevin Smith shows a more movie-script style of writing and Kurt Busiek's entry... heck, when I read the original comic book I thought it was one of the greatest comic book stories I ever read, but the script for "The Nearness of You" just made it all the more powerful.

If you want to try to write comics, you could do a lot worse than picking up this book.

would not suggest paying retail..but it is a fun book.. it would have been nice to have a litle more detail about the cartoons.. artist, year, etc....

It's nice to see a book of coffee-table proportions just devoted to cartoons, well why not? Previous Playboy books have covered the history of the magazine, the delightful Playmates and now the cartoons. The 450 plus illustrations are the work of 107 cartoonists and if you are a regular reader of the magazine you'll see your favorites. Gahan Wilson has the most (thirty-two) followed by regulars like Eldon Dedini, John Demsey, Alden Erikson, Kiraz, Roy Raymonde, Doug Sneyd (he of the flamboyant signature, which I was never able to decipher until now) Erich Sokol and between these, dozens of great artists who have maybe one or two works each. The humor might not be the wonderful ironic style of the New Yorker but it is amazing how many fresh takes can be created with the bachelor lifestyle.

This is a handsomely produced book, printed on thick glossy paper which, nicely, allows you to really appreciate just how good some of these artists are. My favorite, Jack Davis, unfortunately only has four shown, Richard Taylor has a super picture on page ten, an art gallery where he has created several Picasso type paintings, Doug Sneyd, Phil Interlandi and Dedini are all brilliant draughtsmen and Shel Silverstein can create so much with so little line and color.

However I was a bit disappointed with this book, as another reviewer has commented, there is no indication of when the cartoons appeared and I wish the publishers had gone the extra mile and perhaps devoted some space throughout the pages for a photo and biography of the regulars, some of these guys have been with Playboy for years. Someone though, at least, did have the foresight to compile an Artists index and a useful Order of appearance list, both of which are in the back pages.

Clearly a wonderful book for the bedside table if your date didn't turn up, try laughing yourself to sleep.

Fifty years worth of cartoons from Playboy. Doesn't that just set the mind reeling? Some of the biggest names in the business have their work showcased here in this history-making compendium. These cartoons are sometimes funny, often sardonic, frequently risqué, and one and all they once graced the pages of the world's favorite source of "illustrated" reading material. Perhaps the best way to regard this hefty collection (did you catch the pun?) is as a window to the changing mores of American society regarding not only women and sex, but what is and is not acceptable subject matter for a cartoon itself. When taken as a whole I find this material reflective of how much times have changed, and Playboy magazine with it. Very little to offend anyone here, just good clean fun and some real laughs too.

First of all this book is printed on excellent paper & is well done except for one thing. there is no way to tell what year the cartoons are from. They should have had chapters. 1950`s 1960`s ect so you know what era they are from

I enjoyed seeing the work of some of my favorite cartoon
artist...together in one book. Some I had forgotten about.
It cetainly must have been difficult to narrow down the
selection with so many great cartoons over the years.
However, I was disappointed not to see more of one of my
very favorites.....Dean Yeagle. There is one cartoon of his
in the book...and it is also on the cover...the showgirls
and earrings cartoon.
Mr.Yeagle does excellent work....just check out his website..
www.bellefree.com.....His Mandy pinup girl is adorable!
I would love to see an all Dean Yeagle book published !!!!!!