Product Description
Cats again? You can never have too many . . .

Drawn from the hundreds of cartoons published in The New Yorker in the seven years since The New Yorker Book of Cat Cartoons--as well as from fabulous older cats--this new collection is as hilarious and irresistible as the first.

The cartoons provide a cat's-eye view of the world and the important things in life: food, sleep, love and affection, adventure, food, good friends and doggy enemies, back rubs, and food. We see the essence of the feline world captured with verve, humor, and warmth by classic New Yorker artists such as Ed Koren, George Booth, William Steig, Saul Steinberg, Lee Lorenz, Robert Mankoff, Mick Stevens, Danny Shanahan, and Bruce Eric Kaplan.

Purrfectly divine!Amazon.com Review
One can never have too many cats--or cat cartoons for thatmatter--as expertly demonstrated in The New Yorker Book of All-NewCat Cartoons. A follow-up to the magazine's first collection offeline funnies published some seven years ago, this delightfulcollection captures "a cat's-eye view of the world and the importantthings in life: food, sleep, love and affection, adventure, food, goodfriends and doggy enemies, back rubs, and food." Including the work ofsuch notable New Yorker artists as George Booth, StephanieSkalisky, Danny Shanahan, Arnie Levin, and Edward Koren, thisendearing edition will appeal to those lucky enough to count a felineamong their friends. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

CATS DO THE ZANIEST THINGS...AND GET AWAY WITH IT!
As one who has owned over thirty cats in my life time (as many as five at one time) it is quite obvious that I am, indeed, a cat lover to the utmost degree!While it is difficult to compete with some of the world's greatest and best loved cats, such as Garfield and Norton, most cat lovers will agree this book provides a good supply of absolutely purr-fect humour! It is written in the same witty manner of the previous New Yorker cat cartoons, but I actually preferred this one.There was something about the cat antics in this one that were more true to life. The whole book comes together quite nicely and is equally as amusing and entertaining, if not moreso, than the first New Yorker Book of Cat Cartoons!The antics are great...and so true to life, as any serious cat lover will recognize.The personalities of cats are not much different than humans; our feline friends are just a little better at showing us who is in charge!

The Cat’s Pajamas!
Cat lovers will treasure this book!The New Yorker’s staff has created a second volume of cat cartoons by adding more recent cat cartoons since the first book came out as well as some older cartoons.

As before, the 86 pages bristle with humor about our relationships to cats, a cat’s eye on our world, and the usual switching of cats and people into each other’s roles.

To my taste, over half of the cartoons were outstanding, and all were good.

Here are some of my favorites.

Man visiting bare-chested yogi on a ledge outside a cave entrance is surrounded by cats."The meaning of life is cats."Sam Gross;

Wall of books with signs about them "Travel, Science, History, Fiction, Cute Cats."A well-dressed man is standing in front of Cute Cats holding a book with an illustration of a cat.Sidney Harris;

"Dog Days" is the caption for a subway car filled with dogs looking hot, with their tongues hanging out, wearing disheveled suits.A lone cat in the middle is neatly dressed and is definitely the cool cat of the illustration.William Hamilton;

Cat executive sits behind a large desk that covers an aquarium filled with very large fish.Bernard Sshoenbaum;

Cat speaks to a bird in a tree."Hey, let's do lunch.
"Robert Mankoff;

Man and woman in a restaurant find themselves staring at a cat in the middle of their small table for two.The waiter explains "We're out of flowers."Danny Shanahan;

Four panels of a man and woman.In the third panel, a cat walks through and both stop to beam happily at the cat.Joseph Farris;

Cat with a television playing in the background is outside of a mousehole."Jeopardy is on."Sam Gross;

Lawyer has cat on shoulder and holds out an envelope to a dog."We're slapping you with a stress suit . . . ."Danny Shanahan;

Cat is driving a taxi cab and speaks to human passenger, "Yeah, I was into the pet thing for a while, but that scene wasn't for me."Eldon Didini;

Cat holding a smoking gun as a dead bird lies outside the window."What was I supposed to do?I've been declawed."Frank Cotham;

General arrives home and sees cat in the foyer, "As you were."Mick Stevens;

Cat to owner near cat door, "I'm going out.Do you need any voles."Sam Gross;

Fortune teller holding woman's hand, "A wonderful cat is coming into your life."Edward Koren;

Cat in bed waking up, while the alarm goes "Tweet, tweet, tweet, tweet."Arnie Levin;

Two dogs are looking at a cat walking by, "Are we talking about life style or orientation?"Peter Steiner.

The book’s weaknesses are two.First, it lacks an essay to tie together the humor and deepen your appreciation of it.So it’s more like a scrapbook of cartoons than a book of cartoons.Second, the dog-cat humor was not nearly as good as in the first book of New Yorker cat cartoons.You would think that there would be an endless supply of outstanding work available . . . but I guess not.

The positive aspect of the book is to realize how much better most of us relate to cats than to other people.Keeping that same wonderful cat relationship, how can you improve your human connections?How about bringing along a cat to enjoy with others?

Love a cat today!

Another Great Collection of Cat Cartoons
Speaking as a writer of humorous cat books (most recently, "Scratching the 'Net: Web Sites for Cats"), it seems to me quite fitting that a classy creature like the cat should be hilariouslyimmortalized by a classy magazine like the New Yorker. This is anotherwonderful collection of cartoons by an exceptionally talented group ofcartoonists. I defy any cat lover not to find at least several cartoons inthis book that remind them of their own personal furry friend. ... Read more

Product Description
Marko Djurdjevic burst onto the scene from obscurity, a passionate artist sharing his work online. The quality of his illustrations needed no explanation beyond that which was obvious at first glance: the sleekly stylized figure work, his masterful command of colors, and the layers and subtext that formed an essential part of his vision. It was a short trip from anonymity to his current status as one of Marvel's most compelling cover artists. This lush art book features a treasure trove of Marko's cover illustrations - plus sketches, designs, and extensive discussion about the process that has made him one of Marvel's most popular artists. In collaboration with the artist himself, and with input from his peers, The Art of Marko Djurdjevic is the kind of deluxe art book you'll be proud to show off to friends and fellow art fans. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (11)

Pretty much awesome
...yea.

Just got the book and I've gone through it 10+ times. :D

Brilliant
I live in Bogota Colombia,but the waiting was little for a great book!Now i got him in my hands andi can recommended for everybody.
Thanks AMAZON.

Another master piece!
I love comic book art, especially when they're from talented artists such as Marko! I've seen many covers he's done for Marvel, and it's amazing how he's self-taught, too! From working for the gaming concept company, Massive Black, to posting his own renderings of Marvel super heroes on an art forum, and then getting a job at Marvel after they saw how good he is, is just an incredible back story on the artist.

Like I said before, this guy taught himself how to draw and digitally paint. You can't pass up this book! His artwork is interesting because he has a different style that distinguishes him from other comic book artists. From Daredevil to Ghost Rider, he's got a load of characters among these pages that will give you a nice perspective on his creativity. Each chapter has some insight about the artist, and Marko himself gives some input on some of his works as well.

GET THIS BOOK!

I still havent recieved it, but another package came a week erlier...
I guess it's a local screw-up due to the holidays and stuff... but I hope it arrives soon (rating is because I know what I bought, i've seen marko djurdjevic's work

Fantastic book!
This has quickly become one of my favorite art books. I bought this book within minutes of seeing it available for sale and I am completely satisfied with my purchase. My little kids love to look through it with me and will easily spend an hour admiring the pictures (although some of the paintings do depict violence and/or blood etc. Also, the pages are a bit thin for little fingers and a couple of pages have already been torn a bit.)

If you're a fan of Marko Djurdjevic or Marvel comics, or just plain ol' quality artwork you should get this book. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Good Teaching
This is a very helpful book for learning to draw. If you need more help try other Blitz books. He has a good method of drawing. He tells you what supplies you need to begin. He starts with simple pictures and works his way to the more complicated pictures. This is a good book. ... Read more

Product Description
Nominated for two 2010 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards: a three-volume slipcased full-color set: over one thousand cartoons, spanning fifty years of a legendary career.Gahan Wilson is among the most popular, widely-read, and beloved cartoonists in the history of the medium, whose career spans the second half of the 20th century, and all of the 21st. His work has been seen by millions—no, hundreds of millions—in the pages of Playboy, The New Yorker, Punch, The National Lampoon, and many other magazines; there is no telling, really, how many readers he has corrupted or comforted. He is revered for his playfully sinister take on childhood, adulthood, men, women, and monsters. His brand of humor makes you laugh until you cry. And it’s about time that a collection of his cartoons was published that did justice to his vast body of work.

When Gahan Wilson walked into Hugh Hefner’s office in 1957, he sat down as Hefner was on the phone, gently rejecting a submission to his new gentlemen’s magazine: “I think it’s very well-written and I liked it very much,” Hefner reportedly said, “but it’s anti-sin. And I’m afraid we’re pro-sin.” Wilson knew, at that moment, that he had found a kindred spirit and a potential home for his cartoons. And indeed he had; Wilson appeared in every issue of Playboy from the December 1957 issue to today. It has been one of the most fruitful, successful, and long-lived relationships between a contributor and a magazine, ever.

Gahan Wilson: 50 Years of Playboy Cartoons features not only every cartoon Wilson drew for Playboy, but all his prose fiction that has appeared in that magazine as well, from his first story in the June 1962 issue, “Horror Trio,” to such classics as “Dracula Country” (September 1978). It also includes the text-and-art features he drew for Playboy, such as his look at Madame Tussaud’s Wax Museum, his take on our country’s “pathology of violence,” and his appreciation of “transplant surgery.”

Wilson’s notoriously black sense of comedy is on display throughout the book, leaving no sacred cow unturned (an image curiously absent in the book), ridiculing everything from state sponsored executions to the sober precincts of the nouveau rich, from teenage dating to police line-ups, with scalding and hilarious satirical jabs. Although Wilson is known as an artist who relishes the creepy side of modern life, this three-volume set truly demonstrates the depth and breadth of his range—from illustrating private angst we never knew we had (when you eat a steak, just whom are you eating?) to the ironic and deadpan take on horrifying public issues (ecological disaster, nuclear destruction anyone?).

Gahan Wilson has been peeling back the troubling layers of modern life with his incongruously playful and unnerving cartoons, assailing our deepest fears and our most inane follies. This three-volume set is a testament to one of the funniest—and wickedly disturbing—cartoonists alive.

Nominated for two 2010 Will Eisner Comic Industry Awards (Best Archival Collection/Project: Strips; Best Publication Design). Full color ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

perfect Gahan Wilson showcase
One of the things that I have always looked forward to with each issue of Playboy is the Gahan Wilson cartoon.And for years I have waited for a nice collection of his work.This slipcased 3-volume set is exactly what I've wanted.There was obviously no expense spared to put this together.The books are nicely hardbound, the pages are full-color, and the art work is all Gahan Wilson.Each cartoon is labeled to show in which issue of Playboy (over the past 50 years) it was published.

If you are a Gahan Wilson fan this set is a treasure.The price has dropped since I purchased it, but it was worth every penny.

Beware
The Books are fantastic, but this Numbered Ltd. Edition has only a simple signed print, no difference from the regular edition. It does not include an exclusive letterpress print with glow-in-the-dark ink signed by Gahan Wilson or the attached box set containing facsimiles of Gahan's hand-drawn holiday cards to Hugh Hefner. You can get these extras at Fantagraphics Books for $143.50.

A fitting overview of a master of the macabre cartoon
Gahan Wilson is a national treasure who has been providing joy to the fans of his macabre imagination for decades, with cartoons in Playboy Magazine and the New Yorker. Now, Fantagraphics has published a three volume boxed set of his Playboy cartoons, including introductions by Hugh Hefner and Neil Gaiman, a biography and appreciation by Gary Groth, several short stories (including the classic "The Sea Was Wet as Wet Can Be"), and an interview with Wilson.

Wilson satirizes politics and pop culture with his magical grotesqueries.
There's a wealth of fun inside this overview of his Playboy work.

superb and sublime
What wonderful books. These will be the kind of coffee table display item types/examples of the future.
Cultural artifacts are usually pretty interesting; Remember Chas. Adams ?Only these far surpass his.
Ultimately, one is very seldom disappointed by Wilson.
What more could we ask for? It has good meaning on a plenitude of levels.

King of the macabre
Many people have different opinions as to why they bought Playboy. Aside from the obvious, for the older among us out there, my main reason for buying Playboy though, were Kurtzman and Elder's Little Annie Fanny and Gahan Wilson's cartoons. Never since Charles Addams have I seen someone relish on the macabre so much as Gahan Wilson has. For many years, I've searched for a book that would reprint all of Mr. Wilson's cartoons from Playboy and I never thought I'd see such a book. But then, I thought I was the only person in the world who was looking for such a book. Cut forward many years later and I see that Fantagraphics announced such a book. Needless to say I pre-ordered it a year in advance just so I wouldn't miss it. It seems I wasn't the only one after all wishing for this book. Thank you, Fantagraphics.

Along with Humbug, also from Fantagraphics, this was certainly one of the greatest surprises of the past year. A three volume collection, and in color, featuring all the art Gahan Wilson did for Playboy from the 50's up to the present. Phew! Added bonuses are some stories Gahan Wilson wrote for Playboy and the most in depth interview with him I've ever read.

So I guess that if you wish really hard, sometimes, you'll be granted your wishes.

Now, if we could only have Nuts reprinted, it would make all of us Gahan Wilson fans so very happy. ... Read more

Product Description
Born in Los Angeles and raised in the epicenter of the California hot rod explosion, Ed Roth created automotive forms purely from his own imagination. His hand-built creations and revolutionary techniques transformed car design, reinvented American hot rod culture and put Detroit on notice. Each of his creations transcended function and form to turn the American automobile into rolling sculpture. He fathered a movement known as Lowbrow Art, and his sculpture, design, and illustration inspired underground cartoonists and tattoo artists, and launched the careers of such artists as Robert Williams. This volume features articles, essays, and writing by Ilene Roth, Von Franco, Coop, Todd Schorr, The Pizz, Greg Escalante, and more. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Ed daddy roth
Todo tipo de imágenes del artwork de big daddy, ... echo de menos algúna lámina mas grande.. pero está muy bien

Ed Roth's subversive Rat Fink!
This is the definitive review ofthe lovably subversive Rat Fink, the iconic mascot of Ed 'Big Daddy' Roth.
This history of Rat Fink (along with some of his cohorts) evokes theheyday of Ed Roth and the KustomKulture he inspired.
Rat Fink personified the 'Anti-Disney' take on the world, popular among social outlaws (of the time)including hot rodders, bikers, and even skateboarders and surfers.
Never serious, but a sincererebel, R. F. maintained his macabre sense of humor, which endeared him to his devotees, and confused the citizens not in on the joke.

Great Book!
A great book for Ed Roth fans. Very nicely done. I would also get Ed "Big Daddy" Roth: His Life, Times, Cars, and Art for even nicer pictures. Long live Big Daddy!

Awesome inspiration from The Big Daddy himself
The various individuals involved with this great man truly did him well by this book.It has motivated me to get out my mack stripers and get some!I'm even pinstriping my toilet seats, anything I can get my hands on!Some great stories and from a truly personal perspective.Great pics to go w/stories too!

Rat Fink: The Art of Ed "Big Daddy" Roth
Book was in excellent condition. Speedy delivery. Thanks so much. ... Read more

Product Description
From top Academy-Award-winning entertainment industry artist Doug Chiang, who has worked on such film properties as Star Wars, War of the Worlds, Terminator and Back to the Future.

Foreword by film industry heavyweight Robert Zemeckis (Monster House, The Polar Express, Back to the Future, Beowulf).

In this stunning collection of step-by-step lessons, award-winning entertainment artist Doug Chiang gives artists the inside scoop on his processes, techniques, and theories for creating eye-popping science fiction artwork. Readers will learn to draw the creatures, robots, vehicles and drama of distant worlds--perennial favorites in film, television, toys and games. With Chiang's expert advice, 25 step-by-step demonstrations using both traditional and digital techniques, and a stunning gallery showcasing his amazing visual style, artists have no choice but to be inspired to create their own phenomenal works of art.. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (24)

and now I can draw sci fi!
This book is incredible!I followed Doug's methods, and now I am turning out work that is leagues better than before.

Firstly, the book teaches you to draw sci-fi machinery. Maybe you thought you had to go to engineering school to work out the drive-train for a walking tank or a rocket-powered aircraft? Well, the book teaches you to invent and draw all the mechanisms and pseudo-engineering that make sci-fi machines look realistic. And Doug makes it fun. It takes practice, but he gives you simple guidlines to work it out.For example, you would use an actual photo of a tractor engine and drive-train construction to develop the design for the leg mechanisms of a walking robot, etc.

Secondly, this book does not cover 3-D digital imagery/auto-CAD/computer-generated-imagery.It does cover digital painting, but only as a method to color render designs; usually first rendered on paper in black-and-white. The book focuses on developing designs on paper, first.

The author often draws the designs on paper with full tone rendering, and then he scans them into the computer, and renders effects, color, texture, background, error correction, and much much more.

There isn't a great depth of technique discussion on digital painting, but the book does much to specifically detail many fundamentals of digital painting, with screen-shots to teach many tools and tips and tricks of digital painting.Still, it is the focus on paper-drawing that is exactly what I was looking for.

The methods are easy and versitile; yielding quite varied styles.
The author varies the sequence and combinations of mediums and techniques depending on the subject to be rendered.The mediums covered are blueline pencil, varied strengths of cool-grey markers (20%, 40%, 60%), a simple airbrush technique for background haze effects (optional), and finally digital painting 101. I was able to follow the majority of the digitial painting methods without using a computer drawing tablet! But, I have now purchased one, so my quality should improve all the more.

The paper-based methods covered in the book have been staples inconcept-drawing for decades, apparently.After viewing the book, I now recognize the techniques in concept-design drawings going back to the 80's.

The book covers many wheeled machines, space-ships, an ornithopter, 2 jet-fighters, and more, but the author is obsessed with walking machines/tanks/robots of all sorts.Personally, I think walking machines are a silly concept (1 leg down, and it ceases), but I have no complaints about this book!

The author discusses the impracticality of walking-machines, andwindows on a spaceship, and a steam-powered tank, but his focus is on aesthetic design, iconic design, and sellable designs.He's got to sell his designs to get them on the big-screen, afterall.You will appreciate and learn and enhance your own design ability!

Lastly, the book has a really strong plastic-coated dust-jacket that seems to hold up against abuse of all sorts, and the pages are printed in super high quality resolution of strong paper.

Soul less technique over ideas
I can admire the technique of the artist Chaing, but I am also immediately bored, as the images do not convey anything more than surface qualities.There are few engaging ideas or compositions in these paintings.Looks soul less, and anonymous.Sadly, the films designed by this artistare also soul less and bland.I'd have to attribute that as much to the lack of inspiration in these paintings as to lack of strong direction.

Great book
This is a great book on mechanical design.I like how the author shows a multitude of techniques with a small set of tools.There's lots of examples with clear and concise descriptions, and lots of unique designs to learn by.The book is beginner friendly, but will have something for the experienced artist as well.

Comprehensive and Engaging
Chiang does a very good job of covering the techniques he uses so well, while giving numerous, engaging examples. I found myself wanting to work the various examples just because the final art was so fascinating. I've been an illustrator for 18 years and I found some new tidbits that I could use. Well done.

Extraordinary!
I don't even know where to begin.From beginning to end, Doug Chang has provided a wealth of information containing step-step tutorials with fantastic instruction for both traditional and digital sketch, marker & paint styles.And each tutorial is a breakdown of some of the most awe-inspiring images. There is plenty to learn from this incredible artist whose earned numerous well-deserved accolades. A true expert and authority in his field. ... Read more

Product Description
In a book to be treasured by cartoonists and animation and film buffs alike, a master of the craft demonstrates the fundamentals of drawing for the screen, offering tips on two- and four-legged figure construction, body and facial movements, and realistic dialogue, and illustrating concepts such as speed, impact, weight, and recoil. Color photos and line drawings. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (40)

Not Much Animation Info Here
I agree with some of the negative reviews about this book. I was actually surprised it was rated so highly. Don't get me wrong, it's an ok book, but a large majority of the book covers character design or talks about things other than actual animation. The previous reviewer was absolutely correct that there really isn't much info on animation in this book. There is some good beginning info here, especially on the walk/run cycles, and some decent info on character reactions and stuff.
Also, most of the animation is geared towards very "cartoony" animation like Bugs Bunny and that kind of thing, which is of course great, but many people want to do more realistic animations of people walking, talking, moving, etc. and this book doesn't really provide much of that.
It's not a bad book, but if you've already got books on character design or drawing cartoons, then this book isn't going to be much help.

good stuff...
Good stuff. I'm a comic book artist, but this still came in handy big time helping me to figure out posing, and actions, and even helped to improve my modeling and readability. Highly recommended.

Great Book and a must have for animators
This book come in handy and covers all of the basic principals of animation and if you are in the animation industry i really recomend you get it

This is GOOD oldschool
You'll get to learn all about creating characters the animator way and how to animate them.To some people out there you might think these character designs are out of date, but they aren't; drawing the way he teaches you will help you construct your own characters in a much more solid way.The animation techniques included are the basic, they are good but you'll find them much more updated and efficient in Richard Williams' "The Animator Survival Kit".I still recommend reading the whole book, it's great.

Animation Student
Preston Blair, The original animator of Mickey Mouse!
This book is fun, informative, thorough and well organized.

Most animation students buy, "The illusion of life," by Ollie Johnston and Frank Thomas,
But Preston Blair's, "Cartoon Animation," is without a doubt, the definitive precursor to such a textbook.
He explains in detail, how to create the illusion of 3d on a 2d cartoon, how to lip sync, and how to design a character's unique movement patterns.
All in all, if you're looking to be an animator, this is the book for you!
... Read more

Product Description
Whether producing strips, social comment in magazines like Punch or Lilliput, savage caricature of allies and enemies, or a daily chronicle of events at home or abroad, little escaped the cartoonists pen during World War II and they encapsulated the great dramas in a way impossible in prose.

This book is divided into chapters covering the war year-by-year, each chapter prefaced with a concise introduction that provides a historical framework for the cartoons of that year. Altogether some 300 cartoons, in color and black and white, have been skillfully blended to produce a unique record of World War II ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A MUST FOR EVERY CARTOONIST, HISTORIAN OR POLITICIAN!!!
This review covers both Mark Bryant books:

This is perhaps the best collection ever compiled from both wars. Cartoons from all sides -not just Britain or the U.S.- printed in full color and mint condition! WORLD WAR I IN CARTOONS features lots of cartoons from all warring nations (Italy, Russia, Turkey, Japan, etc.) that most likely haven't been seen in generations, along with the best examples from France's Poliu, Britain's Punch and Germany's Simplicissimus. There's also a great deal of recruiting posters and War Bonds ads to delight one's eye (what great artists, by the way!). Cartoons are arranged chronologically by topics, so you can see what was being printed at the time of Belgium's rape, Churchill's sacking, or Hindenburg's Great Offensive.

WORLD WAR II IN CARTOONS works the same way, and presents the best works from all the great names one can remember -and then some! Low, Mauldin, the Kukryniksi, Giles, Steinberg, Fougasse, Arno, Soglow, Tim, Szyk, Breger ...even Walt Disney! Not to mention lots of less known -but neverheless great- cartoonists from all over the world. Both books a must of musts; DON'T MISS 'EM!!!

P.S.: I included politicians in the title because they could very well benefit from the way politicians past were lampooned. Maybe it would help them think twice before screwing things up (-whom am I kidding?)!

wonderful, very evocative and often very funny.
They also enable you to plot the progress of the war. They are chosen from most of the combatant nations (apart from Japan) and are very interesting and engrossing, in the way that picture and map books often are. Also many of them are still very funny: the motorist asking for directions in a fuel-starved Britain suspicious of possible spies (or traitors -'fifth columnists') is obviously addressing this suspicion when he says 'If I were a spy or fifth columnist, you still would not want me to waste petrol, would you? Another one shows an irate householder, with a bomber thundering over his roof, just missing it, with a comment about how he thinks he will delay building the extension until after the war.

I found the cartoons produced by the Dutch, Danish and French underground interesting. There are artistic ones, such as 'Autumn' which shows swastikas tumbling like leaves from the trees and being swept up by a figure of death, as a skeleton.There is another harrowing one drawn by an inmate in a concentration camp which shows the air raid siren as thousands of people screaming. Awful.

On a lighter note, one of the most memorable shows two British troops (we drive on the left, unlike you and the Continental Europeans) in a jeep, driving like madmen down a road being shelled, bombed, strafed. The caption is:'You fool, do you realise you are driving on the wrong side of the road?' (as if you'd care!)

Wonderful value and great presentfor a relation who remembers the Second Great Unpleasantness. Get it!

brilliant
This book by Mark Bryant is a treat for people interested in history and cartoons told through the eyes of cartoonists of that time.Its a visual treat of cartoons collected from newspapers and magazines.What really got my attention was the sample materials from aerial leaflets,posters and never published cartoons drawn in prisoner-of-war camps.The book is printed on good quality glossy paper and also has historical background by the author related to the cartoons.Highly recommended.

An Outstanding Title
It is difficult today to imagine the issues of war, sacrifice, slaughter, and redemption being conveyed by simple, drawn lines. And yet there once was such a time, and we are fortunate that the art of the cartoon reached its zenith during the greatest conflict in our history. In his World War II in Cartoons, Mark Bryant has assembled a collection of more than 300 of the best cartoons from that era. Bryant has chosen cartoons published in the Allied and Axis countries, with the majority of the works coming from England. Bryant has selected well. He gives us a wide sampling of the various types of cartoons-some not humorous at all, some very light, all provocative-as well as the many styles of drawing. Throughout, he succinctly explains the context of each drawing. He is adept at pointing out small details which otherwise might be overlooked by the modern reader.

Although Bryant does not comment on the relative standing of the artists, it is clear that the most accomplished of the wartime illustrators was David Low (later Sir David Low). Bryant has selected more of Low's drawings than of any other cartoonist, and it is easy to see why. No one was better than Low in summing up the moral stakes of a given situation. His three drawings of the Nazi defendants at Nuremburg are masterpieces in the study of the banality of evil.

No collection of World War II cartoons would be complete without American Bill Mauldin, whose most famous drawings are included in this collection. Also included is the haunting image drawn by Clarence D. Batchelor of the New York Daily News in 1936, of Death dressed as a prostitute enticing a young man upstairs to her room. "Come on in," she says to the boy, "I'll treat you right. I used to know your daddy."

By assembling these cartoons-the best of which become art-Bryant has done much to remind us of how issues could be powerfully presented in a small, simple frame. I don't think he-or anyone-can now rescue this art form, but he has done us all a great service by showing what was done during the great blood letting of the last century. "World War II in Cartoons," by Mark Bryant. ISBN 1904943063 (Grub Street), 300 illus., b&w, color, hardcover oversized. 160 pages. Highly recommended.
... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (2)

Child"s Play The Berenstain Baby Boom
This is such a great book. You can just read it and have fun remembering kinder times.

Better Than Nothing, But Could Have Been A Lot Better
Stan and Jan Berenstain, husband and wife, are both known as the creators of the wildly successful Berenstain Bears series of children's books.However, I first knew them as the creators of a series of clever and insightful cartoons they created from the 1940s through the 1960s as both cartoon features in magazines like the Saturday Evening Post and McCall's and in separately published books about the foibles of childhood and domestic American life.

I first learned about the Berenstains when I was a 10 year old crazy about dinosaurs and some neighbors gave me a copy of one of the Berenstain's "It's All in the Family" features from McCall's which was about a little boy who was crazy about dinosaurs!They caught me and my hobby (and its effects on the other members of my family) to a T!

Even at that age, I became a fan and began collecting what Berenstain cartoons and books I could find.I particularly liked the cartoons because while they were always extremely funny, they were also totally realistic, with no exaggeration for comic effect like you would get in other domestic cartoons like "Hi and Lois," "Blondie" or "Zits."They were doing what Lynn Johnston does now with "For Better or For Worse" long before she did.

Unfortunately, the Berenstain's success with their "Bears" seemed to put an end to their creation of cartoons for adults.When I became an adult, I was delighted when the internet came along and I was able to find copies of their early books that I had missed.

Now I am delighted to find that one of their children has produced a retrospective collection of their early work.Any fan of theirs ought to get a copy.

I have to admit I haven't gotten mine yet, but I have leafed through it at a bookstore and my main complaint is this--not enough!A book like this ought to be virtually nothing but wall-to-wall Berenstain cartoons with as little commentary as possible.However, I observe that this volume shorts the reader in this respect.There is an awful lot of dead space in the volume.For example, often a single cartoon, which would have originally been one of a half dozen set in an issue of McCalls, is presented as the only thing on a single page surrounded by nothing by blank space.Even keeping the cartoon the same size, another three cartoons could have easily shared the same page with it.

So, please, Mr. Berenstain--give us more!Another volume with nothing but cartoons in it, maybe complete runs of all the Berenstain cartoons from each of the magazines in which they appeared.Or maybe omnibus volumes containing several of their short humorous books like MR. DIRTY & MRS. CLEAN or FLIPSVILLE/SQUARESVILLE.

Please! ... Read more

Product Description
Love that Sponge Bob?Always lurking in Dexter’s lab?Wishing for Fairly Odd Parents?Millions of fans watch these shows avidly, often solely for their zingy, stylized look and hip visual jokes.Now there’s a drawing book just right for everyone who admires that quirky style: Cartoon Cool.Top-selling author Christopher Hart shows beginning cartoonists, retro fans, and all other hipsters how to get that almost-1950s look in their drawings.His trademark step-by-step drawings and crystal-clear text are sure to make Saturday mornings more creative! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (23)

not the worst book, but it's not good either
I learned that I shouldn't buy books by Christopher Hart. They are not really bad, but they aren't good either.
This book is basic. It's not really bad, as it has a few drawings you can use as basis to develop your own retro style.
It consists of a few quick how-to's with step by step drawings. But the end product isn't a great drawing.

Go watch Kim Possible, or go to deviantart and you'll find better resources than what this book offers.

Junk. Junk. Junk.
Anybody tuned in, and turned on, by the old cubist, modernist UPA school of cartooning should avoid this amateurish dreck like the plague. For one thing, the hipper-than-thou text is incredibly annoying. Get this from your snooty author: "The retro family is a riot. Think of it as the quintessential 1960s sitcom family--but with each member suffering from Attention Deficit Order. Each family member is a turbo-charged nerd, self-centered in the extreme but with a weird patina of sugarcoating." That's the whole politically liberal tone of the book. It's not so much a celebration of Mid-Century art as a putdown of the 1950s and the family structure. Really weird. That could be acceptable if the art were any good. But it's garbage you wouldn't accept from a first-year student. It's an eyesore and way off the mark. Like a previous one-star review has noted, if you want to learn this kind of cartooning go to the original sources who had talent. Pick up the essential Cartoon Modern from Chronicle Books. It's chock-full of great art with informative text. Then study old UPA cartoons like Mister Magoo, and some of Ward Kimball's cartoons for Walt Disney. A good compilation would be Beer Commericals from Something Weird Video, which has great 30-second commericals from TV's early years. Retro artists like Shag and Derek Yaniger are current masters of this style. Chris Hart grinds out these crude books like sausage. Some are okay. Some belong in the round file. This is one of them.

Good art book.
I will admit, I hate most Christopher Hart books. But this one is quite unique. It's not trying to impersonate a style like anime or manga. It's reviving a very unique style of art referred to as "retro".

I love this book because this is definitely my style. But the style in this book (and some of the advice) is quite limiting. Cartoons like Kim Possible, Danny Phantom, and to a lesser extent Teen Titans the animated show really show off the retro style evolved to a great extent.

I would definitely recommend this book to anyone looking for a unique style beyond anime, manga (which I happened to draw all the time before this book), and Marvel Comics.

But it definitely would be good to have a basic understanding of anatomy, since this book does not go into it really at all.

Cartoon Cool
Great examples of retro-style characters. Give detailed explanation on how to build up the character and create new ones.

Want to Know How To Draw Retro? This Is Your Book!!!
If you are looking to change your cartooning style or just want to learn how to draw "retro" styled cartoons, this is your book!Christopher Hart teaches you how to draw retro-styled cartoons by comparing the classic style and the retro style so you can pinpoint where you need to draw differently to achieve that retro look.

As always, a great learning guide for the beginner or the experienced cartoon artist. ... Read more

Product Description
Before Snoopy, before Brenda Starr, there was the Yellow Kid, created by Richard Outcault for the NEW YORK WORLD in 1895.With the YELLOW KID (a.k.a. Mickey Dugan), a new narrative medium was created, with multiple panels and speech balloons as defining elements. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

The book comics fans have waited a century to read
Hard-core comics nerds might be familiar with the writing of Robert C. Harvey through his in-depth (and at times, fascinating) columns in The Comics Journal magazine. That style carries over well to this book. His commentary is refreshingly brief, preferring instead to let the work of a century's worth of creative genius speak for itself.

Rather than give us a straightforward, linear (hence boring) history of comics, Harvey treats them as the masterpieces of art they are--just as there are various fine art "movements" (Surrealism, Cubism, etc.) the same holds true for the comic strip. Harvey divides comic-strip history into five such movements--the formative years, standardization of genres, the adventure strip, the gag strip, and the socially conscious strips of today.

We learn some things that may seem surprising at first, but on reflection are perfectly logical. First, even the most talented 'toonists weren't perfect--we see the strips in their original form--pasteovers, glue stains, pencil marks, and blobs of white-out litter the work. It's akin to seeing an X-ray of a painting by a Renaissance master--even Leonardo and Michaelangelo made corrections, sometimes painting over whole figures.

Second, the supposed decline of the quality of comics (and the rise of artistically bankrupt strips like "Dilbert") isn't the fault of the artists or the syndicates. (Despite sentiments to the contrary by "Calvin and Hobbes" cartoonist Bill Watterson, whose scathing diatribe against modern comics is reprinted in the book). Paper shortages during the Second World War, Harvey tells us, forced editors to cut the size of newspaper pages to save newsprint, which in turn shrank the comic strip. The advent of television immediately afterward forced newspapers to stick to the wartime standard permanently--and they have shrunk even more since. Such developments spelled the end of the lavishly drawn adventure-continuity strips (the detail could no longer be seen) and paved the way for strips like "Peanuts". Harvey doesn't talk about the role of the computer in perhaps reversing this trend, which is one of this book's few flaws.

Harvey, like other fans, pleads for the acceptance of comics as a "legitimate" art form, but does so without attributing to them any more significance than they deserve. No overintellectualized Freudian interpretations about what the comics "mean"--to Harvey, they are a unique form of art, driven as much by commerce as aesthetics. They are a throwaway medium for the general public, but as he shows us, that's more than OK.

Glue Stains and All
Curated, with helpful annotations, by a leading expert, this is a beautifully produced exhibition catalog of the original art for American comic strips since 1896. Especially wonderful is the reproduction ofcartoon originals in full color (not just black and white line art) so thatpreliminary blue pencil drawings, glue stains, and pasted-over changes areall clearly visible. (Copyright © by Roy R. Behrens from Ballast QuarterlyReview, Vol. 14, No. 3, Spring 1999.) ... Read more

Product Description
The Art of Hellboy softcover is a lower-priced, paperback version of the stunning limited edition hardcover Dark Horse released in the Spring of 2003. Featuring art never seen before the publication of the hardcover, unused and unfinished covers, and drawing upon ten years of sketchbooks, The Art of Hellboy provides the ultimate inside look at Mignola's design, storytelling, and color work. Page after page of rarely seen art reveals the labor involved in creating one of comics' most acclaimed books. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (12)

mignola. a true master
as a hellboy fan i had to buy this book. this tome of mignolas hell boy art is a great buy it feathers great black and white.color and unused art pieces. it shows the evolution of the character it has lots of concept art of liz sherman, abe sapien, and hellboy himself.this book proves one thing mike mignola is a genius his ability to make amazing works of art there are no bad words to be said about this book it is the most in depth look at a great character and a master artist

The Art of Hellboy (hardcover)
An excellent collection of Mignola's work that you won't find anywhere else. Definitely for true fans and collectors.

FANTASTIC BOOK

The Art of Hellboy is a book that can not be missing in the collection of a comic fan.
Fans of Mike Mignola will be delighted with the high quality of this book. Fantastic designs, full information, awesome details. Great editing and a good choice.

Viva Hellboy!!!!

Beautiful book
A must-have, obviously, for MIGNOLA / HELLBOY completists, this book is also an introduction to a) the creative process at work in artist MIGNOLA's mind, b) his quest for his unique style. Along the years, "less becomes more" as the emphasis is put on conveying a specific atmosphere in lieu of drowning the reader with details. Not that there is no details in the gothic surroundings of HELLBOY's adventures. There are plenty. The point is that MIGNOLA does not compete with artists in the "super hero" field but with himself. The books praises that. And is good at it.

Awesome artwork
Anyone who appreciates Mike Mignola's unique art style will enjoy this book. Lot's of unpublished pieces in here that I had never seen before. Definitelyworth a look! ... Read more

Product Description
This series is the only annual compilation of editorial cartoons, focusing on all the newsworthy events of the year as expressed through the pens of the major cartoonists from North America. A roster of winners of major cartoon awards is included. Each edition is indexed by the cartoonist.

Geraldine Ferraro, Walter Mondale, Ronald Reagan, and George Bush. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

Editorial cartoons enjoy the 1984 Reagan landslide
Published annually since 1973, the "Best Editorial Cartoons of the Year" features the best work of some of the nation's most talented pen and ink commentators.This 1985 edition, recounting the events of 1984, contains over 300 examples of this sublime political art form by 131 editorial cartoonists.The cover cartoon of Ronald Reagan riding the United States like a horse reminds us that this was the President was reelected in a landslide (there is another cartoon inside that transforms the map into Reagan's face).Consequently, the opening salvos of this volume are devoted to President Reagan, Mondale and the Democrats, and the Presidential Debates.It is interesting to see that it was not the incumbent President but the challenger and his party that offered the better fodder for cartoons.After all, you have a former Vice-President whose administration had failed to be reelected heading the ticket along with Geraldine Ferraro, the first woman to be nominated for the second spot on the ticket.Then throw into the mix the scandal of the Gary Hart campaign and Jesse Jackson's association with various undesirables around the world.Editorial cartoonists must have been pinching themselves to make sure all this wonderful nonsense was really going on.

In addition to the devastating defeat of the Democrats in the presidential election there were also the topics of the nation's ballooning budget deficit, the parade of geriatric leaders in the Soviet Union, and the grim spectacle of faminine and starvation in Ethiopia.There are also the old standards of defense spending, the Middle East, religion in the schools, education in the schools, and crime.But usually it is those unique moments in American history, such as Miss America Vanessa Williams, the first black woman to win the crown, being forced to resign because of the publication of nude photographs (Historical footnote: Williams is doing much better today than Ferraro).It always happens that while flipping through these pages that the year under review comes back in all its details.A standard history of the year 1984 could not serve as well.

This particular volume is graced by a foreword by Rep. Thomas P. "Tip" O'Neill, Jr., then Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives and himself a frequent subject of editorial cartoons (a half dozen choice examples of which accompany his words).O'Neil posits that the dictum that a picture is worth a thousand words applies doubly to editorial cartoons and celebrates both their power and their potency.Looking through these pages from almost two decades past proves the point: looking at an editorial cartoon on the Soviet boycott of the 1984 Summer Olympic games in Los Angeles can bring back the issue quite vividly.Then there is the poignancy of a couple of editorial cartoons that addressed President Reagan's announcement that a schoolteacher would be selected as the first "citizen passenger" to fly in space; the flight would probably take place in late 1985 or 1986. ... Read more

Product Description
It's the most complete collection of official Street Fighter artwork ever! The Art of Street Fighter gathers over 1,500 illustrations created by Capcom's top artists over the past 20 years. Included are character designs, concept art, sketches, promo artwork, plus many never-before-published pieces from both Street Fighter's past and from the all-new Street Fighter IV! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (17)

Best SF art book up to date
By far the best SF art book up to date. You get the best of the best and it has great little notes about all the artworks that are well worth the read for all fans. Out of all the books SF related available, this has the most content and best value. If you're a Street Fighter fan, get the book. If you're not a Street Fighter fan, get the book because the art is absolutely amazing.

Superb art collection for SF fans
This was a great buy for a Street Fighter fan, the art spans from the very first Street Fighter game to Street Fighter 4.The quality of the prints are very nice, and the addition of written commentary from various artists sprinkled throughout the volume is a nice touch. Only thing I would have wanted was that the volume be in hardcover.

If you want serious info on SF artwork, this is it.
The detail and amount of time and work it took to create an art book of this size could only be 20 years in the making. If you love Street Fighter, or just have a passion for artwork, or both(like me). You can't go wrong with this book.

Perfect for die-hard fans!!!
Bought as a gift for my brother who loves Street Fighter, he read a small amount of the comics and loved the games, so it was a logical choice. Many different interpretations of classic Street Fighter characters by various artists, even as a non-Street Fighter fan, I was fascinated.

SF20: The Art of Street Fighter
This illustration book is value for money. It has all (well, most of it) the SF series illustrations!!! ... Read more

Product Description
A truly adorable book, this enchanting instructionalstars all the cutest little animal characters imaginable to guidebeginner cartoonists, while also serving more advanced artists as avaluable ongoing reference resource.

Clear, step-by-step lessons show how to draw basic baby-animal headsand body positions, with cuddly cubs, pups, and chicks romping throughthe book on lively, appealing, and colorful pages. Baby animals are anessential part of any cartoonist's repertoire, so the book hosts ahuge menagerie, presenting bears, elephants, monkeys, ducks, pigs,lions, tigers, rhinos, hippos, giraffes, turtles, fish, snakes,alligators, dolphins, seals, and still more babes from the wild,depicted with all the verve and fun that readers expect from theirfavorite cartoon master. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

A Great Drawing Book!
I think that this book is a lot like a teacher. My friend and I have drawn characters from this book and we've had sooo much fun. I recommend this book to anybody who loves to draw cartoons and to the people that think almost everything is cute.

A Great Drawing Book!
I think that this book is a lot like a teacher. My friend and I have drawn characters from this book and we've had sooo much fun. I recommend this book to anybody who loves to draw cartoons and to the people that think almost everything is cute. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A Must Have!!!
If you're interested in learning the art of cartooning and maybe even making some money along the way, this book should be one of the first you pick up! It covers how to draw funny cartoon characters, how to develop your own style and characters, how to get funny ideas, how to sketch and ink your cartoons, where and how to sketch and ink your cartoons, where and how to sell your cartoons, and some extra stuff--everything you could need to know! In addition, this book is filled with gag cartoons and strips from some of the most prolific cartoonists in the business. Take my advice: If you're going to by books on cartooning, the Randy Glasbergen books are some of the best! Highly recommend.

A Cartoonist's Cartoonist
This is an easy to read, compact (117 page) mini-course for anyone considering a career in cartooning. Illustrated throughout by Randy Glasbergen's unique cartoon style, this book first shows how to draw funny cartoon characters, then launches into the kinds of skills needed to compete in today's competitive environment: how to develop your own characters and style; how to create clever cartoon ideas; how to sketch and ink your drawings; and how and where to sell your finished cartoons.

Interspersed are 8 "Cartoonist Profiles". In each Randy introduces the reader to a successful working professional. Tom Cheney is but one example. Thousands of his cartoons have appeared in the New Yorker, National Lampoon, Cosmopolitan, Woman's World, the Wall Street Journal, and 400 other publications worldwide. Another example is "Revilo," whose real name is Oliver Christianson. Oliver spent many years creating cards for the Hallmark greeting card company. Each of these "profiled cartoonists" supplies the reader with his or her own sound advice.

Every so often Randy gives a "homework" assignment, a challenging lesson to help the reader to practice what he has been learning. Afterall, if you are going to "draw and sell" cartoons, you will need to actually apply your ideas, your pencil, and your pen to paper.

Who better to write a book on "Getting Started Drawing and Selling Cartoons" than someone like Randy, who is one of the most widely and frequently published cartoonists in America today, and has drawn "The Better Half" comic panel since 1982?

The back cover concludes with these words: "With this book, you'll learn the ins and outs you need to succeed in this fun-filled -- and lucrative -- market." Very well expressed!

But even if you never sell a cartoon anywhere in your life, this
book will give you a wonderful behind-the-scenes look at this excellent profession.

I have had some experience in this field. I have sold hundreds of cartoon ideas and cartoons over the years, and I recommend Randy Glasbergen's "Drawing and Selling Cartoons" very highly.

Wonderful Wonderful
I'd been looking for this kind of think forever and I finally found it for 5 bucks at the mall complex near the city where I vacation often. It has to be the best book I've ever owned. ... Read more

Product Description

Product Description
Presents a wealth of drawings, paintings, and other Disney art from feature films, shorts, and other projects that were never completed, including early versions of Fantasia, accompanied by a discussion of each work.Amazon.com Review
The Disney That Never Was: The Stories and Art from FiveDecades of Unproduced Animation is a celebration of drawings fromuncompleted films that were "simply too beautiful to leave intheir folders." Some of the ideas and projects were abandoned forobvious reasons--a lack of time, money, or resources--but certainlynot for lack of ingenuity. Charles Solomon, internationally respectedcritic and historian of animation, has gleaned the best of theseunused animation drawings, storyboards, gags, and concept art, all ofwhich make their first public appearances in this book. From Mickey,Donald, and Goofy sketches to Hans Christian Andersen roughs towartime propaganda films to early versions of Fantasia, thisbook allows a delightful inside glimpse into the world of Disney. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

A Fascinating Look at Never-Produced Disney Art.
Charles Solomon is a well-known name in animation history and criticism circles. H e has authored articles for Rolling Stone, Newsweek, the Los Angeles Times, National Public Radio, the New York Times and many other publications. He is also the author of two other well-known Disney and animation-related titles: Disney Lost and Found: Exploring the Hidden Artwork from Never-Produced Animation and Enchanted Drawings: The History of Animation.

The Disney That Never Was takes us into the Animation Archives to see and read about unproduced shorts and feature films. Solomon has collected sketches, storyboards, concept art and the stories behind the artwork. As stated in the title, we follow the history of unproduced films throughout the studio's long and storied past. Solomon divides the book by genre as opposed to strict chronological order. The groupings are logical when looking at the artwork: Mickey, Donald and Goofy; fairy tales; wartime films; Fantasia and its successors; and miscellaneous films.



Reynard from Chanticleer by Marc Davis

I enjoyed this book and found it wistful and exciting. Solomon explains that the unproduced animation and artwork could have been shelved for any number of reasons: perhaps the story wasn't strong enough; there weren't enough artists to complete the pictures; the characters might not have had the appeal; or it never made it past an initial meeting. The Disney Studio has always well-documented their meetings and has preserved almost all stages of artwork from the animated films. In particular, the Disney artists have always found it inspirational--and helpful--to study the original animation from Snow White and other classic films. When you read this title, you can only imagine how different the animation landscape might look if some of these films had been produced. Some cases make you wonder why the animation was halted.




Goofy from How to Be a Commando, artist unknown.

The Disney That Never Was is a reference tool that you will enjoy studying and reading for many years to come. Solomon is able to provide a fantastic look at how the animation process works and how the studio functioned during the animation heyday of the 1930's and 1940's. In some instances, ideas were shelved and used much later or were the inspiration for other projects. The sections on Chanticleer, Don Quixote and Hiawatha were eye opening about the process--animation-wise and politically--that the animation takes on its circuitous path to the big screen or as it is derailed.




Snake-villain from Hootsie the Owl, artist unknown.


Bottom Line: If you are a fan of Disney animation, then you need to own this book! Charles Solomon has raided the Animation Archives, interviewed animators and researched the stories to bring us some of the most exciting information about Disney animated films that were never produced. Although we only gain glimpses of some films--almost like a tease--there is not another resource that tells this many stories about the films we never saw or heard about until this book.

A must for hardcore Disney fans...
If you're like me, everytime you see the newest Disney picture, you can't help but wonder, "What are they working on now?" Well, this book might answer some of that longing (at least you'll know what they're -not- working on). Although it only spans the years when Walt himself was alive, we are shown enough of the Disney might-have-beens to fill our dreams for a while. To be honest, I didn't read most of the text (so many books; so little time), but that didn't keep me from thoroughly enjoying the book, since more than 2/3 is pictures anyway. The captions are well-written and informative--probably for people like me who don't read the text so that we can get the main points anyway. It's really fascinating to see how ideas are developed and why they get scrapped even though the artwork is so terrific. A chapter on wartime Disney was very entertaining--seeing what Disney did to balance the desire to make a political statement with their particular brand of family entertainment. I recommend this book to anyone interested in art styles and the development of animation or films of any kind.

Pull back the curtain and see what's behind
Disney is often considered to be the premiere house for animation. Yet in the course of creation, there will always be ideas that were rejected, or didn't gel, or just fell apart. Luckily, Disney kept everything - good, bad or unused, and created a bounty for the animation historian. This book allows a peek behind the creative process. We are familiar with what made it to the screen, but Solomon shows us what didn't make it. A combination of a history of Disney successess and failures, and a portfolio of hidden artwork, this book is a trove of Disney information that is usually overlooked. It is interesting, following the release of Fantasia 2000, to look back at actual work prepared for Walt's original idea of re-releasing Fantasia annually with different pieces, creating more than just a film, but an experience. Economics and logistics kept this from happening, and only 60 years later did a new attempt at this vision appear. There is so much more that did not make it, beause of money, lack of story, politics or more, and most of the parts rightfully finally get their day in the sun (some of the work should stay buried, but that's few and far between). A fascinating look at "the rest of the story."

This is the stuff that shows just how creative they are!
Over the years, Disney has given us 40 major animated features, but along the way, there are those that we never have seen.The art that always seems to instill ideas, the creations that are considered not creative enough, or those that were cut for various reasons.Here, Charles Solomon has pretty much ventured into the greatest journey of his life: The Disney Archives!!(Imy career in animation hoped to one day lead me to these hallowed halls).Here, he poured over hundreds or thousnads of drawings and much more, finding out everything from animated short ideas, to feature length movies. Solomon unearthed such concepts as "The Emperor's nightingale (showing wonderful pastel and watercolor prints), to shorts from Hans Christian Andersen (some art that was mentioned but not shown was the inspiration for the "Fantasia 2000" segment of "The Steadfast Tin Soldier").There are even countless Mickey, Goofy and Donald shorts that were not made (such as one with Goofy called "How to Be a Cowboy"). In the realm of feature films, there are two incredible stories.The first centers around an idea Walt Disney had to join with another studio to make a telling of Hans Christien Andersen's life story, with interstitials from animation to live-action and back again.An unknown artist did FANTASTIC(it deserves caps) watercolor conceptuals, bu the project fell apart soon afterwards.The second story focuses onajoint venture between Walt and oil painter Salvador Dali.The numerous concepts were made and a short 8 second film reel was developed before it was shelved. There was even the story of the rooster "Chanticleer," which was probably in pre-production on and off since after World War II up til the time of "The Jungle Book."Tons and tons of artwork were made, but a story consensus could never be reached, and the project was never again to see the light of day. The greatest chapter to me is one that deals with the numerous planned segments that were to follow on the possible success of "Fantasia."However, "Fantasia" never came about (not until 60 years later), and over the years, countless ideas were tried, from baby ballets, to even bringing back the pegasus characters from the "Beethoven's Pastoral Symphony" segment.There's even soem information on the "Clair De Lune" segment that was cut before the final release (it was 100% completed too!). I would hope that Disney woudl rerelease this book.It has shown me a lot in what went in to many ideas for the animators, and it is also an infallable reference to me.

Fascinating Information
I was lucky enough to find a copy of this out-of-print book and I am really glad that I did.This book is packed with drawings created by Disney artists that were working on projects that were never put intoproduction.Along with the drawings are the stories of the projects and inmost cases, the reason why they were never completed.

I was especiallyinterested in the material that was considered for the original Fantasia. I recently saw Fantasia 2000 and during this feature they talked about someideas that were considered and discarded for Fantasia 2000.I found itparticularly interesting to see that some material originally consideredfor Fantasia was actually used for Fantasia 2000 and other materialconsidered for Fantasia was also considered for Fantasia 2000, but stillnot used.

I recommend this book to anyone (who is lucky enough to find acopy) who is interested in Disney animation and some of the material thatmight have come from the studio that never made the grade. ... Read more

Product Description
Legendary publisher Bill Gaines is perhaps best remembered as the founder of MAD Magazine, but in the opinion of many dedicated comic book fans, his greatest achievement was E.C. Comics, a line of adventure, horror, and science-fiction comics whose influence on American graphic novels is undeniable, even today. Foul Play! is the perfect book for anyone wanting to understand the special place E.C. holds in the comic fan's heart -- or who just wants to read some real good comics!

Foul Play! celebrates the fan-favorite creators of E.C. Comics, profiling their artists -- a veritable who's who of mid-20th century popular illustration -- and describing how they came to work with Bill Gaines and how their careers evolved after E.C.. Among the comics art legends profiled are Al Feldstein; Harvey Kurtzman; Johnny Craig; Jack Davis; Graham Ingels; Jack Kamen; Wallace Wood; Joe Orlando; Will Elder; John Severin; George Evans; Al Williamson; Reed Crandall; Bernie Krigstein; and more! Plus, the book includes a special bonus: a lost E.C. Comics story "Wanted for Murder!" originally intended to be published in 1956 but forgotten and unseen until now.

When originally published, E.C. Comics titles like Tales from the Crypt, The Vault of Horror, and Weird Science became best-selling titles, embraced by readers for their macabre wit and stunning illustration. Eventually, E.C. Comics ran afoul of a full Senate Subcommittee investigating (but never proving!) the link between comic books and juvenile delinquency, but not before winning a legion of fans that still treasure E.C.'s output. Foul Play! demonstrates -- in glorious, gory detail -- exactly why these are among the most beloved comics stories ever published. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Worth 3 times the price
If you have any interest at all in EC Horror, you simply must get this book. The production values exceeded my expectations and I would have easily paid three times the asking price. Highest possible rating and then some.

WOW! too many pictures, too much info
I enjoyed this book and i'm not an EC fan. My brother is! he loved this. Their are lots of images that are hard to find in the comic form. There was a lot that he hasn't seen before. A must have for any EC fan

A Gold Mine
Wow, this is a great one. Nice profiles of some of the best artists in the genre during the 1950's.
Excellent pictorials and the added treat of the unpublished Bill Elder Christmas tale!

a tope!
Por muy buen precio me he conseguido esta belleza de la historia comiquera norteamericana (y mundial, como no).Incluye muchos dibujos y un comic inéditos.Resulta muy educativo ver la evolución que han tenido las historietas y el lenguaje tan básico y redundante que se usaba en aquel entonces.

Great trip down memory lane!
Super book!! Brings back memories of buying those (great, dirty, violent, perverted, notorious---choose your adjective)comics.

I was and still am a fan of science-fiction and loved the art of Wally Wood in Weird Science and Weird Fantasy and their reincarnations. I never bought Superman, Batman, Archie, et al.

Everyday I mourn the fact that my mother tossed out the magazines when I was in the service. And reading these comics apparently never hurt me as I went on to garner four academic degrees.

So buy this book and relive the golden days of EC comic books. ... Read more