Innovative Cartoonist
595596
My granddaughters hero.  The Marvel comics are her favorite and she loves to draw, hence the book was a great addition to her collection of comics .
844581
This isn't a graphic novel. I've heard it referred to as such, but it's really not. Even books like Al Columbia's 'Pim and Francie' and Jeff Ladouceur's 'Holy Moly' are closer relatives to proper sequential art. It's actually an art-book/artist's jam with an 'exquisite corpse'-thing happening, even though the only thread uniting the panoramic spreads by Luke Ramsey and company is a loose concept: "(...)an anti-character, a de-evolved member of a grey race". Alright. A psycho-chemical solution made up of elements way too cool for the periodic table...

...The Incal, Akira, Forming, Powr Mastrs, Capacity, By This Shall You Know Him, Ant Colony...

One drawing inspired the next, and each contribution was influenced by the art that preceded it; but it's unquestionably Luke Ramsey's book. 'Intelligent Sentient' looks incredible, a slim but well-designed 64-page hardcover packed with the clean lines and intricate compositions I jabber on about constantly. It's the same cosmic-hallucinogenic subject matter mined by Jesse Moynihan, Theo Ellsworth and Jesse Jacobs... aliens doing very alien things; gargantuan creatures made up of countless smaller creatures; structures like organic scaffolding floating through empty space -- you get the idea. If you're a fan of this brand of art-comics inspired by 'The Incal' and 'The Air-tight Garage', you should love this. Just don't expect speech balloons or a coherent narrative.

Thanks to the unassuming introduction hidden on the indicia page, I learned that the many stylistic shifts -- especially one 2-page spread that I initially assumed Ramsey had surgically extracted from Jesse Jacobs' brain -- were actually the work of several collaborators and contributors... including the unmistakable art of Jacobs and Michael Deforge. The first half is mostly by Ramsey himself, and the second half is mostly by his gathering of awesome pals. I'll skip the hyperbole for once, but just say that yet another Canadian artist-cartoonist has joined my long list of favorites. Great Stuff. Not a comic.
3899658
First, I thoroughly enjoyed the book!  I liked Callahan telling his story as though he is talking with a friend.  While I like his other books too, I like the honesty and his sharing some of his life lessons and insights into his troubled personality.  So sorry he has died and that he had such a difficult life, having triumphed over alcoholism but wheelchair bound since around age 21 due to a terrible car accident while drunk.

I appreciated Tom in Charlotte's thoughtful and informative review - it explains a lot.  I'm inspired to complete my collection.  I do hope that the comic Robin Williams does make the movie.  No other cartoonist I'm aware of has Callahan's unique blend of wit, sarcasm, irony, political incorrectness, daring and outrageous humor.  Also, he had a great knack for finding humor where others can't. I like what Gary Larson (creator of The Far Side) said:  "There are two basic reasons I enjoy Callahan's work so much:  First, I think his cartoons are just plain funny, and second, he makes my own work look normal".
2140724
This was the first time that I have read anything by this cartoonist and it was great. I like the notes from the author about the creative process and the how the strip and its characters have changed over the years. It was alot of fun to read and I will be looking for more things by this writer as his strip is not carried in newspapers where I live.
4728471
Wonderful collection of work by a too-underrated and nearly unknown artist. Campbell is credited with being the first black American with a syndicated strip, but more important he's a good cartoonist/artist period. There's a lovely looseness and energy to his style and his women (almost all white, which couldn't have been as easy or fun for him) are nicely proportioned without being overt, funny without being demeaning, graceful yet humorous. I hope he gets more of the recognition he deserves, not for his race for his work.
1907051
Briefly, Falberg was an illustrator at the Disney studios and a buddy of Grizzly FLats nabob, Ward Kimball.
This is a cartoon history of the imaginary Fiddletown and Copperopolis RR.  It is in the style of many late 50's early 60's cartoons, with interesting little minutia among the main drawing.  Youll recognize the style, as in my opinion its similar to Kimballs and reminds me a bit of the Dumbo and other Disney train oriented cartoons.  It has an attention to detail peculiar to railroads that I find wonderful because....these cartoons are based on life....somewhere.

What is great about this little gem, is that it really evokes the feel and mindset of a shoe string budget narrow gauge railroad.  It has many wonderful drawing, clearly from a man with a depth of knowledge of prototypes.  I find myself enjoying the illustrations simply as a creative muse for my own railroading and modeling.

In terms of story or depth, and thoughtful or subtle humor, its not terribly evolved, or comtemporary.  It might be if you're an 8 year old, but it is in fact simply a cartoon strip of sorts.  In terms of entertaining illustrations for the narrow gauger, this is a little charmer.
1036120
This is an amazing book, documenting the early graphic artist, a French man. His drawings and accompanying text, translated into English, are droll and wry. The format is a trifle large to hold, as the book is oversize. I recommend this book to followers of comedy and artists!
1449092
This as a big coffee table sized book by the Pulitzer prize winning cartoonist who created Maus (which is an autobiographical comic about the Holocaust and a survivor and his son, Spiegelman).b He lived blocks from the Twin Towers, and the 10 huge cartoon panels that make up the bulk of the book, created over the course of two years, start with his initial reactions to the attack, rescuing his daughter from a school bellow the Towers, to the following War on Terror and the Invasion of Iraq. Needless to say he is quite opposed to the Bush Administration's policies. Originally published in various weeklies and alternative news magazines, many of the cartoons are populated by characters and drawn in the styles of the first newspaper cartoonist of the early 20th century. As he writes in one cartoon, after 9-11 some "found their solace in old newspaper comics." Indeed, the second half of the book begins with an essay about these old comics, then 10 examples of these comics, such as the Katzenjammer Kids, the Yellow Kid, and others. What stands out to me about this book is the outrage not only of the attacks themselves, but the paranoia and political submissiveness that followed by both Republicans and Democrats, as well as the blatant cynicism and hypocrisy of Bush's response. These comics seem to be an attempt to reclaim the pain of the attacks from those in power who co-opted that pain. A book I will have on my coffee table for years to come. As with the other graphic novels and comic collections I read this summer, there is something about the art form that really seems to bring home ideas and issues unlike any other form.
4486152
Having lived in a cave for decades, I had no knowledge of Drew Friedman's work until I came across his wonderful cover art for HOLLYWOOD'S HELLFIRE CLUB. Wanting more of the same, I trolled my local library and came up with OLD JEWISH COMEDIANS and its follow-up. Two 'off-the-top-of-my head' reactions: the guy is tremendously talented and seriously bent!

OLD JEWISH COMEDIANS features 30-odd caricatures of comic greats like Berle, Benny, Youngman, Rickles, Dangerfield, Groucho/Chico/Harpo, Sid Caesar, Jerry Lewis, Danny Kaye, Harry Ritz, Buddy Hackett, Myron Cohen, Joe Smith and Phil Silvers along with lesser-knowns like Benny Bell, Freddie Roman and Mickey Freeman. The comic-greats-in-their-declining-years theme might almost seem cruel if it weren't for the obvious affection Friedman has for his subjects. Friedman's artwork isn't just well done, it often captures the essence of the individual - Jack Benny's placidity, Berle's outsized ego, Danny Kaye's introspection, Al Lewis' joie de vivre, Red Button's impishness, etc.

If you laughed at and enjoyed the gentlemen listed above, you'll want to snatch up a copy of OLD JEWISH COMEDIANS. It's a trip down memory lane, a tribute to funnymen of the 20th Century and a great introduction to the work of a gifted caricaturist! Recommended.
1913966
Macanudo is a cute collection of comic strips carefully rendered in ink and watercolor. Liniers' sense of humor is relatable, subtly ironic, and reminiscent of Schulz's in the "Peanuts" comics. Some of these strips will elicit laughter, a smile, or a raised eyebrow, but more often than not, the humor feels watered-down with most of the punchlines falling flat. His strips present a variety of issues such as: belonging, identity, misfortune, boredom, frustration, anxiety, and despair. Fortunately, he adds in bits of joy, wonder, and whimsy to prevent his comics from becoming too solemn or melancholy.

Liniers' characters range from people to birds to robots to gnomes to cats to fish, etc. and are recurrent throughout the book. Initially, it wasn't so apparent, but the more I read, I began noticing that the characters were lacking dynamism and individuality. He draws them with the blank, hollow-eyed stare of Little Orphan Annie which gives them a vapid look and insensibility. Some are endearing, but many are so similar in appearance and character that they end up blending together.

Macanudo is mildly entertaining and a decent diversion when travelling on a train or waiting in a doctor's office, but it's not something that warrants rereading. If you're looking for something funnier and not so cutesy, I recommend Gary Larson's The Far Side, Daniel Clowes' Eightball, cartoons by Charles Addams, or (almost) any book of cartoons by Roz Chast.
1358466
Steve Vincent has a knack for cutting to the chase with both his humor and his art.  He can convey such a wonderfully simple thought with such heart and cutting humor, that you can't stop turning the page of this book.  I had the pleasure to share his original art at a recent gallery event (Something Wicked... in Elgin, IL) and visitors immediately gravitated to both his art and this book.  One 11 year old boy walked out of the gallery smiling and reading.  He gets that we need to laugh at ourselves and often times our neighbors, family and friends.  Farts are funny - no denying it and he doesn't try to hide that fact of life.

A great value and a must have - I keep mine in the bathroom.
413949
A Remarkably Comprehensive Picture of Military Life through the Ages: its Humor, Struggles and Triumphs as seen in Cartoons
A lone cartoonist, with his or her pen and imagination, can at times show more in one panel than with hundreds of words. This book examines the drawings of artists from many countries, from the Civil War to the Iraq War, and backs up their work with meticulous notes and appendices. Much of what the cartoonists show us is a  warriors handling of daily difficulties with realism, irony and humor. One is exposed to much information about the well knowns like Will Eisner and Bill Mauldin, but they also learn in detail about many lesser known artists and what they created. In a story about a Bill Mauldin cartoon, the men are making an amphibious landing, shells are bursting overhead, and Willie requests,  Try to say sumpin funny, Joe.    This, and many other stories and cartoons, made this book an excellent read that I would highly recommend.  Betsy G.
1530870
Jim Benton has a terrific sense of humor. If you enjoy snarky, clever, sometimes dark, sometimes happy, and downright funny comics this is right up your alley. It's along the lines of the Oatmeal, Saturday Morning Breakfast Cereal, Extra Fabulous Comics, Lunarbaboon, and other fantastic online comics. Jim always gets bigger laughs from me because they don't always stick to a theme and seem to attack from all angles.
2184473
I haven't read any "graphic novels," as comics are known these days, since back when Comico was doing JONNY QUEST and Innovation did QUANTUM LEAP. I have to admit I haven't been very pleased with some of the comic art which I've seen in the past few years: roughly outlined faces and figures, blurred figures and backgrounds, what I call "slash and gash" artwork. But I love the Peter Grant books and decided to take a chance on this first collection. I was not disappointed. The artwork is excellent and characters portrayed as they are described in the book.

The story: a car found in the Thames with its driver drowned presents magical influences when Peter investigates. This leads them to a car repair shop where odd things begin to happenlike cars having a mind of their own. This is nothing new to Thomas Nightingale, who introduces Peter to the most haunted car in Britain. Would it surprise you to know the two cases are connected? I knew it wouldn't.

Enjoyable art and stories, a collection of the individual comic covers at the end, and several brief "Tales from the Folly" featuring various regular characters wrap up this volume, which has a very funny ending featuring Molly and Toby the ghost-hunting dog.
475060
Although I am the cartoonist that crafted this book, I am very, very proud of it. It came from working for several newspapers. One of the newspapers was The Heights Tribune/ The Houston Tribune ran the comic strip for years but went out of business before I could publish a book. I am confident that the readership from this newspaper would garner a few sales.  The manager of Bedrock City in Friendswood, Texas liked the book and told me it was funny and well drawn. I am an old school cartoonist and pride myself by drawing quality cartoons with a lot of detail. I am grateful for all my sales and hope that someone will get some laughs with this book. I feel it is a good contribution to this world because we all need to laugh more no matter what stage of life you are going through. We all have challenges in our lives with stress, problems, bad luck, social and personal issues. What better gift to give or to get than the gift of laughter. I am so proud I published this work.
4785095
Single Cell by Dr. Machina
This dark comic book was an intriguing find on kindle. The cartoon style comes from the 1950s and conjure up traditional roles of the 1950s image of happy housewives and hardworking husbands each with 2 children and 1 white picket fence. However, the bright colouring effect of the pictures is out of place in the 1950s which is the readers first hint that things are not what they appear to be.
 Dr. Macina then juxtaposes these images with modern ideas, speech, and actions.  The result is entertaining, thought provoking, and highly comic. I loved the surreal nature of the book particularly the onion rings and Viagra which tickled me for a number of days!
 I found the surrealistic nature of the comic book quite philosophical too, whereas at first glance its a funny comic book, there is a hidden subtext in the picture/comment combinations which I found very interesting.
I recommend this comic book to people who enjoy comic writing, appreciate the darker side of life, who have the ability to think outside the box, and look at life in new ways.
3090468
Boulevard of Broken Dreams is a fascinating comic about the steady decline of an animator named Ted and the industry into which he breathed new life.  An animation company of the '30s era creates "Waldo the Cat" shorts, but with the rise of Disney, the company tosses originality in favor of the cutesy watered-down style that has become so popular.  New bosses, scandal, and tragedy rides the degradation of the cartoons all the way into the '90s.  And all the while, Ted is tormented by hallucinations of the cartoon cat he created.  This is the twisted story that Deitch has woven.

And it's a good one, to be sure.  From Ted's mind springs a popping, psychedelic world brimming with confusion and madness.  While Ted is engulfed by his delusions, the people around him, his shifty brother Al, his uncertain romantic interest Lillian, and the aging great Winsor Newton all face the harsh realities of a business that loses its heart.  The story makes references to classic animators, so cartoon history buffs can enjoy a few in-jokes.  Tension and mystery abound, and it's a wonderful story for those who understand alienation or like a bit of bizarro reading.