By Chuck Jones (Crown Publishers Inc.)
ISBN: 0-517-56063-1
There have been a few modern geniuses who wield a pencil and paintbrush. We tend not to notice them in the world of comics, which I suppose would explain why so many of our contemporary artists work in animation these days. I don’t know if Charles Martin Jones ever worked in comics – or even if he ever wanted to – but as ‘Chuck’ he produced some of the greatest and funniest animated cartoons the world has ever seen.
During WWII he worked with Theodore Geisel – who left cartooning for a career in kid’s books and found fame as Dr. Seuss – on a series of educational cartoons for the US Army featuring ‘Private Snafu’. That relationship would eventually lead to the animated TV classic How the Grinch Stole Christmas.
And in 1986 Chuck Jones produced this picture-book for the very young. William is a skunk with a little problem. The Usual Skunk not only has that potent chemical weapon we all know and dread, but they also have a beautiful bold stripe on their backs so as to give any big animal sneaking up on them a fair chance to change their minds. Sadly, William’s stripe is on his front, which causes problems for every animal in the forest.
This charming little fable about cooperation is a sweet delight and the art is utterly joyous. This is a man who knows “Cute†and how to milk it, and more importantly, when to lampoon it. His critters positively drip with Attitude, and any child’s delight could only be marred if the adult reading this aloud is unable to stifle their own knowing chortles.
Jones’ work informed generations of kids and creators in comics as well as cartoons. His legacy can be found in titles as varied as Dell’s Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies, Bugs Bunny and Daffy Duck to the current Kids WB comic-books including the current incarnation of Looney Tunes.
Get this book and you could be carrying on that tradition to the next generation.
© 1986 Chuck Jones Enterprises. All rights reserved.