Category: Miscellaneous

By Jim Unger (Sheldon Press)
ISBN: 0-85969-481-X

Herman isn’t a person: Bear that in mind…

Jim Unger was born in London in 1927 and emigrated to Canada where he took up cartooning as a profession. Herman began in 1974 when he moved to Ottawa from Ontario. He won The National Cartoonist Society Newspaper Panel Cartoon Award in 1982 and 1987. In 1984 he moved to the Bahamas and in 1992 he retired.

Constantly nagged by friends and fans, he came out of retirement in 1997, reviving Herman on a piecemeal basis and overseeing an updated release of the long-running strip. Co-founder of INTRACA, an intranet feature using humour and cartoons on work-place computers, he is a keen proponent of the electronic dissemination of cartoon art. In 1990 he made cartoon history when Herman was the first US strip syndicated in East Germany.

Impressive, no?

Irrelevant. Herman is a superbly dry and wonderfully drawn old-fashioned gag-panel that covers all the old familiar subjects with trenchant wit and a mean eye. It is one of the funniest strips ever created and always worth a look. This particular collection was just the one nearest to hand.

And Herman? That’s actually anybody in the strip on the day. We’ve all been a bit Herman at times.

© 1981 Universal Press Syndicate. © 1997 United Media. All Rights Reserved.

By Pericle Luigi Giovannetti (Macmillan)
ASIN: B0000CKEHG

Pericle Luigi Giovanetti was a huge star in the cartoon firmament in the years following World War II, and one look at his work will instantly show you why.

Born in 1916 in Basel, he launched his most famous character in Punch in April 1953. Max is a small, round furry creature most likened to a hamster, whose wordless pantomimes were both cute and whimsical and trenchantly self-deprecating. Don’t ask me how a beautifully rendered little puff-ball could stand for pride and pomposity punctured, but he did. It was also blissfully free of mawkish sentimentality, a funny animal for adults.

Max was syndicated across the world, (known as Mr. Makkusu-san in Japan) numbering such diverse luminaries as Jason Robards and Charles Schulz as fans and even lending its star to the British Navy and Swiss Air Force as mascot and figurehead. There were four collections between 1954 and 1961: Max, Max Presents, this volume (from 1959) and the Penguin Max. Like these, two other collections, Beware of the Dog and Birds without Words, are also criminally out of print.

The sheer artistic virtuosity of Giovanetti is astounding to see. That his work should be forgotten is a travesty. If you ever, ever see a collection of his work do yourself the biggest favour of your life and grab it with both hands!

© 1959 P. L. Giovannetti. All Rights Reserved.

By Roy Mitchell (Ward Lock)
ISBN: 0-7063-6423-6

Not every book has to be great. Sometimes it’s enough simply to be fit for purpose. Like this plain and simple non-political, non-editorial cartoon book in the traditional “variations on a theme” manner.

Comedy often has venerable subjects, and cartooning doubly so. The comic greats and the merely adequate alike have all worked on the same set-ups, with mixed and unpredictable results. Possibly as commonplace as the Desert Island with a single Palm Tree or the Mother-in-Law Arrives is the bearded geezer suspended on a wall in a dungeon. The variations on this pictorial theme are endless and the punch-lines are nigh infinite.

The eighty cartoons here, like most gags, will be uproarious to some and soporific to others. The drawing isn’t the best you’ll ever see. But still, this type of thing was the backbone of the newspaper cartoon feature page, with collections like this sometimes selling in the millions, and quite frankly I miss them. Most modern magazines and periodicals would benefit from a few extra gag-panels to brighten up our days.

You might not be able to track this book down, but there are lots of others in similar veins, lurking in charity shops and at car-boot sales, so why not treat yourself to a bit of undemanding, old-fashioned frivolity for a change?

© 1985 Ward Lock Limited. All Rights Reserved.

A Tundra Sketchbook Series Special Edition

By Peter Kuper (Tundra)
ISSN: 1056-2931

Although now available as a CD-Rom with a musical score, old git that I am, I prefer my graphic narratives silent, so I’m recommending this slim volume of sketches, paintings, photos and comic strip recollections from one of the world’s most innovative illustrators (which is subtitled “A Journal of Travels through Africa and Southeast Asia”) over its technological successor. At least you can read this in the bath or on the toilet – a welcome advantage as any world traveller (including the author) must admit.

With punchy, edgy line drawing cartoons Kuper recounts his Trip-of -a-Lifetime to the aforementioned destinations, accompanied by partner Betty Russell in a mesmerising documentary of jet-lag, exhaustion, trepidation, non-restful sleep, wonderment, joy and of course, violent, explosive stomach-disorders. Of especial use is the photo-feature Toilets of the World.

In addition to the journal strips there are many beautiful, expressive and arresting paintings, sketches, collages and drawings from this marvellously gifted artist and critic. This is comics reportage at its most engaging, and it’s a shame more creators don’t dabble in this area of our art-form.

Some of the collected material has also been seen in World War III Illustrated, Heavy Metal, American Illustration, Traveller, Bleeding Heart and Step-By-Step Graphics.

© 1992 Peter Kuper. All Rights Reserved.

By various (Watson-Guptill)
ISBN13: 978-0-8230-5603-3

This hefty hardback coffee-table art-book collects not just some of the incredible cover images from the first ten years of cutting edge comic material for grown ups but also includes promotional art, commercial posters and even some selections from trading cards sets.

Accompanied by an artistic appreciation from author and ex-Vertigo Editor Alisa Kwitney this lavish volume is a delight for fans of the bold, challenging and visually avant-garde sequential art makers who have advanced the cause of grown-up comics from DC’s mature readers imprint.

Produced to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Vertigo it features eye-popping art from the likes of Dave McKean, Brian Bolland, Barron Storey, Jill Thompson, Charles Vess, Michael W. Kaluta, Steve Dillon, Brendan McCarthy, Phil Winslade, Matt Wagner, Kent Williams, Chris Bachalo, Duncan Fegredo, Dave Gibbons, Peter Kuper, John Bolton, Kyle Baker and a host of others.

Showcasing all their regular titles such as Swamp Thing, Hellblazer, Preacher, 100 Bullets, Transmetropolitan, Sandman and others, plus one-offs specials and miniseries like Rogan Gosh, Moonshadow, Stardust and so very many others, the works of art gathered here (just shy of 200, if you’re counting) clarify in the most convincing terms one of the reasons for Vertigo’s continuing success. Let’s see what they can come up with for their 15th anniversary this year, shall we?

© 2000 DC Comics. All Rights Reserved.

Great Advertisements from the Golden Age of Comic Books

By Miles Beller and Jerry Leibowitz (Chronicle Books)
ISBN13: 978-0-8118-0828-6

A few years back there were a brace of books released that reprinted the iconic advertisements that peppered comic books; both American and the much more sedate British variety. Although mostly sensationalistic and concentrating on the kitsch value of their content, there’s still a valid reason to commemorate these histrionic and fantastic landmarks of nostalgia. The volume cited here is a slim and jolly little gem that features full page ads that appeared in US comic-books from the dawn of the form until the mid 1950’s.

Culled from such disparate sources as Alarming Tales, Blue Bolt, Buck Duck, Captain Marvel Adventures, Crime and Punishment, Heart Throbs, Little Lulu, Sad Sack, Terry and the Pirates and a host of others, these full colour seductions offer to fulfill every child’s dreams with such devices as the Technicolor Comicscope, a Jet “Rocket” Space Ship, a Phono-Toon, Forest-Fire Lamps, Space Cadet “Invisible Helmets”, Nutty Putty or even Captain Video Two-Way Communicators.

For older readers the secrets of a happy life are guaranteed with such boons to mankind as Wards Formula (for killing hair-destroying germs!), Baton Twirling in 5 Minutes, the Vacutex Gentle Suction Blackhead Remover, Anti-Bed-Wetting Tablets and of course the secrets of gaining weight and girlfriends.

Even if you’re not skinny this charming slice of yesteryear offers a warm and fuzzy feeling of simpler times now gone, for any fan who doesn’t take the industry and their passion too seriously.

© 1995 Miles Beller and Jerry Leibowitz. All Rights Reserved.

paperback edition
By Ron Tiner (David & Charles)
ISBN13: 978-0-71530-646-8

Having sat through a very large number of portfolio shows (where aspiring artists show their work in hope of advice and eventually a job) I’ve heard – and I must admit, uttered – the phrase “you need to do more life drawing” many hundreds of times. It’s a cliché but it’s universally absolutely true. The human body is the basic unit of meaning and communication in narrative fiction. Everything an artist needs to say depends on how you can render and manipulate that basic unit. And no-one ever EVER reaches the stage where they stop needing to practise observing, constructing and reducing 3-dimensional forms in real space into 2-dimensional analogues.

Rant over, I can admit that finding suitable classes and even the time to practise can be a real bother. So this book by illustrator, teacher and comic artist Ron Tiner, designed with the specialised needs of the narrative artist in mind, is an absolute gem for the aspiring and dedicated would-be creator. All the fundamentals are covered from Structure and Proportion, The Figure in Action, Imagination, Character and Expression, Picture and Composition and Graphic Narrative.

Especially useful for our purposes is the section on The Definitive Moment – depicting the most useful static image that best defines the intent of an action. When Splatman punches Doctor Deadly, what is the most telling, most satisfactory and most efficient figure, angle and composition to communicate the writer’s intention? Sounds woolly, I know, but it’s always the hardest skill for creators to develop, especially in scenes that need mood or tension rather than explosive drama, and this forthright examination here sells it perfectly.

This wonderful book, lavishly illustrated by a master of the comic strip, shows what the reader needs to know and reveals how the artist needs to think. Great stuff and absolutely invaluable – but still not a substitute for life-drawing classes…

So get both.

© 1992, 1997 Ron Tiner. All Rights Reserved.

Illustrated by various (International Music Publications Limited)
ISBN: 978-1-85909-439-6

I’m stretching my brief again here (and isn’t that a grisly image to conjure with?) to review this superb slice of comedy nostalgia that’s still readily available. Michael Flanders and Donald Swann were songwriters who made a big success of performing their own material on stage in a vibrant, satirical manner that captivated audiences both in the theatres but also on the increasingly important television variety circuit.

Their brand of gently jibing whimsy and mordant sarcasm delighted the folk of many nations, and songs such as ‘The Hippopotamus’ (you probably know it as “Mud, Mud, Glorious Mud”) or ‘The Reluctant Cannibal’ are still liable to break out whenever people of a certain age congregate near a piano. They were brilliantly funny on stage (the live albums At the Drop of a Hat and At the Drop of Another Hat are classic examples of comedy stand-up that still leave contemporary “improv” performers agog and breathless) and both of them died much too soon.

This book collects 41 of their funniest, most sarcastic, most touching and best songs, with both sheet music and separate lyrics augmented by cartoons and illustrations from some of Britain’s greatest humorous illustrators. H. M. Bateman, Hoffnung, Osbert Lancaster, David Low, Gerald Scarfe, Willy Fawkes (Trog), Edward Burra, Ionicus, Hewison, ffolkes, Ronald Searle and many others make this grand book a delight to look at as well read. If you ever needed a reason to dust off the old piano lessons…

© 1977, 1996 International Music Publications Limited. Illustrations © 1977 their respective copyright holders.