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TAG FOR “Books”Cartoon Brew's home for up-to-the-minute, unedited announcements and press releases direct from industry sources.
December 24, 2008 7:41 am
A few nice collections of holiday-themed cartoon artwork to keep you entertained during the cold weather…
Illustrations from Jingle Bells, a Little Golden Book by the great J.P. Miller.
An incredible collection of Disney Studio holiday cards from the 1930s-’50s.
Delightful and humorous holiday imagery from the early-20th century published in Life magazine.
4 Comments » posted in Books, Comics, Disney, Illustration 
December 18, 2008 5:00 am
I’m working on a new book project with Insight Editions (the same folks who published The Hanna Barbera Treasury) – and I need your help. The concept is similar to my long out-of-print book, The 50 Greatest Cartoons (1994), only this time its all Warner Bros. Cartoons and we will highlight the top one hundred. I am personally contacting some of the top historians, animators, critics, filmmakers and authorities for their opinion. But why stop there? In 1994, for my previous book, we didn’t have the Internet to do the poll (nor did I have a blog). It should be exciting to see what the consensus of the online world is. I’m asking all participants to list their “greatest” nominees in the comments section below. You can list your top ten, twenty or fifty – but please, no more than that. List them in order of greatness, #1 being the most important. I’ll cull the final one hundred out of what titles we receive by January 9th. Please include your real name if you wish to be acknowledged in the book. This is open to the 1001 (or so) theatrically released Warner Bros. cartoons (Looney Tunes and Merrie Melodies) created between 1930 and 1969 (though I tend to doubt we’ll receive too many entries from the 1960s). No government sponsored films (sorry Snafu), industrial or made-for-TV animation accepted. The classic shorts. You know what I mean. Here’s the complete list of eligible film titles. What defines greatness? That’s up to you. I’m throwing the door wide open. Historical significance, biggest laughs, greatest character animation, important milestones… make a list and check it twice. And post it below. 365 Comments » posted in Books
December 17, 2008 3:00 am
Three more books I’m recommending for holiday gift giving, mainly because they are really good reads. Directing the Story by Francis Glebas (Aladdin, Lion King, Pocahontas, Hercules, etc.) is the ultimate book on storytelling and storyboard techniques. 346 oversized color pages explaining everything about the craft, with excellent informative text and hundreds of storyboard drawings to illustrate every point. Highly Recommended! Ted Stearn is a storyboard artist (Beavis and Butt-head, King of the Hill, Futurama, Drawn Together, etc.) by day and an alternative comics genius at night. His Fantagraphics funny animal duo, Fuzz and Pluck, star in separate adventures in their latest graphic novel, Fuzz and Pluck: Splitsville. These are seriously demented stories, and hopefully the template for some future animated adaptation. Crazy drawings and crazy fun. Recommended! I wish Fantagraphics had also printed Beetle Bailey: the First Years 1950-1952. This book doesn’t have the classy feel of the Peanuts or Dennis The Menace reprint volumes, but nonetheless is a fascinating volume tracing the origins of America’s favorite Army private. I spent a half hour going through this book at Barnes and Noble (note to my close buds or Brian Walker: I don’t own a copy and would love to get one as a a gift – hint, hint), I couldn’t put it down. Walker was a terrific cartoonist back then and you can see why the strip became a hit. Recommended! 2 Comments » posted in Books
December 16, 2008 7:00 am
If you are looking for a gift for someone this Christmas or just in the mood to buy something for yourself, my number one choice (and favorite picture book of the last year) would be Kirk Demarais’s: Life of the Party: A Visual History of the S. S. Adams Company.
S.S. Adams was the mastermind behind many of the most popular gag/novelty pranks of the last century, including the Joy Hand Buzzer, the Dribble Glass, the Snake Can, the Squirting Nickel, the Bug in an Ice Cube, the Exploding Cigar, and hundreds of others. As one writer put it, “The man’s rivals must have felt toward him as other dramatists have felt about Shakespeare.” I’m not exactly sure who his rivals were – other fart-cushion manufacturers, maybe? – but the sentiment is right on. This book is treasure and nostalgia all wrapped up in one, like reading the back of an old comic book and trying to decide whether to order the vacuum cleaner hovercraft or a new pair of X-ray specs. The images are often enlarged so you can really appreciate the original art and packaging genius of Louis M. Glackens*, the cartoonist who Adams hired to bring all of his products to life. I also confess a soft spot for the personal touch of ordering it direct from the factory in Neptune, New Jersey. I wish all books were like this.
In 1906 Adams discovered the existence of a potent chemical called Dianisidine and began marketing it in small vials labeled “Cachoo Sneezing Powder” (the company was originally called the “Cachoo Sneeze Powder Company”). The powder was so powerful that you could fill a room with sneezing people simply by blowing it through a keyhole or a crack in a door.
While Adams was busy exploiting Dianisidine stateside for laughs, the Germans were on the other side of the Atlantic stuffing it into their artillery shells, wreaking further disorder in the trenches of their enemies as the chemical also inhibits breathing. Fortunately for Adams, he had a good 35 years before the F.D.A. decided that Dianisidine wasn’t as “harmless” as his label proclaimed and banned it. By then, Adams had built an entire business with the money he made and had already used it to create countless other novelty items, some of them just as successful, if not more so, than sneezing powder.
Asked to share some advice on what makes a great novelty item, Adams once said, “The best idea is to work with an ordinary everyday object which is around the house.” Case in point is his “Snake Jam Jar”, also known as the “Snake Nut Can.” Apparently, around 1915 Adams had a habit of leaving the jam jar lid unscrewed. His wife wasn’t too happy about it and she began checking the lid to catch him in an act of neglect. So, Adams rigged the jar by stuffing a wire coil wrapped in colorful fabric, and sat in the wings waiting for his wife to come in and inspect it. The rest is history: when the 4-ft “snake” jumped out of the jar at his wife, she let out a scream so loud that Adams knew instantly that he had a new classic.
You will spend hours soaking up the thousands of images in this unbelievably rich and beautifully-produced “Visual History.” If you’re lucky, you may even find yourself curled up under the sheets with a flashlight and a magnifying glass, feeling just like a kid again. Get it here directly from the S.S. Adams factory in Neptune, New Jersey. *Glackens was also a successful director and animator. Check his filmography here. If anyone can turn up a sample of his work online, please share it in the comments. 6 Comments » posted in Books, Cartoon Culture
December 13, 2008 1:30 pm
Several animators have expanded beyond simply publishing their own sketchbooks and have moved up into creating personal illustrated stories, and authoring children’s books. Here are a few suggestions, off the beaten path, for gifts you might want to give your animated loved ones this holiday season.
First off, if you were wondering where to find a great childrens’ book about a town of hamburger-headed people… Well, your worries are over! Writer Mike Reiss (The Simpsons) has teamed once again with animator Xeth Feinberg (their past collaborations include Queer Duck and Hard Drinkin’ Lincoln) to create a clever, funny book just published by Inkwater Press, City of Hamburgers. Next, meet Gabriele Pennacchioli, a Dreamworks animator-story artist who’s spent one year of weekends developing the story of a little horned hero. Now he’s collected his incredibly appealing drawings into a book, The Young Minotaur, which he’s selling $15.00 (which includes his signature and a sketch). See his blog for more information. David G. Derrick Jr. is an artist and sculptor at Dreamworks Animation who has documented his adventures sketching animals in Africa in a new self published soft cover, African Diaries. It’s a first person account, in words and drawings, of his recent trek through the dark continent. Check out his website to order and see his amazing sculptures. Speaking of Africa and Dreamworks, I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention, once again, my own holiday gift book The Art of Madagascar. Take a look: (Thanks to Teoh Yi Chie/Parka81 for making the video above) 1 Comment » posted in Books
December 9, 2008 11:17 am
Has anybody gotten their hands on this book yet? A Century of Stop-Motion Animation: From Melies to Aardman is co-authored by animation legend Ray Harryhausen and film historian Tony Dalton. It looks very comprehensive both text-wise and image-wise. A potentially valuable addition to animation libraries. (Thanks, Ken Priebe) 6 Comments » posted in Books
December 2, 2008 1:46 am
My friends at Chronicle Books are having their annual “Friends and Family” sale. Through Friday, December 5, every book ordered from their website is 35% off and includes free shipping. To receive this discount, simply use the promo code FRIENDS at checkout. In addition to their currently available books, there are two new titles that can be pre-ordered on their site: Rogue Leaders: The Story of LucasArts and my own The Art of Pixar Short Films. Also available at 35% discount is, of course, Cartoon Modern. Speaking of which, I got the itch recently to start a new blog about Fifties animation design. There won’t be a lot of writing on it; it’s just a place where I can share cool artwork. The new site is at cartoonmodern.tumblr.com. 1 Comment » posted in Books
November 14, 2008 5:02 pm
This weekend, Picturebox, the publisher of the John K book I’m working on, is having a massive book and magazine sale at their place. I’ve browsed through the selection and there’s plenty of quality and rare stuff that’ll interest anybody into cartoons and illustration. It takes place on Saturday and Sunday, November 15 and 16, from 12-5pm. Available at affordable prices are hundreds of volumes about graphic design, illustration, fine art, graphic novels, imported manga, vintage children’s books, silkscreened books, prints, and tons of design and art magazines. Credit cards will be accepted. Picturebox is located at 121 3rd St. (corner of Bond) in Brooklyn. Take the F or G train to Carroll St., exit at Smith and 2nd place, and walk down 3rd St. to Bond. |
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