Cabarga’s XXX “Topless Summer Love Girls”

This is one of the strangest things I’ve ever plugged on Cartoon Brew. We all know Leslie Cabarga as the author of The Fleischer Story, the best history of the Max Fleischer studio ever published. More recently Leslie blessed us with The Logo, Font, & Lettering Bible, which presents comparisons of early Mickey Mouse comic strip inking of Floyd Gottfredson, and the classic Betty Boop inking of Fleischer animator Willard Bowsky to how various type faces are rendered. Now Leslie’s got a new book and it’s slightly OT, thoroughly XXX and totally NSFW.

The book is called Topless Summer Love Girls; A Gentleman’s Guide to Women, Relationships, and Breasts and its now available on Amazon as well as at Cabarga’s own site. The breadth and variety of the book’s contents defy simple description, but suffice it to say that “TSLG” is part-spoof of vintage men’s mags, part self-help for “lovelorn lotharios”, and part-treatise on the female anatomy. It’s also funny as hell.

Like all of Leslie’s books, it’s chock full of incredible visuals. There are old newspaper clippings that may (or may not) be real, weird charts and diagrams, new and vintage girlie photos, Playboyesque gag cartoons by Pixar’s Bill Presing (thumbnail image below right), as well as illustrated contributions by Shane Glines (sample drawings above), Mitch O’ Connell, Alex Niño, Milton Knight and classic artwork by Dave Tendlar (center thumbnail below), Al Capp, Will Eisner, and many more. If you happen to be in L.A. this weekend, Leslie’s having a book signing party (complete with live band and a burlesque dancer) on Saturday, December 4th from 6-9 PM at Hollywood’s Soap Plant Bookstore / La Luz de Jesus Gallery. Check it out — if you dare!