Blab! Vol. 17 [Paperback]

Monte Beauchamp (Editor), Amy Crehore (Painter)

Book Description

Series: Blab! | Publication Date: December 6, 2006

The preeminent anthology of contemporary painting, illustration, and cartooning.

Blab! is an annual coffee-table showcase of fine art, illustration, and comix, and a gold- standard in the work of the professional visual arts. Most of Blab!'s contributors through the years have gone on to huge success in the gallery world (Chris Ware, Camille Rose Garcia, Joe Coleman, Gary Baseman, etc.) and the current volume sharpens Blab!'s cutting-edge like never before.

This volume of Blab! features a cover by Jonathan Rosen, and: the Blab! debut of popular artist Shag!; a full-color tribute to Bazooka Joe; Sue Coe and Judith Brody's " And Not a Drop To Drink," an exploration of the destruction of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast by angry gods of wind and water against a backdrop of war; Greg Clarke's "The Pungent Gaul," a surprisingly harrowing story of a Frenchman who smuggles illegal cheeses from his homeland into the United States and sells them on the black market; Michael Dougan's four-page color story about homeland security, paranoia, technology, international intrigue, and anxiety; "Nine Lives," Peter Kuper's story of the various ways he's almost died; more "Fetal Elvis" from Mark Landman; "Max Vesta, Matchbook Artist," the true story of the art and life of the unsung and little known (except to a few collectors and connoisseurs) master of the matchbook cover; Lou Brooks invites us into his "Garden of Tongue- listing Twimericks"—your mouth will never be the same; Peter and Maria Hoey's "Out of Nowhere," the story of Coleman Hawkins and Django Reinghart's years in pre-WWII Paris; plus stories by Tim Biskup, Gary Baseman, Fred Stonehouse, Marc Rosenthal, Spain, Mats!, and Sergio Ruzzier.

Blab! is conceived, edited and designed by five-time New York Festival of Advertising award-winner Monte Beauchamp. Illustrated throughout in color and black-and-white

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

From its humble beginnings two decades ago as a zine devoted to underground comics, Blab! has evolved into a lavish showcase for all manner of cutting-edge graphics, especially the kitsch-influenced, pop-culture-derivative contemporary-art movement known as Lowbrow. Standouts in this number include Greg Clarke's deadpan, picture-book-style account of a French cheese-smuggling mouse; Lou Brooks' wacky gallery of tongue-twisting limericks; Peter and Maria Hoey's vivid account of the interwar Paris jazz scene; and Sue Coe and Judith Brody's devastating rendition of the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. Blab! hasn't abandoned its comics roots altogether, as stories by Paco Alcazar, Peter Kuper, Spain Rodriguez, and Mark Landman, who injects his prenatal redneck character, Fetal Elvis, into Peanuts,Dick Tracy, and other newspaper strips, demonstrate. Editor Beauchamp tosses enlargements of vintage roller-skating labels and Bazooka Joe bubble-gum comics into the mix, and somehow they fit right in. Blab! remains as potent as ever, pursuing its mission to wreak havoc on the wall between high art and lowlife culture. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Monte Beauchamp edited The Life & Times of R. Crumb from St. Martin's Press, and the popular Blab! series. His work has appeared in Print, Communication Arts, American Illustration, and the New York Festival's Annual of Advertising. He lives in Chicago, IL.

Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Fantagraphics Books (December 6, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560977760
• ISBN-13: 978-1560977766
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 9.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,722,346 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)