Masters of Imagination: The Comic Book Artists Hall of Fame [Hardcover]

Mike Benton (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 1994

Masters of Imagination presents an overview of the careers and works of the 13 world-class cartoonists elected to the Comic Book Artists Hall of Fame. More than 250 full-color illustrations plus illuminating commentary by Mike Benton offer insight into the creative processes that made these artists the very best in the world.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Comics scholar Benton follows his five-volume History of Comics series with a more narrowly focused work profiling 13 artists who have arguably made the greatest impact on the comic book medium. His well-chosen lineup includes commercially dominant titans such as superhero king Jack Kirby, Superman cocreator Joe Shuster, and Mad's Harvey Kurtzman; humorists Carl Barks (the unbilled chronicler of Donald Duck and Uncle Scrooge) and Walt Kelly (who created Pogo for comic books years before his newspaper-strip appearance); and relatively unknown "artist's artists" Alex Toth and Bernard Krigstein. What all his subjects share is that they emphasize not flashy illustration but storytelling--the design, pacing, and flow of narrative. Benton's compilation fills a genuine need, since information on these figures has heretofore been available only in brief entries in reference books and articles in small-press magazines. Younger comics fans probably won't recognize most of these masters' names, but their work will be studied by aspiring comics artists long after most of today's trendy creators are forgotten. Gordon Flagg

Product Details

• Hardcover: 183 pages
• Publisher: Taylor Pub; 1ST edition (September 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0878338594
• ISBN-13: 978-0878338597
• Product Dimensions: 11.2 x 8.7 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 2.1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (1 customer review)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #634,971 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars With a Lifetime Of Hardwork One Can Achieve Greatness, October 21, 2010

By 

PHILIP S WOLF (SOUTH LAKE TAHOE, CA. USA) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Masters of Imagination: The Comic Book Artists Hall of Fame (Hardcover)

This well-produced hardbound book is about thirteen comic book greats that have rose above the thousands that have graced this filed of art. Inside: "Masters of Imagination" you will find biographies and comic art visuals from: Will Eisner, Joe Shuster, Jack Kirby, C.C. Beck, Jack Cole, Carl Barks, Walt Kelly, Basil Wolverton, Harvey Kurtzman, Wally Wood, Bernard Kingstein, Alex Toth and Steve Ditko. The common factor that links these writers and artists together is that they all had been elected to The Jack Kirby Hall Of Fame & The Will Eisner Hall Of Fame prior to 1994.

From Superman to Pogo Possum, from The Incredible Hulk to Bat Boy & Rubin, from Uncle Scrooge to Plastic Man, so many comic book heroes and critters are found right here along side the tales of their creators. This book spans seventy years of comic book history, (up to 1994) by the very best of this story-telling medium.

If you are interested into the backgrounds of thses comic book masters, and the stories behind the creation of hundreds of comic book icons, this book tales the tale in proper fashion. Almost everything reproduced here is in color (with the exception of the early Mad Magazine arists that worked in glorious black & white) and there are some stunning pieces of comic art showcased on the pages of this book. A lot of ground is covered in the 176 pages of this book and it is a high quality tribute to these men of the comic books. An imformative and fun book that should help you win any future debates at the comic book store.
Four Stars!