Monté: King of Atom-Age Monster Decals [Paperback]

Bill Selby (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 15, 2010

A deliciously colorful look at the outrageous art and history of Don "Monté" Monteverde, king of the water slide decal. Informed decal aficionados worldwide agree that of all the water slide decals ever produced, "Originals by Monté" were the first monster decals to zap the collective psyche of defiant, late-fifties juvenile America. They were also the first decals that didn't disintegrate when you tried to apply them. Millions of Montés sold for a dime apiece in hobby shops, bicycle stores, and via mail order through hot rod and monster magazines, winding up rebelliously plastered on bicycles, models, toys, transistor radios, notebooks, lunch boxes -- any empty surface. All kids had to do was add water and voila! Monté decals tossed a cherry bomb into the toilet of conformity. For five decades, mystery surrounded the identity of Monté, the reclusive master of cartoon monster decals. Now, the remarkable and poignant story of Don "Monté" Monteverde is revealed, from his early roots pinstriping cars and motorcycles in Los Angeles to his eventual rise and fall as America's decal king, including Monté's team-up with Ed 'Big Daddy' Roth to create the iconic Rat Fink. Often imitated, but never surpassed, Monté's process is explained, along with hundreds of full-color examples of his work: retro eye-candy guaranteed to raise a smile and satisfy even the most hard-core Kustom Kulture retro jones. There's even a reproduction bonus pack of Monté decals included!

Editorial Reviews

Review

"If my memory serves me correctly, Monté visited the office I shared with 'Big Daddy' early in 1964. Although Roth was very parsimonious about his affiliations with other artists, I remember that he had great respect and admiration for 'his decal man's' abilities. In retrospect, it appears 'Big Daddy' was quite fortunate to find some real talented local guys that helped him build his 'Finkocentric' empire.” - Ed "Newt" Newton

"All these years I've wondered about Rat Fink's origin. I knew Roth couldn't have done it. I'd worked beside him at car shows and knew it had someone else's hand. Sorry, big daddy fans. I'm a huge fan of Roth too -- Big Daddy played a giant part in my life -- but now that I can put it all together, I see it was the hand of Monté screaming out in the Rat Fink. Bravo Monte!” - Stanley Mouse

"This book confidently gives us the best and most probable theory for the birth of the classic 1963 proto Rat Fink character. Numerous scenarios have been tossed around discreetly by the cognoscenti of hot rod monster art for years, yours truly in that sect. Luckily, Bill Selby has taken up the cross of showcasing the genius of Senor Monteverde while no doubt stepping on the toes of self-proclaimed 'Roth experts' and writers guilty of under-researched R.F. origin rehashings.” - Johnny Ace & Kali, Johnny Ace Studios

About the Author

Bill Selby is a writer, graphic designer, and illustrator living in San Francisco. He has written for theater, film, and television, including the New Twilight Zone. Among his proudest artistic accomplishments is having painted three covers for Famous Monsters of Filmland magazine.

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Last Gasp (December 15, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0867197196
• ISBN-13: 978-0867197198
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.2 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #212,722 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful slice of mid 20th Century Pop Culture, January 24, 2011

By 

Vintage Film Buff (Hollywood, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Monté: King of Atom-Age Monster Decals (Paperback)

I gobbled up Bill Selby's terrific book on Don Monteverde and dug the hell out of it. It is a delicious slice of mid 20th century pop culture that succinctly captures the life and times of the artistic free spirit whose unique decals hooked a generation of male boomer kids similarly entranced with Famous Monsters of Filmland magazines and watching movies like RODAN at the local drive-in. Superbly constructed and written, MONTE is a great read that brings back halycon memories of post World War II creativity amid the revving of tooling hot-rods and doodling kids in a fun-loving Southern California of the 50's and 60's that has all but vanished.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Pass The Mustard, May 29, 2011

By 

60s Monster - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Monté: King of Atom-Age Monster Decals (Paperback)

Back when I was a kid these decals were plastered all over everything, bicycles, lunch boxes, toys, you name it. So it was a great surprise when I stumbled on this cool little book devoted to them. And when I received it I was very impressed with the whole package. The size, the layout & the beautiful color photos all enhance the enjoyment of the subject. Unfortunately the text veers off into the tired subject of the origin of Rat Fink & while doing so sheds a bad light on Ed Roth. This also serves to put a downer on an otherwise fun book. The statement is made:..."Roth never specialized in creating bizarre monsters prior to 1963"...Just not true, as early as 1958/59 he was placing ads in Car Craft for `Weirdo' shirts & the cover of the April 1961 Sports Illustrated shows two guys wearing Roth Monster sweatshirts. If this statement is untrue how can you believe the rest of the story, it's all conjecture really. Of course the usual people pile on for their say in the matter. Art is like music, riffs are taken from others by an artist, put into their song & made their own. It's only after the song becomes a hit that people start claiming it as theirs. Ed Roth was like Disney, he had a genius for gathering round about him talented people to help him with his vision. Who knew that the Rat Fink character would become the icon of hot rod & lowbrow art, Ed sure didn't. I write this because there are people out there who might take all this as true when it should be taken as a grain of salt. Read about the man yourself & make up your own mind. I gave the book four stars because of this & the segment on Monte's stained glass period which was worth mentioning but overly long. I do highly recommend this book for the subject matter & the nicely reproduced art. I am glad that this book was written & gives Monte' the credit he deserves for his art & people can finally find out who was behind these iconic creations that were so much a part of the monster craze of that era.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Author Selby owed a huge thanks for this, January 30, 2011

By 

Iconophoric - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Monté: King of Atom-Age Monster Decals (Paperback)

This book is a visual party, an inspiring and eye-opening celebration of an artist about whom I knew little -- but whose work I instantly recognized, as will nearly all kids of a certain age. The reminiscences of his family bring a real warmth to the party. Super-rare samples of his pencil preliminaries and his largely unknown stained glass work round out the picture of a multiply talented artist, who seems to have had a genuine talent for living.

Although I don't want the tail to wag the dog here, it has to be admitted that one of the most intriguing aspects of the book is the controversy it exposes -- of which I had been unaware -- as to the pedigree of that durable icon of the '60s, Rat Fink. I don't want to spoil any of the books surprises, so maybe I'd better leave it at that. But as one of author Selby's interviewees says in so many words, there's enough solid innovation and creativity undebatably credited to Monté that we shouldn't sweat the Rat Fink credit. I agree. While any question of the paternity of Rat Fink is earth-shaking stuff for some of us to ponder, it really isn't the main point of the book, and I find it deeply saddening to think of a great artist like Monté having lost sleep over what Rat Fink did for Roth.

The inclusion of an ultra-cool set of Monté water slide decals tucked into the back of the book (reproductions) takes this book to the next level. (See my photo.)

A beautifully-done, essential book.