Customer Reviews

In the Studio: Visits with Contemporary Cartoonists

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Since this is my first ever review for Amazon, I am compelled to tell you that Todd Hignite has delivered a powerful statement from the masters of modern comic expression. The Robert Crumb interview alone is worth the price of entry. Crumb digs deep and comes up with some terrific historical perspective plus a treasure of new things you have not read or heard before.

Almost as good are the pages devoted to Spiegelman. You won't be disappointed; I promise.

Additionally, the production values of this book are excellent. "Printed in China" doesn't mean falling apart on cheap paper anymore, apparently.

Kudos to Yale University Press for publishing.

The introduction to the book and to each artist by the editor are pretentious tripe. But the input from the artists, coupled with epherma from their studios is fascinating. Recommend the editor for his selection of authors, format for the book, and expertise in finding and drawing worthwhile material. Ignore the over-intellectualized claptrap surrounding the gems when he puts on his author cap.

I like this book. The author gets too verbose when he's introducing each man. But once pass that unnecessary vocabulary grandstanding, there are some great pages of discovery to be made about each artist.
Amazing insight into who influences these amazing artists. Especially revealing are the Hernandez, Ware, Burns, and Clowes influences. There are a few good chuckles in the Clowes section (the caption about two panesl from a Ditko piece he owns had me laughing out loud)
But for me, the best interview is saved for last. Ivan Brunetti. I never liked the guy's 'personality' in his comics and was amazed he was included in this line-up. But his interview reveals a very interesting man. Not many examples of his work are to be displayed, but rather a series of images showing the process of completing a strip.

I agree the absolute and completely over the top vocabulary takes you away from the real "meat" of the book. I felt much of the vocabulary was just completely unnecessary, I in no means feel the author should dumb down the book but, I had to skip all the nonsensical descriptions and just look for quotation marks, because that way I could tell when the cartoonist was talking... I have no clue how an editor would let this out the door without asking the author "what the hell are you talking about" Preview a few pages of the book and you'll get an understanding of what I'm talking about.... I can just hear Crumb reading the book after it came out and reading the flowery descriptions and just saying "Jesus!!"

Would I buy it again? Yeah.