Reviews (1)

Awesome writing, awesome art!
Gilbert Hernandez's "Fear of Comics" is a wonderful anthology of comic shorts that serves as an excellent showcase of his first-rate writing and dramatic sensibilities.Ranging in tone from zany to macabre to absurdist each of the dozen or so stories (along with another dozen or so comic-strips) are narrative treats unto themselves.From the paranoia of the sci-fi tale, "Return of the Tzik," to the surreal horrorscapes of "The Legend of the Crying Woman: La Llorona," this book will surely have a story or two of interest to anyone - fans of Hernandez or not.Read more

Subjects:  1. Comics & Graphic Novels    2. Fiction    3. General    4. Graphic Novels    5. Graphic Novels - General    6. Graphic Novel   

Reviews (22)

Insightful reporting from a different perspective
Joe Sacco, Safe Area Gorazde: The War in Eastern Bosnia 1992-1995 (Fantagraphics, 2002)
The genocide of Muslims by Christians in the 1990s
I just finished reading this brilliant work. I was in Eastern Europe in 1991-1993 and saw the refugees coming out of Bosnia. I followed the story as close as I could, even visting a refugee camp. But Sacco's illustrations put me on the ground in the supposed safe zones. The brutality of the supposedly Christian Serbs to Muslim Bosnians is so overwheliming it makes any beheadings in Iraq look like a birthday party in comparison.
Awsome history graphic novel
A graphic novel that reveals the history of the Bosnian war and cleansing of Muslims and Crotians by the Serbs.Novel is by Joe Sacco a Journalist and cartoonist. He also has writtin other graphic novels. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 1991-1995    2. 1992-    3. Bosnia and Hercegovina    4. Comic books, strips, etc    5. Discrimination & Racism    6. Eastern Europe - Balkan Republics    7. Eastern Europe - General    8. Fine Arts    9. General    10. Gorazde (Bosnia and Hercegovina)    11. History    12. History - Military / War    13. History: World    14. Military - Other    15. Yugoslav War,    16. Bosnia-Herzegovina    17. European history: postwar, from c 1945 -    18. Graphic novels    19. Israel    20. Middle East    21. Warfare & Defence   

Subjects:  1. Comics & Graphic Novels    2. Graphic Novels    3. Graphic Novels - Erotica    4. Comic book & cartoon art    5. Comics & Graphic Novels / Graphic Novels / Erotica    6. Erotic art    7. History of art & design styles: from c 1900 -    8. Individual artists   

Reviews (3)

Dragon! Dragon! Rock the Dragon! USAGI BALL Z! (yeah, I know...I'm bored)
This collection consists of one long epic story arc. Tomoe is sent on a spy mission into a rival lords territory where she discovers a plot to overthrow the Shogun. Unfortunately she is captured before she can relay word to Lord Hikiji. It is left up to Miyamoto Usagi to free Tomoe and upset the rival lord's plot. Along the way Usagi finds himself allied with former enemies Ino (the blind swords pig/outlaw), Shingen and his clan, as well as his ol'buddies Gen and Spot.
the Dragon Bellow Conspiracy
My son and I love Usagi Yojimbo, so 'The Dragon Bellow Conspiracy' was definately a hit, though not our absolute favorite issue.It was in excellent condition and we are happy to own it.
An excellent tale.
A nice cast of characters and plenty of action. Shingen, Gen, Zato-Ino, Spot, Tomoe, Noriyuki, Chizu and introducing a favorite character of mine, Captain Torame. Who is friend and who is foe changes from chapter to chapter, and three of the main characters above bite the dust. Gen and Zato-Ino have their final showdown, and Lord Hebi makes a cameo near the end. A nice chapter in the Usagi saga, but not a book for one who is not familiar with Usagi and his world. A better introduction is Book 6, Circles or starting at the beginning with Book 1, Ronin. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Comics & Graphic Novels - General    2. Fiction - Fantasy    3. Graphic Novels    4. Graphic Novels - General    5. Historical - Asia    6. Humor    7. Juvenile Fiction    8. Juvenile Historical Fiction    9. Fantasy   

Reviews (4)

The Continuing Chronicle of Buddy Bradley
Buddy Go Home is much different than the earlier HATE comix. The setting's gone from trendy Seattle to dank New Jersey, and the glorious black and white is now family friendly color.
sort of interesting, but not very funny
One of the blurbs on the jacket says this is "hilariously depressing", and I agree with the "depressing" part, but can't agree with the "hilarious" part. The further hilarious adventures of a slacker named Buddy
Peter Bagge takes us back to where it all began:the suburban New Jersey home of the Bradley clan. Babs is now a single mother of two too cute/too annoying kiddies, Butch is an oafish simpleton, Mom is drunk, Dad's almost dead and Buddy and Lisa are still in hate with each other.Bagge's talentfor charaterization and his hyperactive comic style shine in this volume. The subject matter is a little more serious than in previous HATE stories,but it is still consistently hilarious and reminds all of us grown-upslackers how lucky we are to be out of the house. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Fantasy    2. Fiction - General    3. General    4. Graphic Novels   

Editorial Review

Dan Clowes follows his amazing graphic novel, Read more

Reviews (13)

Nobody captures the feeling of alienation better then Clowes
The brilliance of Clowes comic strips can be found in his unique ability to capture that lonely, empty feeling of alienation that his characters so often convey drifting in and out of vapid 'Ghost Worlds.'Make no mistake about it, this book is brilliant and should be rated 5 stars if it weren't for the last 1/5 of it where we're offered 2 stories that suffer from a lack of narrative cohesion.The first 4/5's though, demonstrate Clowes at his finest by way of his beautiful artwork and razor-sharp writing filled with pathos, humour and cutting observation. aufgh
To all the other reviewers: You can't expect all of Dan Clowes' work to be exactly like "Ghost World", I mean if you start out reading "Ghost World", and then expect all his comics to be exactly the same way, then it's not, and to say that something isn't as good because you keep comparing it to "Ghost World", then that's just stupid. Unreality
Clowes has always been an excellent storyteller, but the brilliance of his work is not in his stories (which are often mundane and uneventful) but the rich and poignant display of emotions that play underneath the narrative. This was certainly the case in "Ghost World" and "David Boring" in that the exploration of loneliness, adolescent angst and self-loathing took place in the nuances of facial expression and the subtext of spoken word, and not in the unfolding of the plot. "Caricature" is no different, but with the added advantage of Clowes working without the burden of having to tell a story. Being less constrained by the demands of a longer, more cohesive narrative format, Clowes in this collection of nine vignettes is able to explore his themes with greater freedom and whimsy. Thus, many of the stories here take on a dream-like quality and even the more grounded ones have a strong sense of unreality. And indeed, it is in the weird plane of reverie where the emotions he means to convey are best communicated. This is stream-of-consciousness in the form of the graphic novel and more than in any of his other work he communicates at the level of the subconscious. Needless to say there are moments in this book that are transcendental. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Comics & Graphic Novels    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - General    4. General    5. Graphic Novels    6. Graphic Novels - General    7. Fiction anthologies & collections   

Reviews (1)

Excellent overview of one of the most creative poster artists of the 20th century
I've been collecting rock poster books for about two years now, and have been awaiting this book's publish date the entire time.I collect the books, not the posters, because it's cheaper and I don't have the space to collect more than a handful of the real thing.I've got about 30 rock poster books now.
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Subjects:  1. Art & Art Instruction    2. Collections, Catalogs, Exhibitions - General    3. Comics & Graphic Novels    4. Fiction    5. Graphic Novels - General    6. Individual Artist    7. Contemporary popular music    8. Individual artists    9. Poster art   

Reviews (4)

Wonderfully deviant
My Standard Operating Procedure for reading Kaz's "Underworld" is to flip through until I read a page that makes me say out loud "Oh, my God! That's horrible!" A Comic Masterpiece
Kaz, the master of the underground comic buisness, has made an incredible depiction of the underground life in cities. He satires drinking, drugs, sex and abuse with ease and makes you laugh at those things that you know you shouldn't. His characters are flawless symbols of evil and imperfection and the artistic look of the general book is amazing. A buy worth every penny.

kaz is one of the greats
Underworld is a hilariously nightmarish cartoon city where the denizens are a twisted mockery and amalgam of all the cartoons from gag strips of Yore. You will see somewhat familiar faces, skewed and distorted. Its everything that cartoons have ever been, without the limitations of staying within the safe confines of Cartoonyland...Read more

Subjects:  1. Comics & Cartoons    2. Comics & Graphic Novels    3. Fiction - General    4. General    5. Humor    6. Comic book & cartoon art    7. Graphic novels   

Subjects:  1. Comics & Graphic Novels    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - General    4. General    5. Graphic Novels - General    6. Comics & Graphic Novels / Graphic Novels / General    7. Graphic novels   

Reviews (6)

Flattened dreams.
5 stars, but its very realism left me chilled - it being all too believable, lacking even a wift of the unusual. It's stellar work, the power struggle between two incompatible minds, but there were no creative revelations or fresh views of the life experience, just a convincing look at the dangers of romanticized relationships.

loved almost all of it
I loved every page of this book up to the great climax, which in my opinion strikes a false note to say the least. the character development is carefully done and plausible up to that point, where two genres seem to collide to the benefit of neither; I'm not familiar with Mark Kalesniko's previous work, but can imagine it to be in a more traditional "comic" style, where such scenes are somewhat more commonplace. Art is superb and story is well told
most of the others reviewers here have told you all you'll need to know about the story of "Mail Order Bride" so I'll leave those details to them.Read more

Subjects:  1. Comics & Graphic Novels    2. Fiction    3. General    4. Graphic Novels    5. Graphic Novels - General    6. Graphic Novel   

Reviews (6)

NOTE FROM THE PUBLISHER
Herriman's color work was indeed wonderful, but as the previous correspondent notes, for two thirds of its run the Sunday KRAZY KAT was in fact black and white, so we've been publishing it in that format. Pedro Medas got it wrong
Regarding the review below: Sunday Krazy Kat strips were not printed in color until 1934, so the strips in this volume (which covers the period from 1927 to 1928) are presented as they were originally published. While there are many pre-1934 strips that were hand-colored by Herriman, they were intended to be personal gifts to fellow cartoonists and not for publication.

Please don't buy it! I bought and I had a great disappoint.
I'm a long time fan to Herriman work.When I find a new book with his drawings I go get it that instant. I got this andhad a great shock!!! This is a b/w book that does not show all the greatness of Herriman art. Herriman used colors, shapes and shades at such a great level that you should try to find a book that will do him justice. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Comics & Cartoons    2. Fiction    3. Graphic Novels - General    4. Humor   

Reviews (2)

An ordinary worker becomes the victim of omens and nightmare
The Wipeout by Francesca Ghermandi is a bizarrely surreal allegorical graphic novel about bitter cross-purposes, manipulations, selfish desires, and overwhelmingly guilt-ridden nightmares. An ordinary worker becomes the victim of omens and nightmares in which he dreams of murder, and paranoia wracks him beyond the limits of sanity, yet he is being manipulated by a far more ruthless presence in this twisted parable. Highly recommended reading and drawn with exaggerated caricatures that resemble simple shapes more than human beings, The Wipeout includes adult language and subject matter within the context of visual and conceptual metaphor.

Dazzling!
What a striking, memorable creation. Beautifully printed, bizarre, surreal, but strangely endearing too. Francesca Ghermandi's mental landscape will probably yield brilliant work for many years to come. Watch this space! ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Comics & Graphic Novels    2. Fiction    3. Fiction - Fantasy    4. Graphic Novels    5. Graphic Novels - Fantasy    6. Graphic Novels - General   

Subjects:  1. Anthologies    2. Comics & Graphic Novels    3. Fiction    4. Graphic Novels    5. Graphic Novels - General    6. Fiction / Graphic Novels   

Reviews (2)

Habit Forming!
This title was my first book of Krazy and Ignatz.I discovered them while researching early newspaper comic strips.I can't add anything new to the praise George Herriman has recieved, but I can tell you I have ordered the other books.I'm hooked!

"Oh well, I'll inspire myself with anudda inspiration"
I've said this before and I'll say it again - Krazy Kat is simply one of the best comics ever produced. It completely smashes the western stereotype that comics are merely "for kids" and are supposed to be predictable, cute, and shallow.Read more

Subjects:  1. Comics & Cartoons    2. Comics & Graphic Novels    3. Graphic Novels    4. Graphic Novels - General    5. Humor   

Subjects:  1. American Satire And Humor    2. Comics & Graphic Novels    3. Fiction    4. Fine Arts    5. General    6. Graphic Novels - General    7. Nonfiction    8. Comics & Graphic Novels / Graphic Novels / General    9. English    10. Graphic novels    11. USA   

Reviews (4)

Kaveat...
I have nothing to add to the praise for Herriman's marvelous creation, which you can read about in the comments below. Anything I'd say to that effect would only echo what has already been written.
George Herriman, Comic Genius.
The Fantagraphic series of Krazy Kat reprints is a fantastic journey back in time.The strange thing is that it could have been written yesterday.Anyone remotely interested in comic strips or cartoons needs to get as many of these volumes as possible.Krazy Kat came to life in his own strip in 1913.The same year Charles Chaplin made his first silent film.As a student of the Chaplin films,the first thing that came to mind was how Herrimans' comic strip reminds you of the work Chaplin did.This was not intentional I'm sure.They were geniuses of their time and in fact,of all time.

Fantagraphics closes the gap
George Herriman created Krazy Kat as a "downstairs" strip to his The Family Upstairs.The devine Kat soon had a strip of his/her own, both daily and Sunday.
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Subjects:  1. Comics & Cartoons    2. Comics & Graphic Novels    3. Graphic Novels    4. Graphic Novels - General    5. Humor   

Reviews (3)

Jim Woodring is the artistic antidote to Thomas Kinkade
There is a malicious rumor being bantered about in the hip bistros and skidrow dives of Seattle's Belltown and in the Fremont District's street fairs and opium dens that there is no such human individual named Jim Woodring but that, in fact, this name is the invention of a collective of highly talented but anarchistic Elfish refugees from the North Pole.They supposedly immigrated to Seattle after being sacked from Santa's workshop for "designing toys of a degenerate and dangerous nature" and for "failing to abide by the Kringle dress code", which doesn't permit tattoos or body piercings.They settled in the Emerald City and garnered some success by exploiting the craze for blown glass art until the Chihuly art cartel's Double Eyepatch Posse made them an offer they couldn't refuse.Preferring to keep the use of their eyes the elves decided to cease glass blowing and, working under the pseudonym "Jim Woodring" (Which is a euphemism for a marital aid), adapted their skills to the burgeoning comix/graphic novel industry.Here they found their raison d'etre.
Invites viewers to observe in a different light
Jim Woodring's charcoal drawings are images that come from his interest in hidden worlds and lucid art - and SEEING THINGS gathers some of the most intriguing, arranging them in sections by topic: Visible World, Lazy Robinson, Frogs and Color. 'Color' by far seems the most exciting, dramatizing the drawings and providing eye-catching involvement in the symbolism of the unseen - while the black and white charcoal drawings might appeal most to artists who find color distracting. With its blends of surrealism and irony, SEEING THINGS invites viewers to observe in a different light.
oh god it's jim
This tome is worth the price of admission for the chapter introductions alone. The rest is the algae on the pond water. If you're familiar with Jim Woodring, you know what to expect, which is that you don't know what to expect: a fresh, heaping gobbet of queasy delight around every page, a snapshot of that lushly sterile suburban landscape where deliciously canted reality keeps intruding like crusty mold fingering its way through the kitchen wall. If you're not familiar with Woodring, I suggest going to sleep immediately after viewing the contents, before they have time to take root in the febrile soil of your high pink garden. Either that, or don't sleep for three days after. Either way, it doesn't get comfortable. I would shower this with 5 stars, but Jim knows better than I that nothing is perfect, not even our own opinions. Once as a child, I chopped a centipede in half with a toy shovel (they were metal in those days); the back half kept walking while the front half stayed put, contemplating, no doubt, an afterlife where you'd need your ass more than your eyes. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Art & Art Instruction    2. Comics & Graphic Novels    3. Commercial - Illustration    4. Fiction    5. Graphic Novels - General    6. Individual Artist    7. Comic book & cartoon art    8. Pencil & charcoal drawing   

Reviews (2)

HAW HAW!!
Perhaps best-known for his Janis Joplin Cheap Thrills album cover and the X-rated film adaptation of Fritz the Cat, R. Crumb is the man who in the sixties brought the comics underground to light--a fact which made many with weak stomachs and bad consciences want to close their eyes.But the sublime and grotesque black-and-white drawings insist that you look as Crumb gives play to his sexual fantasies and keen social observations. Crumb draws it as he sees it, lampooning hypocrites of every ilk, from university thinktank eggheads to brutalizing cops to wigged-out counter-culture types with their hippier-than-thou halos and hangups.

Halcyon Hippy Comix...
In volume five of the Complete Crumb Comics, the great artist continues to wittily dissect the body of 1960's American society. Broad parody ('NeatoKeeno Time', 'Hamburger Hi-jinx') rubs shoulders with barbed socialcommentary ('MOTORCITY Comics' #1, the Fritz the Cat epic, 'Fritz TheNo-Good') and lighthearted sexual fantasies ('SNATCH Comics' #1 & 2,'Dirty Dog'). There's also lots of rarities in this volume (ie: theoriginal front cover for Janis Joplin's 'Cheap Thrills' LP, a previouslyunpublished alternate cover for 'ZAP' #3, a poster for 'The Zap Show' from1968, comix from 'The East Village Other' and 'Chicago Seed', etc...). Forthose unfamiliar with Crumb's work, volume five presents a respectablecross section of the oeuvre of the grand old man of Underground Comix. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Comics & Cartoons    2. Comics & Graphic Novels    3. General    4. Humor    5. Cartoons & comic strips    6. Jokes & riddles   

Reviews (3)

But the strips were in black and white...
Not to nitpick too much, but Herriman didn't use color in his Sundays until (I believe) 1935. The comics are reprinted here smaller than the original full-page size; to reprint the comics that large would require an oversized folio that would cost many times as much and not fit on most shelves. Not that it wouldn't be neat.

Poorly reproduced, a disservice
Produced entirely in black & white, and with very small images.The original was in color & about twice the size.There is really nothing to hold your interest, visually.This will turn people off to Krazy Kat.I sent my copy back.

"How stipendous is the possibility of a egg"
Fantagraphics delivers again. The greatest comic ever published is getting its due thanks to this series (taken over from the now defunct Eclipse series). Once again the book is crammed with great Krazy Kat full page strips (keeping in step with the series previous three volumes). Comics were at one time far more complex, as a simple head poke into this book will reveal. These aren't your average four panel "I hate Mondays" gag strips. These involve reading, not glancing. Herriman was a master at his trade, and dialects, puns, non-sequiturs, nonsense, changing backgrounds, slapstick, and poignancy pervade every page. There's nothing like this on the incredibly shrinking comics page of today.Read more

Subjects:  1. Comics & Cartoons    2. Comics & Graphic Novels    3. Graphic Satire And Humor    4. Humor    5. Graphic novels   

Reviews (4)

ONE-OF-ITS-KIND
A stand-alone book: I can't think of anything comparing to this unprecedented approach to these two historically divergent expressions of human creativity, Fine Arts and Comics. As a matter of fact, this book proves that they are NOT "historically divergent", quite the opposite.

Worst Thing Ever
Modern Arf is a book with absolutely no content.The sidebar on the cover is particularly aggravting.Pages devoted to Crumb, Wood, and DeCarlo all of whom made the cover?One each.Not to mention that the book is laid out terribly.THE TABLE OF CONTENTS IS ON PAGE 31.There is no rhyme or reason to where the book goes.There is just stuff and then some other stuff.Craig Yoe should be ashamed that he is profiting off of this garbage.He has big names and does nothing with them.Stay far far away.I think these other reviewers must be employed by Yoe because no one in their right mind would rate this highly.Please note that this low rating is NOT based on my dislike for comics or the all of the artists included it is for the book as a whole.

Mind-blowing comics I've never seen before!
I'm a lifelong comics fan and it's pretty unusual for me to see something in a book like this that I haven't seen before. That's why I was completely blown away by Modern Arf!
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Subjects:  1. Art    2. Graphic Arts - General    3. Graphic Novels    4. Graphic Novels - General    5. Comic book & cartoon art