A favorite Sunday memory for me is reading the Sunday comics with my son. The ability to tell a story and convey profound truths with little to no text is a remarkable talent. In honor of cartoonists everywhere, National Cartoonists’ Day aims to celebrate the work and wonder of these amazing artists.
America’s great comic strip artists: from the Yellow Kid to Peanuts by Richard Marschall – First published in 1989, this album is a treasury of outstanding graphics and rare comic art. It is also a history of the art form itself as seen through the work of sixteen cartoonists of the last century including Winsor McCay, Hal Foster, Chester Gould, Charles Schultz, EC Segar, Alex Raymond and Harold Gray.
741.50922 MAR
Marvel Studio’s visual dictionary by Adam Bray –
Iron Man’s armor, S.H.I.E.L.D.’s helicarriers, the soaring towers of Asgard, Hawkeye’s bow, Thor’s hammer, mighty Thanos and the Infinity Stones, Star-Lord’s quad blasters – each subject is shown using beautiful movie stills and stunning prop photography, accompanied by engaging text explaining their key features and role in the Marvel saga. A unique and captivating showcase of the first ten years of Marvel Studios, this is the book that every Marvel movie fan has been waiting for!
791.4375 BRA
Stan Lee’s how to draw superheroes by Stan Lee – Lee shows readers everything they’ll need to make their own mighty superheroes, just like his classic creations. Lee exposes his secret tools and techniques for bringing strong, inspiring heroes and heroines to life. He even shows aspiring creators how to expand their super-universes with evil villains, trusty sidekicks, brutes and monsters, super-pets, secret hideouts, and more! These invaluable insights from one of the greatest superhero creators of all time are must-haves for all fans of Lee’s legendary superhero comic work.
741.5 LEE
Masterful marks: cartoonists who changed the world by Monte Beauchamp – No one has told the story of comic art in its own medium, until now. In Masterful Marks, top illustrators-including Drew Friedman, Nora Krug, Denis Kitchen, and Peter Kuper-reveal how sixteen visionary cartoonists overcame massive financial, political, and personal challenges to create a new form of art that now defines our world.
GN 741.590922 MAS
Born to draw comics: the story of Charles Schulz and the creation of Peanuts by Ginger Wadsworth – A mixed-panel format picture book biography of Charles “Sparky” Schulz, creator of the beloved comic strip Peanuts. As a child, Charles split his free time between adventures outdoors with his friends and dog Spike, and daydreams and doodles inspired by the comics he loved to read. He longed to become a professional cartoonist but saw his dreams deferred by unexpected challenges that laid ahead: military deployment to the European front of World War II, and the heartbreak of a family tragedy back home. Even so, Charles never lost sight of the hopeful joy of his early years and his love for Spike, both of which inspired PEANUTS. The comic strip went on to become the most popular and influential in comics history
JB SCHULZ CHARLE WADSWO
Drawing From Memory by Allen Say – Caldecott Medalist Allen Say presents a stunning graphic novel chronicling his journey as an artist during WWII, when he apprenticed under Noro Shinpei, Japan’s premier cartoonist. DRAWING FROM MEMORY is Allen Say’s own story of his path to becoming the renowned artist he is today. Shunned by his father, who didn’t understand his son’s artistic leanings, Allen was embraced by Noro Shinpei, Japan’s leading cartoonist and the man he came to love as his “spiritual father.” As WWII raged, Allen was further inspired to consider questions of his own heritage and the motivations of those around him. He worked hard in rigorous drawing classes, studied, trained–and ultimately came to understand who he really is
JB SAY ALLEN SAY
The Peanuts Movie – Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus, and the rest of the beloved Peanuts gang make their big-screen debut, like they’ve never been seen before, in state-of-the-art 3D animation. Charlie Brown, the world’s most beloved underdog, embarks upon an epic and heroic quest, while his best pal, the lovable beagle Snoopy, takes to the skies to pursue his arch-nemesis, the Red Baron.
American Splendor – Pekar is a frustrated file clerk working at the local V.A. Hospital. He is also a comic book fan who befriends the young illustrator Robert Crumb and is soon inspired to create comic books based on his own life. Along his bumpy journey he meets, marries and falls in love with Joyce, an admiring comic book seller.
Dean – Dean is an illustrator whose unwillingness to deal with the recent death of his mother means escaping his hometown of New York for an interview with an ad agency in Los Angeles. His retired engineer dad Robert takes a more regimented approach to grief, including putting the family home up for sale. Both father and son set out on their own paths to find a new normal as unexpected circumstances and potential new love interests threaten to thwart all plans.