No comments about Decorative French Ironwork Designs (Dover Pictorial Archive Series).

1 comments about Wild Pilgrimage: A Novel in Woodcuts.

1. This ambiguous story follows one man's journey, starting in an industrial hell. He escapes the concrete chasms and jail-like housing out into a natural, wooded environment. Human ugliness invades that too, when the nameless protagonist sees a lynching. It reminds us of a dark chapter of American history, one that we must keep behind us but must never forget. A bit later, a farmer takes him in and gives him work, food, and shelter. Then the ugliness within him erupts, forcing him to move on.
   
   Throughout, changes of color from black to rusty red and back carry the reader back and forth between the man's real world and dream world. The dreams drive him from one episode to the next. I can't swear to the meaning Lynd wants us to read in these shifts, but I see a disturbing and believable contrast between the happiness and heroism of his dreams and the disastrous realities that ensue from following those dreams. Perhaps this story describes the falsehood of hope in a hopeless world - perhaps I'll read it differently when I come back to it.
   
   Lynd's stark, strong artwork suits the narrative perfectly, with support from this book's impeccable reproduction. Woodcut naturally leads to hard edges and sharp contrasts, but Lynd's stipples and hatching use more of the medium's middle tones than other woodcut artists do. The visual style has a monumental quality, as if every scene has some larger-than-life meaning. Individual panels could stand as powerful icons on their own, irrespective of the context given by the story - not something you could say about most modern graphic novels. As a result, this works at every level: as a work of graphic art, as a wrenching story in itself, as a sad moment of American history, and as ancestor to modern graphic storytelling. It has my highest recommendation.
   
   -- wiredweird
   
   PS: This story is reprinted in Walker's Graphic Witness, along with three other good ones by other artists.

5 comments about Jeepers Peepers!: A Gallery of American Pin-up Art (Graphic Art).

1. Losts of pictures from different artisits. Very cool little book with a great written introduction.



2. I enjoyed this book. I only wish that it would be bigger and longer. A great bathroom book



3. When someone else mentioned this book was small, they weren't kidding...to give you a frame of reference, the dimensions are slightly less than that of a standard DVD case. I suppose I can't be too critical about this point as Amazon does have the dimensions posted on their site, and I just neglected to notice this when purchasing.
   
   Published by a company called Collectors Press, Jeepers Peepers! A Gallery of American Pin-Up Art is about 175 pages long, and about 160 of those pages feature pin-up art from the 1930s through the 1960s, presenting roughly over 300 tantalizing images divided into seven different categories (the editorial review states six, but I counted seven). The categories included are as follows (in order);
   
   1. Nudes
   2. Playful & Sporty
   3. Swimsuit & Seaside
   4. Exotic
   5. Indian maidens, Pirates (yarrgh) & Gypsies
   6. Sheer Beauties (lingerie)
   7. Glamour
   
   Up front there's a six-page introduction written by Louis K. Meisel, who's apparently `owner and director of one of the largest and oldest contemporary art galleries in the world'. The introduction is very informative as Mr. Meisel certainly seems to know his stuff (unlike me). My favorite quote from this section is as follows;
   
   "There was no problem with political correctness; feminism was decades in the future. The pin-up girl was how girls and women wanted to look and how men and boys wanted them to look."
   
   As far as the images, they're presented cleanly and in a very professional manner. The paper stock is decent and glossy, allowing the images to shine. As I mentioned earlier there's over 300 images crammed into about 160 pages, so sometimes you'll have one, two, or even three prints on a single page. There's also a concerted effort to identify the particular artist, the date, and title of the work (when possible), which is about the only other text in the book beside the aforementioned intro.
   
   A few things I noticed while perusing through the book...
   
   Apparently it wasn't uncommon for alluring women to get their skirts caught on everyday objects, resulting in said garment riding up to reveal that which we're normally not meant to see. One example would be the act of using a ladder to put something (i.e. books) on a shelf. Ladies beware, as not to catch your hem on one of the rungs when you're coming back down (ladders seemed particularly fiendish devices to operate)!
   
   Another interesting phenomena...back in the day, when an attractive woman was walking her dog while her arms burdened with groceries or some such thing, there was the extreme possibility of having the naughty, mischievous pooch tangling its leash about its owners legs, thereby causing the woman's undergarment to fall about her ankles, followed by a gust of wind coming along (perhaps from a passing bus) and popping the poor woman's skirt up just enough to reveal a healthy pair of gams (and perhaps then some).
   
   A variant on this would be a similar woman, arms burdened with whatnot, trying to exit a telephone booth, only to have her skirt get caught in the door! Oh my!
   
   Then, of course, we have the poor woman at the bowling alley...just as she's chucking her ball down the lane her underpants fall down about her ankles, right at the same time her skirt is blown slightly upward by, I suppose, the air pressurized hand dryer located by the ball return. How many pins did she end up knocking down? Who cares?
   
   My favorite section of the book is the Playful & Sporty portion, as it presents various situations as the ones listed above, most with a similar tone, that being of the `oops, look what happened to me!' variety. As if those kinds of things ever happen in real life (maybe they do, but sadly, never in my presence).
   
   I should probably mention this was sort of my introduction into the world of pin-up art, as while I've been aware of its existence, this is the first book I've purchased exclusively devoted to the subject. That being said I'm sure there's better books out there in relation to the material, but in terms of a general and economical introduction I think this worked out well as it covered a number of different themes along with presenting works by a decent number of artists over a healthy period of time. The flipside? The prints presented are often on the `smallish' side, especially those where two or three appear on the same page. All in all the positives outweighed the negatives, and even given that which I know now (with regards to the size), I'd still have bought the book.
   
   Cookieman108



4. JEEPERS PEEPERS! A GALLERY OF AMERICAN PIN-UP ART receives a fine introduction by New York gallery owner Louis K. Meisel, whose gallery specializes in pinup artwork by top artists from the 1930s through the 60s, as it provides a gorgeous set of color pinup illustrations by a wide range of artists. These don't just come from calendars, but are from commercial art, wartime posters, and more, going beyond the usual pinup collection focus to display a solid diversity of models and approaches to the pinup.
   
   Diane C. Donovan
   California Bookwatch



5. I think it's only worth buying if you want an inexpensive introduction to the art of the pin-up. There are about two hundred and sixty paintings included but unfortunately they are crammed into a 6.5 inch by 5 page size with many three to a page (sort of large thumbnails) and this is the problem with all of the Collector Press mini books, they are too small to really get the best out of the subject. Other books in series reprint consumer ads in this small size!
   
   Another slight annoyance with this book is that it concentrates on artists from the twenties to the forties with a few from the fifties, so no Al Moore, Bill Medcalf, Freeman Elliot and no giants of the genre, Vargas or Petty! In fact the artists that are included seem to be mostly the ones that Collector Press have already published books about.
   
   Where would pin-up art be today without the foresight of calendar printer Brown & Bigelow to more or less create the concept and print millions and millions of girlie pictures that could even be used to tell the day and date especially in garages and light industrial units across America. Dozens of pictures in the book are from their calendars. Well done B&B!
   
   Much better I think to search out author Louis Meisel's definitive book 'The Great American Pin-Up'. You even have two to choose from: the chunky coffee table version The Great American Pin-Up (Jumbo Series) and the less costly reduced size The Great American Pin-Up (Midi) both are well designed and printed with over nine hundred pictures by every American artist up to the seventies.

2 comments about Full-Color Medieval Ornament CD-ROM and Book (Dover Pictorial Archives).

1. It probably seemed like a good idea at the time - create a collection of royalty-free Medieval designs/ornaments in color. The result is over 300 designs, but this over 300 poorly executed designs.
   
   The images are in a .TIFF format and are indeed 300 dots per inch, but the quality of the images are not so good. In fact many are downright poor. The images are quite pixilated, or if you remember the days of film, grainy. Some of the images improve if you run them through a noise reduction program and look useable, but others lose too much sharpness in the process. In terms of image size (in terms of pixels and inches) they tend to be rather small. Most seem to be in the two inch by one to four inch range. This will work fine for some people but not for others.
   
   Some of the images are quite interesting - others seem...well not so useful, at least to me.
   
   I wouldn't recommend this particular book/CD combo because I wouldn't be able to justify the price versus the quality of the content.



2. Some of these images are interesting. But the colors of these images are dull. Nothing snappy here. I wanted to find images for use in decoupage projects, to make and give as Christmas presents. Not a world shaking goal. Dover is an old, established company with a good reputation. These images, however many dpi they may have, printed out less clearly than images I imported from the web at 72dpi. But the image edges were clean. Which is more than can be said for Dover's "Full-Color Decorative Christmas Illustrations". Ebay sellers ('Luna-girl' has been the best) can do so much better. What's with Dover?

5 comments about Drawing Faeries: Keys to the Kingdom.

1. I bought this book Drawing Faeries: Keys to the Kingdom for my child. She constantly looks into it. She likes it.



2. If you have the first book, "Drawing Faeries, A Believer's Guide" then you need to have this one too. The drawings and instruction, not to mention the story line, are just as fine as they are in the first book. I currently have three of Mr. Hart's books in my drawing library, (with more on the way!) I am so thrilled with the results I am getting from them. Mr. Hart makes it remarkably easy to draw these wonderful characters and thereby really encourages and inspires you to do more drawings and start to explore other mediums. Until recently I had never thought of using markers, pencils being my preferred medium, but I am so excited and inspired by Mr. Hart's books, I am going to start! The best thing about this book is it doesn't matter who it's for, you or your kids. Everyone can learn something from this book.



3. Very well written. The step by step information in this book is very easy to understand. I would highly recommend this book!



4. I loved this book as did my children and their friends. We all love the Drawing Faeries series, and this one, the newest, is our favorite! It is wonderful, enchanting, brilliant, and entertaining!



5. From the ingenious mind of Christopher Hart, comes another masterpiece in the world of faieies, "Drawing Faeries, Keys to The Kingdom". The premise is that the author was chosen by faeries to enter into their world because of his artistic talent; he is to draw a wedding portrait of the king's daughter and her new husband. The author, kindly allows us to enter into his world with these faeries. It is very easy to suspend disbelief as Christopher Hart tells his story with his usual deft touch. I was hooked the moment I saw a comic self-portrait of the author laboring in his studio, with steam coming from his coffee, extending into the air, and generating "steam fireworks". The book works on many levels: my children enjoyed it, I enjoyed it, and my 3 year-old niece enjoyed it, although I had to read it to her. The writing is clever, sunny, and always humorous. The drawings and explanations are wonderful, and the artistic comparisons between faerie and human, enlightening. He is, I believe, the foremost human expert on faeries and their lifestyle, and, in addition, he can teach you to draw too! I would highly recommend this book.

5 comments about Tartan: Romancing the Plaid.

1. I bought this book for a Scottish friend and his wife. They adore it and it went "out on loan" in short order to other Scots. The book is visually captivating, imaginative, and has interesting text. It is the quintessential coffee table volume.



2. The nearly 300 page book entitled Tartan came to my attention a few weeks ago (May 2008) when the male author appeared on the Martha Stewart show. As I am a textile and fiber/knitting/weaving fanatic, I ordered it immediately. It arrived, and I realized it was published back in 2007...so I thought: Mr Banks must have booked himself onto the show to push book sales. ($65. retail) After the INTRO, the section named "TRADITIONS" (=history) was quite interesting--particularly the photos of paintings--but that section is only 50 pages long. No historic analysis or enumeration w photos of all major tartans. Next section: FASHION--first 12 pages covers the Duke and Duchess of Windsor. Interesting photos of them in their home, of the Duchess' closet. So that's 62 pages of "origin of tartans and emergence as a fashion statement". The remainder of this 300 page paperweight jumps from modern day designer to designer, with photos combed from runways and designer photo shoots... more and more and more of same, ad nauseum. For me, 20% of the book being devoted to tradition and history of tartans did not justify the cost of this book, not even with the Amazon discount. (True, there is a single photo of Princess Diana, one of Charles and Camilla, and one of Charles with the Burbery folks...and a few amusing photos of interior designers odd uses of tartans [including an interior slanted ceiling of a caravan papered in yellow plaid fabric--nice, but the lines of the tartan were distorted in the installation process, so I'd rate that project a great idea, poorly executed]. Still not worth the $$$ for 200+ pages of runway shots (unless you aspire to be a model). I've just packed it up for return. Suzann Eshleman, Upland Fiberworks, Ithaca, NY



3. If you love plaid, this book is essential. Lovely photographs and history on the ever handsome world of plaid. Delightful coffee table book.



4. You'll be doing the Highland Fling in no time (or at least the Lowland Shim) when you read this terrific book. It's a wonderful history of the fabric and the tome is filled with interesting history and some fun, lighthearted photos - like the guard who's catching a breeze and having his kilt lifted to show . . . well, buy the book and find out. I was very surprised (nicely so) to find out it wasn't just a dry historical analogy but rather a work that examines something we see in everyday life but may not have taken the time to think about.
   Stylemaven



5. WOW -- I am an author who has written a few illustrated books like this -- and all I can say is this book is LEAGUES above the rest -- amazing photographs and layouts, beautiful paper, beautifully produced. A real labor of love. Although I know a fair amount about fashion, I did not know all that much about tartan... until now. A revealing mix of history, culture, modern tmes, with images ranging from the Duke of Windsor (how lonely -- albeit well dressed he looks...) to Rod Stewart, Princess Diana and the Bay City Rollers. As well as some of my favorite models and designers in the world.
   
   Mr. Banks and Ms. de la Chapelle have done an amazing job. This book is so well written, stunning, and beautifully produced, that it is going to be MY Christmas gift to others this year.

No comments about Vignelli From A to Z.

5 comments about Supreme: The Return.

1. Supreme: "Did I hear you say Optilux was here?"
   Suprema: "He was...I sent him to the Prism world...but not before he'd sent a few hundred Bon Jovi fans there as well."
   Supreme: "Oh well. Can't be helped."
   
   As originally thought up by Rob Liefeld, Supreme was an uninteresting superhero, a humorless and uninspired character. One of the best things Liefeld ever did was convincing Alan Moore to take a crack at writing this series. Alan Moore went on to successfully revamp Supreme, this helping to win him the Harvey Award for Best Writer in 1999.
   
   Moore took over in issue #42 and immediately began his overhaul of Supreme. Known for breathtakingly deconstructing superheroes (MARVELMAN, Watchmen) Moore instead chose to re-invent this series as a fond tongue-in-cheek homage to the Silver Age of comics and, even more specifically, to the Superman mythos. He accomplished this mainly thru the incorporation of flashback segments (drawn old school style) which served to introduce Supreme's vast, rewritten backstory. The trade paperback Supreme: The Story of the Year collected Moore's excellent first-half run (issues #42-52). SUPREME: THE RETURN is an equally superb collection and presents the final issues (#53-56) of Supreme's original series, as well as the entire run of his next and very short-lived series, SUPREME: THE RETURN, which lasted for only 6 issues before it was cancelled.
   
   A wink of the eye, a nudge in the ribs. But respectfully done by Alan Moore, and he does throw in his own twists. So Sally (or Suprema) may take after Supergirl, but she's got a prudish way about her. Radar differs from Krypto in that he's as intelligent as anybody, only with a canine point of view. And, thanks to a strapped-on voicebox, Radar speaks. In "And Every Dog Has Its Day!" Moore doesn't hesitate to show the Hound Supreme's earthy side. Another twist of Moore's is that his time-travelling version of the Legion of Super-Heroes tends to recruit historical and mythical figures (Wild Bill Hickok, Achilles, Aladdin).
   
   In the Silver Age tradition, Moore narrates multi-part single issues and makes use of retro text with its typically flagrant alliteration and hyperbole (ie, comic book writer Diana Dane is described as "the Woman of Whiteout" or the "Tigress of Typewriter"). For those unused to this style, just remember that it's intended as a tribute. Besides, I do think "the Woman of Whiteout" is kinda amusing. However, some of the pop culture references have gotten a bit stale ("This is unbelievable! This is completely O.J."). Still, this is Alan Moore, an imaginative, natural-born storyteller and the guy who wrote one of the best Superman stories ever. His instincts are good. So, in his hands, even the purposely hackneyed characters and trite situations are given added dimensions and interesting spins.
   
   SPOILERS now.
   
   Moore capably juggles his nostalgic salutes with the contemporary superheroics. I enjoyed his take on Mxyzptlk, whose annoyance factor is addressed here. In "The Ballad of Judy Jordan" we learn of what befalls Supreme's longtime girlfriend. "Silence At Gettysburg" provides a fun time-travelling romp with the League of Infinity as Supreme wakes up one day to find himself in a reality where the South had won the Civil War and, in the present, he's a superhero called the Supremacist. Then, in the collection's most action-packed story arc, the frightening prisoners trapped in Supreme's mirror dimension escape, which gives us a chance to see Supreme matching up with the Shadow Supreme (his equal in might), the Televillain dropping in on an episode of Friends, and space-tyrant Korgo challenging President Bill Clinton to a fist fight.
   
   In the STORY OF THE YEAR trade we learned what happens to superheroes when they get written out of the story. In "A World Of His Own!" Supreme's genius archnemesis, Darius Dax, who's died twice, suffers his own brand of revisionism. The next issue ("The Three Worlds of Diana Dane") focuses on Supreme's courtship (kind of) of Diana Dane, followed by a funny story showcasing Radar, the Hound Supreme. "And Every Dog Has Its Day!" is followed by a short League of Infinity back-up tale. The penultimate story is probably my least favorite. It centers on Supreme's old foe, the Supremium Man, whom I find boring. Finally, "New Jack City" is an all-out nod to Jack Kirby and his creations. Rob Liefeld actually does a decent job of mimicking Jack Kirby's bombastic style in this issue. Jim Baikie (I think it's Baikie) also covers Kirby's style in one segment of "The Three Worlds of Diana Dane."
   
   SPOILERS end.
   
   Penciller Chris Sprouse and inker Al Gordon provide a consistent look to the first half of this volume, with Rick Veitch nicely handling the flashback sequences. In the wake of Sprouse's departure, a slew of artists came onboard and, while their talents were certainly good enough, the lack of a regular artist was a bit jarring. On the other hand, it's hard to diss folks like Gil Kane, Jim Starlin, Matt Smith, and Jim Baikie. But Sprouse was missed.
   
   Alan Moore's work on Supreme paved the way for what he'd do later with his Tom Strong series. And while Moore's Supreme wouldn't resonate as strongly or be as archetypal as Tom Strong, the stories here are inventive and charming enough (and, sometimes, snarkily humorous enough) that they're still very much worth reading. I mean, it IS Alan Moore. So, I say, pull up a sofa, get your milk and cookies, and catch up with Ethan Crane, mild-mannered illustrator for Dazzle Comics who becomes, in time of need, the "Alabaster Avenger." SUPREME: THE RETURN - it's a read supreme.



2. More of some decent Supreme work. Alan Moore and company produce this homage to Superman, and offer some meta-commentary on the Superman character, and the Superman family, with some nifty flashback work.
   
   You could burn all the non-Moore Supreme work and I don't think anyone anywhere would miss it.



3. When you think of all the ways that spandex heroes have been examined and recontextualized in the last 20 years, and then realize that at least half of the best of that was Alan Moore...
   The only real surprise is that he keeps coming up with bold, subtle, loving takes on a genre and form that most people still think of as shallow and vapid.
   How does he do it?



4. Another Rob Liefeld production, luckily this story has none of his art even though the characters were created by him. Or rather regurgitated and made grander than they were by Alan Moores expert writing and artists like Steve Skroce and Chris Sprouse drawing part of the story. But then you also have real sloppy artwork that while is not as bad anything Rob would draw, its still pretty rushed and not that great. If you want to read old Superman with cheese, this ones for you. This one actually took me by surprise as Alan Moore elevated what were once cheap rip-offs created by Rob of the big Marvel and DC characters. Yeah, I really liked the story in this one and occasionally, the art as well. Trouble is Rob Liefeld could really do something cool with these once lame characters he has created if only he had no hand in drawing or writing them. The bottom line is, he needs to stay away from his creations creatively and from comics in general. The man has mediocrity and Uwe Boll written all over his work.



5. Only not... and and at the same time yes.
   
   Alan Moore has created something truly unique here. These stories work on so many levels, it's hard to choose where to start.
   
   First of all, Supreme works much like a Superman character. It pays homage to Supes and you'll have a great time just trying to identify Superman's characters in Supreme's universe.
   
   The book works in a metacognitive level because it recognizes itself as a comic book. Through a series of flashbacks done in retro style, Supreme's back history is filled, which would be very normal if Supreme weren't aware of his memories coming to be as they are being read by you.
   
   Finally, this comic serves as a historical document. In its very stories, the evolution and history of comics is retold as the characters are experiencing it. I found a certain issue quite chilling, where the whole of the 1950's are described with eerie accuracy by three witches who look a lot like the banned horror comics of EC. The scandalous book Seduction of the Innocent, which brought about the censorship of comics and a stunt in its growth as a medium, is parodied in this issue. The comic becomes aware of comics' legacy and I found that amazing.
   
   This is a must.

No comments about Gothic & Medieval Designs CD-ROM and Book (Dover Electronic Clip Art).

1 comments about Zen No Sho: The Calligraphy of Fukushima Keido Roshi.

1. Jason Wirth has gathered together an impressive group of scholars to comment not only on the work of Fukushima, but also the art of Zen calligraphy itself. This gorgeous book looks at the art of Japanese Calligraphy through the eye of the philosopher-- and illuminates the beauty, grace, and subtelty of this seemingly simple art form-- revealing that what at first may seem to be simple strokes is actually a journey unto itself. Highly recommended for those new to this art form as well those who are already quite familiar.