The Complete Idiot's Guide to Cartooning

Rating:
Summary: Only a real idiot would think this guy can do cartoons
Review: If your idea of getting ahead in cartooning is being able to draw in the most basic manner, while listening to the authors address you like some high school drop out with ADA, then this book is for you. First of all, this guy is a lousy cartoonist and it's almost exclusively his work that is presented. Secondly, the book goes long on history and short on current stuff. I suppose this is because the early stuff was in the public domain and the cheap-assed publishers were more interested in saving a buck, than doing a real cartoonist book. Do yourself a favor, don't buy this piece of crap.

Rating:
Summary: For the Serious Cartoonist
Review: Leave the word "Idiot's" out of the title, and you'll have a clearer idea of what this book is about. Let me make one thing clear... this is NOT a beginner's "how to draw" book. This book assumes that you already know how to draw, and offers you guidelines on how to apply that skill to cartooning. The authors give a much too brief overview of the origins and history of cartooning (with a few minor errors), and discuss the basics of cartoon construction: expression, perspective, composition, and gag writing. They also briefly review the various forms of cartooning, and what special talents and knowledge each one requires: gag panels, comic strips, comic books, editorial cartoons, greeting cards, animation, and computer graphics. There's an entire chapter devoted to manga, the Japanese style of cartooning that's currently popular in the US. Plus, a helpful bibliography, glossary, and lots of tips on how to get your work published.

My one complaint, and it's a minor one, is that I was distracted by the authors' repeated use of the word "media" as a singular noun rather than plural... but that's the proofreader in me.

For an art book, it's surprisingly heavy on text and light on illustrations... but that's not a drawback in this case. This is not a book for beginners, but if you're an aspiring cartoonist in need of direction and encouragement, then I can't think of a better book for you.