Friday, March 29, 2019

Alberto Becattini's new book has just been released. If you are a comic book fan, this is a must read.

From the publisher:

[The Grail of Funny Animals

For decades, Italian comics historian Alberto Becattini has been researching and writing about American funny animal comics. In this first volume of his two-part opus, Becattini presents the fruits of his labors, the definitive guide for funny animal fans, collectors, and historians alike.

Becattini examines the funny animal phenomenon, starting from its origins in popular and children’s literature, and continuing through its appearances in newspaper comics, comic books, and comic magazines.

All of the more famous characters are included, such as those created at Disney, Lantz, Warner Bros., MGM, and other cartoon studios, as well as the many lesser-known characters that appeared in obscure comic book titles issued by equally obscure comic book publishers.

During the writing process, and while viewing thousands of comic strips and comic pages, Becattini had many discoveries and “epiphanies” that let him shed light on the identities of hitherto uncredited artists and writers. While his aim has been to highlight the talent behind the comics, rather than the stories and characters themselves, he also provides in-depth coverage of virtually every funny animal comic book, illustration, and animated cartoon.

A must-have title for any serious funny animal fan!]



Thursday, March 28, 2019

Not sure what this new book edited by the son of Buzz Price is worth, but it sounds very interesting and I just ordered a copy.

Wednesday, March 27, 2019

Look what is now available for pre-order on Amazon.

I am particularly proud of this volume, which deals with an often overlooked era (Disney's 1970s and early 1980s) and which focuses on the life and art of my two favorite Disney artists: Ken Anderson and Mel Shaw.

Tuesday, March 26, 2019

The first Hyperion Historical Alliance Annual has just been released. It contains in-depth essays about Disney history by Jim Hollifield, Garry Apgar, Todd James Pierce, Lucas Seastrom, Dave Bossert, and your truly.

If you care as much about Disney history as I do, this new magazine is a must have. Note that it is not heavily illustrated. If you buy it, you will do so to read extremely accurate and detailed essays about little-know aspects of Disney history. I have a feeling that quite a few of you will thoroughly enjoy it.

Thursday, March 14, 2019

Speaking of interesting books for kids, this one about Tyrus Wong looks fascinating.

Wednesday, March 13, 2019

If you have kids, this wonderful  new book by my friend Aaron Golberg is a great gift for them.

Tuesday, March 05, 2019

This just in:

[This e-mail is to confirm that Daan Jippes is coming to L.A. at the end of March. He will be signing his artbook at Wondercon Anaheim on March 29 and 30, at the stand of Stuart Ng Books. In the days before the event he will be giving noon talks at Disney Studio's (March 27) and Dreamworks (March 28).

Daan Jippes is regarded as one of the best Disney artists in the world. He is able to adapt any character or style and produce drawings that have great appeal and are full of life. Being an inquisitive and ever exploring comic artist, Daan Jippes also showed his ability to work on storyboards and character development in animation. In 1979 he traveled to the United States where he got a job Disney’s Consumer Products Dept. From there he worked his way into Animation. Jippes has worked on many movies during the Disney Renaissance, including Beauty and the Beast (1990), Aladdin (1992) and Mulan (1998). For Dreamworks he worked on The Road to Eldorado (2000), Joseph (2000), Flushed Away (2006) and Bee Movie (2007).

In 2017 The Dutch Comic Museum held a large exhibition about his work. It was accompanied by a 160 page book written by curator Jan-Willem de Vries. The book was translated in English by Bob Foster and printed in a limited run.]