Jeffrey at GoofButton.com delves into his past with Ed Emberley’s Drawing Book of Animals, and his own interprations of the animals. He also gives some examples of illustrations that Emberley provided for school books through out the seventies. I have young kids of my own, and I agree that the illustrations in modern schoolbooks are hardly that strange, nor that exciting.
Political action group MoveOn.org recently published an ad featuring president George W. Bush and his advisor Karl Rove talking the disclosure that Iran is not and has not been developing nuclear weaponry after all, and how to use it in the 2008 elections.
At first sight, it looks rather bland and easy, a pale copy of the original Get Your War On. When you read the background information, it becomes quite disturbing. Sometimes truth is even more absurd than fiction.
Use the link for a full-sized version of the ad.
(via AP)
I immensely enjoy proofs of devoted fandom on the internet - websites dedicated to one tiny, particular aspect of comics (or any other object of fandom), with all minute details and obsessions included. Here’s an exampe : an exegesis of Superman’s Symbol, Shield, Logo and Its History! (That’s exclamation mark included, of course).
This labor of love deals with every form and format of the big diamond S, from its shield form up until the proliferation that plagues the current DC absurdiverse. Including, of course, my personal favorite : the Fleischer symbol, as featured in the cartoons from the 1940’s and shown above.
(Superman symbol © DC Comics)
I just wanted to say that the Persepolis website (for the movie) is a beautiful affair. My screenshot above does it no justice at all, so please visit the site and judge for yourself.
They may not have been able to boast as many awards as DC, but Dell Comics sure did their best to ensure parents that their comics were good comics, too. These advertisments both ran in 1955 in Dell’s flagship title, Four Color Comics (in issues 632, Zane Grey’s Fighting Caravans, and 656, Turok, Son Of Stone, respectively - with thanks to the anonymous scanner, obviously).
Belgian illustrator Vincent Rif just finalised a comic for Amnesty International, explaining children how Amnesty makes a difference. I quite like the superhero character he designed for this purpose (the name translates as “Candleman”, which sounds even better).
Derek Badman just announced he has created the cover for the 2007 Association Of College And Research Libraries’ Annual Report. As a librarian (by education at least - I’ve never actually done the job), I quite like the play at classification systems.
I just thought it was appropriate to highlight this on Melvil Dewey’s birthday. We’re still a long way away from an universal reference system, even after 130 years.
From Balthazar B, really the only sensible thing to say in the debate on whether or not Hergé was racist or not. True.
At the request of Barry, here’s an attempt to a translation. I’m not really sure about this semi-patois caricature, so if somebody can review this translation, be my guest :
Black boy : “It too late, my friends. Him Hergé him already dead ! We no can kill him !”
Chinese boy (Tchang) : “I did tell you so.”
Jewish man : “Ooh ! Him starting to blow me up, that Chinook !”
Black man : “Him lemonface only claim him so clever because him be on picture with him Tintin !”
In the fifties, speed was a good thing !
Chocolate, as ever, was speed for kids (except that your skin doesn’t end up as smooth)…
Oh, and what’s with all the alliterative names ?
(From The Dodo And The Frog 86, and The Adventures Of Alan Ladd 8, respectively)
