Reviews for Cartoon America: Comic Art in the Library of Congress

The average rating for Cartoon America: Comic Art in the Library of Congress based on 2 reviews is 4 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2017-03-01 00:00:00 Ken Lee Lovely collection of selected images from the Library of Congress's comics collections, with accompanying short essays by a diverse array of commentators from practicing cartoonists to scholars. While brief--usually only a page or two--these are usually insightful and informative (exceptions such as Bill Griffiths's bit on underground comix focusing primarily on his own work notwithstanding). Quite a range of cartoonists and comics forms are covered, ranging as far back as figures such as Daumier. There are lacunae, which the book itself acknowledges, noting them as gaps still in the Library's collections, but nevertheless, there is an amazing range here. Inevitably in an oveview project such as this, one wishes that many more images from individual creators or eras could have been included, but it is the rare artist who is represented by more than one or two images. The reproduction is mostly photoreproduction of original art and mostly crisp and clear, though some pieces are reproduced at sizes somewhat too small to be appreciated fully here--and this is an oversize book. Nevertheless, a dandy book to dip into and expore.

Review # 2 was written on 2018-03-20 00:00:00 Mark Macrae Heavy emphasis on editorial cartoons, but good reading.