Today on the site, it's Richard Gehr on Michael Maslin's recent Peter Arno biography. Richard of course is the author of the fantastic book about New Yorker cartoonists, I Only Read it for the Cartoons. Here's a bit of the review:
Beginning with his first New Yorker drawing in the magazine’s eighteenth issue (dated June 20, 1925), Peter Arno would manifest Ross’s ideal of a magazine that would celebrate the new postwar freedoms of the Jazz Age while gently mocking upper-class pretensions. In Arno, he found an artist who embodied both guises – artist and aristocrat – in one brilliant, handsome, and self-contradictory package.
In the first book-length biography of Peter Arno, New Yorker cartoonist – and invaluable New Yorker cartoonists blogger – Michael Maslin delivers a meticulously researched account of the enigmatic, and often angry, Arno. In fact, what appears at first glance to be a throwaway subtitle – “The Mad, Mad World of THE NEW YORKER’s Greatest Cartoonist” – hints at the gas that fueled the dapper drawer’s particular genius. As he told Joseph Mitchell in 1937, “You don’t do good work of this sort unless you’re mad at something.”
Elsewhere:
Dave Sim's Cerebus is apparently returning in a new comic book series. Which reminds me that I was reminded at, appropriately enough, the Kramers Ergot signing last week of this splendiferous comments thread between Kim Thompson and Dave Sim here at TCJ in 2012. The last of the great threads? Perhaps so. Oh, and I did really enjoy the Kramers signing last week at Desert Island. Got to see people I hadn't seen in a while. Was happy to see such a nice turnout, got new comics from Kevin H., Frank, and via Sammy, Jon Pham (Thanks all). Caught up with Sean Collins, who I hadn't seen in at least a year. A nice time followed by a good dinner the next night with Sammy and Kevin, in fine form. Vague enough for you?
That's all I have, folks. These days I'm really hung up (still!) on Alex Raymond and Wally Wood. I'm blocked! I just love thinking about all those lines filling up those forms. I think it's like counting grains of sand. Meditative.
