Award-winning art director, local Krampus expert, and man-about-town Monte Beauchamp, the brains behind Blab!, has a couple of lovely new books out.
The story of cartoons—the multibillion-dollar industry that has affected all corners of our culture, from high to low—is ultimately the story of the artists who pioneered the form, and the story of the enduring characters they created: Mickey Mouse, Superman, and The Cat in the Hat, to name a few.
I began the work of this book by piecing together a list of cartoon genres . . . and identified the creators who most influenced or revolutionized each category. That’s how the story of the book began to unfold.
Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster (art by Ryan Heshka, words by Monte Beauchamp) Siegel and Shuster, boyhood friends in Cleveland, created one of the most popular and enduring characters in comics: Superman. But, due to bad luck and/or bad contracts, they hardly made any money from their work.
Herge (art and words by Nora Krug) While living in Belgium, the creator of Tintin declined an offer to work as an informer for the Nazis.
Lynd Kendall Ward (art by Owen Smith, words by Monte Beauchamp) The “father of the graphic novel” illustrated more than 100 books; committed to the plight of the underprivileged and determined to keep his work affordable, he rarely numbered his prints.
Dr. Seuss (art and words by Denis Kitchen) The correct pronunciation is “soice.”
