Although I've been cartooning professionally for years, I've only recently started doing caricatures. This book was a great help in getting me going. The author breaks down the caricature process in an easy-to-follow and entertaining manner.
I'd recommend this book to beginners as well as to more advanced artists who are interested in learning to draw caricatures.

I enjoyed Keelan's book...it covers all the basics you need to know to get started drawing cariatures. I've been drawing caricatures for a number of years, and discovered by trial and error a lot of things that Keelan shares...why drawing the 3/4 view is easier and more expressive than full-face, why to always draw the man first in a couple's caricature, the value of the strong, dark line aroud the main subject and how to simplify hair.Following the guidelines in this book, combined with practicing on a daily basis should provide the beginning caricaturist with results beyond their expectations.

Fifteen years ago I had my caricature done at Tennessee's foremost theme park. I was so impressed with it that I used it on my business cards and letterhead (o, vain man that I am...). When I got this book in the mail and opened it, my jaw hit the floor. Mr. Parham isn't the master, he is the GRANDMASTER of caricature cartooning. I could not believe my eyes at how a few simple lines could so accurately capture the physical attributes and character of a person. I am a rank amateur with a desire to learn caricature cartooning and this book is the very best I have EVER seen. It is not written to be over anyone's head and whether you have never picked up a pencil before or been drawing caricatures for thirty years, you will learn much from this insightful training guide. This book is off the chart - a perfect "ten" on the scale of one to five stars.

Weird but true is a great book, and yeah it is very cheap although I had to pay more I got it in a book store. This books gives you many cool pictures and facts that you don't know about cartoons. They give you quickies, there are no full articles in this book, just quick facts maybe a sentence or two. Heres one, did you know KISS had blood take from them to mix into their comic book? Heres an amazing fact I liked, fulfilling marvel comics write Mark Gruenwald's dying wish, the ashes of his cremated corpse were mixed into the ink used to print the Squadron Supreme comic book ! Talk about ghost writers! This is a cool book and fun to read for an hour. But there are no colored pictures in this book, everything is black and white, I wouldn't suggest giving this to a kid either it's not suitable for a child!

I loved this book and if you're any sort of a cartoon fan, so will you. It's one of the few books on animated cartoons and comics that I've seen that actually evokes the fun of the artform. Lots of great drawings (many unpublished and rare) and lots of totally useless cartoon trivia to amuse your friends. Plus, it's just so darn cheap. This book is hard to find in stores but I hope it's successful so we can see the second planned edition come to life.

zany, crazy , wacky, funny, surprising, sexy, educational, politically incorrect. and WEIRD!

As I said, I was literally howling in laughter when I read the book. My favorite is when Steve Dallas is the "Charred Chested Chump", a spoof on Michael Jackson, before he got weird. If you love Bloom County and Outland, I recommend this.

This book covers Bloom County from late 1987 through the end of '88. In addition to the title continuity (which sees Opus once again searching for his mother, this time at a Mary Kay cosmetics-testing lab), the dreary days of the '88 Presidential campaign are recounted here (Bill & Opus are once again running on the Meadow ticket), the gang turns into bootleggers when their miracle hair tonic is ruled a controlled substance, and everyone goes into a panic when new federal legislation demands that a female character be added to the cast - and one of the animal characters is secretly a girl! See Spuds Mackenzie as a presidential frontrunner, see Opus take on the life of a farmer, see the debuts of Milquetoast and Ronald-Ann, see Opus attempt to join the ranks of tobacco addicts, and more! This is the period that Mr. Breathed fully realized the surrealistic style that would define the latter days of Bloom County, and carry over into Outland. The Mary Kay continuity alone, however, makes this a must-read.

"Even their uzis are pink!!!" The Mary Kay Salesladies are still running amok across the country like Opus after Boinger practice! Though, now that I think of it, my opinion of them was never so skewered before discovering Bloom County...Berke Breathed at his best!

The first time I ever picked up a Bloom County book at a bookstore in the mall...and this was the book. After a few pages, I found myself having to close the book in order to gather my wits about me, wipe the tears off my face, then attempt to forge farther ahead...usually having to immediately close the book because glancing at the same page instantly initiated another wave of helpless laughter. Had this only happened once, I could have dealt with it as the adult that I believed myself to be...but, since it happened every few pages, I realized myself to be captivated in the tormented world of Opus and friends. Unfortunately (and much to my surprise, I didn't really care), this resulted in more than a few patrons of the bookstore in question to raise their eyebrows in my direction. I would like to thank the kind person that finally joined me (they picked up a copy of their own) and together we chortled together, pausing at times to close our books at our respective pages to momentarily regain our composure. Whimsical, thoughtful, introspective, silly, hilarious, thought-provoking...If you never read another comic, even if you think you're too old for silliness, you owe it to yourself and Berke to read this...and yes, I bought the book!

When this book first came out, I was 9. I was already reading the strip, and loved it. I've never stopped doing either. Like many other comics and cartoons, it has many levels for appreciation. It combines a genuine understanding of the overall importance of silliness, sharp and brilliant satire, and brief, poignant moments of sincere emotion. I keep copies of this book and Penguin Dreams in my car and read a page before I walk into my office most days. Happy reading!

Probably THE book of the 1980s, comic strip or not. The wide cast of characters includes a Miami Vice style jerk, aging hippie, despairing leftist, Reaganites, etc. The sureal-ness of the series really highlights the social and political satire that climaxes in this collection. The endless optimism serves as a vivid contrast to the time period so much that it sorta trascends the time it was written (and drawn) in and can really show someone what the period was like. Some younger readers may not understand the political humor. A masterpiece.

Randy Glasbergen's "'Toons" is a basic book for a young novice interested in learning how to draw cartoons, or for a more advanced person who wants to brush up on his skills. Randy teaches the reader, among other things, how to draw funny faces, how to draw bodies and show them in action, how to draw comic animals, and how to do cartoon lettering. What makes this book especially valuable is that much more than half of it consists of illustrations, including Randy's published cartoons, so the prospective cartoonist can study and practice whatever Randy is explaining.

There are six pages alone showing how to draw cartoon hands. As Randy says, "Hands deserve special attention. Hands are a very expressive body part, second only to the face. We use our hands to point, poke, pinch, pull, pick, and punch. Because hands say so much about us and our emotions, it's important to draw them effectively. Here's how:..." And he goes on to show 43 examples.

Moreover, Randy's heads, bodies, hands, animals, and cartoon props are boiled down to basic shapes, such as circles, ovals, squares, and triangles, making it easy for just about anyone to learn to draw them.

I highly recommend this fun-filled book for anyone who seriously wants a firm foundation in how to create cartoons, or even for the sort of soul who finds himself casually but persistently sketching on a restaurant place mat, or doodling while chatting on the phone. Who knows, there might be a latent cartoonist hiding inside you right now.

THIS BOOK WAS SO GOOD THAT IF I COULD GIVE IT MORE STARS I WOULD! I would recomend this book to anyone not quite ready for a big company but someone who wants to carton for fun!!!!!!!!

REVIEW: TOTALLY TWISTED TUNES

At first glimpse, Gary Frederick's cartoon book, TOTALLY TWISTED TOONS, hits you as hilarious, naughty, and/or insulting. It is a little of all three. It is certainly very funny at times, and it pokes fun at our collective silliness via the bedroom. But it is also a thought-provoking look at the fear within our communities that some people will consider insulting. Take a second look. Frederick is making a statement, in my opinion, about the sub-culture America tolerates or tries to ignore. No one group is left out. The author/cartoonist hits us where we fear the most: racism, ill-treatment of women, gay-bashing, animal cruelty, religious intolerance/persecution. Politicians and over-zealous religious leaders did not evade Frederick's observations. What is insulting is that these attitudes still exist and, sadly, dominate the nightly news across America. TOTALLY TWISTED TOONS is an American commentary in cartoon format that is worth the price of admission.

M. L. HINOJOSA
HOUSTON, TX.
11-14-02

I am amazed as the humor set forth in Totally Twisted Toons. Gary Frederick has brought out the humor in almost any subject you care to mention. From religion, sex, race, natural origin, preofession, you name it he has found some twisted humor in all of them. He has poked fun at all segments of society. I guess you would call him an equal opportunity offender. This book is great and I recommend it to anyone with a sense of humor - twisted or otherwise!!

Great illustrations, Great Wit. Nicely packaged. The "Architect's Dream Sequence" cartoons resonated with me too. I didn't buy it but I would now- (It was a summer party gift to all employees from one of the principals in my office.)

This is a great book! The cartoons are fresh, insightful, and very funny. Any architect will enjoy!

This book should be required reading for all students in the field of EMS. You will laugh, cry and respect the "people on the streets" like you never have before.

C-toons, Out of the box is an outrageously funny and very entertaining book. I did not give this book a full five stars because there were just a few minor issues I had in understanding a few of the cartoons. But on the whole, it is sure to be a classic. I would strongly recommend it if you like a truly unique brand of hilarity. I think it is equally entertaining for both men and women, gay and straight alike. Okay, so I'll give it four and a half stars.

This is one of funniest books I had the pleasure to get my hands on. I'm a fanatic for cartoon humor and find the artwork and humor to be extremely well done. Get it, you'll love it!!

If you're a fan of Howard Stern, South Park, the Far Side, Dilbert, or anything like them, you'll get a blast out of C-Toons..Out of the box. It's definitely worth the price of admission. A true classic of comedy and cartoon. I loved it!!

This game is the best. The only problem I have is that every page you read falls out after you turn the page. Spiral binding would be great for this game because the game master has to use the book often if he is following any of the preplaned adventures. I would give it 5 stars if the binding were better.

This is a great game for anyone who has ever wanted to be a chartoon character. Or just for anyone who loves cartoons. Like the best board games (Balderdash, Malarky), the important thing is having fun and making the other players laugh. ...

Toon: The Cartoon Role-playing Game was published by Steve Jackson Games in the mid-1980s, and many copies of the sourcebooks are still available with a little effort. This RPG primarily focuses upon American-style cartoons where truly anything goes!!! The entire focus of Toon is to be funny and to do and say things which are funny... and many anime characters and series fit quite well into this worldview: Debutante Detective Corps, Project A-ko, Otaku no Video, Galaxy Fraulein Yuna, Idol Project, the Slayers saga, City Hunter, D4 Princess, Mezzo Forte, etc.

One of the most popular Toon campaigns is the Toon Olympics. Those familiar with the Hanna-Barbara Laff-a-Lympics series already have an idea of the premise of Toon Olympics: Bring together many animated characters from various series/genres and have them compete in a number of sporting events. When I first played the Toon Olympics, one player created his own cursed medieval knight character with a sentient sword which didn't always do as he commanded (which he later played in a Sailor Moon RPG campaign I was then running), someone else played a unicorn (who eventually had to drive a car), another played as Lara Croft, and I personally played as A-ko - truly an eclectic bunch!!!

However, anime fans should NOT overlook Toon as a role-playing option. Granted, Toon is not as adaptable to a wide variety of campaigns (for campaign genre/character adaptability, see the Big Eyes Small Mouth second edition sourcebook); however, for a change of pace, Toon can be used to give almost any anime character (pre-existing or original) a chance to be a comedian. For example, when I played in another Toon Olympics as A-ko, I called upon B-ko to fight a Pokémon in my place, with the promise of conceding C-ko to her if she should win (that was funny enough to earn me an extra Plot Point)!!!