by Dan Martin $19.95, 128 pages, soft cover St. Louis is a funny town. Cartoonwise, that is. Different theories abound, but the Gateway to the West has been unusually starcrossed with some of the most talented and famous cartoonists this country has ever produced. Under the umbrella term “cartoonist,” these talents are classified as comic-strip artists, political satirists, caricaturists, visual humorists, illustrators, and misunderstood artistic pioneers. The range is extraordinary—from the legendary Joseph Keppler in the 1870s to the present-day graphic novelists. The old and young will learn something new, from the historically obscure foundations, to the legendary Robert Minor, Al Frueh, or Harry Tuthill, and to today’s popular Blondie or Mother Goose and Grim. All of the artists included have either been born in, lived in, and worked in the St. Louis region. This book will reconnect St. Louisans, locally and nationally, to their contribution to the art of cartooning. |