Son of Syllabus!

Because you can never have enough good books on art, writing, comics, and creativity. I don't have any of these yet.

Drawing Words and Writing Pictures: Making Comics from Manga to Graphic Novels

Coming in from First Second books (a fantastic company, by the way), by Jessica Abel and Matt Madden, instructors at SVA. They've created a 15-week curriculum for cartoonists. I caught a sneak peak at NYCC. If you can only get one of these books, get this one. It will be on sale at the MOCCA Art Festival; it's official release date is June 10th.

Exercises in Style

We are not nearly as limited in techniques as storytellers as we may think. Raymond Queneau explores 99 ways to tell a story (just with words).

99 Ways to Tell a Story: Exercises in Style

Matt Madden takes Queneau's book and applies its theories to comics.

Art Models: Life Nudes for Drawing Painting and Sculpting
Art Models 2: Life Nude Photos for the Visual Arts
The Nude Female Figure: A Visual Reference for the Artist

Healthy naked people. What more do you want?

(Don't answer that.)

Working Methods: Comic Creators Detail Their Storytelling And Artistic Processes

Another gem from TwoMorrows (who gave us Panel Discussions last time around) about the creative process. A bunch of artists work to interpret written scripts to the illustrated page.

Reading Comics: How Graphic Novels Work and What They Mean

This serves as both introduction to and criticism of comics. Analyzing superhero and 'indie' comics, what makes them similar and different, and presents what he finds to the newcomer to comics.

The Ten-Cent Plague: The Great Comic-Book Scare and How It Changed America

A historical study of Frederic Wertham's effect on the comics industry.

Kirby: King of Comics

For a long time, comics art was generally stiff, stale, and distant. The reader was just an observer. Kirby was working in comics long before he teamed up with Stan Lee and decided, "guess what - comics are going this way now!" He put the readers in the story. Mark Evanier tells us about the life of a man who created myths.

How to Draw Noir Comics: The Art and Technique of Visual Storytelling

Make your black and white art graphic and moody.

Vanishing Point: Perspective for Comics from the Ground Up

This book covers curvilinear perspective, something you won't find anywhere else, not even in Sal's class.

The Education Of A Comics Artist

Essays and interviews with tons of cartoonists, about the art, history, business, and teaching of comics. Just check out that list of contributors. Jee-zuz!

The Language of Comics: Word and Image

Multiple essays discussing the history of the combination of words and pictures, and how they're related. Contributors of note: NC Christopher Couch, and Robert C Harvey.

Alternative Comics: An Emerging Literature
The Aesthetics of Comics
The System of Comics
Comics, Comix & Graphic Novels: A History Of Comic Art
Arguing Comics: Literary Masters On A Popular Medium

I'll do more proper write-ups on the rest of these books (and probably add more) when I can get my head into it.