Booklist Praises Ware's Acme Novelty Datebook
Updated October 9, 2003
From the October 1st issue....
Prolific alternative-comics artist Ware follows his epic, Jimmy
Corrigan (2000), and Quimby the Mouse [BKL S 1 03] with a collection of
sketchbook pages. Ware owes his lofty reputation largely to his awesome
command of the "grammar" of comics, and this handsome volume showcasing
his drawing ability amounts to something of a new revelation. Ware's
strips are so meticulous in their rigid perfection that they seem to
indicate an obsessive character. Yet these hundreds of life drawings,
cityscapes, doodles, preliminary sketches, and other drawings, rendered
in an impressive variety of styles, contrarily display unexpected
spontaneity and looseness. Particularly revelatory are a handful of
actual strips in Ware's familiar multipanel approach, and featuring
Jimmy, Quimby, and other characters from his long stories, that are
rendered in a rougher, almost crude style. Ware's fans will find his
marginal notes fascinating, too, for their revelations about his
creative process. Besides showing off Ware's facility and variety, this
beautifully designed book demonstrates just how much thought and
planning go into his acclaimed graphic novels.
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