Attitude 2: The New Subversive Social Commentary Cartoonists »

A new anthology of brilliant cartoonists whose work appears in alternative weekly newspapers, ATTITUDE 2: THE NEW SUBVERSIVE SOCIAL COMMENTARY CARTOONISTS presents incisive interviews, personal photos and ephemera and of course lots of cartoons by 21 more of America's funniest and smartest cartoonists! Comics fans will doubtless be familiar and enjoy this book's unique insight into the work of well-known artists like Aaron McGruder, who draws the daily comic strip "Boondocks," Max Cannon ("Red Meat," which you'll find in The Onion), Shannon Wheeler ("Too Much Coffee Man"), Marian Henley ("Maxine!"), David Rees ("Get Your War On," which appears in Rolling Stone) and Alison Bechdel ("Dykes to Watch Out For"). As with the first ATTITUDE, the real treat of ATTITUDE 2 is its spotlighting of cartoonists whose work is so good that it deserves much more attention. Other cartoonists featured include Jennifer Berman ("Berman"), Barry Deutsch ("Ampersand"), Emily S. Flake ("Lulu Eightball"), Justin Jones (Soda-Pong"), Keith Knight ("The K Chronicles), Tim Kreider ("The Pain-When Will It End?"), Kevin Moore ("In Contempt Comics"), Stephen Notley ("Bob the Angry Flower"), Eric Orner ("The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green"), Greg Peters ("Suspect Device"), Mikhaela B. Reid ("The Boiling Point"), Neil Swaab ("Rehabilitating Mr. Wiggles"), Brian Sendelbach ("Smell of Steve, Inc."), Tak Toyoshima ("Secret Asian Man") and Jason Yungbluth ("Deep Fried")

The first ATTITUDE, published in 2002, focused on alternative cartooning with a political bent. Though ATTITUDE 2 doesn't eschew politics, its main target is those cartoonists out to make us laugh using novel approaches to humor and the comics medium.

Publishers Weekly

This sequel to the popular collection of syndicated alternative cartoonists features 21 more artists of all styles and opinions. Many will be familiar to readers of weekly or even daily papers, like Aaron McGruder (Boondocks) and Max Cannon (Red Meat); others, including Emily Flake and Tim Kreider, are still building venues. Controversial syndicated cartoonist Rall deftly scoured the alternative press for this group and conducted short, entertaining interviews with each cartoonist, included here. Beyond introducing regional talents like Flake and Kreider to a larger audience, the book also encapsulates an, er, attitude prevalent in today's syndicated comics: humor is a constant, but these days it's strongly laced with sarcasm, cynicism and a certain amount of neurosis, perhaps more now than ever before. The other trend is a strong retreat from drawing as an end in itself. These cartoonists are, generally, writers who use the medium to get across verbal puns or simple, angry screeds, regardless of visual style or any other comics-based concerns. However, there's plenty of talent on display. That David Rees (Get Your War On) only uses clip art for visuals doesn't detract from the cleverness of his dialogue and the poignancy of his themes, while Keith Knight's crude but exuberant cartooning enhances his articulate, if loud, opinions. If this collection's work is slightly uneven, that's a function of its subject matter. This worthy compilation of cartoonists who otherwise wouldn't be seen outside of their local weeklies showcases the continuing vitality of comics as social criticism. (May) Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.