Top
Selection: THE FINEST
INTERNATIONAL POLITICAL CARTOONS
OF OUR TIME
Critical acclaims
1992 EDITION The first in a series, this book
is a unique collection of the wittiest, most imaginative, and
best drawn contemporary political cartoons that grace the pages
of the international media today. Culled from a search of cartoons
from 48 countries, the selected works represent a diversity and
superior quality unmatched in political cartoon anthologies.
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1993 EDITION Fourteen Pulitzer Prize winning
editorial cartoonists (Auth, Benson, Borgman, Conrad, Feiffer,
Locher, MacNelly, Marlette, Oliphant, Peters, Sargent, Szép,
Wilkinson, and Wright), the world's top cartoonist, as voted by
international cartoonists in a recent survey (Mikhail Zlatkovsky),
and their highly acclaimed international counterparts from 44
countries, grace the pages of the 1993 volume of The Finest International
Political Cartoons of our Time series.
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1994 EDITION Continuing in the tradition of
the previous volumes, this 1994 compilation further examines the
world and its main concerns. New topics, such as healthcare, gun
control, religion, capital punishment, urban environment, the
media, as well as some unusually provokative metaphors used by
the world-renowned Portuguese António and Russian Zlatkovsky
provide added excitement to this volume.
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REVIEW
Cartoons of impact
that
appeared in the Washington, D.C. based Capitol Comics Editorial cartoons are by their nature an ephemeral art form; they speak to their times and, like the people they pillory or praise and themes they address, they have their brief hour upon the stage and then become obscure footnotes to history. Future generations, God willing, may find AIDS and the hostage crisis as remote as we find the Tweed Ring and Teapot Dome. But among the spate of visual comments on current events, a few have an impact which transcends time and earns them a permanent place in the archives. Some by reason of their graphic artistry or originality and some for the universality of their themes find their way into the literature and history of their eras. Of the many collections which appear yearly, most are memorials to particular artists with their own followings or deal with specific topics in the news, and these have their place for the specialist. Few are as broadly based and diverse in both style and content as Joe Szabo's Top Selection, an assemblage which spans the world and examines most of its major concerns. What sets this elegantly produced volume apart from other collections of editorial cartoons, besides its usually handsome format and the high quality of its reproduction, is the extraordinary range of the viewpoint it reflects. True to the claim of its title, this is truly an international selection, its 124 artists representing 48 countries around the would. Most of the familiar cartoonists of America and Western Europe are here, and many who deserve to be better known, and it's good to have them in permanent form; but what is unique to this book is the opportunity it provides to see work from artists we would never see otherwise from Latin America, Africa, and the Near and Far East. The results are sometimes obscure--Oriental and Eastern European political cartoons are often rather surrealist illustrations than the visual puns we are used in the United States--but the pictorial commentaries in Top Selection are uniformly compelling and give us not only a rich sampler of visual ingenuity but a unique insight into foreign viewpoints on world affairs. The editor, himself a cartoonist from Hungary and the publisher of an international cartoon magazine which specializes in work from lesser-known sources, has brought together material from countries as far-flung as Bulgaria, Kazakhstan, and Estonia, Israel, Kuwait, and Iran, China, Japan, and Singapore, Honduras, El Salvador, and Peru. Although there are 22 American artists here (11 of them Pulitzer Prize winners), the bulk of the material is from places whose voices are seldom heard in this country. Organized by themes and indexed by national source, Szabo's volume provides a synoptic survey of world opinion, enabling us to see how citizens of the former Soviet Union and Yugoslavia see their situations, to compare Israeli and Arab views of the peace talks between their nations, and to glimpse how the Philippines react to the dangers of pollution. Not surprisingly, the Gulf War, the collapse of the Communist world, and the problems of the Middle East receive the largest amount of space, but nearly thirty other topics, timely and timeless, get their share. Cartoons range in size from half a page to full two-page spreads, and each is clearly identified by artist and country. Top Selection: The Finest International Political Cartoons of Our Time is an important addition to the literature of its medium. What constitutes "the finest" is a personal call, but the editor has given us a richly varied assortment which is not likely to be surpassed. If it maintains the high graphic and intellectual standard of its initial offering, Top Selection is sure to become the definitive series in the field. |
REVIEW
of laughter
appeared in the South China Morning Post in Hong Kong When Columbus discovered the United States 500 years ago, he was greeted by Mickey Mouse and his tribe of Walkman-wearing, Coca-Cola guzzling Indians...that is, after he slogged through the industrial waste on the beach on his way through Immigration and Customs Control. At least, that's the general consensus in this collection of cartoons from around the world commemorating the 500th anniversary of Columbus's "discovery." Jointly edited by a native born American and Hungarian-immigrant cartoonist Joseph Szabo, the book showcases the work of 88 cartoonists from every continent, including six former Soviet republics (Though few from Asia). Columbus is variably shown as a pizza delivery boy, daydreaming about "discovering" Marilyn Monroe, and disappointed that his European PAL video camera is incompatible with the American NTSC system. Several cartoons make the perhaps-not-politically-correct assertion that it wasn't only the natives who suffered because of European colonialism. A Russian cartoon eloquently shows Columbus and an Indian trading a bottle of liquor for a tobacco pipe. By the last panel, both are lying dead on the ground. Although Columbus never actually set foot on North America, cartoon after cartoon shows Columbus arriving in the USA, complete with Statue of Liberty and traffic jams, choking with pollution and overdevelopment. and rampant with glitzy advertising and superficial pop culture. Wait, isn't that backwards? After all, wasn't it Columbus himself who got the ball rolling for all that mess? Here, in fact, is what makes this book much more delightful than a simple collection of cartoons about a man whom a few people are interested anymore. Beneath the surface, this is also a book about the world's love/hate affair with the USA. Western European cartoonists draw a largely negative, cynical caricature of America. A Swiss cartoon who's Columbus sailing west, shouting "Westward Ho!" until he reaches a polluted, traffic-choked shore. He reverses direction, shouting "Eastward Ho"! North American cartoonists predictably flagellate themselves with guilt over the plight of the Indians. Latin Americans, providing by far the best artwork in the book, give us cluttered, zany mini-murals blaming the Europeans for the mess. Others use Columbus to comment on the new wave of Japanese "economic colonizers" of America. Ironically, all the positive images of the USA came from Eastern Europe and the former Soviet Union. A Croatian cartoonist draws various races and nationalities leaping into the USA and emerging as Superman. And an Armenian shows Columbus's ship containing a poor Soviet immigrant beckoning to the Statue of Liberty. Introducing the book are reproductions of many of the first woodblock illustrations of Columbus's voyage, from as early as 1493. Even back then the Spaniards were drawn as cruel and barbarous invaders. Though not by Spaniards. The cartoons overall vary from laugh-out-loud funny gags to dramatic graphic images (the Statue of Liberty grasping the severed head of an Indian), to the just plain silly. The only complaint about this book, is that too many cartoons contain similar gags, the one about Columbus going through Immigration being the most repetitious. Perhaps the editors allowed this in order to have as many countries represented as possible. The artwork is for the most part excellent, with a wide diversity of styles ranging from the fashionably simple to highly-polished humorous illustration. Printed on high-quality coated art paper, including 25 pages in full color, it is an attractive book. If you either admire or despise Columbus, and love or hate America, you'll find this collection fascinating, thought-provoking and funny. |
CARTOONOMETER Authors: Joe Szabo and
John A. Lent Why do cartoonists do what they do? What do they wish to accomplish? How much money do they make? What is their philosophy? Who are the best in comics, political and gag cartoons, caricatures, animation, and humorous illustration ? The answers to these and numerous other questions are given in Cartoonometer, a pioneering effort by two editors of WittyWorld International Cartoon Magazine. Both Joe Szabo and John A. Lent have long been involved in serving, showcasing, promoting, and scutinizing comic art. Their undertaking to map this most influential, entertaining, and even educational profession was a herculean task that brought both anticipated and surprizing results. Enhancing the book, which is based on information collected from 249 cartoonists from 47 countries, are textual profiles of world famous cartoonists and scores of illustrations involving various genres. Some of the artwork is in full color. One can read the minds and/or enjoy the brilliant works of many American celebrities such as Chris Browne (Hägar the Horrible), Jim Davis (Garfield), Gary Larson (Far Side), David Levine (New York Review of Books), Frank Miller (comic book artist), Pat Oliphant (editorial cartoonist), Charles Schulz (Peanuts), Bill Watterson (Calvin and Hobbes), as well as international figures including the legendary Quino of Argentina, Moebius, Serre, and Topor from France, the late "Japanese Disney" Tezuka, and the cartoonist voted overall best, Mikhail Zlatkovsky of Russia. |
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WAS IT WORTH IT? Edited by: Joe Szabo and
Michael Ricci Many notable American
and international cartoonists are taking a wry look at Christopher
Columbus' trip ito America in Was It Worth It?, a compilation of
cartoons from 38 countries. The editors, Michael Ricci and Joseph
George Szabo of WittyWorld International Cartoon Magazine made their
selections from nearly one thousand submissions. |
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JUST KICKING Edited by: Joe Szabo Just Kicking (and Kidding) takes a humorous look at the world's most popular sport by many of the world's most popular cartoonists. Naturally, most of the cartoons came from countries where soccer is overwhelmingly beloved, and where the sport is rooted in deep tradition. Understandably soccer superpowers such as Brazil, Germany, England, Italy, Mexico, and Colombia are among them, but readers can find cartoons from as far as China or Uruguay representing a wide range of countries. A truly diverse and entertaining collection, the book is sure to score many smiles and outright laughs. Just Kicking (and Kidding) is very funny, and is recommended to anybody who enjoys either playing or watching this most popular of all sports. |
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WITTYWORLD'S ILLUSTRATED
DIRECTORY Author: Joe Szabo If you ever had the desire to know who is eligible for entering the Pulitzer Prize, where could one win $20,000 with a single cartoon, or when the deadline is for a particular cartoon festival, you will want to have this directory, the only publication in the world that has all these and much more answers for you. WittyWorld has tracked down 127 cartoon festivals and awards in 37 countries. They are listed alphabetically and cross-referenced with seventy-four entries in a section about detailed information on active festivals, competitions, and awards. The festivals are categorized by the genres in which they offer their awards. They are caricatures, comics, general gag cartoons, humorous illustration, editorial/political cartoons, three dimensional, and sports cartoons. Since some festivals do, some do not return the entries to the participants, WittyWorld has made an effort to learn the practice of each competition in regard to returning artwork, providing a very useful information for cartoonists. This unique and practical directory is handsomely produced with 69 illustrations, and is designed to help both established and budding cartoonists to obtain the recognition, exposure, and acclaim their works deserve. |
