Books for Lovers of Gag Cartoons

by Philip Witte

|

6 books

I'm a cartoonist and humor writer, so I'm always looking for a good laugh. Beyond that, I'm also fascinated by the creative process. How do people come up with clever, original ideas, and what are the artistic choices they make to communicate them? Often that inquiry requires some knowledge of the creators themselves. The books I've chosen shine some light on this mysterious process.

Read more... Read less...

Bizarro and Other Strange Manifestations of the Art of Dan Piraro

Dan Piraro, 2006

Dan Piraro is the creator of Bizarro, the syndicated, single-panel cartoon. He's one of the most talented cartoonists of offbeat humor since Gary Larson. This book is partly autobiographical, and he explains how certain cartoons reflect events in his life. Despite the absurdity of his cartoons, of which there are plenty in the book, Dan reveals himself to be a deep thinker. Disclosure: I wrote a couple dozen Bizarro gags for him years ago.

I Was a Child

Bruce Eric Kaplan, 2015

Readers of the New Yorker magazine will be familiar with cartoons that are signed BEK. Kaplan's cartoons exist in an almost existentially cold world where people seem isolated from one another, but in a curiously funny way. This memoir explores his neurotic tendencies and childhood fear of abandonment, among other touchy subjects. At the same time, it's often laugh-out-loud funny.

The Rejection Collection Vol. 2

The Cream of the Crap

Matthew Diffee, 2007

This is the second volume of cartoons that the New Yorker rejected because they were too edgy, risqué, or weird. Almost all of them are much funnier than the cartoons that the magazine publishes. Just as hilarious are the cartoonists' responses to the form questions that editor Matt Diffee presented to them. Diffee is himself a fine cartoonist.

What's So Funny?

A Cartoonist's Memoir

David Sipress, 2022

Another memoir about the often comedic struggles of David Sipress, from his challenging New York upbringing to his Ph.D. studies at Harvard to a career in fine art, to his current identity as a leading magazine cartoonist, primarily for the New Yorker. I haven't met the author, but this book makes me wish I will someday.

Funny Stuff

How Great Cartoonists Make Great Cartoons

Philip Witte, Rex Hesner, 2024

Funny Stuff, which I wrote with cartoon critic Rex Hesner, is an analysis and appreciation of the single-panel gag cartoon. In 10 chapters and with more than 100 cartoons by legendary cartoonists, we discuss types of humor, illustration styles, caption writing, and other elements that make for a great cartoon. Also included are excerpts of interviews with top cartoonists and images from their personal notebooks. With a foreword by Bob Mankoff, the former cartoon editor of the New Yorker.

Can't We Talk about Something More Pleasant?

Roz Chast, 2014

Unlike the other memoirs listed, this one is told in graphic form. Chast, probably the best-known New Yorker cartoonist currently in the magazine, describes her efforts to deal with her aging, in-denial parents. The book is memorable, poignant, and often flat-out funny. No wonder it was a bestseller.