Cartooning: The art and the business

by Mort Gerberg

An expanded and updated edition of The Arbor House Book of Cartooning (1983), acclaimed by both critics and professionals. "A definite help to anyone who would like to be a cartoonist."--Charles M. Schulz.

Genres: Comics, Art

272 pages, Paperback

First published August 30, 1983

Reviews

[David Rickert · Rating 4 out of 5]

70% of this book is useless today. But back in the late ‘80s when it was released it was a huge inspiration to the budding cartoonist inside of me, so much so that I have large chunks of this book ingrained in my head. I love how it holds up magazine cartoons like this in the New Yorker as the pinnacle of the art form (definitely true as I’ve found this the hardest form to master.) so I would never recommend this book to anyone starting out and it’s long exceeded its value as an instructional tool for me, but reading it for me is an exercise in pure nostalgia - a time when this seems like a reasonable way to make a living.

[Max · Rating 4 out of 5]

I have to play devil's advocate; many of the reviews already written are spot on. Some information in this book is outdated and outright archaic. This was written in 1989 before the Internet, webcomics and affordable computers were everywhere. The emphasis of the book is on magazine gag cartooning; 99.9% of magazines out there don't even run cartoons anymore, making the gag cartoonist 200% extinct with absolutely no place in today's society.

Lucky for us, the pros of this book outweigh the cons. Mort Gerberg talks much about his own experiences in cartooning and he KNOWS what he is talking about. He discusses materials, generating ideas, putting it all together and dissecting the elements of the cartoon to see how it works. Gerberg also discusses ways of "thinking outside the box" by applying your cartooning skills such as working in advertising, animation, greeting cards, children's books and so on. Personally speaking, Mr. Gerberg's book inspired me to try my hand at doing children's books...and I'm off to a super start.

There is a reason this has been called a "Bible" for cartooning. While the book does show its age, this tome is stupendous even if you're into manga and webcomics. Make sure you read it today.

[Bree · Rating 4 out of 5]

I give this a solid 4 stars for what it is. As others have mentioned, a lot of the “practical” advice is dated, as the world of cartooning is so different now than it was 30 years ago. But a surprising amount of the tools and advice given can be adapted easily to today’s cartooning market, with some other supplementary knowledge.

I liked that he covers several different ways to utilize and profit from cartooning, and doesn’t sugar coat anything. Basically, cartooning involves a lot of hard work and self promotion, which is still true to this day.

[Phil Witte · Rating 5 out of 5]

Generations of professional cartoonists have read this practical guide to creating and selling cartoons. The book's focus is on single-panel gag cartoons, but the author also discusses other professional opportunities, such as greeting cards and advertising. For aspiring cartoonists, this book is filled with nuts and bolts information on how the business works.