Chris Ware

by Daniel Raeburn, Rick Poynor (Editor)

This title pairs the most talented postmodern comic artist alive (Chris Ware, author of the justly lauded Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth with perhaps the best writer on contemporary comics, Daniel Raeburn. So little decent writing exists on comics that Raeburn, editor of the fanzine The Imp,has to go back to the very birth of the form to get started, and his writing is always fluent and accessible (with the exception of his insistence on using silly terms like "comixscenti"). Raeburn clearly loves Ware's work with an infectious intensity and it's not bothersome that he is obviously close pals with the subject. To adhere to the strictures of the series, the book seems at times forced to emphasize Ware's graphic design. Ware is first and foremost an insanely adept pillager of early 20th century advertising and comics forms; but it's as a story-teller that Ware is known and celebrated. Raeburn emphasizes Ware's "emotional" use of color and form and decries an art museum's placement of a single page of comic art taken from a larger work on its walls as tantamount to "cutting a paragraph from a short story and framing it." But his book does the very same thing throughout. The book is excellent, although slightly maddening. If only there were more illustrations and Raeburn did not feel such an insistence on staking claims on the very tired highbrow vs. lowbrow divide, this would be a perfect work. --Mike McGonigal

Genres: Comics, Nonfiction, Biography, Art, Graphic Novels, Criticism, Graphic Novels Comics

Paperback

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Daniel Raeburn is a writer and critic known for Chris Ware and the memoir Vessels. His essays have appeared in The New Yorker and elsewhere. A recipient of multiple fellowships, he lives in Chicago and teaches nonfiction at the University of Chicago.

Reviews

[Earline · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a good introduction to Chris Ware's work and includes great stories about his career. I especially love his attitude towards grad school. Chris Ware is my hero and inspires me to be a better artist... as well as a badass.

"By the time Ware arrived in Chicago for his graduate studies at the School of the Art Institute, he was artistically and emotionally independent enough to ignore his teachers, most of whom discouraged him from doing comics, and a few whom openly mocked him, at least until he dropped out."

[Mycala · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have been seriously crushing on Chris Ware for well over a decade. That said, I find the inside of his head slightly uncomfortable and okay, sometimes scary. There is no denying he is a genius, though, and while I was hoping there would be more about the man himself, it is bits of him with lots of his art. All is forgiven because this book is pure eye candy.

[Dominick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book reads more like an exhibition catalogue than a critical study. About the first quarter consists of a critical appreciation by Raeburn, which does indeed offer useful information and insights into Ware and his work. This section is lavishly illustrated. The remaining 75% or so of the book consists entirely of illustrations, most accompanied by notes from Raeburn, which are also typically insightful, especially when providing guides to how to read Ware's complex pages. It seems weird to me that I seem to be complaining about there being too much art, since in my opinion, almost all books on comics are insufficiently illustrated (don't get me started on that subject), and it is great to see some of the rarities and oddities (e.g. Ware's sculptures). Nevertheless, my own expectations have left me feeling somewhat disappointed. I was expecting more of a study of Ware's work, rather than, primarily, an art book. Nevertheless, if you want a quick read that offers some insight into Ware, this book is worth a look.

[Rick Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautiful exploration of Chris Ware's work. Great interview work, and lavish with illustrations discussing Ware's influences, choices and graphic savoir faire. If you want a deeper look into how Chris Ware does what he does, look no further.

[Powells.com · Rating 5 out of 5]

Similar in sentiment to artist Joseph Cornell's three-dimensional work, Chris Ware's drawings and sculpture remind me of enchanting collections of objects lost and found. In this new monograph, Daniel Raeburn closely examine's Ware's work methods and innovations and discusses the connections between Ware's most well-known character, Jimmy Corrigan, and that of his creator. Check out The Acme Novelty Datebook for more personal insight into his talent and history. Amy Antonio, Powells.com

http://www.powells.com/cgi-bin/biblio...

[Jamie Felton · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a pretty fascinating look at Chris Ware and, more importantly, comic books and how they are more than just words and pictures. One idea that I really liked was that the more comic books become a language of their own, the more people will be able to relate to and access them because people will become more fluent. This book has a ton of early work by Ware.

[Joe Drogos · Rating 4 out of 5]

I probably don't have to make a case for how incredible Chris Ware is. Being able to see these comics for free in the Reader and New City for all of my teenage years through my return from college-- wot a countree, eh?

It probably makes sense to just buy the comics themselves, but some of the graphic design analysis in here is really insightful.

[Panoramaisland · Rating 3 out of 5]

Magnificently underlines Ware's massive theoretical/conceptual shortcomings - not, I think, what the author intended. Even so, an even more essentialist reading of his work than I think is actually merited. Lushly illustrated with many comics and photographs!

[Corbravo · Rating 3 out of 5]

The texts by this man are a bit R-tarded. But there's Ware's pictures on the other side of the page, so fortunately they're also unnoticeable.

[Marisa Fulper · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good overview of Chris Ware's practices