Funny Stuff: How Great Cartoonists Make Great Cartoons. Phil Witte and Rex Hesner. Forward by Bob Mankoff. Prometheus Books. 2024. 150pp. $28.95.
If becoming a New Yorker cartoonist had an employee manual, FUNNY STUFF would be it. Here you’ll find the secrets to making great cartoons from some of the greatest cartoonists in the business. Your guides are two of the best authorities on such things, Phil Witte (a great cartoonist in his own right) and Rex Hesner, co-writers of the blog, Anatomy of a Cartoon, which you can regularly read at CartoonStock.com.
New Yorker cartoon by Michael Maslin.
As a cartoonist myself, I am very sensitive and self-aware about the whole subject of cartooning. And, just like anyone else, I can get cocky and think I already know enough about how to make a great cartoon. But, hang on, this book is truly useful, something different, and I’m thrilled to share it with you. As someone who completely loves cartoons, particularly New Yorker cartoons, I can honestly say this is a book you must get. So, enjoy the rest of this review and then come back this upcoming Tuesday for an interview with the authors to this wonderful guidebook on cartoons.
New Yorker cartoon by Joe Dator.
For something this worthwhile, I’m happy to spring into action. What excites me about this book is that I actually found the text compelling and highly relevant. You know, let’s be honest, sometimes you just want to view the cartoons in some of these collections but, in this case, I found an orderly approach, filled with insights, that really motivated me. People will read this book for a variety reasons but, I suspect, a main driver will be to get some tips on how to make better cartoons. Or, more broadly, how to better understand the unique humor behind New Yorker cartoons. This book has its own unique way of addressing the artwork and the caption, and how these two components work. On top of that, the authors have interviewed many of the great cartoonists so, one way or another, you are getting this from the horse’s mouth.
New Yorker cartoon by Phil Witte.
Is this book for you if you are not a serious student of the art of cartoons? Yes! In fact, put any concerns about being serious aside. This book can be enjoyed on different levels. If you want a fun look at some first-rate cartoons with the option of scanning a few bits of insights, so be it. And, if you’re enticed to read at a deeper level, so be it. The point is that the book has been created in such a way, I think, that it appears as if it takes some of the mechanisms involved in luring the reader into reading a great New Yorker cartoon: simple and intriguing, at first, with a thought-provoking sensation taking hold. Well, something like that.
