Synopses & Reviews
Franandccedil;oise Mouly takes us behind the scenes at the
New Yorker and reveals how the magazine creates its signature covers commenting on the most urgent political and cultural events of the day. She shows the shocking and hilarious sketches that didnandrsquo;t make the cut and explains how these are essential stages in the evolution of a cover that stands the test of time but retains its edge. Her book captures contemporary historyandmdash;from the farce of Monica Lewinsky to the adventures of Michelle and Barack to nuclear meltdown in Japanandmdash;in images that are as acute as they are outrageous. More than that, it shows how the magazine that exemplifies journalistic excellence in America also dares to cultivate a sense of humor when grappling with complex moral and political issues.
Praise for Blown Covers:
andldquo;Interesting failures are the driving force behind BLOWN COVERS: New Yorker Covers You Were Never Meant to See (Abrams, $24.95), by Franandccedil;oise Mouly. Mouly is the art editor of The New Yorker, and paging through this book is like standing in the corner of her office as she pins up rejected covers on the wall. Mouly has dozens of tales about images that failed for one reason or another. Now, presumably with the approval of her bosses at Condandeacute; Nast, she has created a tell-all (or tell-most) that even nonandndash;illustrators and designers will find enlightening.andrdquo; andmdash;New York Times Book Review
andldquo;Yes, Blown Covers sometimes offendsandmdash;and thatandrsquo;s the audacious joy of it.andrdquo; andmdash;NPR.org
andldquo;[New Yorker] art editor Mouly offers some true delights.andrdquo; andmdash;Sacramento Bee
Review
The submissions were not set aside because they were not funny but (for the most part) because they were too funny.andlt;BRandgt; andlt;Iandgt;--New York Timesandlt;/Iandgt;
Synopsis
Each week about fifty andlt;iandgt;New Yorkerandlt;/iandgt; cartoonists submit ten ideas, yielding five hundred cartoons for no more than twenty spots in the magazine. Arguably the most brilliant single-panel-gag cartoonists in the world create a bunch of cartoons every week that never see the light of day. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; These rejects were piling up in the dusty corners of studios all over the country. Sam Gross, who has been contributing since 1962, has more than 12,000 rejected cartoons. (Seriously. He's been numbering every single cartoon he's ever submitted to andlt;iandgt;The New Yorkerandlt;/iandgt; since the very beginning.) Enter editor Matthew Diffee. He tapped his fellow cartoonists, asking them to rescue these hilarious lost gems. From the artists' stacks of all-time favorite rejects, Diffee handpicked the standouts -- the cream of the crap -- and created andlt;iandgt;The Rejection Collectionandlt;/iandgt;, a place where good ideas go when they die. Too risquand#233;, silly, or weird for andlt;iandgt;The New Yorkerandlt;/iandgt;, the cartoons in this book offer something no other collection has: They have never been seen in print until now. andlt;BRandgt; andlt;BRandgt; With a foreword by andlt;iandgt;New Yorkerandlt;/iandgt; cartoon editor Robert Mankoff that explains the sound judgment, respectability, and scruples not found anywhere in these pages, and handwritten questionnaires that introduce the quirky character of each artist, andlt;iandgt;The Rejection Collectionandlt;/iandgt; will appeal to fans of andlt;iandgt;The New Yorkerandlt;/iandgt;...and to anyone with a slightly sick sense of humor.
About the Author
Matthew Diffee has been contributing cartoons to andlt;iandgt;The New Yorkerandlt;/iandgt; since 1999, and he edited the bestselling volumes of andlt;i andgt;The Rejection Collection: Cartoons You Never Saw, and Never Will See, in The New Yorkerandlt;/iandgt;. Diffee was honored by the National Cartoonists Society with the Reuben Award for Best Gag Cartoonist of the Year in 2014. Originally form Texas, Diffee now lives in Los Angeles but in a good way.