Synopses & Reviews
The World of a Wayward Comic Book Artist: The Private Sketchbooks of S. Plunkett is a fascinating look at the creative processes of Sandy Plunkett. A self-taught illustrator and comic book artist, Plunkett came of age in New York City during the 60s and 70s and began drawing for Marvel Comics at eighteen. Throughout his ongoing career he has drawn for several other major publishers, including DC.
Featuring nearly four hundred selections from sketchbooks kept over the past twenty years, this collection is an insightful examination of the difficulties and successes Plunkett has experienced in keeping his work alive and evolving. The drawings cover a wide range of styles and subject matter, though all are rooted in the visual vernacular
of illustration, comic, and popular art of America, evincing influences as diverse as Thomas Hart Benton and
R. Crumb. Images of creatures, both actual and imagined, fabulous characters, and dreamlike worlds are juxtaposed
with studies from Plunketts life. The sketchbook images, along with a foreword by Michael Wm Kaluta and an
updated interview of Plunkett by Comic Book Artists Tim Barnes, provide a fascinating insight into artistic process,
debate, and fruition.
Review
"There's a timeless quality to Sandy Plunkett's work that never fails to give me a little jolt of envy and inspiration. I love his compositions, his rendering and all the emotion that he communicates with vivid facial expressions and carefully considered body language. I even envy his graceful signature. I'm thrilled to finally have a large collection of his drawings together under one cover."
Kevin Nowlan, Harvey Award- and Eisner Award-winning artist of Jack B. Quick, Boy Inventor
Review
"At long last, the drought is over. All of us, and we are legion, who have for decades impatiently awaited that which we knew must exista vast trove of unseen Plunkett brilliancehave finally been amply rewarded."
Mark Schultz, creator of Xenozoic Tales
Review
There's never been a person, self-proclaimed artist or otherwise, whose reaction to seeing their first Sandy Plunkett art wasn't 'Oh my! Where can I see more?' This book is an answer to all the years of our unified desire for a full helping of Sandy's art.”
Michael Wm Kaluta, from the foreword
Review
The book is a delight, partly for the terrific drawings that spill through it, and partly for the narrative that reveals Plunketts engaging, self-effacing personality. Hes never quite sure hes good enough, even while evidence of his talent is on the facing page
. Like all good journals, the book is a potpourri of ideas
.
Review
More than the artist sketchbook portfolios usually seen on the market, The World of a Wayward Comic Book Artist is an exploration of Sandy Plunketts creative process. Intuitively arranged, sketches flow one to another, linked by narratives taken from Plunketts sketchbooks, which often double as a journal.”
Kirkus Reviews
Review
Plunkett has generally shunned the spotlights, intent on driving his own path both in his personal life as well as in the creative worlds at large. (The World of a Wayward Comic Book Artist) is a finely packaged testament to the many suggestive roads traveled thus far by someone who apparently, fiercely, literally lives and breathes Art itself
. As complete as any life in progress, this book has left me so speechless as to be stretching for the words with which to express its impact.”
SP! Nexus
Review
an alluring mix of superheroes, fantasy figures, life drawing, experiments, and more. (Plunkett) also provides a few essays in order to put some of the work into context, and an interview conducted with Plunkett by COMIC BOOK ARTIST also enhances the book as well. If youre looking to discover what kind of person draws comics, and perhaps why they draw comics, then this book will definitely aid in an exploration for answers. Its nicely produced, smartly packaged, and full of enough eye candy to satisfy the sweetest of sweet tooths.”
Comics Waiting Room
Review
For graphic art fans, the book is a feast of Plunketts workalways recognizable as his own, but ranging over a wide stylistic territory. Some of its funny, some of its dark, and some of its just superb realistic sketching. Plunkett also happens to be a graceful and thoughtful writer, and his ruminations on what drives him to draw, what makes his art look the way it does, and his worries over whether hell ever be able to create anything really lasting, are far more than just filler between the pictures.”
The Athens NEWS
Synopsis
The World of a Wayward Comic Book Artist: The Private Sketchbooks of S. Plunkett is a fascinating look at the creative processes of Sandy Plunkett. A self-taught illustrator and comic book artist, Plunkett came of age in New York City during the ‘60s and ‘70s and began drawing for Marvel Comics at eighteen. Throughout his ongoing career he has drawn for several other major publishers, including DC. Featuring nearly four hundred selections from sketchbooks kept over the past twenty years, this collection, with a foreword by Michael Wm Kaluta and an updated interview of Plunkett by Comic Book Artist’s Tim Barnes, provides a fascinating insight into artistic processes, debate, and fruition.
About the Author
Sandy Plunketts career began in New York City drawing for DC and Marvel Comics. His trademark look can be seen on countless posters, album covers, and political cartoons. He lives in Athens, Ohio.