Synopses & Reviews
Jack Ziegler is a pivotal figure in the history of contemporary cartooning. An artist who redefined what a gag cartoon can be, he blends the conventions of a comic strip with the traditional format of a one-panel captioned cartoon, giving readers of
The New Yorkersome of their funniest moments for nearly 30 years. And though his self-stated ambition is modest-"just wanting to be funny"-his editors over the years praise him as a genius with a "touch of madness." (Balancing that is the opinion, shared by the artist himself, of friend and fellow cartoonist Bill Woodman: "Oh, Jack-he's just nuts, that's all.")
Third in The Essential Cartoonists Library is The Essential Jack Ziegler, joining The Essential George Boothand The Essential Charles Barsotti in respectfully celebrating this unique visual form and its great artists. Compiled and edited by Lee Lorenz, former art editor of The New Yorker, it presents approximately 150 of the artist's best cartoons, as well as photographs, insight into his background, influences, inspirations, working habits, and the appreciations of fellow cartoonists, including Roz Chast, Mick Stevens, and Bob Mankoff.
A sharp social satirist whose work sneaks up on you, Ziegler offers a deadpan yet bemused portrait of middle America. Everything appears normal-yet of course it's not. Television comes in by pipeline. "Say, this isn't so bad," comes a thought bubble from under a grave. And two dogs suspiciously eye a cat calendar. No idea is too far-fetched, too silly, too pointed-and suddenly you're laughing out loud.
Synopsis
TOAST, THE BOY WHO BREAKS STUFF, AND BATTLE LINES MAPPED AT THE ALTAR. Combining sharp social satire, the conventions of a comic strip, and a persistent weakness for puns, Jack Ziegler redefined what a gag cartoon could be. Now this genius with a touch of madness gets his artistic due in THE ESSENTIAL JACK ZIEGLER, a collection of more than 150 drawings plus an appreciation and interview by noted cartoonist and art editor Lee Lorenz.
About the Author
Lee Lorenz was the art editor of The New Yorker from 1973 to 1993 and its cartoon editor until 1997. A prolific artist himself, he has contributed cartoons and covers to the magazine since 1958, and is the author of more than twenty books, including The Art of the New Yorker and You Know You're Grown Up When... and illustrator of Real Men Don't Eat Quiche and Real Men Don't Bond.
Table of Contents
FAMILY ALBUM 1
BACK IN CIVVIES 23
THE NEW YORKER 45
ZIEGLER'S WORLD 71
PORTRAIT OF THE ARTIST AS A WORKING STIFF 107
THE VIEW FROM VEGAS 145
A ZIEGLER BIBLIOGRAPHY 147