Robyn Chapman

A fascinating glimpse at the destructive power of cults, of which America has had many, starting herein in the 1690s. Most of them of are more recent vintage though, with the short profiles of this historical anthology focusing mostly on the 1950s through 1990s. A couple of the 21 contributors are actually cult survivors.

There's plenty of schadenfreude appeal, but I do wonder about how strict the history is. No sources are offered. And in one chapter, the founder of Synanon is referred to as Charles "Chuck" Diedrich while most credible sources I see online say his name is actually Dederich. I haven't fact-checked anything else. Orthodox Judaism is surprisingly included, but notably absent is the controversial and litigious organization founded by L. Ron whatsisname.

Anyhow, this is a terrific overview that should serve as a springboard to further research and reading.… (más)

Drawing Comics is a beginner's guide to getting started in comics. The book covers each step you need to take to get a finished comic book.

The initial exercises are on drawing. However, most of the exercises in the book are on character development and storytelling. The layout of each of the 52 exercises is the genius of the book. Each exercise is encompassed in a two page spread. One page has a small box with a materials list, another box with an inspirational quote and a photograph. The second page consists of a half page set of instructions for the exercise and a half page of tips from a cartoonist. The layout makes each step look easy to accomplish so the reader can fell relaxed about the process.

Some of the other exercises include page building, panels, lettering, inking, publishing pages at home and writing proposals for publishers. If you do all of the exercises you should have a comic strip at the end of the book.

Drawing Comics is a book for the absolute beginning cartoonist. The instructions are so well laid out that anyone should have a completed product at the end of the book. No other comic instructional guide makes writing comics this simple nor do you have a comic strip done at the end of the book.

This is simply the best comic instructional guidebook that I have seen!… (más)