I don't toss books aside lightly, but I had no choice with this one. The type in the essays is microscopic, and completely unreadable for me. This was the case with quite a few of the comic strips as well. Overall, a deeply unsatisfying outcome that any competent editor could have avoided.. ( )

McSweeney's has always featured work by graphic artists and in this issue turns the reins over to Chris Ware and allows him to pay tribute to cartoonists and graphic artists past and present. Surely one of the most beautiful issues of McSweeney's, it must have cost a ton to produce. The book covering folds out to become a huge, Sunday paper comic section with artwork by Ware. Hidden in the folds are two mini-comic books. The hardcover book itself has over 250 lithographic plates and includes a few essays on cartooning history, appreciations and pioneers but mostly offers a sampling of important graphic artists working in the US, circa the early 2000s. ( )

A lovely sample of North American Comic drawings, scripts and stories. I was pleased to find Charles Schulz and George Herriman in here alongside Art Spiegelman, Robert Crumb, Joe Sacco and Chris Ware, and others. Interesting articles between the illustrations, a particularly good one about Rodolphe Töpffer - the creator of the first Comic Strip. Interesting also to compare the 1925 newspaper article on the neurological benefits of comic strips in this book with the 1950s comic burning mentioned in the Alan Moore biography "Magic Words". The print is very small, but quality of production made this a worthwhile volume. ( )

They can’t all be winners. ( )

One of those super creative efforts from McSweeney's that I really enjoyed digging into. Comics, comic history, hidden comics within the comics-overwrap ... neat. But the font for the essays inside is far too small. ( )