Adventures in Cartooning: Christmas Special

This book came out in 2012. I have literally waited 6 years to read this book by James Sturm (The Golem's Mighty Swing). Every year I try to get my hands on my library's copy. Yet it's always checked out and on backlog. By the time it's finally up for grabs, it's the middle of January and I have to wait another holiday season for my chance! Well, 2018 was the year I got lucky. 

I really enjoy the Adventures in Cartooning series. This all-ages read entertains while teaching about the ins and outs of the cartooning and comic book industry. The series is hosted by the Magic Cartooning Elf. Naturally, when you have an elf host, you have to team him up with Santa Claus and do a holiday special. Joining the adventure is Elf's buddy, The Knight. 

In this special, which takes place at the North Pole, everyone is compelled to rhyme. That drives The Knight crazy. But as she and the Magic Cartooning Elf helps Santa create a special comic book to give to all the girls and boys of the world (Not just the good ones!), Knight just can't help but to break out in verse as well. 

Oh, and of course, if you have a Knight, you've got to have a dragon! 

One of my favorite things about the Adventures in Cartooning series is that it has activities that invite readers to create their own comic books. Usually, the volumes are jammed pack with activities. The Christmas edition only has one mission for aspiring cartoonists and comic book writers to do. 

The other books in the series seem a little more educational. Maybe it's because it's Christmas that this book is more 'for fun' that the rest of the Adventures. It's not very surprising if that is the case as other educational franchises tend to entertain instead of educate. Sesame Street is a prime example of this, as it seems every one of their Christmas specials is 'dumbed down' for the holidays.

Despite not following the formula of it's predecessors, The Adventures in Cartooning: Christmas Special was a treat. The lone activity seemed lots of fun to do. The characters were true to themselves. Plus, there were ample amounts of humor peppered throughout. 

Was it was worth the wait? You betcha! Though I would recommend the other books in the series first to a parent with a child expressing interest in getting into the art and comics industries.

Worth Consuming!

Rating: 8 out of 10 stars.

Adventures in Cartooning: Characters in Action (Family Comic Friday)

 

When a knight errant and his trusty steed come across some seedy characters in the forest, they learn that their beloved king is in peril. At the castle, the knight discovers that the king is missing and a famous director has decided to hold casting calls for his replacement. But the knight will have to get in line to audition if he's interested in the job.

   Adventures in Cartooning: Characters in Action is one in a series of books presented by the Center for Cartoon Studies. Just what is the Center for Cartoon Studies? It's an educational institution based in Hartford, Vermont. The school's focus is on sequential art, primarily cartooning. Adventures in Cartooning is written and drawn  by James Sturm, Andrew Arnold, and Alexis Frederick-Frost: graduates from the CCS. 

    This 2013 book is like Schoolhouse Rock or Sesame Street in that they make learning fun again. Here, the series creators take a bizarre situation, such as a director turning a castle into a movie set, and add details that inform you on how to best draw characters. For Example, there are two characters that look like Albino peanuts and they can change into anything. They are also father and son. But how can you tell? Well, it's explained by the bigger 'peanut' that his son has a smaller body and larger head proportionately compared to his. 
  
   At the end of the book, the knight is taught by his friend the Magic Cartooning Elf how to draw characters. One of the steps he teaches our hero is that when drawing kids make their heads larger than their bodies. Hmm... I wonder where I heard that tip???

    Adventures in Cartooning takes the beloved art of drawing and creating and boils it down to a more age appropriate level. When I was a kid just about the only art book for those under the age of 21 was 'How to Draw the Marvel Way.' But the art was so advanced in that book for a kid the age of 11 to copy that I got frustrated that my stuff looked nothing like the experts and I gave up quick. 

   I'm not saying The Marvel Way isn't a good book. In fact it's a classic! But it's just too much for children of ages 6-13 to master. I'm ecstatic that the CSS has issued these books. But I'm a little jealous too as I wish I had books like this growing up! If your child is interested in possibly becoming a cartoonist or just want to learn how to draw in general- run, don't walk, to your computer or iPhone and order all of the books in this series. 

   Along with Characters in Action, the other books in the Adventures in Cartooning series, published by First Second are:

• Adventures in Cartooning (2009)
• Adventures in Cartooning Activity Book (2010)
• Adventures in Cartooning: Christmas Special (2012)
• Sleepless Knight  (2015)
• Gryphons Aren't So Great (2015)

Check these books out, your children and the next generation of comic book enthusiasts will thank you!

   Worth Consuming

   Rating: 10 out of 10 stars.

By the way, if you have a child or teen who is interested in one day becoming a cartoonist or involved in the comic book industry, check out the website for the Center for Cartoon Studies. It's never too soon to start getting ideas about college and they might even offer camps and have other links for getting your child on the right track to becoming the next Jack Kirby or Alex Ross.