Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Celadon Books (2020), Edition: 1st Edition, 272 pages
Description
"I've always looked upon cartooning as comedy's last frontier. I have done stand-up, sketches, movies, monologues, awards show introductions, sound bites, blurbs, talk show appearances, and tweets, but the idea of a one-panel image with or without a caption mystified me. I felt like, yeah, sometimes I'm funny, but there are these other weird freaks who are actually funny. You can understand that I was deeply suspicious of these people who are actually funny." So writes the multitalented comedian Steve Martin in his introduction to A Wealth of Pigeons: A Cartoon Collection. In order to venture into this lauded territory of cartooning, he partnered with the heralded New Yorker cartoonist Harry Bliss. Steve shared caption and cartoon ideas, Harry provided impeccable artwork, and together they created this collection of humorous cartoons and comic strips, with amusing commentary about their collaboration throughout. The result: this gorgeous, funny, singular book, perfect to give as a gift or to buy for yourself"--… (more)
Media reviews
A virtuoso performance and an ode to an undervalued medium created by two talented artists.
User reviews
LibraryThing member srms.reads
A Wealth of Pigeons is a collection of cartoons created by famed illustrator/cartoonist Harry Bliss and veteran actor, comedian and writer Steve Martin.
I picked this book up (it was gathering dust on my shelves for over a year) after reading two emotionally taxing books back-to-back and needed a
Needless to say, the artwork is simply stunning with mostly black and white sketches ( a handful with a splash of color). With a wide variety of topics and humor, the collection never gets monotonous. I couldn’t get enough of these cartoons and sincerely hope Steve Martin and Harry Bliss get together for more such collaborations in the future.
For those who enjoy New Yorker-style cartoons, The Wealth of Pigeons by Harry Bliss and Steve Martin deserves a place in your collection! Perfect as a palate cleanser, when you need a good laugh or just because you feel like it! As in most "collections" some cartoons were funnier or more interesting than others but overall, this book is a fun and light-hearted read that I really enjoyed!
I picked this book up (it was gathering dust on my shelves for over a year) after reading two emotionally taxing books back-to-back and needed a
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light-hearted read. This was perfect for a ‘pick-me-up’ and I enjoyed laughing myself silly over this delightful collection of ridiculously funny cartoons (and captions) on a variety of subjects including animals, aliens and outer space and of course the exploits of the common man. We even get a few multi-panel frames in which the collaborators give us a glimpse into their creative process, Bliss and Martin appearing as cartoon versions of themselves!Needless to say, the artwork is simply stunning with mostly black and white sketches ( a handful with a splash of color). With a wide variety of topics and humor, the collection never gets monotonous. I couldn’t get enough of these cartoons and sincerely hope Steve Martin and Harry Bliss get together for more such collaborations in the future.
For those who enjoy New Yorker-style cartoons, The Wealth of Pigeons by Harry Bliss and Steve Martin deserves a place in your collection! Perfect as a palate cleanser, when you need a good laugh or just because you feel like it! As in most "collections" some cartoons were funnier or more interesting than others but overall, this book is a fun and light-hearted read that I really enjoyed!
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LibraryThing member villemezbrown
A collection of perfectly fine and humorous cartoon panels reminiscent of The Far Side or any number of New Yorker gags. Despite the pedigree of the authors, they are content to mine the old reliable veins, serving up lots of jokes about dogs, desert islands, Disney characters, the Grim Reaper,
Slightly more interesting are the pages inside the front and back covers showing their process and the occasional strips that feature Martin and Bliss just hanging out or talking about the next cartoon.
Anyhow, I laughed out loud a time or two and enjoyed the short time it took to flip through (made shorter by the fact that every other page is blank so all the cartoons appear alone on the right side of every two-page spread).
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etc. So many of the gags are two unlikely characters sort of sharing a space and saying something kind of clever or unexpected.Slightly more interesting are the pages inside the front and back covers showing their process and the occasional strips that feature Martin and Bliss just hanging out or talking about the next cartoon.
Anyhow, I laughed out loud a time or two and enjoyed the short time it took to flip through (made shorter by the fact that every other page is blank so all the cartoons appear alone on the right side of every two-page spread).
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LibraryThing member oddandbookish
I received a copy of this book for free from the publisher (Celadon Books) in exchange for an honest review.
This was a delightful book of cartoons!
In such uncertain and anxious times, it’s nice to be able to just sit down, take a breather, and have a laugh. This book did exactly that!
The humor
As typical with a cartoon collection, there were some cartoons that I really liked and some that I didn’t quite get.
I liked that there were cartoons about the creation of the book interspersed throughout it. It was a fun touch and I liked seeing the collaboration between Steve Martin and Harry Bliss come together. I also liked that the end pages showed rough drafts of some of the cartoons. It was cool to see that behind the scenes aspect.
Overall, if you like the cartoons that you get in your Sunday paper, then you’ll probably like this collection! This book would also make a great gift.
This was a delightful book of cartoons!
In such uncertain and anxious times, it’s nice to be able to just sit down, take a breather, and have a laugh. This book did exactly that!
The humor
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is very much like the cartoons you encounter in the newspaper. The same goes for the artwork. It definitely made me nostalgic for the cartoons I used to read in my local paper when I was a kid. As typical with a cartoon collection, there were some cartoons that I really liked and some that I didn’t quite get.
I liked that there were cartoons about the creation of the book interspersed throughout it. It was a fun touch and I liked seeing the collaboration between Steve Martin and Harry Bliss come together. I also liked that the end pages showed rough drafts of some of the cartoons. It was cool to see that behind the scenes aspect.
Overall, if you like the cartoons that you get in your Sunday paper, then you’ll probably like this collection! This book would also make a great gift.
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LibraryThing member Darcia
A Wealth of Pigeons is a fun collection of cartoons.
The book itself is a beautiful hardcover without a dust jacket. I love when a publisher puts the artwork right on the cover, rather than relying on the cheap paper jacket.
The cartoons are only printed on the right side. The reverse side of each
I love the artwork, which made me nostalgic for the days of Sunday comics.
The humor is hit or miss for me. Even so, I enjoyed looking through all the cartoons, even when the captions didn't strike me as funny.
*I received a review copy from Celadon Books.*
The book itself is a beautiful hardcover without a dust jacket. I love when a publisher puts the artwork right on the cover, rather than relying on the cheap paper jacket.
The cartoons are only printed on the right side. The reverse side of each
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page is blank, so the art doesn't bleed through and make for a smudgy appearance. All the cartoons are black & white.I love the artwork, which made me nostalgic for the days of Sunday comics.
The humor is hit or miss for me. Even so, I enjoyed looking through all the cartoons, even when the captions didn't strike me as funny.
*I received a review copy from Celadon Books.*
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LibraryThing member Beamis12
First book I've reviewed in quite a while and it's a book of cartoons. Understandable, if one realizes how life has sent my way, one too many griefs, challenges, and for the first time in my life I struggled to maintain equilibrium. This book was fun, fun I so needed. Some of the cartoons are more
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amusing than others, but the illustrations, all black and white, were wonderful. A good gift book I think for the holidays. This has been a tough year for so many, might be nice to pass on a little humor. Show Less
LibraryThing member froxgirl
Not enough pigeons! Bliss is a MASTER OF PIGEONS but this cartoon collection needs more. Bliss, who does a great daily one-panel strip, is brought together with Steve Martin by the New Yorker art editor Francoise Mouly because Steve's got ideas and he needs a visual translator. They become friends
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and collaborators, but Bliss should keep his day job. The book has about 10 cartoons I found to be outstanding and the rest were plain okay. A bit disappointing. Show Less
LibraryThing member bness2
What a delightful collection of cartoons!
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2020
Physical description
272 p.; 8.48 inches
ISBN
1250262895 / 9781250262899
Local notes
Signed