Out July 20, 2013.
Only a few months after the devastating attack on Pearl Harbor and the
same year that Albert Camus offered the world his bleak vision of man’s
existence by introducing his philosophical dictum of The Absurd, Virgil
Partch burst onto the scene with his own twist on the phrase. Partch was
a cartoonist who offered comic counterpoint to the grim headlines and a
unique perspective on human nature in the pages of the nation’s most
popular magazines. Known to millions by his jazzy signature, VIP, this
comic genius ushered in a new era of the gag cartoon—zany, sometimes
surreal, always hilarious—that inspired a generation of fellow
cartoonists starting in the 1940s and ’50s. His madcap style of humor
was reflected in the cutting-edge comedic sensibilities of Burns &
Allen, Jack Benny, Ernie Kovacs, Bob & Ray, Stan Freberg, and Jean
Shepherd, and would position Partch as one of the most prolific
“gag-men” of his day. VIP contributed to an astonishing array of
magazines, wrote gags for other cartoonists, illustrated books, album
covers, and advertisements, and adorned merchandise including,
appropriately, cocktail glasses. VIP: The Mad World of Virgil Partch is
the first time Partch’s life and career has been treated in full,
collecting amazing artwork from the entire range of his inspired career
and featuring his own writings. Reprinted from original art,
primary-source publications, and collectors’ and family archives, VIP’s
place in the world of cartooning and humor can finally be fully
appreciated in this beautiful coffee-table volume.
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