The Lexicon of Comicana
by: Mort Walker / Chris Ware (Intro.)

Softcover. NY, New York Review Books, reprint, 2025, Book: Very Good, Dust Jacket: None, Softcover, 128 pages, b&w illustrations. A new edition of Beetle Bailey creator Mort Walker's riotous and immensely influential handbook for drawing and reading cartoons-a book that's both a parody of humorless how-to guides and a genuine (and genuinely instructive) ode to the art of making comics. Both a send-up of lofty how-to-draw books and a sincere and hilarious love letter to the art of drawing cartoons, the Lexicon is a joyously exhaustive cheat sheet to key comics visuals that has been referenced and treasured by generations of cartoonists. This new edition includes a foreword by Chris Ware and a meticulous appendix by Mort's son Brian Walker, who delves deep into the visual language of comics. Clean copy.