Comic Art

Starting with the Civil War and cartoonist Thomas Nast, creator of the lasting images of Uncle Sam and Santa Claus, author Jeremy Dauber whizzes listeners through the progress of comics in the 20th century and beyond. Follow the history from the golden age of newspaper comic strips - Krazy Kat, Yellow Kid, Dick Tracy - to the midcentury superhero boom - Superman, Batman, Wonder Woman - and from the moral panic of the Eisenhower era to the underground comix movement; from the grim and gritty Dark Knights to the graphic novel’s rise.

In Five Minutes to Kill, actor and comedian Fred Stoller tells the story of the Young Comedians Special in 1989. He and five other talented, then-unknown comics took the stage with the hopes that their five-minute sets would propel them to fame and fortune. Some, like David Spade and Rob Schneider, hit it big; others didn’t. By turns hilarious and heart-wrenching, Five Minutes to Kill is the bittersweet story of what happened to six of America’s funniest people after their first big breaks.

This has proven to be the most significant book ever written on stand-up comedy. It truly comes to life as an audiobook, especially with ‘before & after’ examples of punchlines. It explains groundbreaking methods and theories that give you the tools to fast-track your stand-up to the next level and will permanently change the way you look at writing and performing comedy.

The defining, behind-the-scenes chronicle of one of the most extraordinary, beloved, and dominant pop cultural entities in America’s history -- Marvel Comics – and the outsized personalities who made Marvel including Martin Goodman, Stan Lee, and Jack Kirby. “Sean Howe’s history of...

Superman, Batman, Spider-Man, Iron Man, Wonder Woman, the Avengers, the X-Men, Watchmen, and more: the companion volume to the PBS documentary series of the same name that tells the story of the superhero in American popular culture. Together again for the first time, here come the greatest...

Nikki Maxwell is starting eighth grade at a new school—and her very first diary is packed with hilarious stories and art in this first book in the #1 New York Times bestselling Dork Diaries series! Nikki confesses all in her first diary ever: her epic battle with her mom for an iPhone, meeting...

From the bestselling author of the wildly inventive Strange Pictures and a phenomenon in Japan—unnatural layouts, trap doors, windowless rooms— a sinister conspiracy is concealed within a house’s warped and unsettling floor plans When a writer fascinated by the macabre is approached by an...

An NPR Best Book of 2018 "How to Invent Everything is such a cool book. It's essential reading for anyone who needs to duplicate an industrial civilization quickly." --Randall Munroe, xkcd creator and New York Times-bestselling author of What If? The only book you need if you're going back in...

Si crees que las súper-luchas entre superhéroes no se pueden superar, es porque necesitas conocer la rivalidad entre las compañías que los crearon. Guerra de negocios: Marvel vs DC narra la batalla interminable entre las dos editoriales de comics más grandes del mundo por ganar el corazón, los sueños y los bolsillos de millones de personas.

NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER WWE superstar AJ Lee candidly shares her lifelong struggle with bipolar disorder and how embracing her diagnosis gave her the confidence to take back control of her life. “Crazy Is My Superpower is at once breathtakingly honest, hilariously funny, self-deprecating...

Named a Best Book of the Year by The Washington Post “A definitive and ideal biography—pound for pound, one of the sleekest and most judicious I’ve ever read.” —The New York Times A critical darling, Crumb is the first biography of Robert Crumb—one of the most profound and...

Spiritual satire is nothing new. There are many satirical verses in Vedas, Puranas and other Sanatan based scriptures, which despite being full of spiritual knowledge, also provide high level entertainment. Similarly, in our ancient theatre style Kariyala, there used to be many satirical skits on spirituality. Even today Kariyala is prevalent, especially among the hill cultures. In Kariyala, some acrobats type actors would come in the satirical guise of a sage, while others would come in the guise of a guru-disciple. The audience used to hold their belly while laughing. We have seen many ...

"There is a universal appeal to [Narrator Ariel] Blake's performance as Edie, a protagonist who may be her own worst antagonist. Blake's delivery has an immensely human, relatable quality that makes the listener want the best for Edie as she struggles to make her way in the world." -- AudioFile...

As a movie actress Lucille Ball was, in her own words, "queen of the B-pluses." But on the small screen she was a superstar - arguably the funniest and most enduring in the history of TV. In this exemplary biography, Stefan Kanfer explores the roots of Lucy's genius and places it in the context of her conflicted and sometimes bitter personal life.

Bring forth the "The Art of Clowning" - an exciting eBook bestowing an excellent exploration into the heart of the playful art form called Clowning. Step right up into a whirlwind of laughter, slapstick, and vibrant wigs, guiding you through the journey from the very first steps to mastering the craft of clowning. Feel intrigued as you commence your journey with an introduction to the vibrant world of circus clowning, understanding the role of a clown and dwell into the history of famous clowns who left a remarkable footprint in modern-day Clowning. Aspiring clowns, immerse yourselves into ...

The celebrated and beloved New York Times bestselling author of the modern classic Fun Home presents a laugh-out-loud, brilliant, and passionately political work of autofiction, adapted for audio by the author herself and brought to life with a full cast star-studded cast including Alison...

From the renowned creator of The Electric State and Tales from the Loop, Stålenhag returns with his long-awaited new work of retro-futuristic dystopia within the mysterious zone of an abandoned Swedish military facility. Beginning in 2024, yet set largely during the early 2000s, Sunset at Zero...

From the all-time bestselling mind behind Batman: The Dark Knight Returns, Daredevil, 300, and Sin City, Push the Wall is part memoir, part master class for budding artists and writers by one of the greatest living creators whose work has influenced pop culture for decades. Frank Miller is our...

“A love letter to fandom, friendship, and the stories that shape us, Eliza and Her Monsters is absolutely magical.”—Marieke Nijkamp, New York Times–bestselling author of This Is Where It Ends Eighteen-year-old Eliza Mirk is the anonymous creator of the wildly popular webcomic Monstrous...

Once in a lifetime a venue comes along that changes show business dramatically, that fosters growth and camaraderie, experimentation and freedom. The Comic Strip is one of those places, and Make ’Em Laugh is an inside look at how it all happened, straight from the mouths of the stars who built their careers on its stage.