"In a first-of-its-kind collection, award-winning illustrators celebrate the lives of the visionary artists who created the world of comic art and altered pop culture forever. No one has told the story of comic art in its own medium, until now. In Masterful Marks, top illustrators--including Drew Friedman, Nora Krug, Denis Kitchen, and Peter Kuper--reveal how sixteen visionary cartoonists overcame massive financial, political, and personal challenges to create a new form of art that now defines our world. Superhero comics didn't exist until two teenagers from Cleveland created the first superhero of all time: Superman. Advertising artist Theodor Geisel released his first book in 1937 as Dr. Seuss--and children's literature was never the same. Charles M. Schulz's perseverance and passion gave the world Peanuts, the world's most famous comic strip. Featuring these tales, and profiling such giants as Walt Disney, Robert Crumb, and the creators of MAD, Tintin, and manga, Masterful Marks illustrates how graphic storytelling became such a rich and popular medium. Masterful Marks is a stunning portrait of the comic art's aesthetic heritage and a powerful story of how creative vision can change the world"-- "Masterful Marks is a first-of-its-kind collection of graphic biographies of the visionary artists who pioneered the modern era of comics, drawn by today's foremost illustrators and edited by the award-winning creator of the cult-favorite BLAB art books, Monte Beauchamp. In Masterful Marks: Cartoonists Who Changed the World, sixteen award-winning illustrators shed light on the lives of the pioneer artists who most influenced them--and who created the world of modern comic art. Covering comic strips, manga, graphic novels, gag cartoons, children's books, and animation--and featuring such giants as Charles Schulz and the creators of Superman, Walt Disney, Hergé, Charles Addams, Robert Crumb, and Dr. Seuss--Masterful Marks is a tribute to the visionary creators whose work left an indelible mark upon the world. Had it not been for these monumental characters, the billion-dollar cartoon and comics industries would not exist as we know them today. Masterful Marks tells the stories of: * Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster (creators of Superman) by Ryan Heshka and Monte Beauchamp * Edward Gorey (celebrated author of children's books) by Greg Clarke * Winsor McCay (animation pioneer) by Nicolas Debon * Charles Schulz (creator of Peanuts) by Sergio Ruzzier * Chas Addams (creator of The Addams Family) by Marc Rosenthal * Jack Kirby (co-creator of Captain America) by Mark Alan Stamaty * Harvey Kurtzman (creator of MAD magazine) by Peter Kuper Masterful Marks is at once a visually stunning portrait of the cartoon world's aesthetic heritage, and a powerful story of how creative vision can change the world"--