Long Story Short: Turning Famous Books Into Cartoons

A collection of cartoons, illustrations, and paintings that condense the complicated narratives of famous books into one-page works of art.

The artists' ability to communicate with a picture and just a few words conveys the power and directness of the best cartoons.
--Ink19

A subversive volume that translates a series of complex works of literature into a single-page illustration...A variety of artists rise to a unique literary and visual challenge.
--Kirkus Reviews

One of the most fascinating books I have had the pleasure to 'flip through' in the past decade or more
--Exclusive Magazine

Mr. Fish's chameleon-like versatility makes him the Ween of cartooning. He and his band of accomplices jolt you from one literary world to the next, each illustration like a little puzzle testing your cultural literacy. A short-attention-span joyride.
--Jen Sorensen, Herblock Prize-winning cartoonist, the Nib, Daily Kos, and the Nation

Words fail me when I try to explain why Long Story Short is so brilliant, which I guess is the whole point of the book Why talk over Beethoven (he wouldn't be able to hear you, anyway) or yammer on about poetry when a mute sunset can do it better? Here is art from an incredibly diverse group of cartoonists, painters, and illustrators that speaks for itself on literature's most novel ideas--now shut up and listen
--Bob Mankoff, former cartoon editor of the New Yorker

Mr. Fish's ingenious collection of cartoon distillations of famous books shows why print editors so fear the art form. These succinct drawings by Fish and his artist collaborators really ARE worth a thousand words, and in Tolstoy's case, many more
--Signe Wilkinson, Pulitzer Prize-winning cartoonist, Philadelphia Inquirer and the Daily News

The Catcher in the Rye. Lolita. Moby-Dick. Infinite Jest. I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings. A Room of One's Own. Native Son. These are but a handful of classic works spectacularly distilled by Mr. Fish and a very talented group of painters, illustrators, graphic designers, and political cartoonists into succinct snapshots that are at times funny, sad, inspiring, rude, crude, beautiful, profound, stomach-turning, and mind-blowing.

Includes original artwork from: Mr. Fish, Ted Rall, Stephanie McMillan, Sarah Awad, Eli Valley, Wes Tyrell, Tamara Knoss, Keith Henry Brown, Sam Henderson, Lodi Marasescu, Surag Ramachandran, Tami Knight, Eric J. Garcia, Marissa Dougherty, Siri Dokken, John G., Andy Singer, Tara Seibel, Gary Dumm, Clare Kolat, Nate Ulsh, Benjamin Slyngstad, Ron Hill, JP Trostle, John Kovaleski, and Beth McCaskey.

Author: Mr Fish
Publisher: Akashic Books
Published: 07/07/2020
Pages: 144
Binding Type: Paperback
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 6.93h x 8.66w x 0.55d
ISBN: 9781617757969


Review Citation(s):
Kirkus Reviews 05/01/2020

About the Author

MR. FISH lives in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. Occasionally, he laughs his head off. His mother has no idea what he's up to. She cries easily. For more information, date him.