These studio visits with some of today’s most popular and innovative comic artists present an unparalleled look at the cutting edge of the comic medium. The artists, some of whom rarely grant interviews, offer insights into the creative process, their influences and personal sources of inspiration, and the history of comics. The interviews amount to private gallery tours, with the artists commenting, now thoughtfully, now passionately, on their own work as well as the works of others. The book is generously illustrated with full-color reproductions of the artists’ works, including some that have been published and others not originally intended for publication, such as sketchbooks and personal projects. Additional illustrations show behind-the-scenes working processes of the cartoonists and particular works by others that have influenced or inspired them. Through the eyes of these artists, we see with a new clarity the achievement of contemporary cartoonists and the extraordinary possibilities of comic art. Extensive interviews with: Ivan Brunetti, Charles Burns, Daniel Clowes, Robert Crumb, Jaime Hernandez, Gary Panter, Seth, Art Spiegelman, Chris Ware Nine alternative-comics masters here have their say about the medium in excerpts from lengthy conversations with Hignite in their studios. The home-base settings put R. Crumb, Art Spiegelman, Gary Panter, Charles Burns, Daniel Clowes, Ivan Brunetti, and the others at ease as they explicate their comics, discuss their work processes, and deliver testimonials to earlier artists who inspired them. Hignite, editor of the journal Comic Art, where five chapters first appeared in shorter form, complements the artists' comments with well-selected color and black-and-white examples of their work. Equally compelling and revelatory are samples of work by the subjects' cited influences. Jaime Hernandez extols Bob Bolling for Little Archie , Chris Ware praises early newspaper strips, and Seth reveals the obscure (to Americans) Canadian cartoonists he read as a child. The attention paid to such unsung creators by the interviewees' praise and generous reproduction of their artwork makes the book serve as an idiosyncratic, if scattershot, course in comics history as well as a forum of top contemporary talent. Gordon Flagg Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved “An essential work for anyone interested in contemporary American art and culture.”—John Carlin, author of Masters of American Comics (John Carlin) Todd Hignite is an independent scholar and curator and the founding editor of Comic Art magazine. He lives in St. Louis.