Funny Stuff: How Great Cartoonists Make Great Cartoons

Comedy is very hard to analyse, as soon as you put it under the microscope it stops being funny. However this book is a very readable guide to single frame cartoons. It explains why some things are funnier than others, why changing the order of words can make the caption funnier, and tells you that the quality of the artwork is not important, amongst a lot of other things. Anyone who wants to start cartooning will find this invaluable, anyone interested in humour will enjoy the book. It is well written, a light and interesting read and quite suitable for all ages. It is also full of very funny illustrative cartoons to help get the point across.

Funny Stuff is a fun and enlightening examination of single-panel cartoons. The book explores ‎the process of creating single-panel cartoons without taking the humor out of the end result. ‎The authors have included lots of wonderful cartoons to illustrate their points, as well as ‎perspectives and anecdotes from some legendary cartoonists. Budding cartoonists will find this ‎book an invaluable resource, but it’s also a great read for those of us who are merely cartoon ‎aficionados.‎

Not only is this book full of great cartoons by some of the best cartoonists, but the authors give us insight into how cartoons like these come about: the different types of humor, the interplay of artwork and caption, where the ideas come from and common methods employed to optimize the humor. And if you think this is making the book sound like a dry dissection of the art of cartooning, Witte and Hesner actually make their overview highly entertaining. You'll gain a new appreciation for all the Funny Stuff you've always taken for granted - and have a lot of fun along the way.

I confess - when I got the book I looked at all the cartoons before I read any of the text. I laughed my ass off! When I finally started reading, rather than a stuffy academic treatise, I found an engaging discussion of cartooning. The authors describe different types of humor, where ideas come from and the psyche of cartoonists among other topics. I've always wondered, "How do they come up with this stuff?" Now I have some clues.

This book is so much more than a collection of the best cartoons. Although I purchased it for the carefully chosen cartoons, I loved it for the text that explains what makes a cartoon funny. It offers a thoughtful master class in what makes a great cartoon, and provides a new way to appreciate their humor, artistry and insights. You will never look at a cartoon in the same way again after reading this wonderful book.Jay Folberg