Fans of Chris Ware's comics ("Jimmy Corrigan," New Yorker covers, etc.) will really enjoy this GIANT retrospective book of his work. I'm taken by the scope and variety of things presented. Sure, it includes all his amazing books but also early student work, personal projects (like color photos of his fantastic models of puppets, toys and automatons), museum displays, and class notes for a workshop he produced for art students.
The level of detail and the amount of his work is astounding and this enormous book is just the same. The reproductions of his actual camera art are fascinating. See in-progress versions at nearly full size with blue line pencils, lettering and brush work, cut Zip-a-Tone, and corrections. Even at a whopping 18" x 26" double-spread size I still had to use a magnifying glass to see the details!
Critics will complain it's too big, it's all too much, and it's too cold. Maybe true, but I think that kind of misses the point, like Emperor Joseph telling Amadeus "too many notes."
Best of all are Ware's notes with remembrances, research, and personal history with his thoughts about comics, architecture, history, and life.
