Luminous Animals and Other Drawings

by B. Kliban

Luminous Animals and Other Drawings, by Kliban, B.

Genres: Humor, Comics, Cartoon, Art

96 pages, Paperback

First published August 25, 1983

About the author

Bernard "Hap" Kliban was a popular American cartoonist. He became an instant cartoon sensation after the publication of his groundbreaking book Cat in 1975. Some forty years after their initial appearance, Kliban’s quirky, colorful cat illustrations are adored icons and cherished friends of fans worldwide. One of the top cartoonists of the 20th century, Kliban contributed work to national magazines for over 30 years.

Reviews

[William · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty great. Weather asshole made me laugh hard. That said, having read like 4 of his things now the whole 70s Playboy comic vibe is getting to me, like, ah, hey, in between all these great weird obtuse comics with frank drawings of naked people what is your actual attitude towards people who are different than you, y’know? Ah, and then he’s dead. So he has no attitude towards anything anymore. And I really like some 85% of the comics. Maybe just tear out the ones you don’t like.

[David Ward · Rating 4 out of 5]

Luminous Animals And Other Drawings by B. Kliban (Penguin Books 1983) (741.5973) (3660).

Before Bernard “Hap” Kliban showed up with his twisted take on - well, everything, there was…what, in the single-panel comic universe?

I remember when his first book of cartoons entitled Cat caused a stir in 1975. I became a huge fan and admirer of Kliban’s work when I bought my copies of Never Eat Anything Bigger Than Your Head and Other Drawings (1976) and Whack Your Porcupine and Other Drawings (1977).

Certainly there have been many great cartoonists, but there were none working in Kliban’s corner of madness when he broke in. Neon Park (creator of the Little Feat album covers) is the best cartoonist. Gary Larsen’s “Far Side” balanced brilliance, lunacy, and hilarity with amazing daily panels. Gary Trudeau keeps “Doonesbury” fresh, relevant, and occasionally edgy. Gilbert Shelton and Robert Crumb rocked in the “Underground Comix” era. Bill Watterson’s “Calvin and Hobbes” set new standards of excellence.

But Kliban’s work is the weirdest, and Luminous Animals And Other Drawings is a good sample of his work. It has some full color cartoons, and there are a few hilarious drawings. I must admit, though, that this is the least funny Kliban collection I’ve ever seen. Start with the two Kliban books I mentioned above (NOT Cat), and prepare to have your ribs tickled.

I bought a paperback copy in good condition from Amazon for $11.41 on 6/28. This is B.Kliban, so it is now part of my permanent collection.

My rating: 7.25/10, finished 7/11/22. (3660)

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[Deke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not his best, but some great ones in here. Nice to see several in color.

[Susan Fetterer · Rating 4 out of 5]

Illustrated wry social commentary well-done, fun animal-ish ‘main characters’ mocking humans daily life.