Chris Ware is one of my favorite comic book artists. I was introduced to his work 5 years ago when I came upon a Rusty Brown tin lunchbox. Rusty Brown’s character is an awkward young man that has been outcast by his peers, and the lunchbox features images of Rusty eating in the cafeteria alone, running from bullies throwing trash at him, and other pathetic images that you can’t help but feel bad about and laugh at the same time. Ware’s images and stories are satirical, sad, perverse and often terribly funny in an awkwardly honest way, like you had just walked in on your kid brother in the bathroom with a nudie mag.
A book that I refer back to often for design inspiration (specifically for typography and layout) is Ware’s “The Acme Novelty Library“. From the minute you see the book’s exterior, you’ll be captivated by the intricate ornamentation and book band. Each tabloid-size page is a work of art and features a comic hodgepodge of familiar Ware characters such as the aforementioned Rusty Brown and his buddy Chalky White, Quimby the Mouse, Rocket Sam, a nude superhero, and more.
Ware also recreates a world of fake ads similar to those you’d find in 70’s and 80’s Archie’s digests. Has anyone growing up in the 80’s not been swayed into sending away for those magical Sea Monkeys that could be trained to perform tricks (as advertised)? Or what about those X-Ray glasses that allow you to see the bones in your hands… or underneath Sally’s skirt! Nostalgic.
Perhaps one of my favorite things about the book aside from the overall design are the Acme library construction projects. Sandwiched in the middle of the book are paper book and shelf diagrams meant to be cut out, folded, and glued together to construct your own miniature Acme library. I’ve never actually done this as I wouldn’t dare cut into the actual pages of the book, but you could photocopy the pages as to not ruin the original. It’d make for an interesting rainy Saturday, which unfortunately is much too frequent in Portland, Oregon.
- c / Colorcubicâ„¢
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