EXTRACTS: Illustrators issue 15 © 2016 The Book Palace (96 PAGES in Full edition)

94 The Bookshelf: Ghouls, Wolves and Nudes This book continues to receive rave reviews and for any artist seeking to develop the art of insightful figure drawing, this book is simply one of the best resources they could equip themselves with. First published in 2009 and subject to frequent reprintings, author and publisher Michael Hampton offers a beautifully constructed analysis of the essentials that an artist needs to grasp before embarking on the challenging task of figure drawing. His approach is as much a guide to perception as it is to the mechanics of the figure. His advocacy of gestural drawing provides a much more liberating mindset for the artist, rather than bombarding the reader with a mass of anatomical minutiae, a trap which many previous books on this subject have strayed into. Colour coding and exploration of landmarks, flow and rhythm provide the reader with strong foundations upon which to develop their skills. More of a figure drawing book than a guide to anatomy (there are plenty of other books out there that will do that), this book is a superb addition to the art of figure drawing. The Haunt of Fear Vol. 2 By Graham Ingels, Jack Davis, Johnny Craig Foreword by Tim Sullivan Hardcover 216 pages Dark Horse £25.00/ $49.99 l Buy from www.bookpalace.com La Bête Est Morte! Written by Victor Dancette and Drawn by Edmond-François Calvo Hardbound 78 pages Gallimard Jeunesse €26.40 The fact that a bookmight be long out of print is no deterent to our reviewing it, particularly when the work in question is one which had such a seminal effect on so many artists. 'La Bête Est Morte' is a handsome 2007 reissue of a book which was created under fairly stressful conditions, i.e. in German occupied Paris, the nature of the subject matter ensuring that its creators would most likely have been before a firing squad, had their work been made public. The book was originally published in two volumes, the first, three months after the liberation of France and the second in June 1945 shortly after the end of the war in Europe. Released in two wafer thin volumes, printed on cheap and thin paper, the books made considerable impact on a readership who had been starved of American comic imports and who were, rightly, amazed by Calvo's artistry and the sight of Disney-fied animals recreating an epic, and still raw, conflict. The Gallimard edition is a brilliant restoration of this document and with better paper, a larger format and lovingly restored pages, the ultimate recourse for lovers of great comic art. Figure Drawing Design and Invention By Michael Hampton Softbound 235 pages Published by Michael Hampton £27.38/ $26.25 After several hiccups the archive reprints of the infamous 1950s line of EC comics continues with Dark Horse now taking up the reins and presenting readers with the second volume of The Haunt of Fear . Launched in 1950 and ingloriously terminated by a hate campaign launched by self appointed guardians of public decency some four years later, The Haunt of Fear was one of a trio of brilliantly written and illustrated horror comics which served up grand guignol laced with more than a hint of moralising. Usually along the lines of those that dish out bad karma will get it dished back at them in ample measure. The artwork by Graham Ingels, Joe Orlando, Jack Davis and Johnny Craig is often sublime and the accompanying texts by Al Feldstein (who was also editing the comic) is laced with a dry and studied cynicism, enriched by his ability to evoke atmosphere and tension with brilliantly crafted wordsmithing. A talent that sometimes led to monumental caption boxes bearing down on compressed art panels. The colouring by Carlos Badilla, has been the subject of some debate— overall it works well in this collection.