The Lexicon of Comicana

A new edition of Beetle Bailey creator Mort Walkers riotous and immensely influential handbook for drawing and reading cartoonsa book thats both a parody of humorless how-to guides and a genuine (and genuinely instructive) ode to the art of making comics.

In a cartoon, what do you call the sweat drops shooting off a characters head? Those are Plewds. What about when you see a character wagging their tongue out of their mouth? Oh, thats a Protusilation. How about the lines coming off a freshly baked pie? Thats Waftarom. This sort of playful comics nomenclature abounds in The Lexicon of Comicana, the revered 1980 cartooning handbook authored by Mort Walker, creator of the legendary daily comic strip Beetle Bailey.

Both a send-up of lofty how-to-draw books and a sincere and hilarious love letter to the art of drawing cartoons, the Lexicon is a joyously exhaustive cheat sheet to key comics visuals that has been referenced and treasured by generations of cartoonists. This new edition includes an introduction by Chris Warewho keeps a copy of the Lexicon next to his deskand a meticulous appendix by Morts son Brian Walker, who delves deep into the visual language of comics.

With the help of The Lexicon of Comicana, youll come away a better, wiser, richer, and funnier artist. Plus, youll learn what a Morf isMorts favorite part.