Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley door pickup 10am - 7pm 3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611

  • Open Daily: 10am - 10pm
    Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm

    3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
    612-822-4611

Open Daily: 10am - 10pm | Alley-side Pickup: 10am - 7pm
3038 Hennepin Ave Minneapolis, MN
612-822-4611
The Lexicon of Comicana

The Lexicon of Comicana

Walker, Mort
Ware, Chris
Walker, Brian

Paperback

ComicsDrawing InstructionGeneral Graphic Novels

Publisher Price: $27.95

ISBN10: 1681379562
ISBN13: 9781681379562
Publisher: New York Review Comics
Published: Sep 30 2025
Pages: 128
Weight: 0.85
Height: 0.40 Width: 8.40 Depth: 10.90
Language: English
A new edition of Beetle Bailey creator Mort Walker's riotous and immensely influential handbook for drawing and reading cartoons--a book that's 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 character's head? Those are Plewds. What about when you see a character wagging their tongue out of their mouth? Oh, that's a Protusilation. How about the lines coming off a freshly baked pie? That's a 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 a foreword by Chris Ware and a meticulous appendix by Mort's son Brian Walker, who delves deep into the visual language of comics.

With the help of The Lexicon of Comicana, you'll come away a better, wiser, richer, and funnier artist. Plus, you'll learn what a Morf is--Mort's favorite part.

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