A semiparody of the noir sensibility, it is interesting mainly as an exercise in style—that ‘50s graphic thing Clowes has mastered to greater effect than any other cartoonist around. This material reveals little of the brilliance to come. JT

Publisher: Fantagraphics
Paperback: 96 pages
Illustrated

Bok’s illustrations grow on you, like alien mold spores. Like Mervyn Peake, a superb illustrator who also wrote, Bok penned several fine fantasy novels including The Sorcerer’s Ship. Unlike Peake, though, his writing is now nearly forgotten. [Ballantine Books published those fantasies years ago, and sadly they are out of print.] But this book will do while we wait for future reissues. Here are over 100 pages of prime, charming strangeness. Bok’s style is the essence of ‘40s-’50s pulp-fantasy illustration. Very cool. Obsessive pointillism and cross-hatching à la Virgil Finlay, but often zanier, cartoonier. It’s the occasional big-eyed “sprites” reminiscent of Keane which at first leave one a bit wary of Bok. But don’t let this stop you. When he gets grotesquely bizarre, no one can top him. CS

Publisher: Miller
Paperback: 104 pages

Bok’s illustrations grow on you, like alien mold spores. Like Mervyn Peake, a superb illustrator who also wrote, Bok penned several fine fantasy novels including The Sorcerer’s Ship. Unlike Peake, though, his writing is now nearly forgotten. [Ballantine Books published those fantasies years ago, and sadly they are out of print.] But this book will do while we wait for future reissues. Here are over 100 pages of prime, charming strangeness. Bok’s style is the essence of ‘40s-’50s pulp-fantasy illustration. Very cool. Obsessive pointillism and cross-hatching à la Virgil Finlay, but often zanier, cartoonier. It’s the occasional big-eyed “sprites” reminiscent of Keane which at first leave one a bit wary of Bok. But don’t let this stop you. When he gets grotesquely bizarre, no one can top him. CS

Publisher: Miller
Paperback: 112 pages

Compelling biography of the colossus of soundtrack music: from Citizen Kane to Taxi Driver with The Day the Earth Stood Still, Psycho, Vertigo, and It’s Alive in between. A Heart at Fire’s Center emphasizes how Herrmann, an artistically ambitious romantic in a field originally filled with mediocrities, was able to master the use of music to give cinema its power over the psyche.
In addition to bringing his tempestuous life into focus, the author does a comprehensive score-by-score analysis of each soundtrack including illuminating interviews with directors with whom Herrmann worked with such as Scorsese and DePalma. Ends with a fascinating transcription of a talk by Herrmann analyzing the use of music in drama dating back to ancient Greek theater and discussing the first original film score (The Brothers Karamazov, 1931). SS

Publisher: University of California
Hardback: 415 pages
Illustrated

“Since the genre first emerged in the late 1960s, underground comics (or ‘comix’) have delighted and outraged millions of people. The exploits of such characters as Mr. Natural and the Fabulous Furry Freak Brothers embodied the psychedelic era and continue to attract loyal readership today. A History of Underground Comics offers more than 1,000 drawings by the likes of R. Crumb, Gilbert Shelton, S. Clay Wilson, Richard Corben, Jay Lynch, Skip Williamson, Justin Green, Dave Sheridan, Jaxon, Spain Rodriguez, Victor Moscoso, Kim Deitch, Rick Griffin, Foolbert Sturgeon and many others.”

Publisher: Ronin
Paperback: 320 pages
Illustrated

“The first collection of Satie’s writings available in English… A pivotal character in the French avant-gardes from the 1880s to the Dada movement of the 1920s. Dismissed as a bizarre eccentric by most of his contemporaries, Erik Satie is recognized as a key influence on 20th-century music.”

Publisher: Serpent's Tail
Paperback: 192 pages
Illustrated

An important book that unearths the suppressed history of pre-’70s black cinema, a diverse artistic legacy as old as film itself. Most of the films synopsized here are near-impossible to see (many no longer exist), but the gorgeous posters (with evocative titles like “I Crossed the Color Line,” “The World, the Flesh and the Devil” and “It Won’t Rub Off, Baby”) are completely satisfying in themselves. MG

Publisher: Noonday
Paperback: 168 pages
Illustrated

Two kinds of people write books on the circus and carnivals: those who are with it (like Dan Mannix or Jim Rose) and those who wish they were. This is a better example of the latter category. British travel writer Katie Hickman and her photographer husband, Tom, joined a small Mexican family circus, Circo Bell, that traces its origins back to an illegitimate son of the famous clown Richard Bell. Their logo is the label for Bell’s Whiskey, and they recycle Raiders of the Lost Ark soundtracks for their theme music.
The troupe includes clowns, aerialists and an equilibrista (balancing act), and Katie eventually joins in as an elephant rider. Few of the acts are described in any detail, as Hickman is less interested in the circus-as-performing-art and more interested in the circus as an articulation of the Mexican spirit. The prose sometimes tries too hard to mimic Marquez’ and Paz’ magical realist style, but Hickman manages to recover with vivid observations. She describes a country of startling contrasts: a casual circus troupe without schedules and a time-obsessed Lacandon Indian, contemporary urban professionals and the last survivor of Pancho Villa’s Dorado honor guards, ancient pyramids and Mexico City shopping mall parking lots, and the circus’ respected matriarch and a maliciously raped dancing girl. While Hickman’s initial goal is to describe Mexico, Circo Bell’s wanderlust, self-sufficient community and quixotic commitment to performance illustrates the universal nature of the circus itself. RP

Publisher: HarperCollins
Paperback: 308 pages
Illustrated

If one can remember the music from a film, it used to be said, the composer has failed. The author traces the evolution of the thankless task of scoring Hollywood’s films. Meet the maestros behind the movies’ most memorable music: Max Steiner (King Kong, Gone with the Wind), Bernard Herrmann (Citizen Kane, Taxi Driver), Miklos Rozsa (Spellbound, Quo Vadis), Henry Mancini (Touch of Evil, Breakfast at Tiffany’s), Elmer Bernstein (The Ten Commandments, Walk on the Wild Side), and dozens more in a comprehensive volume of essays detailing the musical careers of Hollywood’s greatest composers. Seventy-five years of filmmaking has left the cinema with a huge musical legacy: Steiner’s “Tara’s Theme” from Gone With the Wind, John Williams’ shark motto in Jaws, Bernstein’s “Marlboro” music from The Magnificent Seven, the haunting “Laura,” Mancini’s “Pink Panther Theme,” the first three notes of John Barry’s “Goldfinger,” all popular music from famous films. But isn’t it all just syrup stolen from the classical guys? The authors ask—and answer—the question: Can film music actually be enjoyed outside its immediate context? GR

Publisher: McFarland
Hardback: 605 pages
Illustrated

Movie-by-movie “reference book for the casual viewer and the committed fan alike,” with listings of anime films and made-for-video works released since 1983, arranged by year and by title. It features all the lusty production details Japanamaniacs adore: plot summaries, credits, key personnel, star ratings, year of release, etc. GR

Publisher: Titan
Paperback: 288 pages
Illustrated