Genius, Illustrated: The Life and Art of Alex Toth - by Dean Mullaney & Bruce Canwell (Paperback)

About the Book

Covering the years from the 1960s to Toth's poignant death in 2006, this lavishly illustrated biography features artwork and complete stories from Toth's latter-day work at Warren, DC Comics, Red Circle, Marvel, and his own creator-owned properties. It also includes samples of his animation work for Hanna-Barbera, Ruby-Spears, and others, as well as sketchbook pages, doodles, advertising art, and other rarities provided through the cooperation of Toth's family and his legion of fans. Two of Toth's best stories are reproduced complete from the original artwork: "Burma Skies" and "White Devil, Yellow Devil." A full-length text biography charts the path from Toth's increasingly-reclusive lifestyle to his touching re-connection to the world in his final years.

Book Synopsis

The second book of the series continues the comprehensive review of the life and art of one of the most significant comics and animations artists of all time.

Covering the years from the 1960s to Toth's poignant death in 2006, this lavishly illustrated biography features artwork and complete stories from Toth's latter-day work at Warren, DC Comics, Red Circle, Marvel, and his own creator-owned properties. It also includes samples of his animation work for Hanna-Barbera, Ruby-Spears, and others, as well as sketchbook pages, doodles, advertising art, and other rarities provided through the cooperation of Toth's family and his legion of fans.

Two of Toth's best stories are reproduced complete from the original artwork: "Burma Skies" and "White Devil...Yellow Devil." A full-length text biography charts the path from Toth's increasingly-reclusive lifestyle to his touching re-connection to the world in his final years.

Winner of the 2014 Eisner Award for Best Comics-Related Book and Best Publication Design.

Review Quotes

"A high-water mark in the field of comic artist biography." --New York Journal of Books

"This is a great book...A very revealing and inspiring publishing achievement that all Toth fans will love." --The Animation Guild

"Under the hands of Bruce Canwell and Dean Mullaney, Genius Illustrated sets the absolute gold standard for deluxe artist biographies. There have been some wonderful comics history books released in the last few years, but this book surpasses them all in terms of its production values, its comprehensiveness and the quality of the biographical information presented. Alex Toth was one of the greatest artists ever to work in the comic art medium. This book merits the highest possible compliment: it's a worthy tribute to Toth." --Jason Sacks, Comics Bulletin

About the Author

Born in New York City in 1928, Alex Toth attended what is now the School of Visual Arts and broke into the comic book field as a teenager. During his sixty-year professional career, he became known as the "artists' artist"--he became very much like his great hero, Noel Sickles--the guy all the others wanted to draw like. In the 1960s he entered the animation field and became equally well-known and respected for his groundbreaking designs for Space Ghost and The Herculoids, among other series.