Forces of Nature - by Edward Steed (Hardcover)

Book Synopsis

The arrival of the greatest single panel cartoonist since Charles Addams

One swing trapeze artist prepares to receive a newborn child from another all the while shrieking "Support the head!" A hopeful, naked Adam reaches high for the largest leaf while a frustrated Eve hands him a smaller, more-appropriately sized leaf. A dejected squid stands in a doorway, shock and dismay on his face, as a ruined surprise party lies in wait before him--guests, presents, and birthday cake covered in a blast of ink in mid-"Sur..." as loose balloons butt against the ceiling.

Once in generation, a distinctly new perspective emerges from the pages of The New Yorker. In our times, that perspective belongs to Ed Steed. Steeped in the classic formalist tradition of the single-panel gag, Steed possesses a shocking and macabre talent for drawings guaranteed to make even the most composed of casual readers laugh out loud. At times reminiscent of Charles Addams, George Booth, William Steig, Saul Steinberg, and Edward Gorey, the artist defies the blasé, urbanite's worldview of the magazine in which his comics appear.

If anyone has described a New Yorker cartoon to you at a cocktail party recently it is almost certainly a "Steed." Forces of Nature is the first of what promises to be many award-winning collections by this young man with an old cartooning soul.

Review Quotes

"I met Edward Steed years ago at a fancy New Yorker cocktail party. He was the one person who seemed even more ill at ease than me, and I instantly liked his beautiful, funny, scratchy cartoons even more than I already did." --Adrian Tomine

"Ed Steed is a cartoon genius who has created his own comic world. His cartoons are creepy and hilarious. The best." --Roz Chast

"Nobody is doing funny cartoons better than Edward Steed. I am delighted whenever I come across one of his drawings, so a whole bookload is an incredible treat (tempered only by a slight aftertaste of professional envy). I can't get enough of Mr. Steed's unique, strange, dark, silly world." --Tom Gauld

"Ed Steed is and has always been one of my very few, very favorite cartoonists. His work is its own universe, smart, funny, deep, fully formed in a way that never stops being surprising. Forces of Nature is a book you will read/look at regularly for the rest of your life, to renew your faith in art--or just to laugh, or both." --Liana Finck

"He is amazing, a once-in-a-generation talent." --Robert Mankoff

"There's a dark hilarity to Steed's scratchy drawings... wise, funny, angry, and melancholic beyond his years." --The Believer

"Wildly detailed cartoon illustration... and wry black humor." --Uproxx

About the Author

Edward Steed has been contributing cartoons and covers to the New Yorker since 2013. He won a Grammy for Best Recording Package for his Father John Misty album cover.