‘Gnartoons’ (review)

Written and Illustrated by James the Stanton
Published by Silver Sprocket

James the Stanton should be locked-up. Someone this creative and crazy clearly poses a threat to a boring society such as ours. I’m joking, but upon reading, Gnartoons, and the various works of his it collects, Stanton undoubtedly is a gifted creator.

Whether telling abstract stories about a dolphin posing as a human, dinosaurs who ingest copious amounts of pizza, a magical car that doubles as a taxi (which transports humanoid forest creatures), or sharing a yarn about a Pink Panther imitator known as the Puke Banter, Stanton does it all with a sick and twisted glee.

Gnartoons, can go from a mish-mash of messy images smashed together on the page in a weird collage to a beautifully detailed drawing of a bird discussing how it met some ex-wives in an equally amazingly drawn tree.

Stanton can draw in a style that evokes Saturday morning cartoons with dark edge or give us art that looks like it could be at home in an old underground, “Comix,” magazine (with cannabis jokes included to complete the vibe). He does it all, and he does it extremely well.

I felt like my brain was melting a bit (in a good way) as I read, Gnartoons, and let its extreme weirdness wash over me. Stanton does a fantastic job compiling a wild body of work into this book. I’d highly recommend picking up a copy and preparing yourself for an equally deranged and exciting trip into some strange stuff.

5 out of 5 stars.