Attitude: The New Subversive Cartoonists is a series of anthologies of alternative comics, photos and artists' interviews edited by Universal Press Syndicate editorial cartoonist Ted Rall. The books were designed by J. P. Trostle, news editor of EditorialCartoonists.com. Two sequels and three spin-off titles have been published to date. A group of cartoonists featured in the Attitude series formed the organization Cartoonists With Attitude in June 2006; the group has hosted slideshow and panel events around the United States to promote the series and alternative political cartooning.[1] The New Labor Forum described the series as "filled with politically attuned graphic artistry."[2]
| Attitude: The New Subversive Political Cartoonists | |
| Author: | Ted Rall (editor) |
| Series: | Attitude |
| Pub Date: | June 2002 |
| Media Type: | paperback |
| Pages: | 128 |
| Isbn: | 1-56163-317-8 |
| Dewey: | 741.5/973 22 |
| Congress: | NC1305 .A87 2002 |
| Oclc: | 50760357 |
| Followed By: | Attitude 2: The New Subversive Alternative Cartoonists |
Attitude: The New Subversive Political Cartoonists focuses on cartoonists whose work appeared in alternative weekly newspapers, with a view toward defining a new genre of political comics that, in Rall's words, are "too alternative for the mainstream and too mainstream for the underground."
The Minneapolis Star Tribune wrote: "Some of the cartoons are type-dominated (Don Asmussen's); many are not artistically pleasing; several would not pass the standards for a family newspaper."[3] The Baltimore Sun wrote "There is moral rage, drama and righteousness that are both breezy and mortally serious." "This is provocative, if often still rough and immature, stuff. And if history is still a guide, many of these artists will emerge as the best of the next generation of mainstream newspaper cartoonists."[4] The American Library Association's Booklist wrote that "Whereas old-school editorial cartoonists rely on timeworn traditions, topics, and techniques, the new breed tackles contemporary concerns, such as commercialism and environmentalism ... Their drawings are usually subservient to their scripts, and both take a back seat to their attitude ... The best of them possess so much lacerating wit and unswerving commitment that they fairly shame their hidebound mainstream counterparts into retirement."[5]
Attitude: The New Subversive Political Cartoonists made The Progressives list of "Favorite books of 2002."[6]
The artists included and their comics are:
| Attitude 2: The New Subversive Alternative Cartoonists | |
| Author: | Ted Rall (editor) |
| Series: | Attitude |
| Pub Date: | February 2004 |
| Media Type: | paperback |
| Pages: | 128 |
| Isbn: | 1-56163-381-X |
| Followed By: | Attitude 3: The New Subversive Online Cartoonists |
Attitude 2: The New Subversive Alternative Cartoonists followed Attitude: The New Subversive Political Cartoonists by two years. For the second book in the series, Rall turned to alternative weekly-oriented cartoonists whose work leaned more toward general humor than the original volume. It did also includes several political cartoonists.
The San Diego Union-Tribune described Attitude 2 as "the ribald, self-righteous comix in the best alternative weeklies ... 'Question Authority' is their collective motto, and as long as they're making people mad as hell, they must be doing something right."[7] The United Kingdom's The Observer wrote that "This is satire in an angry-youth-with-piercings mode. The spiritual forebears are the cartoonists of the 1960s-70s underground (Robert Crumb et al.) but the use of clip art and scratchy line techniques mark this out as a very contemporary collection, and happily the humour is of high quality."[8] Publishers Weekly wrote that "These cartoonists are, generally, writers who use the medium to get across verbal puns or simple, angry screeds, regardless of visual style or any other comics-based concerns. ... This worthy compilation of cartoonists who otherwise wouldn't be seen outside of their local weeklies showcases the continuing vitality of comics as social criticism."[9]
The artists included and their comics are:
| Attitude 3: The New Subversive Online Cartoonists | |
| Author: | Ted Rall (editor) |
| Series: | Attitude |
| Pub Date: | June 2006 |
| Media Type: | paperback |
| Pages: | 128 |
| Isbn: | 1-56163-465-4 |
Attitude 3: The New Subversive Online Cartoonists is the third volume in the Attitude series. Whereas volumes one and two of the series concentrated on print cartoonists, Attitude 3 focuses exclusively upon webcomics.
The artists included and their comics are: