Alex Raymond: His Life and Art #[nn]

Tom Roberts delivers a thorough celebration of one of comics' most influential draftsmen in this handsome volume from Adventure House Press. The cover pairs a warm black-and-white portrait photograph of Alex Raymond himself — smiling broadly in a sport coat — alongside a vibrant color pin-up illustration of a glamorous blonde woman reclining gracefully, hinting at the polished, luminous figure work that defined Raymond's career. With a foreword by George Lucas and an introduction by James Bama, this 2008 retrospective looks like essential reading for anyone drawn to the artistry behind mid-century comic strips.