Drawing Cutting Edge Fusion. American Comics with a Manga Influence

Customer Reviews

Good for reference.....not much else

2007-11-26
In my opinion, any instructional book should show you how to complete a process from steps 1, 2, 3, 4, and then 5 (depending on how long the process is, of course). However, this book (like most of the Hart books I own) teaches, or rather shows, steps 1, 3, and then 5 with little explination in between. Most "lessons" follow this simple process: A very bare beginning, a nearly complete picture with little explination as to why things were added or changed, and finally a completed masterpiece.

The book's strong point(s) would have to be the fact that when structured lessons aren't being taught, the completed pictures work very well for points of reference. Everything from casual clothes to futuristic armor is shown, and can be built upon to create other designs. The book also covers points concerning comic page layouts and panels. These too are surprisingly well done; teaching character focus and different panel designs.

There are other area's covered, but I won't give away the entire thing here. It's probably better if you have a base for drawing, and not try to learn by starting with this book. On the other hand, if you're looking to expand on what you already know, or are looking for a reference book, this one may be worth a look.

A fun book for fans of both

2007-08-24
For starters, this is written by Christopher Hart, so it's probably one of your best options if you are interested in the subject of the book...

This book is great for fans of both manga and graphic novels; it goes into how the two genres differ (fusion vs graphic novel) and also the different styles in the fusion style (cartoon vs comic). Also gives huge amounts of character concepts and ideas; a fantastic buy for those who like both styles (not recommended for those who are fans of one and hate the other)

christopher hart does it again!

2007-08-24
Like all of Christopher Hart's "cutting edge" comic and other cartooning instruction books, "Cutting Edge Fusion" is clear, concise, informative, and just plain enjoyable..i personally own several of his books, and every one of them has helped me fine-tune my artistic abilities and keep up with the changing styles of modern cartoons and comic styles...this book, like all his others, are well worth every penny!

Good book

2006-10-27
This is the better of the Hart books: good solid information into a genre of comics/animation full of mis-conceptions.

I personally think Fusion style marries the best of these two styles. Anyone wanted to create a comic would be wise to adopt THIS style and make it your own.

As with most of the Chris Hart books the sections on who how construct panels and tell stories w/ pictures is EXTREME helpful.

Excellent way to learn about the fusion drawingstyle ..

2006-03-23
Pro- looks cool, great illustrations, clearly written, basically has the stuff I was looking for. Excellent addition to my other books, most of which are from Christopher Hart, and this one is as good as he usually makes them. Excellent way to learn about the fusion drawingstyle .

Con- I want more, what else can i say?

Cheers

Good Art Book, Few Caveats

2006-03-05
•Third title in the fabulously popular Cutting Edge series—more than 1000,000 sold

•Ideas and inspiration for fans of manga and American-style comics

Christopher Hart is the top-selling cartoon and drawing author of all time

American comics once dominated the world. Now the balance of power is changing, as anime (Japanese animation) and manga (Japanese comics) have exploded into the mainstream of American culture. Drawing Cutting Edge Fusion is the first-ever tutorial that shows how to draw American-style comics with a manga influence. With this book, artists learn to assimilate Japanese aesthetics into new-look comics: how to turn supermuscular bodies leaner and more athletic; how to make facial features more angular and elegant; how to draw hair in up-to-the-minute spiked or long styles. This dynamic fusion of cultures brings together exciting storytelling ande sophisticated design. Now artists can capture the best of East and West with Drawing Cutting Edge Fusion.

Whatever your style, Chris Hart is your man 2005-11-29
Chris Hart continues to amaze me...no matter what the style of drawing, his books are far and away the best of their kind. His latest, "Drawing Cutting Edge Fusion" may be his best yet in his "Cutting Edge Series." If you are interested at all in taking your drawing of American comics with a Manga influence to the next level, Hart's book is clearly a must have.

Highly Recommended 2005-11-08
Christopher Hart has written another classic instructional Cutting Edge guide. The drawings are excellent and the text is very informative as well as entertaining. In typical Hart fashion he covers his topics from the general, giving context to his subject, to the specific, clearly showing how an artist achieves his or her goals. No other book in this genre focuses on the details that separate the good artist from the great ones. His focus on angles and comparison to Standard and Fusion techniques are classic. I loved his chapter on fight scenes as well. Highly recommended.

Check It Out Before Buying... 2005-10-23
Given the nature of things online and how easy it is to misrepresent something as being *THE GREATEST EVER*, I am usually skeptical when any book has glowing reviews and it's only been out less than a month. I hate to burst the shiny bubble that the other two reviewers have given but Christopher Hart's books are not worth the time or the money for the serious would-be comic book artist or established artist looking to improve.

Don't just take my word for it though go to your local library or bookstore and have a look at Hart's books yourself. In all of his books on superhero drawing and manga style drawing, you will find no more than 25 pages of artwork done by Hart. This book I believe only has 16 - 18 pages of art attributed to him out of 144 pages.

So exactly who fills out the rest of Hart's books? A number of other artists who draw considerably better superheroes and villains in American, Manga and Fusion style than Hart can. It's a shame those artists don't have their names listed on the book covers. To even put Hart's name on the cover as though he'd done all the work (or even most of it) is very misleading. Again, don't just take my word for it, visit your library or bookstore and look for the contributing artists listed in the first few pages of the book. You will quickly find that Hart is good at drawing very basic and general characters but not the type of superheroes that populate comic books.

Now you might think well if the other artists are pretty good isn't the book still worth it? No and the reason I say this is because I've seen them and most every one is light on technique and instruction. How light? Try a page or two at best on topics like facial expressions, poses, clothing etc. There are better books out there which are more in depth and devoted to one or two topics rather than skimming over many as Hart's books do.

I can only guess that the popularity of comic books, comic books turned movies and videogames based on comics has served to fuel the book buying of how-to drawing books that have made Hart a best-seller. It's also served to prompt many others to toss crappy how-to draw books out there as well. Sadly, there's at least three worthless drawing books for every solid book on comic book/superhero drawing. With the string of Hart books coming out seemingly one after another, that ratio of bad over good will only continue to grow.

I just hope that more people discover the truth about books like this one and not buy them sight unseen based on the sales rank or number of glowing reviews. Hopefully the result will be fewer sales and ultimately fewer useless books clogging up the market.

Ultimate FUSION combo 2005-09-30
I am in total agreement with Mark Horn: Get this Book.
I found this book is slick, supportive, extremely enjoyable and helpful as well.
The book offers the ultimate path of relating manga style to my favorite traditional American cartoon styles creating a FUSION. As a recreational artist, I was able to apply many tips & tricks offered in this book to my daily work. Filled with colorful as well as B&W examples, covering 360 degree views, both horizontally and vertically; applying clothing styles, accessories to assemble a character, light, shadows, moods & attitudes. Highly recommended.