Adventure Time: The Original Cartoon Title Cards Vol. 1 HCPublisher: Titan Books
Release Date: October 7, 2014
Price: $19.95
Creators: Pendleton Ward, Andy Ristaino, Nick Jennings, Paul Linsley, Phil Rynda
Format: 112 pgs., 11" x 8.5" Full-Color, Hardcover
ISBN: 978-1-7832-9287-5
Age Rating: All Ages
ICv2 Rating: 5 stars out of 5
With Adventure Time: The Original Cartoon Title Cards Vol. 1, Titan Books has given fans of the series a book they can be proud to own. Instead of merely compiling screenshots and various promotional images from the actual show into a compendium or encyclopedia, The Original Cartoon Title Cards collects 52 full-color title cards from seasons one and two of the series.
Why title cards, images that usually appear for only a brief second or two? Apart from being hand painted, original art, the cards are also another vehicle for the creative team behind the show: "drawing inspiration from comics, B-movies, classic Shakespearean staging, and Technicolor romance, the title cards present a wholly unique yet deeply resonant array of pop-culture imagery." Within these 112 pages, Titan not only reproduces the title cards, but also provides audiences with process sketches and designs the artists used in developing the final title cards. Brief interviews with character designers and storyboard artists Andy Ristaino, Phil Rynda, Pat McHale, and Paul Linsley, as well as Adventure Time's Creator and Executive Producer Pendleton Ward and Art Director Nick Jennings accompany each illustration.
The most fascinating aspect of the creative process, however, is the inspiration for the title cards, particularly their connections to the themes of the episodes and within the larger context of popular culture. For example, in season one, episode 25 "His Hero," Rynda reveals his homage to Frank Frazetta, including the artist's FF initials carved into Billy's shoulder armor. Or, with season two, episode 30 "Blood Under the Skin," Ristaino notes the influence of classic horror films such as Psycho. The artists are not allowed complete creative control, however, as Cartoon Network's Standards and Practices called for revisions on season one, episode five "The Enchiridion" when it believed the imagery too violent. At times, the addition of a new creator to the series can also spark new inspiration for the title cards such as the arrival of storyboard artist and designer Jesse Moynihan on "Wizard." Readers will also the enjoy discovering Easter eggs with "Her Parents" or how the title cards can allude to precursor events in the Land of Ooo with "The Other Tarts."
Obviously the first installment in a planned book series on Adventure Time: The Original Cartoon Title Cards Vol. 1 is an absolute delight.
--Nathan Wilson
