Koterba: Drawing You In by Jeff Koterba

Koterba: Drawing You In
by Jeff Koterba [741.5 Kot] 

This is a marvelous retrospective collection of examples of Omaha World-Herald editorial cartoonist Jeff Koterba’s work, dating from the 1990s to 2014 (the year this book was published). Koterba provides a lengthy introduction, talking about his history as a cartoonist, and those artists who inspired him as he was growing up (particularly his predecessors at the OWH). He then breaks the collection of single-panel cartoons (each published on its own separate page in this volume) into some broad categories, and provides a page or two of background information about his artistic process for each section.

The book features both B&W and Color cartoons. Koterba does both versions for distribution, both in the Omaha paper and digitally online. He’s also one of a rare breed that still does ALL of his art by hand, not only the pencils and inks but he uses actual watercolor paints to do the color cartoons, not computer software. Political cartoons, especially if the cartoonist is willing to poke fun at all points-of-view, are usually pretty funny, as well as thought-provoking. However, Koterba’s extensive use of Nebraska-centric subjects makes this an even-more-enjoyable collection for somebody who lives here.

[If you enjoy this, you may also wish to try the books of former Lincoln Journal-Star editorial cartoonist Paul Fell, of which the libraries have quite a few. Also, Koterba’s memoir, Inklings, is a fascinating read too.] [ official Jeff Koterba web site ]

Recommended by Scott C.
Bennett Martin Public Library

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