Some nice books on my desk at the moment so thought I'd share them. First up is Art In Time: Unknown Comic Book Adventures 1940-1980 by Dan Nodel (published by Abrams; £25) – a chunky hardback compendium of some of the characters that, despite originating from the pens of established comic artists, just never quite made it...

HG Peter, the artist who created Man O’ Metal (who?) in 1942 went on to have considerably more success with Wonder Woman (ah, yes - I've heard of her). Author Dan Nadel includes reproductions of entire comic strips so readers can not just familiarise themselves with the unsung heroes included in the book, but also some of their comic book capers. I've only scratched the surface but look forward to exploring this one more. Here are some images. Please excuse my shoddy photography.

Impressive: Printmaking, Letterpress & Graphic Design (Gestalten, £40) collects together photographs of tactile, printed works by a wide range of creatives from around the world - including House Indusries, Nobrow, and SORT (The Society of Revisionist Typographers). Here's some spreads and photos and also a little extract from the book's introduction:

"In the current climate of corner-store calling cards and exchangable software templates, these tangible human touches and skills - with all their idiosyncratic errors - have become a rare luxury. Sumptuous, luscious, almost prohibitively elaborate and sinful, bespoke hand-crafted cards and invitations reconnect sender and recipient as a thoughtful reminder and promise of things to come. Translated to the corporate sphere, to tailored company stationery or annual reports, hand-printing adds that certain je ne sais quoi, a dash of instant kudos and character. Limited by design, it conveys appreciation for the recipient and certainly leaves an impression - on the card stock and in our minds."

Just as the Impressive book looks to ride the wave of popularity that analogue, hands on printing is currently enjoying - Pen to Paper (Pictoplasma; €39.90) looks to celebrate the fact that many illustrators working today still favour the humble pen (and pencil) – rather than the mouse. So not a vector image in sight! Featured artists include  Allison Schulnik, Ian Stevenson, John Casey, Luke Ramsey, Kerozen and more... here are some spreads:

Spread showing work by Allyson Mellberg Taylor

Arnaud Loumeau

Frédéric Fleury

Ian Stevenson

Kerozen

Mark Delong

Pictoplasma has also just published Characters In Motion 3 (€29.90) – its third collection of drawn characters brought to life in animated projects. The publication takes the form of a 180 minute DVD housed in the back cover of a book (shown above) containing stills and credits for all the featured films – by the likes of Marc Craste, McBess, Asterokid, David O'Reilly and many more talented directors and animators. More info at publishing.pictoplasma.com/dvds/characters-in-motion-vol-3