Archive for August, 2011
Along a Long Road
Frank Viva | Little, Brown and Company 2011
Along the Long Road is one mighty long illustration broken into 32 pages. Probably about 34 feet or so—but since it was created digitally, it may only be 34 inches. Nonetheless, a feat not easily pulled off with such panache. Frank has made a simple story into hours of discovery. Illustrated with 4 flat colors, including the school bus yellow foil-stamped road—this is a masterful piece of scale, detail, stylization and simplicity. The main character is a slippery S-shaped dude that rides a very cool bike for a very long way. It is full of shiny water, towering architecture, Matisse-like people, nice lettering, fancy foliage and very groovy cars. A plain fun ride to take again and again just for the sights. It’s top shelf and will stand the test of time.
