Shots From The Studio #11

Last week I touched upon the artwork and storytelling of David Petersen and his book Mouse Guard. In this weeks Shots from the Studio I’m going to take a look at another project from the same Artist but this one originated in 1908.
   The Wind in the Willows by British author Kenneth Grahame was first published in 1908 and has remained in print ever since. But in 2017 award winning comic book artist and writer put his own spin on it. Now you may be wondering why a comic book artist had any interest in illustrating a one hundred year old children’s book but if you are familiar with his work and the subject matter it’s not that odd at all.
   The majority of the characters, including the main four, are all anthropomorphic animals. The book chronicles the misadventures of Mr. Toad of Toad Hall and his friends Mole, Ratty and Badger.
   If you’re like me you probably were first introduced to this story through the animated adaptation by Disney and the subsequent Disneyland attraction Mr. Toads Wild Ride, which is still a must ride for me whenever I make the pilgrimage to the park.
   The book contains dozens of lavishly detailed full color and black and white illustrations the really shows the nuance and texture of Toad’s world. There are beautiful “wallpaper” illustrations on the inside of the front and back covers and each chapter has  unique heading artwork.
   From front to back it’s evident that this edition of “The Wind in the Willows” was a real labor of love for Petersen.  Several of the illustrations exceed even the heights of his Mouse Guard work. And that’s saying something. I hope you enjoy this as much as I do and I’ll see you next time.