The Addams Family: an Evilution Hardcover – Illustrated, March 1, 2010

Your one-stop shopping source for ALL the cartoons Charles Addams ever drew featuring Morticia, Gomez, Fester, Grandmama, Lurch, Pugsley, Wednesday, and Cousin Itt. If that's what you're looking for, you've come to the right place. It should be pointed out that the cartoonist never really set out to create a macabre family of creepy and kooky eccentrics. The television producers of the 1960s Addams Family TV show noticed a set of reoccurring characters among Chas Addams' body of cartoons and were interested in making a TV series based upon his work. At that point, Addams gave the characters names, and defined them beyond the somewhat sketchy existing relationships in his cartoons by providing the TV producers with a series of short biographical outlines (also included in this book). And the TV producers, writers, and actors then developed the characters further, taking particular liberties with such characters as Thing and Cousin Itt. When you're finished reading this book, you may well ask (as I did), "How did they get a TV series out of THIS?"That's not to say the cartoons aren't funny. They are. And more often than not, they have that "delayed reaction" effect of having to look twice (or three times) to "get the joke". I was left with a couple of impressions, since this is the first book of Chas Addams' work that I have purchased. Firstly, I get the impression that of the couple of thousand cartoons that Addams drew from the 1930s to the 1980s, the "Addams Family" cartoons are not necessarily representative (other than typifying the wickedly morbid sense of humor) of the entire oeuvre of Addams' work. I was surprised to find that of the couple of thousand cartoons he drew, a relatively paltry number of them feature The Family, and some of those only in retrospect, as developmental phases of characters who later became members of the family. The Thing familiar to television viewers and moviegoers is almost entirely an invention of the TV producers. There are a great number of unpublished cartoons in this collection -- this is a good thing, because they are needed to beef up the number of Family cartoons that were actually published (in THE NEW YORKER and elsewhere). The unpublished cartoons are readily identifiable by the rough, unfinished and un-inked nature of the drawings. Which isn't to say they aren't funny anyway.To reiterate, it's nice to have, for the first time ever, ALL of Addams' Family cartoons in one complete collection. Still, it leaves me longing to read the rest of Chas Addams' body of work, published over the decades while he was still alive, by Simon & Shuster. Some of these are still available from z-shop sellers on Amazon, but they can be quite pricey indeed. It would be nice if Simon & Shuster reissued the ten collections of his work that were published when he was living in new, reasonably-priced reprint editions.

I am a fan of the cartoons of Charles Adams. I also enjoyed the television series and have appreciated the movies on the Adam's family.This book brings all together very well.The book talks about how each character developed over the years and when they first appeared in print. It also talks about how each character went from print to becoming the character that appeared on the television show and later the movies. For instance it's talks about how Pugsley and Wednesday got their namesThe Adams family are only a small segment of the work of Charles Adams.. Yet they do show his dark but hilarious sense of humor. I have a few books on his cartoons . It's nice to have one devoted to the Adam's family.The cartoons are the right size for me. They're easy to read. They are on very nice paper. The pages are thick and feel comfortable in my hand when i'm turning the pages.The book came sealed in plastic wrap which made it even nicer. There's nothing nicer than turning a crisp untouched page in a book.The book does talk about Charles Adams as well. Learning about the creator of the Adam's family helped me enjoy the book even more.

I bought this Addams family book because I am a huge fan of the Addams family cartoons. So now I get to see all the origins and how they transformed over time. A must for all fans of The Addams Family.

Purchased this along with Addams' Apple in order to build on my collection of the works of Charles Addams ( my review of Addams' Apple should also be available on Amazon).This book provides a very in-depth and fascinating look into the development of The Addams Family straight from their creator. There's a lot more text with this book than in other showcase volumes, but that's fine. The book is divided into chapters showcasing each family member and character. They start out with Addams' own personal notes on each character to help Filmways Productions develop the first TV series in the 60's. More text is provided as to the inspiration behind the characters followed by a series of cartoons featuring same character. As with Addams' Apple, there is an index and bibliography at the back describing when the cartoons were first published and which cartoons have not been released until now.It should be noted that this book is dedicated only to the Addams Family and only how they appeared in The New Yorker and other publications. Although there is mention of the TV series and movies, the illustrations are purely Addams' artwork. Which is totally fine, of course.If you're a fan of Charles Addams cartoons and specifically The Addams Family, this book is for you.

The Addams Family Evilution is the definitive Addams family collection featuring cartoons published and even some unpublished from the New Yorker magazine. Everyone’s favorite creepy family takes center stage in over 200 cartoons showcasing their dark and eccentric history. At 223 pages the book is divided by character showcasing cartoons pertaining to each family member and their sinister escapades. Backstory and sources of inspiration for each are also provided by the author himself. Charles Addams added the extra layers for each character to assist with the production of the original black & white TV series. Great for any fan of dark humor, Victorian Haunted Mansions, and the gothic genre. With the success of the 2019 animated feature, a sequel coming in October 2021, and rumors of a new live-action series produced and directed by Tim Burton the franchise continues to entertain new and existing fans.