Monday, Apr 18th, 2011

Talkin' Toth—and Toths Talkin' Back

April 27, 2011 marks the official on-sale date for Genius, Isolated, the first volume in our massive three-book examination of the life and career of the great Alex Toth.  We know this book has been eagerly awaited by Toth's fans, many of whom are some of the most popular and prestigious names in comics, animation, and motion pictures. We hope, as our readers make their way through the thirty thousand words of biography and twenty complete comics stories—many of them printed from the original art—contained in this 325-page, 9.5" x 13" tome, they will recognize it as a true labor of love, and will feel it has been worth the wait.

Certainly we were encouraged by the reactions to the book expressed by Alex's four children. They received a pre-publication edition for their review and approval and what they had to say was an affirmation that we had successfully achieved our goals.

Three generations of Toths. Alex in 1970 with (from left to right) his mother,
daughters Dana and Carrie, and (in front) Eric and Damon.

Eric Toth read his copy of the book while traveling (in China, if memory serves). "The work looks great," he sent via his Blackberry from halfway around the world. "This is very exciting. Thanks for all of your hard work."

Eric's sister, Carrie Morash, was in her home when she wrote to us, saying, "I couldn't go very far without feeling emotional and missing my dad while reading your book. From the preface, which was thoughtful and kind, to the introduction by Mark Chiarello, I think my dad is being given a very fair biography. I loved the story of Mark's where he asked my dad for a drawing—the words and description of how dad responded were so him—"OK, pest..." A picture popped in my head of him sitting there and saying those words with one eyebrow raised as he often did. And, the quote of his—"See kiddo it's simple"—is all dad. Endearing. Heartwarming to me. The art work was a joy to read and view. So much has been gathered—it's hard to comment on all that went through my head as I read the story of my father. I don't think that I will ever stop discovering new things about him and his life now."

Like his brother, youngest son Damon also had to pass along his thoughts to Dean while on the run. "I want to thank you and Bruce for such a wonderful job you did on Genius, Isolated. I enjoyed reading every page and learned a great deal about dad. I look so forward to Genius, Illustrated and Genius, Animated."

Alex's first child, Dana Palmer, had this to say in two separate e-mails: "As I sit here in tears with a lump in my throat - this, this is a beautiful body of work. The layout/graphics/scans - done so impeccably. What a tribute. This was my father—Alex Toth. Wow. It sort of hit me in a new way during this process, and this book will be my bible when it comes to his legacy. My father would have loved this. I wish he were here to read it, and it makes me miss him even more. I wished I'd known some of the things discovered in this body of work. It explains a lot."

This is, in some ways, The Year of Toth. Several publications dedicated to the work of this unique talent are being released during 2011, but Genius, Isolated is the only project undertaken with the approval of and in cöoperation with Alex's estate, and the only project returning money to that estate. We went into this project enthusiastic about presenting Alex's life story and artwork to modern audiences, but the relationship we've built with Dana, Carrie, Eric, and Damon over the past two years has made the Genius series even more special.

posted by Bruce Canwell