3 out of 5

You can charge 24.99 for a slim, coffeetable artbook.  Because the relatively small collection of art shown inside, theoretically, is a small collection because that’s what the designer of the artbook desired.  But: if it’s a collection of art – or a sketchbook collection, like this Schrab book – it should be a fairly sizable collection.  48 pages might seem reasonable at a high level, but flip through that and it’ll take you all of 15 minutes, even if you’re spending time on the pages.  So how do we justify that pricetag?  Is there commentary from Schrab – explanations of the time and possible inspiration for the sketches?  No.  The book is also apparently only limited to “failed” sketches, as in pitches for shows or movies that never were (though Shrab fans will see some things they recognize from pilots or shorts), which also prevents it from being a true collection.  It’s just a sliver of work.  So that’s the criticism.

On the plus side, the over-sized hardcover is well put together, with bright colors and full bleed pages that seem like excellent transfers of art.  You’ll catch things that morphed into characters in Scud, and you’ll see Rob’s general obsession with teethy monsters and robots.  True: I picked it up used at a severe discount, and that’s pretty much the only way I can recommend it due to the assessment above.  If you’re not familiar with Rob’s work, or if you’re looking to gift, fans of slightly twisted but expressive cartooning styles like Ren and Stimpy (John Kricfalusi) or Doug TenNapel should appreciate Shrab’s limber, goofy style.