Zavier Leslie Cabarga (b. 1954[1] in New York), popularly known as Leslie Cabarga, is an American author, illustrator, cartoonist, animator,
font designer, and
publication designer. A participant in the
underground comix movement in the early 1970s, he has since gone on to write and/or edit over 40 books. His art style evokes images from the 1920s and 1930s,[2] and over the years Cabarga has created many products associated with
Betty Boop.[3] His book The Fleischer Story in the Golden Age of Animation, originally published in 1976, has become the authoritative history of the
Fleischer Studios.
By the mid-1970s, Carbaga was working in publication design, serving as an assistant
art director at such publications as Rolling Stone, Outside, and Rock Magazine. He published his first book, a history of the
Fleischer Studios called The Fleischer Story in the Golden Age of Animation, in 1976.
By the early 1980s Cabarga had become one of the most popular illustrators in New York, creating covers for Time, Newsweek, and Fortune,[4] to name just a few. His work has appeared in several
Art Directors Club of New York annuals, as well as their print annual, and he is profiled in
Walt Reed's book The Illustrator in America, 1860-2000 (Watson-Guptill, 2001). Cabarga provided illustrations for
The J. Geils Band 1982 album Showtime!
Cabarga was the first American illustrator to draw the
Nintendo character
Mario, in a poster for the video game
Donkey Kong in 1981.[5]
A few of the typefaces Cabarga has designed include Magneto,[6] Bad Typ, Casey, Streamline, and Raceway.[4]
From 2007 to 2009, Cabarga edited the
Dark Horse Comics series Harvey Comics Classics, which included five volumes and two special issues.
In 2014 Cabarga transitioned from graphic, book, logo, and font design as his primary occupation to that of fine carpentry and cabinet-making. After completing construction of his own Tiny House on wheels, a design based on the Vienna 1900 style, he went on to create a custom interior for a 1953 Spartan Royal Mansion RV in the Art Deco style.
Cabarga is based in Southern California, where he plays
ukulele and
piano with the CA State Old Time Fiddlers Association.
Cabarga, Leslie, ed. (2008). Harvey Comics Classics Volume Four:
Baby Huey the Baby Giant. Introduction by Jerry Beck. Milwaukie, Oregon: Dark Horse Books.
ISBN978-1-59307-977-2.
Cabarga, Leslie, ed. (2009). Harvey Comics Classics Volume Five: The Harvey Girls Little Audrey, Little Dot & Little Lotta. Introduction by Jerry Beck. Milwaukie, Oregon: Dark Horse Books.
ISBN978-1-59582-171-3.
Cabarga, Leslie, ed. (2009). Casper The Friendly Ghost 60th Anniversary Special. Milwaukie, Oregon: Dark Horse Books.
ISBN978-1-59582-467-7.
Bibliography (selected)
The
Fleischer Story in the Golden Age of Animation (
Nostalgia Press, 1976; re-issued by Da Capo Press, 1988)
The Logo, Font & Lettering Bible: A Comprehensive Guide to the Design, Construction, and Usage of Alphabets and Symbols (How Design Books, 1994) — manual detailing how to create lettering from scratch
The Designer's Guide to Color Combinations (North Light Books, 1999)
ISBN978-0891348573
Talks with Trees: a Plant Psychic's Interviews with Vegetables, Flowers and Trees (Iconoclassics Publishing Co., 1997)
ISBN978-0965762809
The Secret Life of Logos: Behind the Scenes with Top Designers (HOW Books, 2007)
ISBN1-58180-868-2
We Hold These Truths (Iconoclassics Publishing Co., 2010)
ISBN978-0965762823
Topless Summer Love Girls: A Gentleman's Guide to Women, Relationships & Breasts (Iconoclassics, 2010)
ISBN978-0965762847
References
^Cabarga entry, Who's Who of American Comic Books, 1928–1999. Accessed Dec, 10, 2016.