The photographs in this book unveil graffiti's origins in tribalism, cave painting, and cargo cult. Figures morphing in and out of font describe the alphabet's own provenance in hieroglyph and pictogram...and simultaneously point the way to the alphabet's inevitable future as insignia, decal,emblem...What's delivered so often by the creators here,with the immediacy typical of the pop impulse, is the slick and chaotic vocabulary of commercial culture decanted brilliantly into folk idiom, on the spot, in the dark, on the fly.
A book about characters is long overdue. From the earliest years of graffiti, writers ransacked the pop culture storehouse for figures, or invented new ones to project the desired alternative persona; characters that carry messages that challenge rivals and transit cops, that say: We are unstoppable, we are uncatchable, we are nasty! They can be hilarious, scary, or rude, and they're good allies for writers to have. Todd James and David Villorente, who served long apprenticeships on the trains and rose to the top of their game, are the best guides to lead us through this rich iconography.