Akashic Books, 150 pages with 140 color illustrations, trade paperback, $22.95

Does a skilled rendering of a chimp on a bicycle, turtles raising a flag (a la Iwo Jima), or a sasquatch pushing a tricked-out lawnmower appeal to you? How about a bear wearing tube socks while running with a pair of scissors? This is the imagery you can expect from Jay Ryan’s collection of poster art advertising bands like the Smoking Popes, My Morning Jacket, and Mudhoney. In addition to his work for lionized rockers, his prints advertising art festivals, an online “Swap Meat,” and, my favorite, a delicate “tree full of undifferentiated mammals” that was to be displayed in every room of a Chicago area hotel all have a unique cartoon whimsy and an irrepressible inventiveness that extends well beyond their more practical purposes.

At first glance, a colorful composition with animals ranging from a howling monkey to a more austere ostrich (promoting consecutive Hum shows on New Years’s Eve ’08 and New Year’s Day ‘09) appear ready for hanging in a lucky kid’s bedroom. On further inspection, the animals are unquestionably severe and on the attack; three hammerhead sharks flank a charging buffalo while on the opposite poster a beady-eyed ram and a focused rhino set their sights on in-motion greyhounds and a big-tusked walrus swimming hard.

Conversely, Ryan’s art can come off, well, cutesy. There’s one print featuring a yellow bear holding in his arms a tail-wagging green pup (both of which have similar toothy expressions) that would be a welcomed and classy addition to any progressive kindergarten. The same goes for the self-explanatory “Dog in Socks” outlined in thick dark strokes against patchwork washes of orange, white and brown. If not for the overall visual language and bold talent of their creator, these works would be too sugary sweet and one-dimensional for me. Thankfully, Ryan doesn’t fall prey to the opposite extreme and make honeyed subjects slaying each other with carving knives or some such tired nonsense. If you’re interested in this visual routine, it is readily available at the Hot Topic nearest you.

Fortunately, Ryan finds a comfortable middle ground where his subjects are appealing on the surface, yet deep enough in the display to warrant admiration and closer inspection. Of course, any decent ad for any worthwhile show should do this, but the majority fall short. You’ve seen them all, but few have lodged themselves in your mind’s eye. Where there is immediate aesthetic flash, there is generally no substance (and vice versa). Great art, even in advertising, satisfies the eye and the brain, pleasing while informing or deepening the wonder of the viewer. Ryan does exactly this and does it well. It is amazing to see in one nicely crafted book the sheer volume of work this guy has put out in three year’s time; the color choices, excess scratches, and high-impact outlines of what the book title conveys is nothing short of astounding.