An illustrated romp ... Depicted in multi-panel comic vignettes — plus the occasional full-page spread — Martin’s words marry perfectly with Bliss’ signature pen strokes to provide a coffee-table compendium of funny yet sincere reflections from a star who has truly seen it all ... Martin’s warm reminiscences, complemented by Bliss’ engaging artwork, succeed in creating a book that offers chuckles and insights in equal measure.
Between the covers of this surprisingly thin memoir are truffles of humor from comedian Steve Martin’s movie career illustrated by cartoonist Harry Bliss. The book is a sweet and smooth treat but ultimately unsatisfying ... Instead of providing a charming twist on the standard memoir, Bliss’ drawings come off as padding ... Number One Is Walking doesn’t lack humor, insight or Martin’s ironic take on life, but it does lack depth.
Sparkling ... A great story, too, full of behind-the-scenes snippets and interesting little tidbits ... It’s a clever and original way to approach a memoir, and it’s delightfully executed. A Hollywood memoir unlike any other.
Breezy, funny, informative ... Martin is a hilarious physical and multiple-voiced comic whose genius arguably doesn’t convey as well in the more subtle print medium.
Irresistibly charming ... In Bliss’s whimsical drawings, meticulously caricatured celebrities rub shoulders with comic-strip characters and Martin periodically wanders away from the narrative to talk to Bliss’s dog. The softly shaded pencil art moves smoothly between photorealistic portraits and loose, gestural cartoons as the material demands. Martin maintains his famous comedic persona of guileless arrogance, the jerk he’s played on and off since his early stand-up days. But his memories reveal a thoughtful, regularly starstruck performer.
