Minus Equals Plus

Describing his work as ""an organic combination of turn-of-the-century Viennese retro, interjected with American pop, some European absurdity added for flavor, served on a cartoon-style color palette... no social realism added,"" illustrator Istvan Banyai is well known to Americans, if not by name. His dreamlike drawings have appeared in Absolut ads, in his Zoom series of children's books, in magazines like the New Yorker and animated short films for Nickelodeon and MTV. Minus Equals Plus: Istvan Banyai collects 250 of his illustrations (150 in color) and includes an introduction by Kurt Andersen, veteran magazine editor (formerly of New York), currently columnist for the New Yorker and founder of Inside.com. ""Istvan World always seems to be coming apart at the seams,"" Andersen writes, ""but the entropy... may not be disintegration at all, but a metamorphosis into some kooky new state of harmony."" Complicated and dark enough for adults, Banyai's work is also fun, serendipitous and mischievous enough for kids. ( June)