Book Description

The New York Times best-selling series continues!

The third volume in our acclaimed series takes us into the mid-1950s as Linus learns to talk, Snoopy begins to explore his eccentricities (including his hilarious first series of impressions), Lucy's unrequited crush on Schroeder takes final shape, and Charlie Brown becomes...well, even more Charlie Brown-ish! Over half of the strips in this volume have never been printed since their original appearance in newspapers a half-century ago! Even the most dedicated Peanuts collector/fan is sure to find many new treasures. The Complete Peanuts will run 25 volumes, collecting two years chronologically at a rate of two a year for twelve years. Each volume is designed by the award-winning cartoonist Seth (It's a Good Life If You Don't Weaken) and features impeccable production values; every single strip from Charles M. Schulz's 50-year American classic is reproduced better than ever before. This volume includes an introduction by Matt Groening (The Simpsons) as well as the popular Complete Peanuts index, a hit with librarians and collectors alike, and an epilogue by series editor Gary Groth. ... Read more

Book Description

One of the best-selling and critically-acclaimed graphic novels of all-time telling the story of two supremely ironic, above-it-all teenagers facing the thrilling uncertainty of life after high school. As they attempt to carry their life-long friendship into a new era, the careful dynamics of their inseparable bond are jolted, and what seemed like a future of endless possibilities looks more like an encroaching reality of strip malls, low-paying service jobs and fading memories.

Already one of the most heavily-publicized graphic novels in history, this new edition (featuring new covers by Clowes) should make the book more popular than ever. With lengthy write-ups in Time, Newsweek, Publisher's Weekly, Details, Vogue, Jane, and many others, press interest in the book and film promises to be higher than ever this spring. ... Read more

Reviews (44)

Identity and confusion
An enjoyable comic book that can aptly be called alternative, GHOST WORLD ultimately disappointed me because I didn't find it to be much more than entertaining. To his credit, Daniel Clowes creates characters that are believable, and I'm sure there are many people out there who can relate to the story, sympathize with Enid's dissatisfaction with her life, and agree with her general view of the world. And Clowes' treatment of his teen characters, a little cruel and unrelenting, but not cold-hearted, is refreshing. But at the end, I didn't feel attached in any way to Enid or Becky or Josh, and didn't really care anyway. Yeah, it was entertaining, but so what? And though this may be a personal bias, I wasn't too fond of Clowes' drawing style, which seemed a bit clumsy and inexpressive. I don't mean for this review to sound negative. I did enjoy GHOST WORLD, and I would recommend it without hesitation to people who are looking for something different. It's short anyway, and reading the other reviews, there's a good chance you'll find more to it than I did.

Haunting little masterpiece
Dan Clowes' graphic novel, "Ghost World" tells the story of Enid Coleslaw and her best friend Rebecca during the months between their high school graduation and the following October. The girls curse a lot, obsess over freaks and strange events in their lives and eventually come to realize their childhood friendship may not survive their transition into adulthood.

Clowes has an amazing ability to zero in on life's smallest moments and find in them a fragile poetry. He's also not afraid to make his characters fallible, and sometimes, in the manner of callous youth, even cruel. Enid and Rebecca dub a waiter "Weird Al" because of his curly hair, and play a rude prank on a poor boob whose only crime was to gain their notice by placing a pathetic personal ad. And yet you won't hate the characters. They're vulnerable and honest in a very believable way, and their emotional journey through their final months together accurately depicts longing and unease, their nostalgia for things the way they were, and their need for different lives. For Rebecca, it's to hold onto things as they are, and for Enid, it's to go someplace else not to find herself, but to become someone different.

The story's also full of humor and mystery. Enid and Rebecca inhabit a world of strange grafitti, of diners and run-down apartments where things tend to happen just outside the frame, or within windows. And Clowes' two-toned, semi-realistic, sometimes cartoony depiction of the various geeks, pervos and schmoes who inhabit "Ghost World" is dead on... the dopey expressions, the sudden crises, the need to feel something and the fear that accompanies that desire... it's all there in his characters' faces.

Reminiscent of Will Eisner's work (and just a touch of Charles Burns'), and with a hip, modern feel, "Ghost World" provides a truly amazing and unique reading experience.

Didn't like the movie...
I didn't like the Ghost world movie, but the graphic novel was a lot better. There were a couple of times I got confused with people (heh, maybe it's just me) but it was funny and there were moments when I could relate to the characters and the artwork was cool what with the blue and all and so overall I would recommend it to anyone who is as addicted to graphic novels as I am.

Brillinat writing, Brilliant art
Daniel Clowes', 'Ghost World,' is a shining example on how effective the medium of the graphic novel can be when coupled with fantastic, highly literate writing. Clowes' brilliance is demonstrated with his remarkable ability in capturing dialogue and the psyches of his late-teenage female characters - Enid and Becky. In fact, their characterizations and conversations seems so authentic and natural that it's almost as if Clowes videotaped real-life snippets of actual teenagers lives and then fashioned comic strips out of them.

Unlike the movie adaptation, which had a sustained narrative, the graphic novel is comprised of episodic vignettes that seem more like a collection of short stories. These little tales are packed with so much melodrama, sharp-humour, keen observation and emotion that by the time you're finished with this 80 or so page book you'll feel like you've already digested volumes.

I can't recommend this book highly enough and whether or not you've seen the movie you definitely need to read the original source. Top quality stuff all the way through.

struggle to find who you are
I saw the movie upon recommendation from my ex-girlfriend (as if that matters), and that's the way I found this gem out, as so many others have. This was my first encounter with Daniel Clowes, and I loved it. He always maintain some self-defacing quality in his humor (see Eightball, for example), but that actually translates to the search for true self in a rather seriously frustrating (pseudo-)real-world experiences of Enid and her pals. It is quite amazing what Clowes captures in what he probably could not experience himself --- the life of a "teenage girl" who avoids to fit in, yet could not find her own comfortable niche.

My criticism is that Ghost World is too short. I find some seriously deep qualities in what are depicted; yet the development of story goes too fast that literally nothing gets elaborate enough for me to slow down and appreciate to the extend that I wish. After reading, I just wished strongly I could read more of the stuff.

Maybe that's the joy of graphic novels --- so much is left for readers to wonder. Or it is just me having read numerous Japanese comics with elaborate story lines --- I can assure that a Japanese manga artist would make 20 volumes of comics out of a cool story like this. In any case, this one certainly made me interested in Clowes other works. ... Read more

Reviews (5)

Not his best stuff?? What are you talking about???
The review above says this is not Crumb's best stuff, and not to buy anything from "This Publisher." This makes NO SENSE, because Fantagraphics is publishing THE COMPLETE WORKS of ROBERT CRUMB, in order, from his early years right up to the present. Crumb supervises each release and writes the introductions to each volume. Furthermore, Fantagraphics is one of the best publishers of quality comix in the world.

If you like R. Crumb, this collection is pretty much the best you can get. Unless you just want a "greatest hits" which is fine to. In any case, Volume 4 is my favorite collection, but there is quality stuff in each one. The review above is sort of akin to someone blasting the Riverside Shakespeare because it includes stuff like Pericles or The Two Noble Kinsman. It's the COMPLETE WORKS, guy! It contains the BEST and the WORST, but everyone will disagree about which is which.

Pretty good but with a lot of overlap with other collections
This collection of strips includes quite a number published elsewhere, with nine starring Mr. Natural, including "... Encounters Flakey Foont", "...the Zen Master", "...in Death Valley", "...Visits the City"; in addition to stories such as "Meatball"; "It's Cosmic"; and a series of images from greetings cards. Selections are from "Evo", "Head Comix", "Yarrowstalks", "Zap Comix" etc...This isn't necessarily Fantagraphics fault as overlap with the more comprehensive "R. Crumb's Carload o' Comics" is because THAT collection was published by J.B. Rund of Kitchen Sink Press.

The book also contains an introduction by Crumb eulogizing his late friend Marty Pahls, and photographs of Crumb, wives Dana and Aline, sister Sandra and friend Pahls.

I'd say it's a decent retrospective for anyone wanting an example of the master of the undergrounds.

Comix Guaranteed To Blow Yer Mind!
'Mr. Sixties' features the creme de la Crumb, executed while he was still a wide-eyed rube, lost in the hubbub of Haight-Ashbury and the Summer of Love. Featuring lots of psychedelia (Crumb started dropping acid in '66), Crumb's work in 'The East Village Other', 'Yarrowstalks' and the ground-breaking 'ZAP Comix' #0 & 1 immediately appealed to the anti-Establishment Flower Children. These were harmless cartoons- innocent fun and a far cry from such later controversial pieces as 'Jumpin' Jack Flash', 'Dicknose' and 'Joe Blow'. Also included is the Crumb/ Gibbons' publication, 'The Sad Book'. Well recommended. Note to Parents: Although (at first glance) Crumb's work appears to be harmless 'kid's cartoons', these comix are definitely meant for ADULTS ONLY!

Essential for anyone interested in Crumb or u.g. comics
I have to object to the previous review--this book includes the material that created a new audience and inspired countless artists. While it may not ultimately be Crumb's best work--he was very young at the time that it was produced, and other collections, like "Carload of Crumb," offer a better cross-section of his early work--it still offers real pleasure to the interested reader. The previous reviewer's slap against the publisher, Fantagraphics, is especially egregious: they have an impeccable track record of high-quality editions of comic art worth preserving, and this classic is no exception.

The Crumb
This is not his good stuff. It is marketted fluff using his name. There are some good collections, but don't buy anything by this publisher ... Read more

Book Description

Fantagraphics Books is pleased to present, for the first time, a single-volume collection of this 288-page landmark of journalism and the artform of comics. Interest in Sacoo has never been higher than with the release of his critically acclaimed book, Safe Area Gorazde.

Based on several months of research and an extended visit to the West Bank and Gaza Strip in the early 1990s (where he conducted over 100 interviews with Palestinians and Jews), Palestine was the first major comics work of political and historical nonfiction by Sacco, who has often been called the first comic book journalist.

Sacco's insightful reportage takes place at the front lines, where busy marketplaces are spoiled by shootings and tear gas, soldiers beat civilians with reckless abandon, and roadblocks go up before reporters can leave. Sacco interviewed and encountered prisoners, refugees, protesters, wounded children, farmers who had lost their land, and families who had been torn apart by the Palestinian conflict.

In 1996, the Before Columbus Foundation awarded Palestine the seventeenth annual American Book Award, stating that the author should be recognized for his "outstanding contribution to American literature," while his publisher, Fantagraphics, is "to be honored for their commitment to quality and their willingness to take risks that accompany publishing outstanding books and authors that may not prove 'cost-effective' in the short run."

This new edition of Palestine also features a new introduction from renowned author, critic, and historian Edward Said, author of Peace and Its Discontents and The Question of Palestine and one of the world's most respected authorities on the Middle Eastern conflict. ... Read more

Reviews (42)

Palestine
In recent years, the scope of the comics medium has burst from the confines of children's and fictional genres to encompass substantive work in such realms as the graphic novel, autobiography, and biography. In his nine-part comic book Palestine, the final four issues of which are collected here, Sacco gives us the first major work of comics journalism. In 1991 he traveled to Jerusalem to observe Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. Out of that trip comes this highly ambitious and successful telling of the refugees' stories--some militant, others resigned--that include both emotional depictions of protest and torture and the quiet struggles of everyday survival. Although Sacco's sympathies, expressed through the first-person narration, are definitely with the Palestinians, the work overall is far too nuanced to be deemed propaganda. Sacco makes wildly experimental layouts coalesce into an imaginative yet solid storytelling style. Palestine shows that he is a top-rank talent who has staked out a unique place for himself in the comics field.

Buy This Book For Everyone You Know
Joe Sacco has done mankind a service by illuminating one of the great continuing tragedies of our time, the brutal Israeli occupation of over 3 million Palestinians. We are spoon fed a nauseating stream of documentaries, movies, books, etc. about the Holocaust. I agree that Holocaust education is important, but the monumental place it has assumed eclipses many other chapters of human oppression and suffering around the world. The brutal Israeli occupation of the Palestninian people is one such place. Joe Sacco has done in the form of a graphic novel what the mainstream American media won't (or can't) do: he has put a human face on what lies beyond the Israeli side of the infamous 'greenline'. Palestnians wonder the frames of each picture like ghosts deformed by the unimaginable cruelty of the occupying Israeli forces. Yet in the end, Sacco posits these tortured souls in a very living and human face. A face that the reader can and is encouraged to empathize with. The central theme of the book is that Israeli occupation is no longer about self-defense, it has transformed into a manifestation of man's inhumanity to his fellow man and the Palestnian ability to maintain their humanity and love for life as the victim of so much inhumanity.

Spectacular, heartrending, and honest
This book is simply amazing. I'm a second-year college student and it is required reading in my Comp Lit class. It shows you the side of an issue mainstream media doesn't want you to see, and those who refuse to see the side of Palestinians will, even after reading this book, deny the truth. Joe Sacco is brilliant, as his evidence is first hand, his writing realistic, and drawings eye-opening. For anyone who is sick of seeing the issue of Palestine from the view of money hungry media people, this is the book to get. You'll cry. I guarantee, because Sacco will show you the truth as you aren't supposed to see it.

Palestinian propaganda as usual...
Typical lies the so-called "Palestinian people" perpetrate as usual. Waste of time & energy. Complete fiction.

The Abu Ghraib training manual
If you want to find out where US troops got their gruesome torture methods for Abu Ghraib prison in Iraq, it's all in Sacco's book, published in 2002 and based on a trip he took to Gaza and the West Bank in the early 1990s.

It's all there: the arrest and lengthy detainment of innocent people for 'intelligence gathering', putting detainees in hoods for days and weeks at a time, using isolation and terror, threatening death, tying prison in painful positions for days, beatings, humiliation.

Sacco's book documents it all - and it was first worked out
by Israelis for use against Palestians.

The US news media knows this, but they're silent. Why?
Get Sacco's book and educate yourself about what's really going on in the Middle East. ... Read more

Book Description

The most eagerly-awaited publishing project in comic strip history.50 years of art. 25 books. Over 7500 pages of comics. Two books per year for 12 ¼ years. Fantagraphics Books is proud to announce the most exciting and ambitious publishing project in the history of the American comic strip: the complete reprinting of Charles M. Schulz's classic, Peanuts.The most popular comic strip in the history of the world will be, for the first time, collected in its entirety, beginning in 2004. Fantagraphics will launch The Complete Peanuts in a series produced in full cooperation with United Media, Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates, and Mr. Schulz's widow, Jean Schulz.Peanuts is a towering achievement in the history of the American comic strip and represents the apex of Fantagraphics' 27-year publishing history; the strip will be presented in a beautifully designed format that reflects the integrity of the work itself.

Each volume in the series will run approximately 320 pages in a 8 ¾" x 7" hardcover format, presenting two years of strips along with supplementary material. The series will present the entire run in chronological order, including dailies and Sundays, in a three-tier page format that will accommodate three dailies or one Sunday strip per page. The Sundays will be printed in black-and-white.

Acclaimed cartoonist Seth, author of the award-winning graphic novel It's A Good Life If You Don't Weaken, and a lifelong Peanuts fan, will be designing the entire 25-volume series, which will emphasize the sophistication of Schulz's work by creating a package that is both austere and direct, reflecting the quiet and melancholy of the strip.

Seth's cover design will feature areas of muted color, with a different main character on each front cover (reflecting the ensemble cast), and a smaller Charlie Brown (reflecting who is, after all, the star of the strip) in the corner. The result will be a tasteful and completely distinctive series, where each individual book will be sharply recognizable and yet clearly part of a consistent series.

Unlike older strips, where publishers have often been forced to shoot the work from decades-old newsprint of variable quality, Peanuts is fortunate enough to boast archival-quality syndicate proofs for virtually every strip in its history. The result will be the best-looking, crispest reproduction for a classic comic strip ever achieved.

This first volume, covering the first two and a quarter years of the strip (October 1950 through December 1952), will be of particular fascination to Peanuts aficionados worldwide: Although there have been literally hundreds of Peanuts books published, many of the strips from the series' first two or three years have never been collected before—in large part because they showed a young Schulz working out the kinks in his new strip and include some characterizations and designs that are quite different from the cast we're all familiar with. (Among other things, three major cast members—Schroeder, Lucy, and Linus—initially show up as infants and only "grow" into their final "mature" selves as the months go by. Even Snoopy debuts as a puppy!) Thus The Complete Peanuts offers a unique chance to see a master of the artform refine his skills and solidify his universe, day by day, week by week, month by month.

Peanuts is the most successful comic strip in the history of the medium as well as one of the most acclaimed strips ever published. (In 1999, a jury of comics scholars and critics voted it the 2nd greatest comic strip of the 20th century—second only to George Herriman's Krazy Kat, a verdict Schulz himself cheerfully endorsed.) Charles Schulz's characters—Charlie Brown, Snoopy, Lucy, Linus, Schroeder, and so many more—have become American icons. A United Media poll in 2002 found Peanuts to be one of the most recognizable cartoon properties in the world, recognized by 94 percent of the total U.S. consumer market and a close second only to Mickey Mouse (96 percent), and higher than other familiar cartoon properties like Spider-Man (75 percent) or the Simpsons (87 percent). In TV Guide's "Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All-Time" list, Charlie Brown and Snoopy ranked #8. ... Read more

Reviews (38)

You were a great man, Sparky Schulz
What can one even say about what's probably the best/most influential comic strip ever to hit newspapers? Peanuts was long overdue for this sort of treatment, and I'm glad that it was done in such a wonderful fashion. Yes, the Sundays aren't in color and the reprints of the dailies are smallish, but these are just minor quibbles. Having all of the comics he did from 1950 to 1952 in one book is an accomplishment in and of itself.

Now, to be honest, Peanuts wouldn't really become the Peanuts we know and love today until about the mid-1950s (or in other words, the next book or two), so what's on display here is Schulz trying to get the feel of the strip, and it's really fascinating to see the strip's evolution even through the course of the book. Not his best? Yes, but that hardly matters as Peanuts at its worst can still be lightyears ahead of many strips at their best.

The bonuses definitely take things to another level. Keillor's introduction is nice, but the real points of interest are David Michaelis' excellent biographical essay on Schulz (which is a real eye-opener to many who've grown up on Peanuts like myself) and an interview Charles Schulz gave in the late 1980s which provides a ton of insight into his personal character.

All in all, despite some of the presentation of the strips mentioned above, this book is a must-own, and I eagerly await the rest of the volumes in the series.

Bravo! Excellent Job!
After years of only being able to find Peanuts strips in seemingly random and incomplete anthologies, "The Complete Peanuts" project is finally giving the work of Charles Schulz the respect it deserves.

By publishing all the Peanuts strips in their entirety and in chronological order, this Fantagraphics project is for the first time treating the Peanuts comics not as a mere collection of individual strips but as a unified whole: as a complete work in itself.

Despite having read many other Peanuts collections, a vast majority of the strips in "1950-1952" were new to me. It's fascinating to see the beginnings of a strip that would become so popular and influential. The look of the characters is much different from their later incarnations, but the gentle wit and philosophical insight that characterized the entire Peanuts series are definitely in evidence.

The extra features such as the index and Charles Schulz profile and interview were pleasant surprises and a nice touch. It is clear that for the people who put this together it was a labor of love. If future volumes are of this quality, the series will be a treasure. I'm excitedly awaiting the next volume, covering 1953-1954.

Two minor criticisms: I must concur with an earlier reviewer who expressed concerns about the long-term durability of the binding... but I guess only time will tell how well it'll hold up. Also, as has been pointed out, the Sunday comics are in black and white. I don't know if they were originally printed in color at this early date, but if so, reproducing them in color in this volume would have been a nice touch and I certainly would have been willing to pay extra for this. That having been said, however, these issues do not seriously detract from the overall enjoyment of this well-done first volume. I do not hesitate in giving The Complete Peanuts 1950-1952 a solid 5-star rating.

Magnificent
My grandmother is (still) a great collector of all things Snoopy. Back in the 70's, when I used to visit my grandmother's house, I remember spending a lot of time reading some of those early collections of Peanuts cartoon strips. They are one of the many great memories of my youth. Now, we have a collection of the very first Peanuts strips. Magnificent!

How many of us still remember the beginning? So many things would grow and change. Violet and Patty (not Peppermint Patty) were Charlie Brown's "girlfriends" whom he could torment as much as he was tormented by them. Violet was actually the first to pull the football away from Charlie Brown. Snoopy was still a dog with no words. Schroeder is very prominent as a child prodigy with his love of piano and growing love of Beethoven. Charlie Brown is the catcher for the baseball team. Lucy & Linus make there first appearances. And so much more. Still, we can see this wonderful world taking shape and we can see how it will become to be this most beloved of comics.

This volume also contains a nice introduction by Garrison Keillor and concludes with an interesting interview of Charles Schultz, enlightening us to some of his own feelings about his strip and what has become of the world of comics.

As the first of a projected twenty-five volumes collecting all the Peanuts strips to be released every six months for the next twelve years, all I can say is I can't wait for volume 2.

Throw Away Those Dusty Paperbacks!
Finally, a way to enjoy Peanuts without going through all those dusty (and falling apart) paperbacks from years ago. A very well-presented collection, with quite a few of the panels never before in print.

For those unfamiliar with early Peanuts, it may seem a bit simplistic, but trust me, this is just the warm-up for the best of the strip in the 60s and 70s.

My only complaint: why is it taking the publishing company ten years (!) to get the entire strip into print??

YES PEANUTS WAS FUNNY
Yes every time has a best comic and Peanuts was IT for a long time. The last few years were rather painful for fans but still on occasion funny. You could never count Shultz totally out. You always had to read Peanuts just in case. [ You are not going to believe this but Garfield was once great too. Then came Bloom County and now there are many good ones but Dilbert is now without question IT. ] I am glad they are rereleasing the early stuff so now maybe my friends will stop saying how LAME Peanuts is. ... Read more

Book Description

The most intimate look yet into the life and mind of the bestselling author and creator of The Sandman.

Neil Gaiman is one of the most successful and versatile writers working today. He has become renowned not only for the consistently high quality of his writing but for his mastery of many media. He is an award-winning comic book writer (Sandman), novelist (American Gods), children's book author (The Wolves in the Walls), and television screenwriter (Neverwhere). Yet with all the fans hungry to know more about his work, there has not yet been a single major nonfiction book covering Gaiman's entire creative output. Until now.

Hanging Out With the Dream King: Conversations With Neil Gaiman and His Collaborators presents a thorough look at Gaiman's work not only through his eyes, but through the eyes of his many collaborators. Artists, writers, editors, musicians—over two-dozen creators share their thoughts on working with Gaiman and present a unique mosaic portrait of the writer whose name has become synonymous with modern fantasy.

Although the book's scope is not limited to Gaiman's best-selling comic book creation The Sandman, Hanging Out With the Dream King features comprehensive interviews with all of the major Sandman artists, including Charles Vess, P. Craig Russell, Bryan Talbot, and Jill Thompson, as well as well as rare and exclusive interviews with Sandman co-creators Sam Kieth and Mike Dringenberg.

And, much as Gaiman has done throughout his career, Hanging Out With the Dream King breaks down the walls of media and genre, presenting those who may have discovered the writer's work through one storytelling medium with doors through which they may find his other prodigious creations. Thus, admirers of Gaiman's children's books with Dave McKean will discover his adult work with Gene Wolfe and Terry Pratchett; fans of his novels will discover his comics; and everyone will have the chance to meet Gaiman's folk-rock bands—the Flash Girls and Folk Underground. Musicians Alice Cooper and Tori Amos are also interviewed.

Illustrated with many unpublished photos and comic pages, this is the book Gaiman's fans have been waiting for. B/w illustrated (with 16 pp. in color). ... Read more

Book Description

A group of Mexican-American women come of age in Southern California's burgeoning punk rock scene in the early 1980s and mature into the present.

One of the most humane, graceful and imaginatively inexhaustible artists in American popular culture, Jaime Hernandez has created in Locas one of the great American novels of the last 25 years, graphic or otherwise. Spanning a quarter-century, Locas tells the story of Maggie Chascarrillo, a bisexual, Mexican-American woman attempting to define herself in a community rife with class, race and gender issues.

Maggie's story begins in the early-1980s Southern California rock scene, when it was shifting from the excesses of glitter rock to the gritty basics of punk and new wave. "Hardcore" punk rock came to the fore, and the teenaged Maggie finds herself drawn to the anarchy, energy and diversity of the scene, which in the hands becomes a very real, habitable place populated with authentic human beings rather than stereotypes. She quickly befriends Hopey Glass, a feisty anti-authoritarian punkette who quickly becomes Maggie's on-again, off-again lover and a constant presence in her life throughout the book.

Maggie comes of age in this tumultuous environment, with class and racial tension fueling the rising violence between punks and the already antagonistic LAPD. Hernandez's naturalistic storytelling and mastery of body language and facial expressions, and his pitch-perfect depiction of barrio life all makes for an exhilarating read. His characters are infused with strength, intelligence, independence, imperfection, bitchiness, frailty, obsessiveness, and so much more.

Maggie evolves from an angry young punk into a mature woman. She encounters cruelties large and small and resigns herself to dashed hopes, shattered illusions, and even death with ironic acceptance. Locas presents an incomparable body of work in comics form, created over 20 years (which not coincidentally mirrors Maggie's arc), and told with an uncompromising beauty and grace. As the New York Times Book Review has described it, "These stories have all the visual smarts of film and the narrative smarts of literature....Hernandez specializes in psychological detail; we see both text and subtext immediately ....What better than to open a book that shows there is more going on than we dream of in our workaday philosophies?" ... Read more

Book Description

Fifty years in the making.This is the definitive story of EC Comics, the most notorious and well regarded mass-market publisher in comics history.The EC line - having published such seminal titles as MAD, Tales from the Crypt, Two-Fisted Tales, and so many others - was a high point in terms of craft and presentation.From the humanistic, well paced writing of editor Harvey Kurtzman to the artwork of lauded masters like Wally Wood and Bernie Krigstein, what truly sets EC apart from other pinnacles in comics history is its wider influence on American pop culture.Tales of Terror! is the most comprehensive overview to date of the EC Comics line: a visual checklist, creator index, guidebook and more!Tales from the Crypt, Weird Science, Frontline Combat and all of the other EC titles are included in this comprehensive volume that uncovers the amazing history behind the comics, from the very beginning to the bitter end, when the U.S. Senate drove EC out of business for allegedly corrupting America's youth. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

In a Class by Itself
If you have any interest in EC comics, horror comics, or the history of the comic book genre at all, this is THE book to have. I cannot praise it highly enough. The scholarship is incredibly thorough and the details the authors have dug up is amazing. Also, the book is beautifully well done, with top-notch production values. This book is the ultimate, believe me.

the ultimate history of EC
This is, simply put, the greatest work of comic book scholarship ever in print. The authors delve so deeply into EC facts, history and lore that you can depend upon the thoroughness of this work. Much more than a history, this tome is also a beautiful art book. Don't delay......buy it now!

Superb bibliography, but not the ultimate EC art book
While the bibliographical data is literally a life-long labor of love, I was disappointed by limited amount of images reproduced from the original artwork; the illustrations seem to be limited to photographs of the author's personal collection. The complete series of Graham Ingels' Old Witch paintings and sketches screams out for inclusion. I would have liked to see panel pages reproduced from the originals; full-color reproduction of line art reveals editorial changes, paste ups, blue pencil, and other subtleties undetectable in conventional reprints. A greater outreach to the art collector community could have yielded a definitive reference book/coffee table art book, but TALES OF TERROR fall short of this potential.

Only Need One Word
WOW! Okeh, I'll use some more words. If you wanted to know about the history of EC Publications this is the book to own. Very well researched and a labor of love that comes shining through!

No Tales!
Customer, listen! This is a book full of wonderful pieces of art, covers in abundance etc. But there are definitely _no_ Tales of Terror, as I foolishly presumed.... ... Read more

Book Description

The second volume in the most eagerly-anticipated publishing project in the history of the American comic strip: the complete reprinting of Charles M. Schulz's 50-year American classic, Peanuts.

Our second volume begins with Peanuts' third full year and a cast of eight: Charlie Brown, Shermy, Patty, Violet, Schroeder, Lucy, the recently born Linus, and Snoopy. By the end of 1954, this will have expanded to nine. Linus still doesn't speak (except, on a few occasions, to himself, à la Snoopy), but Schulz begins laying the foundation for his emergence as the most complex and arguably most endearing character in the strip: garrulous and inquisitive, yet gentle and tolerant. And he evens acquires his "security blanket" in this volume!

Meanwhile, Lucy, an infant just a year ago, has forcefully elbowed herself to the front of the cast, proudly wearing her banner as a troublemaker or, in Schulz's memorable phrase, "fuss-budget." The strong, specific relationships she sets up with each character further contributes to making her central to the strip. (She has earned her cover status on this volume.)

Charlie Brown is clearly in transition. Although his eventual, best-known persona (the lovable, perpetually humiliated round-headed loser) is in evidence in many strips, his brasher, more prankish side as seen in the previous volume (foreshadowing Bill Watterson's future Calvin) shows up, too.

This period's significant new character is Pig-Pen, who would remain one of the main cast members throughout the decade. And then there's Snoopy. To readers unfamiliar with the early days of the strip, Snoopy's appearances here will no doubt come as the biggest surprise. Although Snoopy has started talking/thinking to himself, he does no imitations (except for one brief shark impression), he doesn't sleep atop his doghouse (much less type or fly a Sopwith Camel), and has no fantasy life—in fact, he doesn't even walk upright! But as we know, he is merely biding his time, and his evolution continues its fascinating course within these pages.

This book collects 730 daily and Sunday comic strips, the vast majority of which are not currently available in any in-print Peanuts collection, and over 400 (well over half) of which have never been reprinted since their initial appearance in papers over 50 years ago. The Complete Peanuts is produced in full cooperation with United Media, Charles M. Schulz Creative Associates, and Mr. Schulz's widow, Jean Schulz. Each volume in the series presents two years of strips along with supplementary material in a three-tier page format that accommodates three dailies or one Sunday strip per page. Award-winning graphic novelist Seth is designing the series so that each individual book is sharply recognizable and yet clearly part of a consistent series. Using archival-quality syndicate proofs for virtually every strip in its history, the series boasts the best-looking, crispest reproduction for a classic comic strip ever achieved. The volume's introduction is by revered news journalist Walter Cronkite.

Peanuts is the most successful comic strip in the history of the medium as well as one of the most acclaimed strips ever published. Charles Schulz's characters have become American icons. A Charlie Brown Christmas is as much an annual holiday ritual for families as It's A Wonderful Life. A United Media poll in 2002 found Peanuts to be one of the most recognizable cartoon properties in the world, recognized by 94 percent of the total US consumer market and a close second only to Mickey Mouse (96 percent), and higher than other familiar cartoon properties like Spider-Man (75 percent) or the Simpsons (87 percent). In TV Guide's "Top 50 Greatest Cartoon Characters of All-Time" list, Charlie Brown and Snoopy ranked #8. ... Read more

Book Description

For the first time, TCJ devotes a volume to the most popular comics in the world: Manga.

The now-annual Comics Journal Special Edition focuses this time on the phenomenal Manga (Japanese comics) invasion. In 2003, North American bookstore sales of Manga surged to an unprecedented $100 million—or 75% of the entire sales of comics! Which means it's time for The Comics Journal, the foremost magazine of iconoclastic criticism, to take a hard look at Japanese cartoonists and translated manga, and separate the wheat from the chaff.

Our cover feature is Manga superstar Hideshi Hino, whose 30-year career and inimitable style have put him at the forefront of Japan's horror genre. 2004 promises to be the year of Hino here in the States with the publication of English translations of all his major books starting in March with The Red Snake and Bug Boy. Hino will discuss his life and work in an exclusive interview and he will provide the original front cover artwork.

Our Manga section will also include our fearsome critiques of the best and worst of the genre, as well as essential interviews with or profiles of the most notable Manga artists, including Yoshiharu Tsuge, Kan Takahama, and the undisputed king of Manga, the creator of Astro Boy, Adolf and Buddha amongst so many others, author Osamu Tezuka!

Meanwhile, Vaughn Bodé, the legendary and enduring underground cartoonist (and current inspiration of graffiti artists everywhere) is given the full treatment with an illuminating profile by Bob Levin (The Pirates & the Mouse), a critical essay by Donald Phelps (Reading the Funnies), a rare interview, and exclusive excerpts from his private diaries. From the archives, we've unearthed a 40,000-word biographical essay of Thomas Rowlandson, the great 18th/19th century illustrator, caricaturist, and cartoonist, written by Art Young in1938!

Also: Bill Blackbeard profiles the madcap cartoonist Milt Gross, considered by some to be the first graphic novelist (this essay is amply illustrated with samples form strips such as Count Screwloose of Tooloose and Otto bad Blotto). Tom Spurgeon profiles Rowland Emmett, the brilliant Punch artist (and editor), whose whimsical cartoons graced the magazine for over half a century and who is perhaps best known as for designing the 'inventions' of Caractacus Potts from Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.

Finally, there's our renowned comics section whose theme this issue is "Seduction," and that will include an international array of some of the most accomplished and innovative artists in the world. 180 pp. illustrated, with color section, 12" x 12". ... Read more

Book Description

From the pages of Love & Rockets, an intimate epic from south of the border.

For the first time ever, Fantagraphics is proud to present a single-volume collection of Gilbert Hernandez's "Heartbreak Soup" stories from Love & Rockets, which along with RAW magazine defined the modern literary comics movement of the post-underground generation. This massive volume collects every "Heartbreak Soup" story from 1993 to 2002 in one 500-page deluxe hardcover edition, presenting the epic for the first time as the single novel it was always intended to be.

Palomar is the mythical Central American town where the "Heartbreak Soup" stories take place. The stories weave in and out of the town's entire population, crafting an intricate tapestry of Latin American experience. Hernandez's densely plotted and deeply imagined tales are often compared with magic realist authors like Gabriel Garcia Marquez and Isabel Allende (House of the Spirits). His depictions of women and Mexican-American experience have been universally lauded as the best examples the artform has to offer.

Luba, the guiding spirit of Palomar since the outset, has been hailed by The Nation, Rolling Stone, and Time magazine as one of the great characters of contemporary American fiction. Hernandez's work, in addition to the obvious magic realist comparisons, shares an affinity with other Latin American and Spanish writer/artists, like Frida Kahlo, Federico Garcia Lorca and Pablo Picasso, all of whom applied a surrealist eye to what they saw and experienced.

Palomar follows the lives of its residents from Luba's arrival in the town to her exit, twenty years later. Included are such classic tales as "Sopa de Gran Pena," "Ecce Homo," "An American in Palomar," "Human Diastrophism," and "Farewell, Mi Palomar." Palomar presents one of the richest accomplishments in the history of the artform in its ideal format for the first time, making it a must-have for longtime Love & Rockets fans and new readers alike. 500 pages b/w illustrations. ... Read more

Reviews (6)

A Visit to Palomar
I've loved the Palomar stories ever since a friend handed me "Heartbreak Soup" (an earlier compilation of a few of the stories). The characters are wonderfully real, the art is expressive, and the strange, strange stories are always entertaining.

What a treat to have all of the Palomar stories in one (huge) volume! I totally agree with the reviewer who said that now Jaime Hernandez should follow suit, and release "Locas: The Maggie and Hopey Stories" (or whatever title he likes, as long as it's the complete Maggie and Hopey).

Isn't it a bit over-rated?
I'm this Latin American guy that decided to take a look at these Palomar stories...
*
I don't know if being brazilian makes me see Latin American by another perspective, and look at these crude stories without great amazement!!
*
What to say about Palomar? Well, it's some matter of taste. You can like it! Maybe you can hate too... Maybe, like in my case, you can just say: "it's an ok book, couldn't be better? Sure the art isn't that attractive...". Or, perhaps, "is this supposed to be a great achievement in the medium?!!".
*
I really don't think these stories are great or exact the comic books I would give to a non-comic book fun (actually, if the guy is a non-comic book fun, it doesn't matter the book you give to him, he will continue to not like comic books! Isn't he a non-comic book fun? :) I hope you get my point).
*
Indeed, I think that the comics are a powerful medium, where you can (and maybe must) use elements that are not easy to made in the cinema without expending millions and millions with especial effects, and are quite impossible to be achieved with the same impact in written books.
*
I mean, just for an example, in comics, you can afford to have, like in Cerebus, a main character that is not an human, he lives normally with other people, and even manages to be a leader. People would say, "but why couldn't Cerebus be just a normal guy like all the others?". Maybe this is explained by Scott Mccloud in "Understanding Comics". The fact of having a caricature inside of a representation of a "real world" makes people get identified with the caricature, and produces a rich tool to express ideas.
*
A Cerebus movie would be very expensive to do, and since its public wouldn't be children (like a Scooby-doo, or a disney movie) maybe it wouldn't pay itself. On the other hand, a written book about Cerebus would never get the same effect than the comic version.
*
I think that as a comic fan I have the right to make this critique to guys that make a comic book and don't use the resources of the medium! I think this makes Palomar a bit poor!
*
Outside of this point, I really don't think this is an enjoyable experience. Palomar makes me remember of that tradition of some (mexican?) melodramatic stories... People here is always enduring a lot of difficulties, people suffer a lot, people is always ugly, they seem to be cursed by god, etc... Man, why can't these guys make something happy just to change a bit?
*

That's it folks. What I recomend to you is that you visit a comic shop near you (or a book store), take a glance at this book, read some parts and see if it is in your taste... For me, as I said, it quite was, there was a lot of good reviews, then I decided to buy... but I really don't know if it was a good idea... Just take care when you see things that are super-positive-rated, pseudo-intellectuals love to rate well what is in intellectual-vogue, even when they didn't really bother to read the material.

A living, breathing town...
Palomar is just shy of being an offbeat spot on your tourist map. Gilbert Hernandez, who created the Love & Rockets universe with brother Jaime, has focused much of his attention on this small Latin American town and its people, and over the years it has grown into a living, breathing town. Now, the many tales of Palomar have been collected by Fantagraphics in a new hardback edition that brings its simple joys and tragedies together.

The stories aren't always linear, and characters gain solidity as Gilbert leaps back and forth in the timeline, introducing some as children, some as adults, and filling in various romances, breakups and acts of violence along the way. Key friendships hold firm from start to finish, and it's fascinating to watch them evolve as some characters go their separate ways and others grow closer than ever.

Gilbert's black-and-white art is crisp, clean and realistic. His people are believable; some are beautiful, some ugly, others average -- like those you'd find in any town. Their personalities are also highly defined, and it's fun to see them change as the years roll along.

At Last!
I have been reading Love and Rockets for nearly 20 years and have always been rather partial to Beto's Palomar stories - although I do enjoy Jaime's stories as well. I have always hoped that all the Palomar stories would eventually be compiled into one volume, and here at last they are - and in this beautiful hardcover edition no less. Even though these are comics, the quality of the writing (including the artwork)is as strong as some of the best latino Literature (Beto's work is often compared to Gabriel Garcia Marquez). As such, I always felt that without the benefit of having the entire series contained in one volume much was lost in general continuity - and as a result the weight and depth of the work not entirely accessible or apparent. Now, the full depth and outstanding quality of Beto's masterwork is all contained in a single volume for anyone who might appreciates a quality piece of literature in a completely different way (with pictures).

The Comic Book to throw at "I don't read comics" people
I've read Love & Rockets since about 1984. When a new issue of L&R comes out, I always read the Jaime Hernandez half first. I admit it, his art is much more atttractive to me than Gilbert's, and I identify with his characters a lot more, too. But then I settle down and dig into the Beto half. Whereas Jaime's Hoppers sagas could be described as Latino-punk soap operas, it is Beto that is creating new folklore. As much as I love Jaime's clean lines and cute-as-hell females, it is obvious whose craft shows the most depth, the most texture, and the most care, not only between Los Bros Hernandez, but between them and nearly every other comics creator ever. Earthy, sublime, funny, absurd, horrific, romantic, pornographic (in a good way), and honest are only a handful of inadequate adjectives to describe aspects Gilbert's work. This volume represents a large portion of his life, both in terms of time spent creating the contents, and what I'm sure is inside him. To read this is to see a competely new world, one that is the pure encapsulation of one part of the real world.

Now, when is the Complete Maggie & Hopey coming out? ... Read more

Amazon.com

Fritz the Cat romped his way right into icon status by indulging in the drugs and free love of the 1960s. It was through Fritz that legendary cartoonist R. Crumb delivered most of his satirical commentary on that tumultuous decade.The Life and Death of Fritz the Cat chronicles Fritz's adventures from his early days as an idealistic college student to the bitter end, where the burned-out boozing and womanizing Fritz sees his stardom fizzle. This comprehensive collecti-on of Fritz comics is a fun record of a provocative period in American social history. ... Read more

Book Description

It's the swinging 80's period of Crumb's career now featured in the multiple award-winning Complete Crumb Comics series.The mid-1980s period of Crumb's career is compiled in this 15th volume of the series, a period that many critics consider to be the richest of Crumb's career.Anchored by Crumb's contributions to the seminal anthology Weirdo, created and edited by Crumb, this volume includes the first several appearances of classic Crumb character Mode-O-Day, the networking fashion plate that serves as a foil for some of Crumb's most biting satire about America's cultural elite.Also included are Crumb's first collaborations with the late writer Charles Bukowski, as well as several collaborations with Harvey Pekar from his autobiographical series American Splendor. The book is rounded out with a color section that includes rare album art for various jazz and blues greats, as well reproductions of his various comic book covers from this period. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Social commentary and raunchy behavior
Fans of Crumb's biting comics of social commentary and raunchy behavior will find this set of comics continues the chronological series covering his complete work. Here Mode O'Day and Her Pals are the feature, covering his cartoons from 1983-85. A centerfold of fine color images provides lively full-page panels; most of the presentation is in classic black and white. ... Read more

Book Description

The multiple Harvey and Eisner Awards series collecting one of America's true national treasures, Krazy Kat.

This is the fifth in a series reprinting George Herriman's early 20th Century comic strip masterpiece. Most of these strips have not seen print since originally running in Hearst newspapers over 70 years ago. Each volume is edited by the San Francisco Cartoon Art Museum's Bill Blackbeard. Krazy & Ignatz 1933-1934 will be a hot-baked brickbat of a volume, adance with nearly two full years of the Sunday Krazy Kat (Herriman did not use color until 1935), snug between multiple pages of Herriman extras, not the least of which include an introduction by Blackbeard, a new "Debaffler" page, and a stunning layout front and back and throughout by the inimitable Chris Ware!

Krazy Kat is a love story, focusing on the relationships of its three main characters. Krazy Kat adored Ignatz Mouse. Ignatz Mouse just tolerated Krazy Kat, except for recurrent onsets of targeting tumescence, which found expression in the fast delivery of bricks to Krazy's cranium. Offisa Pup loved Krazy and sought to protect "her" (Herriman always maintained that Krazy was gender-less) by throwing Ignatz in jail. Each of the characters was ignorant of the others' true motivations, and this simple structure allowed Herriman to build entire worlds of meaning into the actions, building thematic depth and sweeping his readers up by the looping verbal rhythms of Krazy & Co.'s unique dialogue. ... Read more

Book Description

A handsome collection of rare pin-ups from the late cartoonist who defined Betty & Veronica's look.

For nearly half a century, Dan DeCarlo was the Archie comic book artist. Credited with creating the all-girl band Josie and the Pussycats, DeCarlo's rendition of Riverdale's teenage populace entertained and influenced generations of young people as he guided the characters through their often goofy trials and tribulations. Without a doubt, however, DeCarlo is best known for defining the look of every adolescent boy's wet dreams, Betty and Veronica, with their trademark upturned noses, tight sweaters, and barely-there mini-skirts.

Next to the innocence that was Riverdale, however, and unbeknownst to many, DeCarlo also populated another world, which he filled with cartoons featuring girls in lingerie (and sometimes less), and often bearing an uncanny resemblance to his perennial blonde next door and rich-bitch socialite. From 1956 to 1963, DeCarlo produced hundreds of pin-up cartoons for the Humorama line of girlie digests, where his line drawings and exquisite ink-wash paintings shared the pages with Jack Cole, Bill Ward, and Bill Wenzel, and photos featuring Bettie Page.

Following The Glamour Girls of Bill Ward and The Classic Pin-Up Art of Jack Cole, Fantagraphics continues its dedication to showcasing the best of the classic pin-up cartoon artists. Culling through thousands of Humorama digests, Editor Alex Chun has selected the best of DeCarlo's ink wash pin-up work, with many featuring captions by Marvel Comics' Stan Lee. Along with collecting hundreds of long out-of-print images, the book also features an introductory essay by long time DeCarlo friend and current Bongo Comics creative director Bill Morrison. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A worst-of
It's hard to explain, but this is a real worst-of in this series. Owners of the R. Crumb "Coffee Table Art Book" will find almost no new comix here, and everyone else save for the die-hard Crumb addicts will be brutally let down: the cartoon selections are poor and the majority of the book is comprised of illustrations for everything from jazz records -- admittedly quite nice, but -- to useless filler like covers from alternative newspapers. Total reading time: fifteen minutes. Buy this only if you suffer from the mania that compels you to complete a set, or similar.

Read this book
The continuing underground comix by R. Crumb. Featuring the introduction of the Snoid and his classic "My Troubles With Women". ... Read more

Book Description

The close of 16th century Japan was a violent age, as rival feudal lords fought for land and power.Miyamoto Usagi braved many a battle only to lose his lord and find himself a masterless samurai, or ronin.While many ronin became bandits or mercenaries, Usagi chose the warrior pilgrimage: wandering the land, fighting injustice, seeking enlightenment.Eisner Award winner Stan Sakai has crafted a truly original and delightful work, an all-ages adventure epic that creates a world of excitement, mystery, and imagination, while building each story on painstaking research of Japan`s history, culture, and mythology.Demon Mask is a collection of diverse Usagi stories, featuring a graveyard encounter with creatures from Japanese folktales, a whodunit clash with a mysterious masked assassin, a young adventure-lover insistent on receiving Usagi`s sword training, a peasant village terrorized by a ravaging Spider Woman, and more.Few works of graphic fiction offer -- or deliver -- as much action, depth, and sheer fun as Stan Sakai`s Usagi Yojimbo. ... Read more

Book Description

The legendary Seattle stories from Hate comics that defined a generation.

The Harvey Award-winning cartoonist Peter Bagge remains one of the comics' industry's great crossover successes of the past decade, having sold more comics than any underground cartoonist through the 1990s to the present. After editing R. Crumb's Weirdo magazine in the mid-'80s and then creating the Bradley family within the pages his first comic book series, Neat Stuff, Bagge decided to take the Bradleys' alienated and pessimistic teenage son, Buddy, and move him to Seattle (where Bagge lived) to star in a new series called Hate. The rest is comic book history. Hate became the best-selling "alternative" comic book of the 1990s at the same time that Seattle found itself in the eye of a media hurricane. With its satirical depiction of twentysomething life in Seattle, Hate became one of the defining voices of not only the Seattle "grunge" scene, but all of Generation X nationwide (and has been spotted in many films through the years, from Larry Clark's Kids to John Waters' Pecker). In addition, critics hailed it for its brilliant characterization. The Seattle Weekly wrote, "20 years from now, when people wonder what it was like to be young in 1990's Seattle, the only record we'll have is Peter Bagge's Hate."

For 15 issues, the rock 'n' roll emanating from the damp garages of the Pacific Northwest came to life in glorious black-and-white in the pages of Hate. Bagge more or less cemented his association with the subculture in 1992 when he devoted two issues of Hate to a story where Buddy Bradley manages his best pal Stinky's grunge band, Leonard and the Love Gods, whose original lineup included three guys named Kurt.

Buddy Does Seattle collects the entire Seattle arc from the pages of Hate; this is the first time the entire saga has appeared under one cover. Bagge's characters are some of the most fully-realized in comics—Buddy, the slacker antihero, Valerie, Buddy's Prozac-normalized ex, Lisa, his masochistic, worm-eating latest flame, Stinky, his selfish, venereal-warted roommate, and George Cecil Hamilton III, the resident "intellectual," who sits in his room scribbling depressive arcana into his notebook—they display their emotions so openly, so helplessly, so graphically, and with such precision as they attempt to negotiate the ragged terrain of early adulthood that it would all be rather horrifying if it weren't such a riot. Bagge's cartooning aids the cause, with one of the most idiosyncratic and inspiredly elastic and cartoony drawing styles in comics history. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Not the best, but still not bad.
I wouldn't say that this is Stan Sakai's best Usagi book, but it is still head and shoulders above just about any other comic.

Though it is titled "Lone Goat and Kid" (a nice reference to that classic samurai manga "Lone Wolf and Cub"), they don't appear "on-screen" until the last story. The most of the stories are stand-alones, which is unusual in UY comics. The stories that revolve around the kite festival are quite enjoyable. Sakai is very interesting even when his main characters don't appear in a chapter because he is explaining something technical like how kites are made or how swords are fashioned (see UY 9 "Daisho").

The "Blood-Wings" story is interesting, but the Komori Ninja have never been as compelling to me as the Neko Ninja. (Though they aren't as bad as the Mogura Ninja.)

"Lone Goat and Kid" is something of a let down when you get there, if one is familiar with Lone Wolf and Cub. If not, then it's a nice, average Usagi tale in a book that is full of them. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Some consider this comic book novel obtuse; others find it deeply intellectual. Whatever the reaction, it's hard to refute its daring originality and smooth artwork. Described as "a terrifying journey into madness," the story revolves around Clay Loudermilk as he stumbles upon the mysteries behind a snuff film. Soon he's involved with increasingly bizarre characters who hang in the air like stale cigarette smoke. Fans of movie director David Lynch who aren't already tipped to Daniel Clowes's popular work should take note. ... Read more

Reviews (12)

Know something about it before you dig.
You have to be appreciative of either Eightball or Dan Clowes (if it's possible to separate the two) to like this.

It was serialized in Eightball and was a hefty portion of many issues. If you read them in order and liked it, maybe buy this. I'll admit - I was familiar with Twentieth Century Eightball only, and I wanted to read this from the beginning. Since then, I have been buying up back issues.

It's not as shocking as many people say. It is, however, as confusing as many people say. You have to use your imagination, inductive logic, and movie-watching experiences to really glue it all together.

And by the way, the people who compare this to Twin Peaks are insane. Twin Peaks cannot be messed with. And I love this book.

Surreal
Like a Velvet Glove cast in Iron is an extremely good book. One of the reasons is how much it makes you think. This is the kind of book that you have to go back and reread to understand certain parts...not thats its incomprehnsable entirely. Rather, everytime you go back you discover something new, surprising, and maybe even disturbing. I highly reccomend this along with all other Danial Clowes books.

Disturbing, Beautiful, Irrational, Horrible
I came to Daniel Clowes after reading the relatively straight-forward "Ghost World." What awaited me in this book was one of the most disturbing and terrifying pieces of literature I have ever read. Clowes has that rare ability to create a plot that may not connect on a conscious level, but makes a strange and beautiful sort of sense on a subconscious level. Clowes' world view is very dark, and very lonely, but through this terrifying landscape comes the comfort that someone else has experienced the loneliness and desolation that is par for the course of our modern world. But regardless of the thematics and eerie undercurrent, the situations and settings are so incredible, and the writing so fast-paced, that you can't help but become absorbed in the narrative. Like all great art, it works on multiple levels. Only one word of warning, though: this book could cause depression. It's not for the faint of heart, and I wouldn't reccommend reading it in a bad mood.

delightfully strange
This story takes you to very strange places, but not so odd that you can't follow it. Forget the comparison to David Lynch. I didn't treat it as some kind of puzzle, I just had fun reading it. I want to read it again now.