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| 9-11 |
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Emergency
Relief |
| by Jeff Mason (Editor), Will Eisner, Harvey
Pekar, Ted Rall, Jeff Smith, James Kochalka, Josh
Neufeld, Nick Bertozzi, Dean Haspiel, Joyce Brabner,
Jessica
Abel, Gregory Benton, & Tony Millionaire, et al |
Paperback: 208 pages
Alternative Comics
ISBN: 1891867121 |
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$14.95
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| The terrorist
attacks in New York City and Washington DC on September 11th touched people
worldwide, and cartoonists have turned to art to express their grief. 9-11:
Emergency Relief is a comic book project to benefit the American Red Cross
featuring some of the comic world's leading talents. From legendary creators
such as Will Eisner to hot new talents such as cover artist Frank Cho,
cartoonists from all areas of the cartooning world have joined together
in this community effort. |
| Scheduled for
January 2002 release from Alternative Comics, 9-11: Emergency Relief is
a collection of these cartoonists` personal non-fiction accounts of their
experiences related to the tragedy. 'Cartoonists have been contacting each
other regularly since the tragedy and have come up with this project,'
said editor Jeff Mason, 'The cartoonists wanted to create a collection
of thoughtful, introspective stories.'
From Booklist
The most compelling early
books on September 11, 2001, are pictorial works (see "The Day the World
Changed" [BKL F 1 02]) depicting the World Trade Center attack as history-in-the-making.
This collection of "comics" reports how its contributors, many of them
New Yorkers, reacted physically and emotionally. In Cleveland, all autobiographical
comics writer Harvey Pekar could think was, "I bet it don't get any easier
from here on." Evan Forsch was at work in Suite 8901, One World Trade Center
that day; "Down and Out" shows how he got out. Brooklyner Jenny Gonzalez,
who has had psychiatric problems, wound up wishing she had flipped out
again and "that none of this were true." Michael Kupperman, creator of
the terminally droll Snake 'n' Bacon's Cartoon Cabaret (2000), re-envisions
Goya's Sleep of Reason. Others tell of reacting from afar, and some candidly
disclose their poor reactions. The range of drawing styles runs from polished
mainstream comic-book-like to rough "underground" individualist to painterly.
The publisher says all its profits from this book will go to the American
Red Cross.
Ray Olson
Copyright ©
American Library Association. All rights reserved.
From Library Journal
Publisher and editor Mason
has put together an impressive black-and-white anthology recording the
responses of many members of the comics community to the crisis in New
York City on September 11, 2001. Contributors include comics legends such
as Will Eisner, whose one-page statement is heartbreaking, while others
are relative newcomers such as Jessica Abel. Some stories record the actions/reactions
of the cartoonists on that fateful day, while others are impressionistic.
What shines through this collaborative effort is individual reaction to
a collective sense of terror. Of particular interest is the piece "Down
& Out," which takes place on the lower level of the World Trade Center.
The comics industry has had a strong response to the events of September
11, with DC Comics and Marvel Entertainment also producing tribute books,
perhaps because heroism is one of the focal points of American comics.
9-11 tellingly depicts an uncertain and hesitantly optimistic worldview.
Highly recommended for public and academic libraries.
Stephen Weiner, Maynard
P.L., MA
Copyright 2002
Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Adult/High School-More than
60 sequential art pieces address the responses of their creators to the
events of September 11, 2001, in a collection conceived as a fund-raiser
for the American Red Cross. Harvey Pekar, Jeff Smith, Jessica Abel, Ted
Rall, Peter Kuper, and Will Eisner are among the dozens of creative artists
who share their feelings, thoughts, and activities in the wake of the destruction
of the World Trade Center and the other airline attacks on that day. While
some, including Sam Hester, Josh Neufield, and James Kochalka, provide
simple and explicit reports of having an ordinary day in the life of a
working artist turn into an extraordinary confrontation with politics,
bloodshed, and emotional upheaval, others offer complex tales and scenarios
fraught with psychological peril or personal responsibility. Brian Clopper
spent the day teaching elementary school students whom he had been told
not to inform of national and world events, while Jenny Gonzalez, newly
released from a psychiatric hospital, had to contend with her own breakdown
and dental surgery. Most of the pieces here provide reportorial accounts,
but a few offer brilliant metaphor instead. With so many viewpoints, the
surprise is that the collection as a whole is even in quality and absorbing
from beginning to end or as an anthology to be consumed in any order. This
is important for school and public library collections, as well as for
book discussions and auxiliary reading in social science curricula.
Francisca Goldsmith,
Berkeley Public Library, CA
Copyright 2002
Cahners Business Information, Inc.
James Cramer, Founder, TheStreet.com
A brilliant use of the medium.
Ken Kurson, Money Magazine
...The black-and-white morality
of comics makes the ideal canvas.
James Poniewozik - Time
It is fair to say that this
tragedy--and probably more important, the ensuing conflict--will change
the culture.
Carol Sanders - Winnipeg
Free Press
They tell real stories and
they tell important stories.
Mike Vogel - New York
Metropolis
The comics community is
rallying together to tell their stories and help the victims of the tragedy.
From the Publisher
Jeff Mason is the Publisher
of Alternative Comics, a company billed as `publishers of cool comic books.`
Alternative Comics releases some of the most original and intelligent titles
being created today including work from Graham Annable, Nick Bertozzi,
Ed Brubaker, Tom Hart, Dean Haspiel, Sam Henderson, James Kochalka, Dave
Lasky, Jon Lewis, Josh Neufeld, Jen Sorensen, and Steve Weissman. Alternative
Comics` flagship title INDY MAGAZINE started its critically acclaimed publication
in 1993, went exclusively to the web (indyworld.com) starting in 1999 and
has been THE independent comic guide ever since. Indy Magazine covers independent,
alternative, and self-published comic books, featuring news, interviews,
reviews, convention reports, and articles about the incredibly diverse
world of independent comics. When Jeff is not working on Alternative Comics`
latest release, he is working diligently to protect everyone's rights as
a criminal defense lawyer in Florida.
About (some of) the Authors
Josh Neufeld has been drawing
comics since he was four years old. With his friend of almost 20 years,
Dean Haspiel, Josh co-created Keyhole, where Josh does stories about his
travel experiences in Southeast Asia and Central Europe. Keyhole has run
for six issues with two different publishers. Josh has contributed artwork
to Harvey Pekar's American Splendor (Dark Horse), the SPX anthologies,
The Big Book of Urban Legends (DC/Paradox Press), and Duplex Planet Illustrated
(Fantagraphics), among others. He resides in Brooklyn and makes a living
mixing freelance illustration with web design.
Dimensions (in inches): 0.60 x 10.18 x 6.68
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| Ho Che Anderson |
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KING |
| by Ho Che Anderson |
Paperback: 80 pages
Fantagraphics Books
ISBN: 1560971126 |
$8.95
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| Comics artist
Anderson has produced a grand, interpretive biography of Martin Luther
King Jr. that seeks to probe the man, his accomplishments and America's
racial dilemma. Powerfully cinematic, the work opens with a series of anonymous
characters, the attestors, speaking of their personal attraction to, or
disdain for, King. Then a short sequence focuses on four urban black communities,
presenting a contemporary sampling of racial conflict and violence, before
introducing King's childhood in Atlanta, Ga., in 1934. From there he plunges
into King's life with a passion: graduate studies in liberal Boston; meeting
Coretta; his collaboration with Ralph Abernathy; Rosa Parks and the Montgomery
bus boycott; and the ever present physical danger. This first of a projected
three-volume series ends with King's stabbing at a boycott in 1960. Anderson
has produced a vividly complex portrait of a legendary American figure,
detailing King's flaws--his woman-chasing and domineering personality--as
well as his courage and moral vision. The stark black-and-white illustrations
erupt from the page, perfectly capturing the visual force of a violent
and heroic period in American history.
Copyright 1993
Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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A compelling
look at a very great, but very human, man.
This book is a revealing
documentary about one of the greatest men in American history, Martin Luther
King, Jr. It essentially reveals that this man who is now seen as the Twentieth
Century's equivalent of Abraham Lincoln was also a man of foibles and some
weaknesses, and how much of his crusade still has to be won. And yet, the
book does not take away the essential nobility of his fight, even though
it was shown to be tougher than we remember. In fact, this book, by showing
how King had flaws, emphasizes that we have ability to take up his cause
and not be intimidated by the lionized image of this very great, but very
human, man. |
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RICK GEARY
A TREASURY OF VICTORIAN MURDERS |
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JACK
THE RIPPER
JOURNAL OF THE WHITECHAPEL MURDERS
1888-1889 |
| by Rick Geary |
Hardcover: 64 pages
NBM Publishing, Inc.
ISBN: 1561631248 |
$15.95
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| Geary's graphic
novel tells of the mystery and investigation of a Victorian murderer, using
black and white illustrations and tasteful displays to recount the Ripper
modus operandi and legend. Geary's story will satisfy fans of the graphic
novel format who appreciate seeing detective work illustrated. |
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From
Publisher's Weekly:
Rendering
the belching chimneys, puzzled bobbies and bewhiskered worthies of Victorian
London in brooding b&w panels, Geary revisits the legend of Jack the
Ripper in this stylish graphical novel. On the one hand, this is a 19th-century
police procedural: in examining the brutal murders of five prostitutes
in London's Whitechapel district in 1888, Geary recreates the scene of
each gruesomely surgical murder, annotating the evidence, the forensic
procedures of the time (some theories held that an image of the murderer
remained affixed to the victim's retina) and the eerily conflicting testimony
of witnesses. On the other hand, it's a deadpan pulp narrative in the form
of a trade comic book in which Geary's haunting drawings unite seamlessly
with his moody, well-researched text. As the atrocities mount, the story
tracks the public hysteria surrounding the murders, including journalistic
excess and rising anti-Semitism. Geary doesn't try to identify ``Saucy
Jacky.'' Instead, he taps the legend's powerful mystery and, in the process,
the period's social strictures and hypocrisies. |
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RICK GEARY
A TREASURY OF VICTORIAN MURDERS |
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THE
BORDEN TRAGEDY
A MEMOIR OF THE INFAMOUS DOUBLE
MURDER AT FALL RIVER, MASS. 1892 |
| by Rick Geary |
Paperback: 64 pages
NBM Publishing, Inc.
ISBN: 1561631892 |
$8.95
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Amazon.com
Rick Geary received quite
a bit of critical praise for his Jack the Ripper volume of A Treasury of
Victorian Murder, and rightfully so. The Borden Tragedy (the third volume
in the series), is no less impressive. Based on the famous 19th-century
Lizzie Borden double murder, this comic-book version of the event is supposedly
excerpted and adapted from the unpublished writings of an unknown woman
from the Borden's hometown of Fall River. The narrator, a friend of Lizzie
Borden, is intent on finding out all of the facts behind such a grizzly
butchering. We are taken through meticulously researched evidence, all
stunningly illustrated by Geary, but Geary leaves us without taking a strong
stand one way or the other. As an extra treat, the back cover includes
a list of comparisons between Lizzie Borden and O. J. Simpson. |
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From
School Library Journal:
[This
book is] adapted from an authenticated but currently anonymous memoir written
by someone who was at Fall River at the time of the Borden murders. The
dramatic and mystery-shrouded story of Mr. and Mrs. Borden's deaths by
hatchet during a time frame that would seem to indicate 30-year-old Lizzie
as the only possible murderer and of the contradictory physical evidence
that would seem to exonerate that same suspect is presented frame by frame,
with very few balloons attributing specific words to any of those involved.
The drawing style suits the subject neatly, extending the Victorian setting
into mood as well: Lizbeth Borden is depicted as pudgy and sour-faced,
the Bordens' maid looks as pinched and sickened as she had reason to feel,
Fall River's citizenry scowl up from the pages as clearly defined individuals.
Geary brings to this work years of experience creating fictional and documentary
comics for books and periodicals, including the National Lampoon.
While the parallel between Lizzie Borden and O.J. Simpson, drawn on the
back cover of the book, seems simplistic, it may serve as an appropriate
hook for readers unaccustomed to contemplating events outside their own
worlds. Because Geary has fit so many details of the case's facts and ambiguities
into just over 50 heavily illustrated pages, this should be an instant
hit in high interest/low reading collections.
--Francisca
Goldsmith, Berkeley Public Library, CA
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RICK GEARY
A TREASURY OF VICTORIAN MURDERS |
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THE
FATAL BULLET
THE ASSASSINATION OF PRESIDENT
GARFIELD |
| by Rick Geary |
Paperback: 80 pages
NBM Publishing, Inc.
ISBN: 1561632287 |
$8.95
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| "First
rate. Superb as always."
--Publishers
Weekly
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"Subtly
expressive low-key wit. First-rate historical graphic novel."
--Booklist
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Geary explores
the first assassination of one of our presidents in the hands of an obsessive-compulsive
stalker, a deluded loser who thought his action would bring him national
glory. In this typically carefully researched and constructed story, Geary
parallels the lives of the President and the killer. They have striking
similarities. The fascinating element is how one went so wrong while the
other rose to so high a post even despite himself. Once again, beyond a
mere presentation of facts, the author surreptitiously unpeels for us a
bit of our national psyche.
.
From Publishers Weekly
In this first-rate nonfiction
comics work, Geary examines the assassination of our 20th president, James
Garfield, murdered barely six months into his presidency by Charles Guiteau,
a failed lawyer and demented evangelist. Although the two men never knew
one another, Geary focuses on the peculiar similarities in their backgrounds.
Both hailed from the Midwest (Garfield from Ohio and Guiteau from Illinois)
and were devoutly religious, studied law and gravitated toward politics.
But the two couldn't have been more different. Garfield was honest, a brilliant
student, a decorated Civil War hero destined for distinction. Guiteau was
a misfit even as a child and ended up a deadbeat and a religious fanatic,
convinced that he was chosen by God for greatness. Geary's well-researched
account also documents how easy it was to gain access to, and the vulnerability
of, American presidents in the 19th century. Guiteau secretly stalked the
newly elected Garfield (who was given to strolling unguarded around D.C.
at any hour) and shot him from behind as he was about to board a train.
Geary also takes note of the woeful state of medical treatment at the time.
Shot in early July, Garfield finally died in September after suffering
through inept and painful attempts by his doctors to remove the bullet.
Guiteau was tried and hanged for the murder shortly afterward. Geary's
black and white drawings are superb as always in this work, a fitting follow-up
to his equally fine The Borden Tragedy.
Copyright
1999 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
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| JAMES
S. OTTAVIANI |
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DIGNIFYING
SCIENCE |
Written by James S. Ottaviani
Art by Marie Severinson, Ramona Fradon,
Lea Hernandez, Linda Medley, Donna Barr,
Mary Fleener, Anne Timmons, Stephanie Gladden,
& Carla "Speed" McNeil, et al |
Paperback: 144 pages
G.T. Labs
ISBN: 0966010612 |
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$16.95
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| Dignifying Science
is the newest book from G.T. Labs that tells true stories about scientists
in comics form. This 144 page trade paperback features famous women scientists
including Marie Curie, Emmy Noether, Lise Meitner, Rosalind Franklin, Barbara
McClintock, Birute Galdikas, and (believe it or not) Hedy Lamarr. |
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| Scientists and
non-scientists alike will appreciate the human context this award-winning
anthology gives to some of the most famous names in the history of discovery.
With stories written by Jim Ottaviani and art by notable illustrators such
as Donna Barr, Mary Fleener, Stephanie Gladden, Roberta Gregory, Lea Hernandez,
Carla Speed McNeil, Linda Medley, Jen Sorensen, Anne Timmons and comics
legends Ramona Fradon and Marie Severin, this handsome trade paperback,
complete with a full-color dust jacket, will please readers of all ages.
Notes and references at the end lead them to discover even more on their
own!
An Eisner nominee (like its
companion volume Two-Fisted Science) and Lulu of the Year nominee for 1999,
Dignifying Science has earned praise from the toughest critics of all:
the scientists themselves. Discover Magazine (February, 2000) says "In
Ottaviani's hands, cartooning becomes exciting education. It's a tribute
to Ottaviani's breezy style that one wants to dig into [the] references
and learn a little nuclear physics. Now that is a superheroic achievement."
Simon Singh, award-winning author of The Code Book and Fermat's Enigma
writes: "When it comes to popularising science, Jim Ottaviani's comic books
do an excellent job of telling scientific stories in a fun and absorbing
way. His latest, Dignifying Science, is a beautifully drawn series of stories
about women who made major contributions to science and technology, but
who have been largely forgotten..." (The Independent - London, 12 December
1999).
Jean Kumagai, Physics
Today
I felt a little self-conscious
paging through a comic book while waiting at the bar of an upscale Manhattan
restaurant. My taste in books usually runs toward the ones without pictures.
But Dignifying Science quickly won me over.
Will Eisner, creator of
The Spirit
A fine work and contribution
to the body of good and mature comics...bravo.
Retailer Reviews, The
Comics Buyer's Guide
Entertaining and inspirational...a
home schooler's dream. If you know any girls with the slightest aptitude
in math or sciences, can change their lives by buying them this.
About the Author
Jim Ottaviani is a nuclear
engineer now working as a librarian at the University of Michigan. He has
been writing in and about comics for almost 10 years, and his stories have
earned him a Xeric Grant and Eisner Award nominations. |
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| James
S. Ottaviani |
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FALLOUT |
| by Jim Ottaviani, Steve Lieber, Vince Locke, and more! |
b/w, painted cover
Paperback: 240 pages
G.T. Labs
ISBN: 0966010639 |
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$19.95
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So, you've always
wanted to learn how to build an atomic bomb? You're in luck: Jim Ottaviani
is not only a comics writer...he also has a master's degree in nuclear
engineering!
But even though it's not
a complete do-it-yourself manual (assembly required, and plutonium is definitely
NOT included), Fallout will bring you up to speed on the science and politics
of the first nuclear gadgets. |
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| Like its companion
volumes, the focus of Fallout is on the scientists themselves -- in particular
J. Robert Oppenheimer and Leo Szilard, whose lives offer a cautionary tale
about the uneasy alliance between the military, the government, and the
beginnings of "big science."
Fallout features art by award
winning artists such as Steve Lieber (Whiteout, Batman), Vince Locke (Deadworld,
Sandman), Bernie Mireault (Mackenzie Queen, The Jam, Grendel Tales), Eddy
Newell (Black Lightning, Batman), Jeff Parker (Interman, "Solitaire, Wonder
Woman") with Janine Johnston and a painted cover by noted Studio artist
Jeffrey Jones. |
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| James
S. Ottaviani |
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TWO-FISTED
SCIENCE |
| by Jim Ottaviani, Paul Chadwick, Colleen Doran, &
Guy Davis, et al |
Paperback: 128 pages
B&W
G.T. Labs
ISBN: 0966010620 |
$12.95
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| TWO-FISTED SCIENCE
is the first in a series of books in comics form telling true stories about
scientists. This 128 page trade paperback features tales of famous physicists
including Hans Bethe, Niels Bohr, Albert Einstein, Richard Feynman, Galileo,
Werner Heisenberg, Gottfried Leibniz, Isaac Newton, Robert Oppenheimer,
and Wolfgang Pauli. |
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| All stories
are written by Jim Ottaviani, a former researcher and nuclear engineer--
now a reference librarian at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. The
illustrators include award winning artists such as Paul Chadwick,
Donna
Barr,
Bernie Mireault, and Colleen Doran.
The stories offer a human
context often missing when students learn the equations that bear the scientists'
names. Readers, drawn to the book by the compelling anecdotes, will discover
intriguing characters that lived real lives beyond ink on paper. End notes
and references will lead them to further information on the scientists
they've read about.
The trade paperback is self-published
with the generous assistance of a grant from the Xeric foundation. Established
by Peter Laird (one of the creators of the "Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles")
each year the foundation awards a select group of comics creators money
to bring their work to press. I am grateful to the foundation for their
support and confident that you will consider this portion of the "Turtle"
fortune well-spent!
Penn
Jillette, the taller, more talkative half of Penn & Teller:
"I
loved seeing real superheroes in the same medium as the fantasy superheroes.
Man, these guys don't pale standing next to Batman and Superman."
Will
Eisner, creator of The Spirit:
"This
is exactly the kind of stuff that should be done in our medium."
FACTSHEET
5 #63, March 1998:
"[W]onderfully
offbeat and human. This collection illustrates some of science history's
more offbeat sides: the blood feuds, the mischief, the love affairs, and
the secret espionage."
Seattle's
THE STRANGER, 11/20/97:
"The
writing is informed and educational, but never dry. This would be a great
textbook for a high school science class."
Comics
Buyers Guide, 1/2/98:
"[T]his
stunning collection of stories and anecdotes about science and scientists
will engross and enlighten the reader ... a bargain and so damned good
I can hardly believe it exists." |
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