FullReviews Index
Flight - Volume Five
'Flight' is an annually released series now in its fifth volume. It's heavy on artistic talent. I'm not sure where I first came across the work in volume five, but it immediately turned my head. Kibuishi not only edits the series but draws the covers for the books as well. Kibuishi's work is gorgeous - the synthesis of a skilled hand and an ethereal imagination. As the thing that grabs you when you first see the book on the shelf, it couldn't be more effective.
Acme Novelty Library #16
This newest edition of The ACME Novelty Library features the first serial installment of "Rusty Brown," Ware's first major lengthy "narrative indulgence" since his Jimmy Corrigan graphic novel. The ACME Novelty Library is Chris Ware's ongoing comic book/art object series, which he has been creating since 1993. It is also where Corrigan was serialized to great acclaim and success before going supernova when collected by Pantheon in 2000, selling over 70,000 copies in four hardcover printings.
ACME Novelty Library - Report to Shareholders
The ACME Novelty Library series has been the most acclaimed graphic novel series of the last ten years. This is only the second issue, however, that has been available to the general book trade, enabling booksellers to satisfy demand for Ware's work post-Jimmy Corrigan while Ware builds toward the next collection. The format also allows Ware to indulge us with many surprises as well, from Ware's faux-advertising sections and elaborate three-dimensional cut-out designs.
Mome Fall 2005 (#2)
Mome is the first all-comics literary anthology designed to sit alongside publications like Granta, The Baffler, McSweeney's, et. al., and is designed to appeal as much to fans of contemporary literary fiction as longtime comics fans. Mome will feature the same collective of artists every issue, allowing the artists and audience to grow together and build an ongoing identity that is highly unusual for the world of contemporary comics.
Black Hole
Charles Burns' graphic novel about an alien plague attacking teenagers in suburban Seattle during the mid-1970s, "Black Hole" transcends its genre by deftly exploring a specific American cultural moment in flux and the kids who are caught in it- back when it wasn’t exactly cool to be a hippie anymore, but Bowie was still just a little too weird.
Graphic Novels: Everything You Need To Know
Graphic Novels presents a highly illustrated guide to the genre. Featuring striking graphics and explanatory extracts from a wide range of graphic novels, the book examines the specific language of the comics medium; the history and pioneers of the form; recent masterpieces from Art Spiegelman's Maus to Chris Ware's Jimmy Corrigan; the impact of Japanese manga; how artists have overcome prejudices towards the genre; and the ambitious range of themes and issues artists are addressing.
Watchmen and the Birth of Respect for the Graphic Novel
The October 24, 2005 issue of Time Magazine named "Watchmen" as one of the 100 best English-language novels from 1923 to the present. The critically acclaimed Watchmen graphic novel, written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Dave Gibbons, is the only graphic novel selected, and stands alongside literary classics including J.D. Salinger’s "Catcher in the Rye" and Ernest Hemingway’s "The Sun Also Rises." What is it about "Watchmen" that turned the media's eye to this long-neglected literary medium?