Download or read book Asterios Polyp written by David Mazzucchelli and published by Pantheon. This book was released on 2009-07-07 with total page 346 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The triumphant return of one of comics’ greatest talents, with an engrossing story of one man’s search for love, meaning, sanity, and perfect architectural proportions. An epic story long awaited, and well worth the wait. Meet Asterios Polyp: middle-aged, meagerly successful architect and teacher, aesthete and womanizer, whose life is wholly upended when his New York City apartment goes up in flames. In a tenacious daze, he leaves the city and relocates to a small town in the American heartland. But what is this “escape” really about? As the story unfolds, moving between the present and the past, we begin to understand this confounding yet fascinating character, and how he’s gotten to where he is. And isn’t. And we meet Hana: a sweet, smart, first-generation Japanese American artist with whom he had made a blissful life. But now she’s gone. Did Asterios do something to drive her away? What has happened to her? Is she even alive? All the questions will be answered, eventually. In the meantime, we are enthralled by Mazzucchelli’s extraordinarily imagined world of brilliantly conceived eccentrics, sharply observed social mores, and deftly depicted asides on everything from design theory to the nature of human perception. Asterios Polyp is David Mazzucchelli’s masterpiece: a great American graphic novel.
Download or read book Bottomless Belly Button written by Dash Shaw and published by Fantagraphics Books. This book was released on 2008-06-30 with total page 721 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Bottomless Belly Button is a comedy-drama that follows the dysfunctional adventures of the Loony Family. After 40-some years of marriage, Maggie and David Loony shock their children with their announcement of a planned divorce. But the reason for splitting isn't itself shocking: they're "just not in love any more." The announcement sparks a week long Loony family reunion at Maggie and David's creepy (and possibly haunted) beach house. The eldest child, Dennis, struggles with his parents' decision while facing difficulties of his own in his recent marriage. Believing that his parents are hiding the true reasons behind their estrangement, Dennis embarks on a quest to discover the truth and searches through clues, trap doors, and secret tunnels in attempt to find an answer. Claire, the middle child, is a single mother whose 16-year-old daughter, Jill, is apathetic to the divorce but confounded by Claire and troubled by her own "mannish" appearance. The youngest child, Peter, is a hack filmmaker suffering from paralyzing insecurities who establishes an unorthodox romance with a mysterious day care counselor at the beach. In a six-day period rich with atmospheric sequences, these characters stumble blindly around one another, often ignoring their surroundings and consumed by their own daily conflicts. Visually, Shaw employs a leisurely storytelling pace that allows room for exploring the interconnecting relationships among the characters and plays to his strength as a cartoonist -- small gestural details and nuanced expressions that bring the characters to vivid and intimate life.
Download or read book Barney s Version written by Mordecai Richler and published by Vintage. This book was released on 2011-12-21 with total page 517 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Charged with comic energy and a steely disregard for any pieties whatsoever, Barney's Version is a major Richler novel, the most personal and feeling book of a long and distinguished career. Told in the first person, it gives us the life (and what a life!) of Barney Panofsky--whose trashy TV company, Totally Useless Productions, has made him a small fortune; whose three wives include a martyred feminist icon, a quintessential JCP (Jewish-Canadian Princess), and the incomparable Miriam, the perfect wife, lover, and mother--alas, now married to another man; who recalls with nostalgia and pain his young manhood in the Paris of the early fifties, and his lifelong passion for wine, women, and the Montreal Canadiens; who either did or didn't murder his best friend, Boogie, after discovering him in bed with The Second Mrs. Panofsky; whose satirical eye for the idiocies of today's Quebec separatists (as well as for every other kind of political correctness) manages to offend his entire acquaintanceship (and will soon be offending readers everywhere); and whose memory--though not his bile--is, in his sixty-seventh year, definitely slipping . . .
Download or read book Carnet de Voyage written by Craig Thompson and published by Drawn and Quarterly. This book was released on 2018-04-24 with total page 264 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A visual diary and travel sketchbook chronicles two months of the artist's wanderings through Africa and Europe.
Download or read book The Sculptor written by Scott McCloud and published by First Second. This book was released on 2015-02-03 with total page 500 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: David Smith is giving his life for his art—literally. Thanks to a deal with Death, the young sculptor gets his childhood wish: to sculpt anything he can imagine with his bare hands. But now that he only has 200 days to live, deciding what to create is harder than he thought, and discovering the love of his life at the 11th hour isn't making it any easier! This is a story of desire taken to the edge of reason and beyond; of the frantic, clumsy dance steps of young love; and a gorgeous, street-level portrait of the world's greatest city. It's about the small, warm, human moments of everyday life...and the great surging forces that lie just under the surface. Scott McCloud wrote the book on how comics work; now he vaults into great fiction with a breathtaking, funny, and unforgettable new work.
Download or read book The Unclothed Man in the 35th Century A D written by Dash Shaw and published by Fantagraphics Books. This book was released on 2009-12-30 with total page 105 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The first quarter of this book collects the work-storyboards, scripts, character designs, etc.-that Shaw has created for "The Unclothed Man in the 35th Century A.D." animated series that aired on IFC. The latter three-quarters will collect his acclaimed short stories from MOME, as well as several little-seen stories from elsewhere, and a new 20-page story.
Download or read book Empire State written by Jason Shiga and published by Abrams. This book was released on 2011-06-24 with total page 271 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Jimmy is a stereotypical geek who works at the library in Oakland, California, and is trapped in his own torpidity. Sara is his best friend, but she wants to get a life (translation: an apartment in Brooklyn and a publishing internship). When Sara moves to New York City, Jimmy is rattled. Then lonely. Then desperate. He screws up his courage, writes Sara a letter about his true feelings, and asks her to meet him at the top of the Empire State Building (a nod to their ongoing debate about Sleepless in Seattle). Jimmy's cross-country bus trip to Manhattan is as hapless and funny as Jimmy himself. When he arrives in the city he's thought of as "a festering hellhole," he's surprised by how exciting he finds New York, and how heartbreaking—he discovers Sara has a boyfriend! Jason Shiga's bold visual storytelling, sly pokes at popular culture, and subtle text work together seamlessly in Empire State, creating a quirky graphic novel comedy about the vagaries of love and friendship. Praise for Empire State: "He [Shiga] displays a wicked sense of comic timing." -Publishers Weekly "Empire State: A Love Story (Or Not) is funny, sweet, geeky and affecting, and definitely worth a read." -Wired.com "Shiga's illustrations . . . are unique and endearing, and his images of NYC are instantly recognizable." -am New York "If Woody Allen grew up in Oakland rather than Manhattan, he'd most likely see the world, and especially New York City, as Jason Shiga does in Empire State." -Big Think.com
Download or read book Wally Gropius written by Tim Hensley and published by Fantagraphics Books. This book was released on 2010-06-08 with total page 66 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Superficially resembling 1960s teenage humor comics, Tim Hensley's graphic novelWally Gropius is actually an acute satire of power, celebrityhood, and modern culture that tells the story of the titular character, who bears a closer resemblance to a teenaged Richie Rich or a classmate of Archie Andrews at Riverdale High than he does the famous Bauhaus architect whose name he shares.
Download or read book 99 Ways to Tell a Story written by Matt Madden and published by Penguin. This book was released on 2005-10-25 with total page 210 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 99 Ways to Tell a Story is a series of engrossing one-page comics that tell the same story ninety-nine different ways. Inspired by Raymond Queneau’s 1947 Exercises in Style, a mainstay of creative writing courses, Madden’s project demonstrates the expansive range of possibilities available to all storytellers. Readers are taken on an enlightening tour—sometimes amusing, always surprising—through the world of the story. Writers and artists in every media will find Madden’s collection especially useful, even revelatory. Here is a chance to see the full scope of opportunities available to the storyteller, each applied to a single scenario: varying points of view, visual and verbal parodies, formal reimaginings, and radical shuffling of the basic components of the story. Madden’s amazing series of approaches will inspire storytellers to think through and around obstacles that might otherwise prevent them from getting good ideas onto the page. 99 Ways to Tell a Story provides a model that will spark productive conversations among all types of creative people: novelists, screenwriters, graphic designers, and cartoonists.
Download or read book Daytripper Deluxe Edition written by Gabriel Ba and published by DC. This book was released on 2014-04-22 with total page 276 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Eisner Award winning DAYTRIPPER follows Bras de Olivias Dominguez during different periods in his life, each with the same ending: his death. DAYTRIPPER follows the life of one man, Bras de Olivias Dominguez. Every chapter features an important period in Bras' life in exotic Brazil, and each story ends the same way: with his death. And then, the following story starts up at a different point in his life, oblivious to his death in the previous story-and then also ends with him dying again. In every chapter, Bras dies at different moments in his life, as the story follows him through his entire existence-one filled with possibilities of happiness and sorrow, good and bad, love and loneliness. Each story rediscovers the many varieties of daily life, in a story about living life to its fullest-because any of us can die at any moment.
Download or read book A Girl a Raccoon and the Midnight Moon written by Karen Romano Young and published by Chronicle Books. This book was released on 2020-01-07 with total page 395 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In this “enchanting” tale of a girl trying to solve a mystery and save a local library, “the magic of reading is given a refreshingly real twist” (Kirkus Reviews). A New York City library branch has been designated for possible closure. But the bookish, socially awkward Pearl, the daughter of the librarian, can’t imagine a world without the library. When the head of their Edna St. Vincent Millay statue goes missing, closure is closer than ever. But Pearl is determined to save the library. And with a ragtag neighborhood library crew—including a constantly tap-dancing girl, an older boy she has a crush on, and a pack of literate raccoons—she just might be able to do it . . . Featuring an eclectic cast of richly drawn characters, quirky sidebars and footnotes, and illustrations by award winner Jessixa Bagley, this is a warm-hearted, visually intriguing tale of reading and believing, and a world of possibility. “Solidly entertaining.” —School Library Journal “Bursting with charm, lovable characters, and excitement that builds and builds.” —Gail Carson Levine, Newbery Award–winning author of Ella Enchanted "A love letter to libraries . . . Big-hearted and dazzling, this classic-in-the-making is not to be missed.” —Katherine Applegate, Newbery Award–winning author of The One and Only Ivan
Download or read book Neon Lit city of Glass written by Bob Callahan and published by Harper Perennial. This book was released on 1994-08-01 with total page 129 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A graphic, crime noir novel on a New York detective-cum-novelist who answers a wrong number. A double- barreled investigation, one from the perspective of the detective, the other from that of the novelist. Adapted from Paul Auster's City of Glass by the creators of Maus.
Download or read book Monsters written by Barry Windsor-Smith and published by Random House. This book was released on 2021-04-29 with total page 368 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: 35 YEARS IN THE MAKING: THE MOST ANTICIPATED GRAPHIC NOVEL IN RECENT HISTORY *A GUARDIAN 'BOOKS OF 2021' PICK* The year is 1964. Bailey doesn't realize he is about to fulfil his tragic destiny when he walks into a US Army recruitment office. Secretive, damaged, innocent, trying to forget a past and looking for a future, Bobby is the perfect candidate for a secret US government experiment, an unholy continuation of a genetics program that was discovered in Nazi Germany nearly 20 years earlier in the waning days of World War II. Bailey's only ally and protector, Sergeant McFarland, intervenes, which sets off a chain of cascading events that spin out of everyone's control. As the monsters of the title multiply, becoming real and metaphorical, the story reaches a crescendo of moral reckoning. A 360-page tour de force of visual storytelling, Monsters' narrative canvas is copious: part familial drama, part thriller, part metaphysical journey, it is an intimate portrait of individuals struggling to reclaim their lives and an epic political odyssey that plays across two generations of American history. Monsters is rendered in Barry Windsor-Smith's impeccable pen-and-ink technique, the visual storytelling, with its sensitivity to gesture and composition, the most sophisticated of the artist's career. There are passages of heartbreaking tenderness, of excruciating pain, of redemption and sacrifice, and devastating violence. Monsters is surely one of the most intense graphic novels ever drawn.
Download or read book Alan Moore Storyteller written by Gary Spencer Millidge and published by National Geographic Books. This book was released on 2013-09-10 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The definitive book on Alan Moore, renowned as one of the most important talents in contemporary comics and graphic novels, and his trailblazing works of visual storytelling. Alan Moore is one of the most important creative forces in the history of comics. His innovative works, which include V for Vendetta, Watchmen, and The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen, have become enduring features of the modern cultural landscape, inspiring countless artists, from writers and illustrators to graphic novelists and filmmakers. Moore has won more awards and prizes than can be named—including nine Eisners, seven Harveys, multiple Jack Kirby awards, and the only Hugo ever awarded for work on a comic. Drawing on new and unpublished interviews, as well as rarely seen art and photos, this is the first book on his work to have Moore’s cooperation and support, making it a must-have for his many fans and for anyone interested in the art of visual storytelling. Alan Moore: Storyteller is a survey of his expansive work, from his high-profile best sellers to rarely seen experimental projects, such as spoken word and performance art. Individual works are richly illustrated from Moore’s personal archives and paired with critical context. An audio CD will feature excerpts from some of Moore’s multimedia performances and songs, making this the Alan Moore handbook: a must-have for his many comic-book fans and anyone interested in the art of visual storytelling.
Download or read book Big Questions written by Anders Nilsen and published by Drawn and Quarterly. This book was released on 2011-08-16 with total page 658 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: A New York Times Notable Book of 2011, included on Amazon.com, Publishers Weekly, and NPR'S Best Comics lists A haunting postmodern fable, Big Questions is the magnum opus of Anders Nilsen, one of the brightest and most talented young cartoonists working today. This beautiful minimalist story, collected here for the first time, is the culmination of ten years and more than six hundred pages of work that details the metaphysical quandaries of the occupants of an endless plain, existing somewhere between a dream and a Russian steppe. A downed plane is thought to be a bird and the unexploded bomb that came from it is mistaken for a giant egg by the group of birds whose lives the story follows. The indifferent, stranded pilot is of great interest to the birds--some doggedly seek his approval, while others do quite the opposite, leading to tensions in the group. Nilsen seamlessly moves from humor to heartbreak. His distinctive, detailed line work is paired with plentiful white space and large, often frameless panels, conveying an ineffable sense of vulnerability and openness. Big Questions has roots in classic fables--the birds and snakes have more to say than their human counterparts, and there are hints of the hero's journey, but here the easy moral that closes most fables is left open and ambiguous. Rather than lending its world meaning, Nilsen's parable lets the questions wander where they will.
Download or read book The Nao of Brown written by and published by SelfMadeHero. This book was released on 2019-07-30 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Contains colored map on lining of dust jacket.
Download or read book Dogcrime written by Blexbolex and published by Nobrow Press. This book was released on 2010 with total page 0 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: In a world where dogs are revered as gods, what's the worst you could be accused of? Dog Crime!
