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Nick Bertozzi




Title Creator Publisher Series Price
Typewriter #6 Nick Bertozzi, Kurt Wolfgang, Dylan Williams, Nicolas Robel and more ... Self-published $9.00
($10.00 list)

Read more and comment... 		<<•>>  edited and published by David Youngblood  <<•>>  One of the highlights of the 2003 SPX, and one of the best anthologies of the year, this 160 page squarebound volume features a lot of great work by a lot of great people like Souther Salazar, Sammy Harkham, Josh Simmons, Kurt Wolfgang, Farel Dalrymple, Dylan Williams, Marc Bell, Paul Hornschemeier, Nick Bertozzi, and Pittsburgh's own Jim Rugg, among many others!  The concept with this issue is that each story must begin with the sentence that the previous story ended with.  This is one of the best out there: small press, community building, unique, original and good.  Long out of print, but we just discovered that we have a secret stash!  2003 • 160 pages • B & W
Lewis & Clark Nick Bertozzi (:01) First Second $15.25
($16.99 list)
Lewisclark
Read more and comment... 		While his name is not one bandied about much in comics crit circles, Mr. Bertozzi has been quietly amassing a solid body of work. The Salon was a favorite here at Copacetic and his work on the  young adult biography of Harry Houdini amply demonstrated those strengths at accurately rendering period details which are called upon in to an even greater degree here in Lewis & Clark.  A tale both of man against man (and woman) and man against nature that is filled with scenes of European eyes' discovery of uncharted wilderness, confrontations with wild animals, intercultural challenges and much more, Lewis & Clark is both a history lesson and a graphic adventure.  Publisher First Second (:01) has wisely granted a larger canvas for this work and we are treated to 136 full size 8 1/2" x 11" pages filled with fabulous Bertozzi brushwork.
The Act-I-Vate Primer Nick Bertozzi, Michael Fife, Roger Langridge $22.22
($24.95 list)
Activatesm
Read more and comment... 		edited by Scott Dunbier and Dean Haspiel <<•>>   forward by Warren Ellis  <<•>>  This horizontally formatted (think laptop screen) hardcover volume sporting a nifty Nick Bertozzi cover illo contains sixteen original stories produced under the aegis of the popular eponymous comix website. Stand-outs for us were the leadoff tale by Michael Fiffe, "Cactus," "Persimmon Cup" by Nick Bertozzi, and "The Boy Who Came to Stay" by the one and only Roger Langridge.  There's a nice variety of styles on display here and you can check many of them out at the aforementioned website, so go ahead and take a look....  So, what'd you think?
Stuffed Nick Bertozzi, Glenn Eichler (:01) First Second $15.99
($17.99 list)
Stuffed_cover
Read more and comment... 		Stuffed is an excellent work.  Written by award-winning, Colbert Report scriptor, Glenn Eichler, and illustrated by the under-appreciated Nick Bertozzi (read The Salon, if you haven't already).  The cast of characters, the settings, the interactions – all ring true:  these are people we know, doing things in a way that we understand, and that make sense.  At its core lie the roles, rites and responsibilities of parenting, as well as the responses to it.  Stuffed makes for a solid, enriching, rewarding – and entertaining – read. Recommended!
Houdini, The Handcuff King Jason Lutes, Nick Bertozzi Hyperion $15.00
($16.99 list)
Houdini
Read more and comment... 		The first in a series of comics biographies of popular figures from off the beaten path of American history that is currently being produced under the aegis of The Center for Cartoon Studies, Houdini, The Handcuff King is a 96-page hardcover volume that amply demonstrates the capacity of comics to clearly and concisely tell a powerful  tale -- in this case, about the greatest escape artist who ever lived, Harry Houdini.The story unfolds on a single day, 1 May 1908, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and every effort is made to capture the era in which it takes place. This is a task for which comics are eminently suitable, provided the practitioners take proper care; and the evidence of this volume makes it clear that Lutes and Bertozzi have done their homework. All the visual details are in order, from the uniforms of the policemen which oversee the drama to the architecture of the buildings amidst which the action is staged; from the handcuffs which are used to bound Houdini to the handbills that are used to promote him; and from the horse drawn carriages that carry Mrs. Houdini to her appointed task to the telephones, elevators, flashpowder illuminations and pocket watches that propel the story forward -- all are realistically rendered, immersing the reader in a vivid experience of the magic of this particular moment in American history. An appendix containing several pages of annotations to more fully flesh out the historical context and a bibliography for those who feel inspired to pursue the story further are also provided. An engaging read for all ages, this volume is especially suitable for getting reluctant readers interested in learning more about the history of American culture. Based on the evidence of this fine work, we find ourselves eagerly anticipating the next volume in the series, devoted to Satchel Paige, one of the greatest baseball players of all time.
The Salon Nick Bertozzi St. Martin's Griffin $17.77
($19.95 list)
Salon
Read more and comment... 		Years in the making, Bertozzi's graphic novel portrayal of the Parisian art scene of "1907" (really, more like a collapsed 1903 - 1913) is a fine work which we heartily recommend to all those who enjoy the finer things in life.  Pablo Picasso, Georges Braque, Henri Matisse, Gertrude & Leo Stein, Alice B. Toklas, Erik Satie and Guillaume Apollinaire are among the lead characters in this sprawling Altmanesque drama. The fictional conceit here is that there is a deranged killer stalking the art scene (Think From Hell, only set in Paris instead of London). The mystery of the killer's identity and motive forms the core of the plot propelling the narrative forward (and makes for many flights of fancy), but is, in the end, merely a pretense to bring us up close and personal with the intimate lives of this close knit set of fascinating historical figures that embodied what many consider to be the most significant art scene of the 20th century.The action takes place right at the critical moment when the artists' work was reaching critical mass, and it is clear that the true mystery we should be focusing our attention on is that of the nature, means and methods of artistic creativity. Bertozzi, previously best known for his solo title, Rubber Necker,  has been honing his comics skills in print for over a decade, and it is with The Salon that he at last reaps the harvest of his labors. The Salon is a bawdy, entertaining tale that nourishes the mind as well as the spirit. Bertozzi's compositions, pacing and historical research all give strong evidence of sustained focused work. His renderings are pleasing to the eye: he has an ink brush style that falls about half way between that of Paul Pope and James Sturm (both of whom, fittingly, provide back cover accolades). The most intriguing aspect of Bertozzi's art here is its color scheme. The palette of each page of art is limited to two colors, but this two-color palette shifts and jumps across a set range of colors and combinations, all of which are flat and printed on flat white paper to good effect, and each of which relates in some way to the plot, themes, and/or mood of the story. Coloring in comics is too often given short shrift, and it's appropriate that it is given the attention it deserves in a work devoted to a group of painters for whom color concerns were central (even when, as in Braque's case, one is moving away from color).The Salon is published under St Martin's Griffin imprint to whom we offer our thanks for publishing this fine work and our congratulations on their perspicacity.
Syncopated #Volume Three Nick Bertozzi, Brendan Burford, Gary Gianni, Dave Kiersh and more ... Self-published $12.50
($15.00 list)
Syncopated3
Read more and comment... 		Syncopated:  Volume Three edited by Brendan Burford This attractively produced, squarebound, 104 page, magazine size comics anthology presents a fine batch of all new comics, doodles, sketches and stories (but, mostly, comics) by an interesting bunch of cartoonists.   This volume is easily the best so far in the Syncopated series, and is packed with unique pieces, including:  editor Burford's excellent meditations on time and place that open and close the book, as well as his text piece, "A Tugboat Graveyard," that is illustrated by Gary Gianni of Prince Valiant fame; a recollection of discovery by Dave Kiersh; a sixteen page real life adventure tale by Nick Bertozzi (The Salon) that relates Ernest Shackleton & Co's voyage aboard the James Caird; Greg Cook's "My Dorchester Neighbors" which vividly evokes the horrors borne by soldiers in Iraq; and many more. Be sure to take a look at this one.