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Jessica Abel




Title Creator Publisher Series Price
Drawing Words & Writing Pictures: Making Comics - Manga, Graphic Novels, and Beyond Matt Madden, Jessica Abel $26.95
($29.95 list)
Dw-wp-sm
Read more and comment... 		We all knew it was only a matter of time until this day arrived, and so it has: the first textbook devoted to the practice of creating comics is now on our shelves.  Billed as, "A definintive course from concept to comic in 15 lessons," the primary purpose of this work is to provide a state-of-the-art textbook for high school, trade school and college courses devoted to comics craft -- thus the 15 lessons, the average number of classes in a semester.  Authors Abel and Madden (who are wife and husband, and, more germane to their authorship of this work, veteran comics instructors, most notably at SVA [the School for Visual Arts] in NYC) have not, however, forgotten about the rest of us, for they have designed the book with both lone, individual-learners -- "ronin" -- and independent study students who might like to get together and create their own self-directed learning groups -- "nomads" -- in mind.  Of special note in this regard is the book's companion website, http://www.dw-wp.com , which is chock full of extra features and sample work that will help to keep on track those lacking the guiding hand of a professional instructor.  "Well, yes," you say, "that's all very interesting.  But is the book any good?"  While we haven't managed to spend enough time with it yet to provide our own judgement, here's the opinion of the two individuals most qualified to offer one:  "A gold mine of essential information for every aspiring comics artist.  Highly recommended."  - Scott McCloud, author of Understanding Comics  "Matt and Jessica's experience, both in the classroom and at the drawing board, has resulted in a book that should help any aspiring cartoonist.  A go-to how-to that will undoubtedly be of tremendous aid for any school or instructor attempting to map out a thoughtful and engaging cartooning curriculum." -- James Sturm, founder and director of The Center for Cartoon Studies  And there you have it.
La Perdida Jessica Abel Fantagraphics La Perdida $17.95
($19.95 list)
Laperdida
Read more and comment... 		This hardcover volume collects the entirety of the five-issue series published by Fantagraphics, with ammendations and corrections (and for a price that is 20% less than the cost of the original comics!). La Perdida -- which translates as "The Loss,"  --  presents an in-depth and unflinching look at a group of well-to-do American ex-pats in Mexico and the Mexican locals that they interact with.  The entire tale pivots around Carla, a daughter of divorce whose father was Mexican and who heads to Mexico from her native Chicago "in search of her roots" -- but also because she's at a bit of a loss as to what to do with herself.  The epigraph that opens the work is from Malcolm Lowery's dark and desperate novel, Under the Volcano, and that sets the tone for what follows.  There are no heroes (or heroines) here.  What the reader is confronted with is sin and error:  selfishness; self-righteousness; ignorance; sloth; greed; exploitation; indiscriminate sex, drinking and drug use; and, finally, kidnapping and murder.  Abel has stated more than once that she was initially inspired to try her hand at comics by Love and Rockets, the work of the Mexican-American los hermanos Hernandez.  While her approach to characterization is very NYC -- and reminiscent of the early work of fellow New Yorker, short story writer Deborah Eisenberg (especially Transactions in a Foreign Currency), whose latest collection, Twilight of the Superheroes, is, in an intriguing twist, thematically related to comic books -- La Perdida, by far Jessica Abel's most ambitious work to date, is clearly informed by Jaime's and Gilberto's work (especially the latter's) in Love and Rockets, and is very much her tribute to the inspiration that catalyzed her career as a comics creator.  And we are happy to report that her inspiration is alive and well here:  the characters that populate this work fairly leap off the page, providing the reader with that singular pleasure of feeling that one knows the characters better than they know themselves.  A unique mixture of sensibilities and a challenging work in its own right, La Perdida is a welcome addition to the growing body of literary graphic novels.
Anthology of Graphic Fiction, Cartoons, and True Stories: Volume Two David Mazzuchelli, Leif Goldberg, Brian Chippendale, Elinore Norflus and more ... Yale University Press $20.00
($28.00 list)
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Read more and comment... 		edited by Ivan Brunetti It's too early to say for certain, but this follow-up to Brunetti's already classic 2006 anthology, also published by Yale University Press, might just be even better than its precursor.  One thing's for certain:  Brunetti has held onto -- and further refined -- his editorial vision of arranging the work contained in this volume in an organic sequence, deftly managing to map out the similarities between artists so that each piece flows smoothly into into the other, creating an amazing sense of an innate connectivity between all areas of comics here on display.  This book is a powerful ally in the struggle to bring the light of comics to those poor souls still dwelling in the darkness.  It's the perfect choice to turn on a friend or relative to the joy, beauty and pleasures of our favorite medium.  Hold onto your hats, here's the contributor list:  Daniel Clowes, Saul Steinberg, Sammy Harkham, Chris Ware, R. Sikoryak, Michael Kupperman, Drew Friedman, Mark Beyer, Mack White, Jayr Pulga, Renee French, Kim Deitch, Richard Sala, J. Bradley Johnson, Archer Prewit, Anonymous (utility sketchbook), HJ Tuthill, Milt Gross, Bill Holman, Harvey Kurtzman, R.Crumb, Basil Wolverton, Art Spiegelman, Jess, John Hankiewicz, Tim Hensley, Bill Griffith, Richard McGuire, Gilbert Hernandez, Jim Woodring, David Collier, Eugene Teal, Charles Burns, Karl Wirsum, Gary Panter, Paper Rad, Fletcher Hanks, CF, Charles Forbell, Ron Rege, Jr., Winsor McCay, Matthew Thurber, Souther Salazar, Kevin Scalzo, Megan Kelso, James McShane, Laura Park, Vanessa Davis, Onsmith, Joe Matt, Jeffrey Brown, Martin Cendreda, Dave Kiersh, John Porcellino, Carrie Golus/Patrick Welch, Jessica Abel, Cole Johnson, Lynda Barry, Debbie Drechsler, Diane Noomin, Aline Kominsky-Crum, Ariel Bordeaux, Chester Brown, Anders Nilsen, Joe Sacco, Phoebe Gloeckner, Elinore Norflus, Brian Chippendale, Leif Goldberg, David Mazzuchelli, Jerry Moriarty, Ben Katchor, Frank Santoro, Dan Zettwoch, Kevin Huizenga, Harvey Pekar/R.Crumb, Carol Tyler, Maurice Vellekoop, Seth, Adrian Tomine, Jaime Hernandez & David Heatley.  It's simply amazing.  Comics Power!  PLEASE NOTE:  We feel compelled to mention that this volume includes several pieces that contain quite explicit sexual content; and while this content represents only a miniscule fraction of the total, it nevertheless renders this volume fit for ADULTS ONLY.
Life Sucks Jessica Abel (:01) First Second $17.77
($19.95 list)
Lifesucks
Read more and comment... 		by Jessica Abel, Gabe Soria and Warren Pleece :01 seems intent on moving in on Vertigo's turf with this one.  A tall tale of walking on the wild side with twenty-something, surfer-duding, night-clerking, goth-rocking (and not-so-cute -- what a difference fifteen or twenty years makes, huh?) vampires.  Might be good, let's check out this bloodless preview and see what we think.  Hmm, looks a bit like Ghost World meets a PG-13 version of Howard Chaykin's Black Kiss.  Vampires.  It looks like there's no getting away from them.  Why are we not surprised?