Feb 16 2010

Amelia Press Roundup 2/16

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Amelia Earhart – This Broad Ocean has been “in the wild” for a bit now, and some reviews and write-ups are starting to appear.  First, another (!) starred review, this time from ALA’s Booklist.  Booklist online is a pay site, but here’s an excerpt from the review:

“This is a true sequential art narrative, requiring the reader to attend to the visual as well as the verbal components; but it is also a well-told story of an episode in Earhart’s life that has particular appeal to readers looking for insight on how celebrity is both made and misunderstood, and how it matures.”

Over at Comic Book Resources, there’s a fairly extensive interview with me, conducted by Alex Dueben:

“The book’s artist, Eisner-nominated Ben Towle, has the perfect background to interpret this material. He has written and illustrated two graphic novels, both published by Slave Labor Graphics, “Farewell, Georgia” and “Midnight Sun,” about an Italian airship expedition to the North Pole in 1928. We talked with the philosophy major and rock musician turned cartoonist about Amelia Earhart, his interest in historical fiction, collaborating with writer Sarah Stewart Taylor and layout artist and series editor Jason Lutes on the book, and take a look at the two projects he’s working on now. ( more… )

Also:

  • The Times Argus Online has a general writeup about the book itself as well as  the upcoming book launch in Vermont.
  • An early post on the book I missed by writer Paul Gravett
  • A review from comics blogger Ralph Mathieu
  • Another review by children’s/YA librarian Stacy Dillon
  • And a slightly ho-hum review from ComicsReporter’s Tom Spurgeon. (Hey, it happens to the best of us!)

Reminder: If you’re in or near White River Junction, VT this Friday, or Chapel Hill, NC this Sunday come by and see me!  Click on those dates on my calendar for times.

Feb 12 2010

Sketchbook 2/12

More sketchbook ruminations on character designs from The Count of Monte Cristo.  This time it’s Fernand, shown here on the left as the young Fernand Mondego, and on the right as “The Count de Morcerf,” a title he purchases with ill-gotten spoils of war.

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Feb 08 2010

Sketchbook 02/08

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I don’t know if anything will come of this Count of Monte Cristo thing, but it’s at least something fun to work on in my sketchbook.  This is another rumination on the character of Danglars (shown young and old here), who hits me as a real nouveau riche type who would probably be decked out in the latest fashion, no matter how ridiculous.

Feb 02 2010

Amelia – In Stores Today/Comics Shops Tomorrow!

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Amelia Earhart – This Broad Ocean is available in bookstores today, and will be in comics shops on Wednesday.  I’m not actually sure what the status of the book is as far as the “big box” stores go, but Borders for whatever reason has not carried my stuff in-store in the past, whereas Barnes & Noble has, but I’ll update when I find out the skinny.  In the meantime, here are a couple of recent starred (!) reviews to note:

The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

Kirkus Reviews – I can’t actually link to the review since it’s behind a pay wall, but here’s the obvious pull quote: ” Coupled with the rich prose, Towle’s detailed art truly makes this stellar book a visual feast. Like Earhart herself, this book ought to soar exuberantly into the hearts of its readers.”

…And a big thanks to Tom over at ComicsReporter.com for a great shout-out in this week’s “New and Notable Releases” section!

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Jan 30 2010

Appearance: March Madness at ACME Comics, Greensboro

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Yikes… It’s only January and my calendar is already filling up. (I’ve, in fact, added a calendar widget to the blog.)  Right on the heels of my barnstorming Amelia weekend in February, I’ll be appearing at the second annual ACME Comics “March Madness” event March 6th in nearby Greensboro, NC.  This’ll be my first in-store event at ACME and I’m really looking forward to it.  Matt Kindt’s an all-around nice guy whom I’ve run into at various conventions and his Superspy is one of my favorite books of the last few years.  I don’t know Michael Watkins’s work yet, but I’m looking forward to hanging out.