Tag Archives: scott mccloud

Review: The Sculptor

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The Sculptor

David Smith is giving hi 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 eleventh hour isn’t making it any easier.

When it was originally released over seven years ago,  Scott McCloud‘s The Sculptor was an instant classic and utter masterpiece. Released again in a new oversized edition, the graphic novel is still an amazing read that reflects on life, love, creativity, and death. The writing is almost poetic, and if you you’re not choked up by the end you have no heart.

With The Sculptor its clear McCloud has something important to say, and the story comes from his heart and personal experiences. From front to end, it reads like an intimate work.

The graphic novel is about realizing a dream, but also living life to the fullest. David is so focused on becoming a world famous sculptor, he overlooks the joy that’s in front of him during his final days on Earth. His choice is to decide how to leave a legacy, and it’s only too late before he realizes that fame might not be the right way to go about that.

The Sculptor is about obsession, and being too focused on something. I guarantee though, that once you pick up the graphic novel, you’ll quickly become obsessed with it, and not want to pick it down. While the graphic novel might be thick, it’s a breezy read, that’s beautiful art, a beautiful story, and continues to be a stand out graphic novel. It’s been so long since I’ve read the original release, it’s hard to say if the new oversized edition really adds much, but it’s a perfect opportunity to discover a modern classic

Story and Art: Scott McCloud
Story: 9.5 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Buy

First Second provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

Purchase: Bookshop

Around the Tubes

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The weekend is almost here! What geeky things will you all be up to? Sound off in the comments below! While you wait for the week day to end and weekend to begin, here’s some comic news from around the web.

iO9 – The Original Animated Teen Titans Will Return for Teen Titans Go! vs. Teen Titans – Well ok then! We’re in!

GeekTyrant – Matthew Broderick Joins Netflix’s Adaptation of the Zombie Graphic Novel Daybreak – Interesting. Might have to check the graphic novel out.

Hollywood Reporter – ‘Short Term 12’ Director to Adapt Scott McCloud’s ‘The Sculptor’ Graphic Novel (Exclusive) – Nice!

The Beat – Cowabunga! Ninja Turtles Invade Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade! – Radical!

Small Press Expo Announces Guests Scott McCloud, Raina Telgemeier, Bill Griffith and Kathryn Immonen

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spx-logo-240SPX has announced Scott McCloud, Bill Griffith and Kathryn Immonen as guests at SPX 2016. This is in addition to the previously announced guests Kate Beaton, Luke Pearson, Noelle Stevenson, Michael DeForge, Gemma Correll, Noah Van Sciver, Matt Bors, Lilli Carré, Theo Ellsworth, C. Spike Trotman, Jennifer Hayden and Stuart Immonen.

SPX 2016 takes place on Saturday and Sunday, September 19-20, and will have over 650 creators, 280 exhibitor tables and 22 programming slots to entertain, enlighten and introduce attendees to the amazing world of independent and small press comics.

The indefatigable Scott McCloud joyously joins the ranks of special guests on the heels of his tour for The Sculptor from First Second, a graphic novel following the harrowed life of a cursed (or blessed) sculptor given extreme creative powers that come with the ultimate price tag. McCloud’s resume recently included a guest editorship on The Best American Comics (2014), and is the reigning American king of comics scholarship in comics form with his series, How to Understand Comics, Making Comics and Reinventing Comics. If you have ever labored long into the night on a 24 hour comic, you can thank the multiple award-winning (Eisner, Harvey, Kirby and Manning) McCloud for that challenge in person.

SPX 2016 will see the debut of the very first graphic novel by Bill Griffith. Titled Invisible Ink and published by Fantagraphics, it is the story of his mother’s extramarital affairs with a cartoonist that took place in suburban Levittown and the culture center of Manhattan in the 50’s and 60’s. Griffith’s continues his pithy, pointed and surreal social commentary through his long running strip Zippy the Pinhead.  Zippy is available online and is syndicated to newspapers around the United States such as the Washington Post and Houston Chronicle.

Kathryn Immonen is a Canadian comics writer who has written for both DC and Marvel Comics, notably on such titles as Patsy Walker: Hellcat, Runaways, Heralds, and Journey Into Mystery. Earlier this year she and her husband/collaborator Stuart released the critically well-received Russian Olive to Red King from Adhouse Books. Russian Olive to Red King is the newest graphic novel collaboration between Kathryn and Stuart, their previous efforts being Never As Bad As You Think from Boom! Entertainment and Moving Pictures from Top Shelf, which was nominated for both Stumptown and Doug Wright Awards.

Small Press Expo (SPX) is the preeminent showcase for the exhibition of independent comics, graphic novels, and alternative political cartoons. SPX is a registered 501(c)3 nonprofit that brings together more than 650 artists and publishers to meet their readers, booksellers, and distributors each year. Graphic novels, mini comics, and alternative comics will all be on display and for sale by their authors and illustrators. The expo includes a series of panel discussions and interviews with this year’s guests.

The Ignatz Award is a festival prize held every year at SPX recognizing outstanding achievement in comics and cartooning, with the winners chosen by attendees at the show.

As in previous years, profits from the SPX will go to support the SPX Graphic Novel Gift Program, which funds graphic novel purchases for public and academic libraries, as well as the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund (CBLDF), which protects the First Amendment rights of comic book readers and professionals.

Review: The Sculptor

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Scott-McClouds-The-Sculptor-Cover-2-3-15David Smith is giving hi 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 eleventh hour isn’t making it any easier.

An instant classic and utter masterpiece Scott McCloud‘s The Sculptor is an amazing read that reflects on life, love, creativity, and death. The writing is almost poetic, and if you you’re not choked up by the end you have no heart.

With The Sculptor its clear McCloud has something important to say, and the story comes from his heart and personal experiences. From front to end, it reads like an intimate work.

The graphic novel is about realizing a dream, but also living life to the fullest. David is so focused on becoming a world famous sculptor, he overlooks the joy that’s in front of him during his final days on Earth. His choice is to decide how to leave a legacy, and it’s only too late before he realizes that fame might not be the right way to go about that.

The graphic novel is about obsession, and being too focused on something. I guarantee though, that once you pick up the graphic novel, you’ll quickly become obsessed with it, and not want to pick it down. While the graphic novel might be thick, it’s a breezy read, that’s beautiful art, a beautiful story, and a stand out already in the world of comics’ 2015 releases.

Story and Art: Scott McCloud
Story: 9.5 Art: 9.5 Overall: 9.5 Recommendation: Buy

First Second provided Graphic Policy with a FREE copy for review

D+Q at SDCC 2011: Beaton, Brown, Clowes, Ralph, Nilsen & More!!

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Official Press Release

DRAWN & QUARTERLY AT SAN DIEGO COMICON JULY 20-24TH, BOOTH 1629

CONVENTION DEBUTS INCLUDE CLOWES’ S&N THE DEATH-RAY, BEATON’S S&N HARK! A VAGRANT, RALPH’S DAYBREAK & NILSEN’S BIG QUESTIONS

LIMITED NUMBER OF PRESS-POP’S DEATH-RAY DOLL ON SALE

CHESTER BROWN, BRIAN RALPH & ANDERS NILSEN SIGNING

If you are attending Comic-con Interntional in San Diego from July 20-24th, stop by Drawn & Quarterly Booth #1629 to see our three attending authors: Chester Brown (special guest, kind courtesy of the festival), Brian Ralph and Anders Nilsen (also a special guest). We will be debuting Ralph’s September Daybreak & Nilsen’s August Big Questions at the show, and have plenty of the year’s most talked about graphic novel, Paying For It, on hand. Chester will be signing every day, so if you have questions about the Gospels, Ed The Happy Clown, or anything else, come to booth #1629 and ask away. Anders & Brian will be signing every day, too

Oh and what else will be debuting at the show….Hmmmmm….just a signed and numbered debut of the October book Daniel Clowes‘ The Death-Ray!!!!! And to make this debut even more special, our kind friends at Press Pop are sending a handful of the The Death-Ray action figure for us to sell. Seriously people if you want either of these, get to booth 1629 ASAP! We will be releasing more Death-Ray news next week, so keep your eyes open!

And what else are we debuting? Only a signed and numbered debut of the September Kate Beaton book HARK! A VAGRANT !!!

Here is our signing and programming schedule!

Wednesday, July 20
Chester Brown signs

Thursday, July 21
12:00-3:00 Chester Brown signing at D+Q booth 1629

1:00-5:00 Anders Nilse & Brian Ralph signing at D+Q booth 1629

3:30-4:30 True Stories— Chester Brown (Paying for It), Tom Devlin (creative director of D&Q),Peter Kuper (Stop Forgetting to Remember), Leland Myrick (Feynman), and Thomas LeBien (publisher of Hill & Wang’s Novel Graphics line) discuss the ins and outs of nonfiction graphic novel stories. What are the lines between truth and fiction when images are involved in a story? Moderated by Scott McCloud (Understanding Comics). Room 26AB

5:00-6:00 Epic Literary Adventures— Jeff Smith (RASL, Bone), Anders Nilsen (Big Questions), Brian Ralph (Daybreak & SCAD professor), and moderator Tom Devlin (Drawn & Quarterly creative director) discuss the overlap between literary and fantasy, the science and art of creating an imaginary world, building a story that is serialized over several years, and carving a unique fantastical niche in an industry mostly known for either autobio or superhero. Room 9

5:00-7:00 Chester Brown signing at D+Q booth 1629

Friday, July 22
11:00-1:00 Chester Brown signing at D+Q booth 1629

12:00-3:00 Brian Ralph & Anders Nilsen signing at D+Q booth 1629

1:30-2:30 Spotlight on Chester Brown— Louis Riel, Yummy Fur, and Ed The Happy Clown cartoonist — and Comic-Con special guest — Chester Brown has been one of the most influential and acclaimed alternative cartoonists for the past 20 years. His 2011 graphic novel Paying for It: A Comic-Strip Memoir About Being a John is easily the most talked about book of the year and was praised in the New York Times. Join him on his panel as he performs his acclaimed slideshow, reading from his North American book tour for Paying for It. The slideshow will be followed by a Q&A. Ask anything you wanted to know about the most controversial book of the year. Room 8

4:00-7:00 Chester Brown signing at D+Q booth 1629

5:00-7:00 Brian Ralph & Anders Nilsen signing at D+Q booth 1629

Saturday, July 23
11:00-2:00 Chester Brown signing at D+Q booth 1629

1:00-2:00 Spotlight on Anders Nilsen— Comic-Con special guest Anders Nilsen debuts his magnum opus, the 800+-pageBig Questions, which he began self-publishing over 10 years ago and which quickly placed Nilsen at the forefront of alternative cartoonists. He is part of the Chicago comics collective The Holy Consumption with Jeffrey Brown, John Hankiewicz, and Paul Hornscheimer and was recently featured in the Museum of Contemporary Art in Chicago. Join him as he presents a slideshow of his work from his haunting postmodern fable. Room 4

2:30-6:30 Anders Nilsen & Brian Ralph sign at D+Q booth 1629

2:30-3:30 The Art of the Graphic Novel— Andrew Farago (curator, Cartoon Art Museum) talks with graphic novelists Chester Brown (Paying for It), Seymour Chwast (Dante’s Divine Comedy), Eric Drooker (Blood Song), Joyce Farmer (Special Exits, A Memoir), Joëlle Jones (Troublemaker), Jason Shiga (Empire State: A Love Story (Or Not)), and Craig Thompson (Habibi) about their work in the genre that has elevated comics to mainstream bookstores all over the world. Room 24ABC

3:30-5:30 Chester Brown signing at D+Q booth 1629

5:30-6:30 Everyone’s Favorite Red Head, Little Orphan Annie— No, not Archie, but Annie! Famed cartoonist Chester Brown, Dean Mullaney (creative director, The Library of American Comics), Brian Doherty (senior editor of Reason magazine and author of Radicals for Capitalism), and Tom Devlin (Drawn & Quarterly creative director) discuss the importance of the legendary comics strip Little Orphan Annie and the profound influence and life of the strip’s creator, cartoonist Harold Gray. Room

Sunday, July 24th
10:00-12:00 Brian Ralph signing at booth 1629

11:00-2:00 PM Chester Brown & Anders Nilsen signing at booth 1629