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fictionvictim's review against another edition
dana_naylor's review against another edition
3.5
Mixed collection of autobiographical stories.
I liked “The Building that Didn’t Explode” by Paul Chadwick and intend to look for more of his work.
Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon’s story about Paris was neat. I’ve read their work before and liked it.
“Of This Much We Are Certain” by Paul Hornschemier was interesting. I’m sharing it with my husband because of the drawing approach with pencil lines included in present day and past time more finished.
I liked “The Building that Didn’t Explode” by Paul Chadwick and intend to look for more of his work.
Gabriel Ba and Fabio Moon’s story about Paris was neat. I’ve read their work before and liked it.
“Of This Much We Are Certain” by Paul Hornschemier was interesting. I’m sharing it with my husband because of the drawing approach with pencil lines included in present day and past time more finished.
Content Warnings
Word choice warning
one of the stories is set in the 80s and does have “retarded” as a slur
uosdwisrdewoh's review against another edition
4.0
Most anthologies are invariably hit or miss in quality, but in this collection of brief autobiographical comic strips Diana Schutz has gathered masters of the comic-book form across the generations to make a wonderful package with very few weak spots. From Will Eisner’s classic charming rhythms to a wiry travelogue by the then-up-and-coming twins Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon, the styles in this book run the gamut. Eddie Campbell’s scratchy figures live only a few pages away from Jason Lutes’s precise Wes-Anderson-in-comics-form layouts. Nevertheless, it’s all stitched together with care. Three pieces about very different trips in France are grouped together in the center with Stan Sakai’s piece ending with a man on the floor of a café immediately before Metaphrog’s strip opens with a man writhing on the floor of yet another French café. Perhaps it was assigned that way, or perhaps it was a coincidence, but either way it feels like serendipity, and it’s a grace note that helps to pull these disparate stories together. The only weakness in this book, really, lies in the fact that the creators skew heavily male. Of the nearly twenty writers and artists, only two are women (one of which is Schutz herself, penning a piece). This book, originally published in 2003, was recently reissued, and thankfully so, as it’s a wonderful little volume that shouldn’t be forgotten, but one can only hope that a similar work being commissioned today would have a slate of creators that included more than a sprinkling of women.
rumbledethumps's review against another edition
4.0
A collection of short comics memoirs by some top independent cartoonists. Had never even heard of this before, and was pleasantly surprised. Some of the sketches are better than others, but overall really good.
artofproft's review against another edition
emotional
funny
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
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