The Comics Page -- Vulture -- Entertainment & Culture Blog -- New York Magazine

Archive of The Comics Page

The Comics Page

5/14/08

11:15 AM

Exclusive Comics Excerpt: ‘What It Is’

What is the difference between awake and asleep? What is self-consciousness? What makes us able to imagine something? Where do images come from? What is play, and why do children know better than adults how to access their imaginative souls?

Today on the Comics Page, we're proud to present an excerpt from What It Is, Lynda Barr's memoir-as-master-class, a gorgeously illustrated guide to creativity and the power of images. Part collage, part autobiography, part inspirational lesson, What It Is is out this week from Drawn & Quarterly.

Read the six-page excerpt now! »

More: books, comics, drawn and quarterly, lynda barry, what it is

The Comics Page

5/ 7/08

2:00 PM

Exclusive Comics Excerpt: ‘At a Crossroads’

Kate Williamson is back from a yearlong postgraduation trip to Japan. How does a stopover at her parents' house in Pennsylvania turn into a 23-month stay? "I'm at a crossroads," Kate tells those who ask. It's an answer that explains everything and nothing about the hazy years after college.

Today on the Comics Page, we're proud to present an excerpt from At a Crossroads: Between a Rock and My Parents' Place, a gently funny graphic memoir by Kate T. Williamson. At a Crossroads is out this month from Princeton Architectural Press.

More: at a crossroads, books, comics, kate t. williamson, princeton architectural press

The Comics Page

4/30/08

12:30 PM

Exclusive Comics Excerpt: ‘Life Sucks’

Dave's got a problem: The girl he's crazy about is totally wrong for him. For starters, she's creative and talented, and he's stuck in a dead-end job as a convenience-store clerk. Plus, she's a human, and he's the ageless accursed undead. In Life Sucks, Jessica Abel (La Perdida) tells a story of trying to fit in when you can't even leave the house in the daytime.

Today on the Comics Page, we're proud to present an excerpt from Life Sucks, by Jessica Abel, Gabe Soria, and Warren Pleece. Life Sucks will be published in May by First Second Books.

More: books, comics, first second books, gabe soria, jessica abel, life sucks, warren pleece

The Comics Page

4/23/08

4:15 PM

Exclusive Comics Excerpt: ‘M’

In 1990, painter Jon J Muth published a four-issue comics adaptation of Fritz Lang's classic 1931 film, M. The stunning images — silverpoint with charcoal, plus dark and dense oils — revolutionized the way comics could look, helping to usher in an era of comics that make gestures toward high art. Suspenseful, daring, and formally brilliant, M was a landmark story long out of print — until now. Abrams republishes M this spring, collecting the comics classic into one volume for the first time.

Today on the Comics Page, we're proud to present an excerpt from M, by Jon J Muth, based on the film by Fritz Lang. M is in stores this month from Abrams.

See the fourteen-page excerpt now! »

More: abrams, books, comics, fritz lang, jon j muth, m

The Comics Page

4/16/08

11:00 AM

Exclusive Comics Excerpt: ‘North World’

North World isn't that different from our own; it's just filled with enormous monsters and angry demons who must be slain by sword-wielding heroes. Conrad Lionel is one of those heroes. He must protect the world from danger while living up to the example of his father, one of the great Guildsmen, whose name is still sung by the bards.

Also, Conrad's really annoyed that his ex-girlfriend is getting married.

Today on the Comics Page, we're pleased to present an excerpt from North World, a comic adventure by Lars Brown. Volume One, The Epic of Conrad, is in stores now from Oni Press.

Read the twelve-page excerpt now! »

More: books, comics, lars brown, north world, oni press

The Comics Page

4/ 9/08

12:15 PM

Exclusive Comics Excerpt: ‘Jessica Farm’

In January of 2000 cartoonist Josh Simmons began drawing an oddball comics story about a young woman on a surreal homestead full of fantastical and menacing beasts. The 30-year-old Simmons has been drawing a panel of Jessica Farm every month for eight years, and he intends to continue at that pace for the next 42. Fantagraphics Books publishes the 96-page first volume of the story this week, although if you want to read the complete tale at once you can always wait until the 600-page omnibus is published in 2050.

Today on the Comics Page, we're proud to present an exclusive excerpt from Jessica Farm, by Josh Simmons. Volume One is in stores this week from Fantagraphics Books.

Read the twelve-page excerpt now! »

More: books, comics, fantagraphics, jessica farm, josh simmons, quixotic quests

The Comics Page

4/ 2/08

12:15 PM

Exclusive Comics Excerpt: ‘Wizzywig’

When hacker extraordinaire Kevin Phenicle finally gets caught, plenty of people line up to condemn or praise him. But do any of his critics, or his champions, really know him? How does a boy with a knack for taking things apart become a young man feared and admired online?

Today on the Comics Page, we're proud to present a fascinating excerpt from Wizzywig, by Ed Piskor. Volume One, Phreak, is available now.

Read the ten-page excerpt now! »

More: books, comics, ed piskor, wizzywig

The Comics Page

3/26/08

12:45 PM

Exclusive Comics Excerpt: ‘The Rabbi's Cat 2’

In thirties Algiers, it's a good life for a rabbi's cat, despite the rising tide of anti-Semitism filling the city. But when the rabbi's cat, the rabbi, and two companions head out across Africa in search of a new Jerusalem, they meet a lot of surprising characters along the way — including, in the Congo, a young reporter you just might recognize.

Today on the Comics Page, we're proud to present an excerpt from The Rabbi's Cat 2, second in Joann Sfar's fantastical series of graphic novels. Translated from the French, the book is out next month from Pantheon.

Read the five-page excerpt now! »

More: books, comics, joann sfar, pantheon, the rabbi's cat 2, tintin

The Comics Page

3/19/08

11:30 AM

Exclusive Comics Excerpt: ‘Paul Goes Fishing’

For Montreal graphic designer Paul, life is good. His business is taking off, his partner Lucie is pregnant, and it's vacation time — time to leave the city, head up north, and go fishing with close friends. But conversations with those friends, reminiscences of his own childhood, and unexpected complications to the pregnancy remind Paul that family life has its own perils and pitfalls.

Today on the Comics Page, we're proud to present an excerpt from Paul Goes Fishing, the touching and funny fourth volume in Michel Rabagliati's autobiographical series of graphic novels. The book is out this week from Drawn and Quarterly.

Read the fourteen-page excerpt now! »

More: books, comics, drawn and quarterly, michel rabagliati, paul goes fishing

The Comics Page

3/12/08

12:45 PM

Exclusive Comics Excerpt: ‘Waldo's Hawaiian Holiday’, the Sequel to ‘Repo Man’

In 1984, frustrated punk-rocker Otto fell in with a crew of hard-core Los Angeles car-repossession agents and saw his world turned upside down. Soon enough, he was chasing a 1964 Chevy Malibu through the desert, fighting FBI agents, and getting abducted by Martians. Now, 23years later, Otto is back … or is he? He thinks his name is Waldo, he seems to have forgotten a lot of the amazing things that happened to him, and somewhere far out in space, someone is watching.

Alex Cox's Repo Man is one of the great cult movies of the eighties; now Cox has written a sequel, not for the screen but for the page. Waldo's Hawaiian Holiday takes the freaked-out punk aesthetic of Repo Man and delivers it kicking and screaming into 2008. The graphic novel is out this month from Gestalt Publishing.

Read the eight-page excerpt! »

More: alex cox, books, comics, gestalt publishing, movies, repo man, waldo's hawaiian holiday