The official short bio: Jason Rodriguez is the editor of the Random House/Villard graphic novels Elk's Run and Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened. He is lives in Arlington, VA with his fiancée were he is currently cowriting a graphic novel about the life and times of Sam Cooke as well as his first Young Adult novel.
I reviewed Postcards in my column this past summer and was so impressed both with the idea (crafting short graphic novel stories around found postcards) and the execution. I embraced this book for its sheer depth and breadth of creativity - it's not often that you see so many different people doing something so well and so unique as can be found in this book. Jason pulled off something special with Postcards and if you have a reader who is bored with the same old thing, then I heartily recommend this book.
As for Elk's Run (written by Joshua Hale Fialkov), Pop Matters had this to say in its long review:
It’s a powerful work with gripping, edgy art that directly addresses the isolationism, paranoia, division, and anxiety so prevalent in the United States today. It is a story that asks difficult questions, rapid-fire, about the tacit social contracts we make and the ability of people to overlook what they see happening right in front of their eyes.
Digital painting techniques have elevated the old four-color medium of comic book illustration to a whole new level in recent years and this is apparent throughout Elk’s Run. The predominant colors of the pages shift with the mood of each scene. The illustration style varies from stark to sketchy in more ominous scenes to cartoon-like when the teenagers fleeing the town remember scenes from their childhoods. From start to finish, though, it is both beautiful and visceral.
Now onto what Jason enjoyed in 2007:
Super Spy by Matt Kindt (Top Shelf Productions) – This story of spies and the sacrifices they make was the best graphic novel I read this year. The amount of love and thought that went into this project is astounding. The design of the book knocks you out from cover to cover and the story is so subtle and moving that you find yourself instantly vested in all of the characters’ lives. The notion of “good spies vs. bad spies� is completely thrown out as you dig through a book where you want everyone to win but you know some of them have to lose. An incredible book from one of comics most gifted creators.
Cat Getting Out of a Bag and Other Observations by Jeffrey Brown (Chronicle Books) – I can’t believe how much I enjoyed this book. I bought it for my fiancée who doesn’t like comics but loves her cats. She has, in turn, purchased a copy for everyone on her Christmas List. Jeffrey Brown is a master story teller and his talent really comes out in this collection of vignettes that remind us of the weird things all of our cats do.
Pulp Hope by Paul Pope (AdHouse Books) – This book is poetic and gorgeous - stories from Pope’s childhood, theories on the art form, short sequential pieces, and fantastic studies of the female body are just a small sampling of what you could expect from this tremendous project.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: The Black Dossier by Alan Moore and Kevin O’Neil (Wildstorm/DC Comics) – Volume One and Two of The League were incredibly smart books that I highly recommend for anyone new to comics. This third offering is…dense. Sequences of comics mixed in with “lost� Shakespeare plays and short fiction from Jack Kerouac’s fictional Sal Paradise makes the online annotated notes a must for this book but gives you a bang-for-your-buck factor that you rarely see in comics these days. Plus the last section of the book is in 3D. Sold!
Mouse Guard: Fall 1152 by David Peterson (Archaia Studios Press) – It’s just damn pretty. It’s a great story, don’t get me wrong, but it’s impossible not to pause on every page and admire the tremendous talents of Peterson as he lays down illustrations of mice in full armor, going to war.
Mr. Big by Matt and Carol Dembicki (Little Foot/Silent Devil Productions) – The perfect book for that young adult on your list. The inhabitants of a pond want to oust the snapping turtle, Mr. Big, and they ask a murder of crows for help. The crows, of course, have their own reasons to get rid of Mr. Big…
Finally, I’d like to say a little bit about the ongoing books you can get for anyone on your shopping list, comic fan or not. Fables and Y the Last Man (both from Vertigo/DC Comics) continued to be strong this year. Mouse Guard: Winter 1152 is as pretty as the first series. And I want to give a plug to two fantastic series that ended this year: Action Philosophers (Evil Twin Comics) and Skyscrapers of the Midwest (AdHouse Books). Grab the individual issues if you can find them but keep your eyes open for any collected editions that may be coming out next year…I know Action Philosophers, at least, has one planned.
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I've been dancing around Super Spy since I first saw it in Diamond Previews but with Jason's recommendation it just went on my list from Powells. (For those of you who don't shop Powells regularly, they have a great selection of graphic novels.) I've also been hearing good things about Mouse Guard for awhile now - all fans of the Brian Jacques novels should take note of this one. Mr. Big was completely out of left field - I've heard nothing on this one - but if you have a reluctant reader, comics are an excellent way to interest them in the written word. (It works, people - don't fight what works!) (And don't forget my post on great graphic novels for kids from earlier this month.)
And as for Fables - well, I've been with it since issue 1 and loving every minute of it. This is one of my all time favorite titles and I look forward to it every month. If you loved fairy tales as a kid, then you will not want to miss it. (Perfect for teen readers too!)
Back tomorrow with blogger Jen Robinson!
