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News
Alternative Comics: September 2002 books announced
Gainesville,
Florida, May 16, 2002:
For September 2002, Alternative Comics will release three new books:
A Fine Mess #1, Subway Series, and
Rosetta.
Fans of Matt Madden's graphic novels Odds Off
and Black Candy will now be able to get a regular dose
of new work from this innovative young talent with his regular series,
A Fine Mess, collecting various new comics and
works-in-progress, including Madden's "Exercises in Style," which has already
gained a following on-line. A Fine Mess covers the map, showing
Madden's range from rigorous formal experimentation to novelistic human drama.
A Fine Mess #1 is a deluxe package featuring the playful
and bittersweet 16-page "Night of the Grossinator," lushly printed in two-color
process. This issue also includes new shorts that find Madden experimenting with
comics form and narrative. "Madden's comics can offer the reader a sense
of comic irony, a surprising, often moving poignancy and a playful, thoughtful
rearrangement of the elements of comics style." Calvin Reid, Publishers
Weekly. (By Matt Madden) Mature Readers, partial color, full color cover,
oversized 7-3/4" x 9-1/4", 32 pages, $3.50 US. ISBN: 1-891867-21-0
Xeric Award Winner Leela Corman's graphic novel Subway
Series follows the exploits of Tina, a frustrated sixteen-year-old city
girl whose affections are divided between two guys. The problem is, one has an
out of town girlfriend and the other is a complete jerk. Add to that a bitchy
adversary whom she once called a friend who's out to humiliate her, and now
confused Tina doesn't know which way to turn. Subway Series is
a teen Sex in the City. Tina doesn't know what she wants, but she's
pretty sure it involves "getting it over with." With whom will it be? When will
it happen? Most current comics about female sexual experiences focus on
extremes of behavior such as abuse. Subway Series depicts the
more average teen experience: coercive, confused and mundane. Leela Corman's,
lavish calligraphic drawing style, described as "Music to my eyes" by Scott
McCloud, vividly brings to life this singular graphic novel showing real teen
sex and angst in all its awkward splendor. (By Leela Corman) Mature Readers, 160 pages, squarebound TPB
graphic novel, B&W, full color covers; $9.95 US. ISBN: 1-891867-14-8.
 Rosetta is an anthology of sophisticated works by an
international cast of award winning artists. Rosetta is
targeted at a mature audience which views comics as a valid art form equal to
any other. Rosetta not only entertains with new stories by over
twenty award winning cartoonists from North America and around the world, but
also reveals the creative processes and compromises that occur in the creation
of comic art in the form of a sketchbook section. The contributing artists
have been set the task to go beyond the boundaries set by their previous works
and to push themselves into areas that they consider dangerous to their
reputations. Edited by Ng Suat Tong, with Tom Devlin doing Graphic Design,
Rosetta is packaged under a phenomenal sequential jam cover and
endpaper concept by Dave Cooper, Marc Bell, Miriam Katin and Ron Regé Jr.
Under the cover by Dave Cooper, Nick Bertozzi dreams about the
sequentiality of Hokusai’s prints, Ivan Brunetti muses upon the music of Erik
Satie, David Choe examines the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in a trip to the
Gaza strip, David Collier discusses the quirks of Islam, Renee French provides
an eccentric example of portraiture, Tom Hart explores his literary side, the
respected cartoonist Lat retrieves a distant memory of his childhood in
Malaysia, Matt Madden produces sequential magic out of old NYC mugshots, Miriam
Katin delves into the moral questions surrounding her childhood in Hungary,
Megan Kelso provides another chapter in her Artichoke Tales, James Kochalka
provides an atypical example of his realism, Ron Regé Jr. philosophizes about
consumerism, Katja Tukiainen provides a diary of her trip of India to study yoga
and Stefan J H van Dinther tests the boundaries of experimental comics. (Edited by Ng Suat Tong, Graphic Design by Tom Devlin, Cover by Dave
Cooper) Mature Readers, 196 pages, squarebound TPB graphic novel,
B&W, full color covers with endflaps; 7" x 10" $19.95 US. ISBN:
1-891867-22-9
The official Alternative Comics website is: http://www.indyworld.com/altcomics
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For
more information or requests, please contact publisher Jeff
Mason, c/o Alternative Comics, 503 NW 37th Avenue, Gainesville,
FL 32609-2204; Phone: 352.373.6336; E-mail: jmason@indyworld.com.
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