Another batch of non-fiction for you, this time featuring Van Gogh, life with a pug, breaking through the cultural taboo of talking about menopause, singer-songwriter Theresa Booker, bisexual Afro-Caribbean-American boxing champion Emile Griffith, and finally a behind-the-scenes look into horror film development hell.
MAN IN THE PAINTERS ROOM GN
(W,A) Jamison Odone
After his release from the Saint-Paul asylum in 1890, Vincent Van Gogh wandered the French countryside before stumbling on the Ravoux Inn. Although still plagued by mental illness, he found some peace there among his adoptive family, painting over 75 works of art in just three months.
FEB211167
Why this caught my eye:
Black Panel Press is a fairly new publisher to me so I'm a bit curious about what they're putting out, plus I'm really like the style of Odone's art for this project.
LIVING WITH MOCHI TP
(W) Gene Gemma (A) Gene Gemma
When architect-turned-cartoonist Gemma Gené first met her pet pug, Mochi, she felt as if time stopped. This dramatic moment and her adoring relationship with the rambunctious pug led the architect and visual artist to begin chronicling her adventures with Mochi in a series of incredibly cute webcomics that have steadily gained a social media following of half a million loyal readers. The comics chronicle Mochi's life from puppyhood to jaded adulthood, featuring subplots of unrequited dog friendships and Mochi's jealousy of his two dog-brothers.
FEB211052
Why this caught my eye:
Hey, most dog-centric comics end in terrible soul shattering sadness. This looks like the opposite so I'll gladly take it.
MENOPAUSE COMIC TREATMENT GN
(W) VARIOUS (A) Various
Like so many other issues surrounding women's reproductive health, menopause has been treated as a cultural taboo. On the rare occasions that menopausal and perimenopausal women are depicted in popular culture, they are stereotypically cast as the butt of demeaning jokes that encourage us to laugh at their deteriorating bodies and emotional volatility. The result is that women facing menopause often feel isolated and ashamed. This collection of comics presents a different view of menopause that enables those experiencing it to be seen and to feel empowered. The common thread uniting these stories is the affirmation that, while we can and should laugh at ourselves, no one should be ashamed of menopause.
FEB211329
Why this caught my eye:
This just feels like a standard to be stocked in schools and libraries for educational purposes.
MPLS SOUND TP
(W) Joseph Illidge, Hannibal Tabu (A) Meredith Laxton (CA) Jen Bartel
Theresa Booker was hardly the first singer-songwriter to be inspired by His Royal Badness-but she was the most determined.
Minneapolis, 1982. Dozens of young bands, playing day and night in bars and clubs across the city, dream of being noticed by the musical genius Prince, revered as a guru and a powerbroker. But when Theresa and her band, Starchild, are offered the opportunity of a lifetime-to be taken in and mentored by their idol-they soon find that there's a dark side to fame and fortune that could turn their dream into a nightmare.
MPLS Sound is the ultimate love letter to the legendary Minneapolis funk-rock sound of the 1980s.
FEB211354
Why this caught my eye:
Nice interview here with the creators, plus hey can't say no to a great looking Jen Bartel cover.
KNOCK OUT TRUE STORY OF EMILE GRIFFITH GN
(W) Reinhard Kleist (A) Reinhard Kleist
The American boxing champion Emile Griffith gained notoriety in 1962 when he brutally defeated the Cuban fighter Benny Paret. Ten days after the fight, Paret, who had directed a homophobic slur at Griffith during the weigh-in, died from his injuries. In Knock Out!, Reinhard Kleist draws a powerful, emotive portrait of a bisexual Afro-Caribbean-American athlete who, facing racism and homophobia in 1960s America, found success in the world of boxing. It's the story of a fierce and ambitious fighter, and of a knockout blow that ended one life and changed a second forever.
MAR211563
Why this caught my eye:
Preview pages are looking solid and this is part of boxing history that I've heard a little of so the book sounds like a good opportunity to expand.
UNTOLD HORROR HC
(W) Dave Alexander (CA) Justin Erickson
Insightful interviews of horror legends George Romero, John Landis, Joe Dante, Brian Yuzna, and more, by former editor-in-chief of Rue Morgue, Dave Alexander, about the scariest horror movies never made!
Take a behind-the-scenes look into development hell to find the most frightening horror movies that never were, from unmade Re-Animator sequels to alternate takes on legendary franchises like Frankenstein and Dracula!
Features art, scripts, and other production material from unmade films that still might make you scream-with insights from dozens of directors, screenwriters, and producers with decades of experience. A behind-the-scenes look into the development hell of the most frightening horror movies never made!
MAR210260
Why this caught my eye:
I love this type of history, plus that's an amazing cover.
That's it for this batch, we'll hit some drama next!