Beat It, Rufus

I feel that any time a new book comes from Noah Van Sciver is time to celebrate. Van Sciver is one of my favorite comics creators, the Ignatz Award-winning author of the graphic novels One Dirty Tree, The Hypo: The Melancholic Young Lincoln, Saint Cole, and Fante Bukowski. His work is often darkly funny and full of compelling characters who are often depressed, sad sacks, or incredibly delusional. The title character of Beat It, Rufus hits the trifecta there. Rufus Baxter is a washed up rock guitarist who has been living off of the fumes of his slight musical success for decades. After he gets kicked out of his storage unit, he embarks on a cross-country road trip to try to revisit old friends, rekindle past glory, and recoup the royalties that could fund his big comeback.

At least his tape deck still works...

I am not going to spoil things, because most of this book is Rufus back-tracking through the wreckage of his life, but I will say that mostly things do not go to plan. The journey is full of surprises, weirdos, and disappointments, although there is an occasional bright spot, such as a free Quiznos gift certificate. 

One of the things I admired about this book was how much it portrays the road of this road trip. There are lots of depictions of street signs, buildings, wilderness, and businesses that make the American landscape as much as a character in the book as humans. Beat It, Rufus grounds the weirdness, zaniness, and melancholy in drab reality in a way that makes this book completely engrossing.

All of the reviews I read of this book have been positive. Frank M. Young wrote that the affection for ambitious self-doubters "gives this and Van Sciver’s other books a warmth, even as his characters debase themselves in their failed grabs at the big brass ring." AJ Frost called Rufus "a character of surprising depth and complexity: an aging hair metal dreamer whose stubborn refusal to abandon his long-dead aspirations is simultaneously hysterical, harrowing, and deeply human." Publishers Weekly called it "a must-read comic about a must-avoid person."

Beat It, Rufus was published by Fantagraphics, and they offer a preview and more information about it here. This is not a graphic novel for kids.

The Cola Pop Creemees: Opening Act

This book I got as part of Birdcage Bottom Books' 2023(!) Kickstarter campaign. The Cola Pop Creemees: Opening Act is on its surface a funny book, but its loopy, cartoon images masque several unique human dramas that all combine as one musical act. The Cola Pop Creemees consist of guitarist/front man Ralph Jonathan, drummer Wallace T.J., Mona Gertrude on tambourine, bassist Gil Christopher, and keyboardist Henrietta Susan. Part of this book details the politics of being in a band, with people jockeying for praise, songwriting credit, and attention. Part of it is a deep dive into the different band members' pasts, with a look at their childhoods, parents, and various life-shaping events.

The five members all feature very different personalities, and many of them have been shaped and influenced by traumatic events. Sometimes the tenor of the stories can be slapstick or has a tinge of dark humor, but mostly they are relatable and moving. Some of the band members are depressed, some obsessed, some stressed, and it might be accurate, and sad, to say that Wallace T.J., who abuses a good many substances, might just be the most well adjusted of the bunch. Whatever the case, each story is incredibly compelling, and I found this book difficult to put down.

The Cola Pop Creemees: Opening Act paints remarkably vivid character portraits and is one that rewards reading and re-reading. It will make you laugh, cry, and seek a solo career where you never have to be in a band.

This is the debut graphic novel by Desmond Reed. Since this, he has published two further works about the Cola Pop Creemees: Lefty and The Horrors of Being Human. Reed speaks about his work on Opening Act in this interview.

The reviews I have read of this book have been glowing. I concur with Andy Oliver who wrote that "in less than 250 pages, The Cola Pop Creemees manages to make the reader so invested in this oddball cast that a second outing feels essential." Publishers Weekly called it "an unexpected, oddly emotional gem"

The Cola Pop Creemees: Opening Act was originally published by Birdcage Bottom Books, and they offer a preview and more information about it here. You can now buy it from Microcosm Publishing. This book features family trauma, adult relationships and situations, and drug use, so it is recommended mature enough to deal with those matters.

Holler

Continuing with my haul of comics from HeroesCon, today I am sharing Holler by Jeremy Massie. One of the best parts of going to Charlotte is seeing friends and getting to talk, even if it is while they are manning their booths and selling their wares. I always make a point to check in with pals Henry Eudy and Eraklis Petmezas, who are typically tabled next to each other, and this year they were joined by Massie. I was very eager to get Holler, as I had gotten the first few issues that were published by It's Alive but had not had the chance to finish the series. Lucky for me, Jeremy had this book for sale, and I loved reading it.

It's a pretty specific book, but I am the target audience in a few ways, because of my age and musical tastes. And I should note that it's not quite autobiography, but it is based on some real events and people. It's set in the 1990s in a small, rural town in Appalachian Virginia. Its narrator and main character is Mark, a high school student who does not really excel at academics, but he is a talented enough artist and musician. He plays guitar and joins his friends in a band called Magnesium Mama that plays grunge rock covers and some original songs. This scene puts him at odds with his family in some ways, as well as with the religious figures that factor heavily in his life. 

It also puts him in a clique that is at odds with the local "rednecks" (as he calls them), which leads to conflicts, both verbal and physical. Over the course of the book, Mark deals with a lot of different situations. He gets his first girlfriend, then experiences his first break-up. He experiments with drugs. He plays a lot of gigs and gets involved in a few different battles of the bands. He switches churches, sort of dates the preacher's daughter, and has to navigate the complicated ways his parents and he practice religion. 

The stories here are all told in episodes, and I found them highly compelling and poignant. The artwork is well paced, and is particularly excellent at capturing people's expressions and emotional reactions, which works very well as this book is very character driven. This book touches on a lot of issues that young people contend with as they get older and start trying to carve out spaces in the world, and it does so in a way that is sometimes humorous, occasionally cringe-inducing, and always relatable and human. Holler is one of the best coming-of-age graphic novels I have read, and I highly recommend it.

This book's creator Jeremy Massie has made all sorts of comics in various genres, including the superhero tales Amazing Age, horror stories Blood-Drenched Creature Double Feature, and the more realistic, solo-authored book All My Ghosts. He speaks about his work on Holler in this interview.

I was not able to locate many reviews of this book, which is a shame, because I feel it should be more widely known and read, because it is so good. Publishers Weekly concluded their review, "This bittersweet blast from the past will strike a chord with recovering high school outcasts."

Holler was published by Dark Horse, and they offer more information about it here. Because it features some drug use, sexual situations, profanity, and adolescent shenanigans, I recommend it for readers mature enough to deal with those matters. 

Baby's In Black

The Beatles are one of the most well known bands ever, with international hits that have been played now for  generations.This graphic novel chronicles a period between October, 1960 and April, 1962 when the band was in its formative years, playing shows in Hamburg, Germany and trying to establish themselves. Influenced by rock and rock artists, the lads from Liverpool went to Germany to cut their teeth in some pretty tough clubs. The band then consisted of singer John Lennon, 17-year-old guitarist George Harrison, guitarist Paul McCartney, drummer Pete Best, and bassist Stuart Sutcliffe.

The majority of this book focuses on Astrid Kirchherr, a German photographer who was responsible for shaping the band's early look and who went on to her own renown, and Sutcliffe, who ultimately left the band to pursue his art career. They have instant chemistry when they meet, and the ups and downs of the band's early career form the backdrop to their romance. This book seems an obvious labor of love, and there are copious historical footnotes in the back.

Appropriately, Baby's in Black gets its name from an early Beatles song. It was created by Arne Bellstorf, a German artist famous for his comic page for Der Tagesspiegel, a newspaper. He also co-edits an annual comics publication Orang. His homepage provides a link to many of his works. His career is relatively young, but Baby's in Black was a huge cross-over hit in Germany, attracting many readers who may not typically buy graphic novels.

Thus far, the reviews I have read about this book have been positive. The review at Publishers Weekly commented on how it was difficult to tell some of the characters apart but that "fans of the Beatles will certainly be interested in this little-told tale of their early years." Gavin Lees wrote that not only fans would like the book but that "it is obviously made with tremendous affection, but without ever becoming mawkish.  Even without the presence of The Beatles to give weight and import to its story, this is as touching and tragic a book as we’re likely to find this year." Gary Anderson called the art style "simple but evocative."

This edition was published in the US by First Second. Reviews and other links can be found here.

Thank you, Gina, for the review copy!

Chicken with Plums

Chicken and Plums (Poulet aux Prunes, in French) chronicles the last eight days of Nasser Ali Khan, a masterful musician who loses the will to live when his choice tar, a musical instrument, is broken. Unable to find a suitable replacement, all music becomes sour to him. He falls into a depression and will not leave his room or eat. His family tries to intercede on his behalf, but he responds very differently to them than they'd like. Even though the main character is extremely egotistical, this tale is quite magical and evocative at times, almost like a fairy tale. Over the course of this book Satrapi interweaves dream-like sequences, flashbacks, and other stories quite expertly. I was very much affected by the narrative.

This is the fourth graphic novel published in the US from Marjane Satrapi. She is a graphic novelist and movie maker who is famous for her autobiographical works and also ones that focus on her family. This work focuses on her great-uncle, whom she learned about from old photographs. She talks about the making this book and its recently released movie version in this interview.

As with Satrapi's other works, the reviews of this graphic novel have been very positive. Danica Davidson wrote, "In a mere 84 pages, Satrapi gives something heartfelt and unique that can keep a reader thinking about it long after turning its last page." Carol Siegfried called the book "very powerful" and noted that "the stark black and white images are very evocative, despite their simplicity." Leroy Douresseaux gushed that "Satrapi’s ability to both engage us with the familiar and enthrall us with something different is the mark of an exceptional, special comic book storyteller."

Chicken with Plums is published in the US by Pantheon. A sizable preview is available from The Virginia Quarterly Review.