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Post by manoopuesta on Jun 23, 2023 16:18:54 GMT
I was reminded of this subject from the mention about it by whitecomics in the "What are you reading today?" thread.
I've always found that successful comics biographies are difficult to come across. Sometimes they seem to be more of a list of facts rather than proper storytelling. I haven't read many I believe, and I only remember one right now that I really liked: Red Rosa: A Graphic Biography of Rosa Luxemburg by Kate Evans.
(I hope I remember of more that I can list here later on, I am completely blank now.).
So what are the comics biographies that you've enjoyed reading? (if any). I would like to hear others' thoughts on this.
Edit: of course, I forgot Hensley's Sir Alfred #3. A masterpiece. Though I wonder if it can be considered a comics biography?
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Post by eheitner on Jun 23, 2023 16:40:08 GMT
I was reminded of this subject from the mention about it by whitecomics in the "What are you reading today?" thread.
I've always found that successful comics biographies are difficult to come across. Sometimes they seem to be more of a list of facts rather than proper storytelling. I haven't read many I believe, and I only remember one right now that I really liked: Red Rosa: A Graphic Biography of Rosa Luxemburg by Kate Evans.
(I hope I remember of more that I can list here later on, I am completely blank now.).
So what are the comics biographies that you've enjoyed reading? (if any). I would like to hear others' thoughts on this.
Edit: of course, I forgot Hensley's Sir Alfred #3. A masterpiece. Though I wonder if it can be considered a comics biography?
Obligatory: Beto Hernandez' bio of Frida Kahlo, GOAT Which totally is just a recitation of facts, textually, but is still awesome.
Alan Moore and Melinda Gebbie's bio of Jack "Marvel" Parsons, "Brighter Than You Think," works well b/c Alan Moore's prose is so strong and Gebbie's art is so strong, even if formally its very conventional.
Chester Brown's Louis Riel works so well because he tells it as a story, that just happens to be a biography of a real person as well.
Elijah Brubaker's Reich, I've only read a few issues of, still need to read more to really decide how well he's doing it.
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Post by owaddled on Jun 23, 2023 16:50:29 GMT
I barely have any on my shelves and I wonder why.
John P.'s Thoreau at Walden is a very enjoyable combination of subject and style.
I have Louis Riel and My Friend Dahmer on my shelves but have never gotten around to them.
My fav bio comic so far is Gilbert Hernandez's Frida comic.
Edit: I remember a lot of praise for the Annie Sullivan and the Trials of Helen Keller book. I've been meaning to get that for 11 years now.
Edit 2: I just read two reviews of bios of artists today by accomplished comics folks: 1) The Guardian had a review of Thomas Girtin: The Forgotten Painter by Oscar Zarate. 2) Comicsbeat had a review of Armed with Madness: The Surreal Leonora Carrington by Mary M. Talbot and Bryan Talbot. Both look interesting and I think bio comics of artists tend to require more interesting visuals.
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Post by manoopuesta on Jun 23, 2023 17:21:52 GMT
Is Gilbert's Frida comic in the Amor y Cohetes volume? I think I've read it, but I don't remember it now, dear god. And now this one reminded me of Crumb's Philip K. Dick story. I love that one (was that a biography? I guess not). Edit 2: I just read two reviews of bios of artists today by accomplished comics folks: 1) The Guardian had a review of Thomas Girtin: The Forgotten Painter by Oscar Zarate. 2) Comicsbeat had a review of Armed with Madness: The Surreal Leonora Carrington by Mary M. Talbot and Bryan Talbot. Both look interesting and I think bio comics of artists tend to require more interesting visuals. I heard about Leonora Carrington's biography but... doesn't happen to anybody else that the more you know about the life of an artist you admire, the more you fear to be dissapointed with these comic bios? Maybe I should give it a try. Recently, a friend lent me Judee Sill's bio comic (by Juan Díaz Canales & Alonso Iglesias) and I was a bit horrified (well, I liked the visuals in some parts), even though I didn't know about her life as much as I know for example about Carrington's.
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Post by eheitner on Jun 23, 2023 17:38:10 GMT
Why is it that biographies have become THE breakout genre for non-fiction comics? There are so goddamn many these days....
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Post by arecomicsevengood on Jun 23, 2023 17:39:58 GMT
I imagine the Munoz/Sampayo Billie Holiday comic is pretty good.
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Post by eheitner on Jun 23, 2023 17:40:53 GMT
Is Gilbert's Frida comic in the Amor y Cohetes volume? I think I've read it, but I don't remember it now, dear god. *snide nerd voice* I don't know because I have all of L&R volume 1 in floppy magazine format
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Post by bluebed on Jun 23, 2023 17:49:44 GMT
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Post by manoopuesta on Jun 23, 2023 17:59:46 GMT
Is Gilbert's Frida comic in the Amor y Cohetes volume? I think I've read it, but I don't remember it now, dear god. *snide nerd voice* I don't know because I have all of L&R volume 1 in floppy magazine format Well, it is pretty difficult to collect those living in Europe! I imagine the Munoz/Sampayo Billie Holiday comic is pretty good. Yes, indeed. that one is great! I actually have it signed by Muñoz (I wouldn't mention this or show it but I am in a kid's mode, after eheitner 's reply. did I win? hahah
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Post by arecomicsevengood on Jun 23, 2023 18:03:23 GMT
That rules, thanks for sharing! Also yeah Gilbert's Frida Kahlo comic is in Amor Y Cohetes - I went to check if it was in there or Fear Of Comics/Comics Dementia and discovered it is actually featured on the cover of Amor Y Cohetes. BUT Fear Of Comics has the "Frida And Diego" three-panel gag strip where the punchline is Trotsky emerging from under Kahlo's dress to say "Latin men are not the only ones who love to eat pussy, Diego my friend!"
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Post by owaddled on Jun 23, 2023 18:08:33 GMT
Is Gilbert's Frida comic in the Amor y Cohetes volume? I think I've read it, but I don't remember it now, dear god. *snide nerd voice* I don't know because I have all of L&R volume 1 in floppy magazine format Well...I have L&R Vol 1 in both formats. Nyah nyah nyah To actually be helpful: YES it is in Amor Y Cohetes. I didn't even have to look in the table of contents because it's on the cover To eheitner: I think it's because bio comics are the 'pre-existing IP' for big book publishers. Very easy to generate press releases for and to make a case for how 'important' the book is. And I'm not saying it's easy to create a bio comic but there's less 'world building' needed right? Also THE "comics are serious" book is Maus and that's a bio comic. So there's a precedent of bio comics == important.
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Post by eheitner on Jun 23, 2023 18:15:35 GMT
I mean... I guess....but isn't, like, all of existing time and history and the universe "pre-existing IP" for non-fiction? Like why biography over other types of history? Or books about, I dunno, anything else you can read on Wikipedia (which is how I describe most of those autobio comics these days) manoopuesta you win you win! That rocks!
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Post by mikesheawright on Jun 23, 2023 19:53:02 GMT
does Fun Home count? that's the only one i've read that i've liked, someone (santoro?) mentioned that they often read like illustrated wikipedia entries which seems pretty accurate in my experience.
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Post by awfulquiet on Jun 23, 2023 21:50:41 GMT
does Fun Home count? that's the only one i've read that i've liked, someone (santoro?) mentioned that they often read like illustrated wikipedia entries which seems pretty accurate in my experience. I know stuff like what Box Brown is known for have gotten the "Wikipedia comics" label on Gutter Boys in the past.
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Post by teemcgee on Jun 23, 2023 21:51:22 GMT
Has to be Lambert's Annie Sullivan book - oh, for the alternative timeline where Lambert kept making comics ...!
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