Monday 28 July 2008

Who wants a book?

One of the lovely things about blogging is how many great people you meet online, people who are generous with their time, advice, encouragement - and are just friendly, enthusiastic, and nice!


Carina of Carina's Craftblog is one of these people, and she's just posted an interview with me on her blog. While you're there, pop into her shops to see some of the beautiful things she makes.

You'd think blog anniversaries would be easy to remember, what with there being an archive right there in the sidebar, but I've let my second blog birthday (sometime around the beginning of July) slip by unnoticed. To celebrate, however belatedly, how about a giveaway?

I'll send a copy of my book I Don't Like Chocolate to a randomly selected commenter. All you have to do is leave a comment on this post telling me what your favourite comic is. If you don't read comics ... well, tell me why, and perhaps you can give mine a try!

To whet your appetite, some reviews I've found recently:

Gustav at Constant Flux found my book in a bookshop, and then managed, with some superior detective skills, to find some of my old comics. (See, that's the thing with the interweb - once you've put stuff out there, it never ever goes away...)

A review from Rapport (click on the pics to see bigger versions):

In case you can't read Afrikaans, the rough translation is "Fun book about food". Or something like that.

From Women's Business World:


From the autumn issue of Obrigado:
So what's the best comic you've ever read? I'll pick a winner on Saturday the 2nd of August.

29 comments:

Amanda said...

I don't read the Sunday comics as they usually seem so trite. I did, however, love Persepolis. I am sure I would love yours too!

Karen Barbé said...

Besides all those beautiful handprinted fabrics, you are a GREAT illustrator! Wow!

My favourite comic strip and sacred daily read is Pearls Before Swine by Stephan Pastis. I don't know how he makes it to find the most absurd and domestic topics. I really laugh loud reading it.

Ratlion said...

Don't really read many, but I'd have to say 'Calvin & Hobbes'.

:)

Inklore said...

The interview was great...it's fun to learn a bit more about people. As for comics, um, I don't know that I've ever read one. My son likes TinTin, so I've read a bit of those; does that count?

Anonymous said...

Comics???
I love, "Corto Maltés".
Lately don´t have much time, have Persepolis at home, first page read and imposible to continue.

Great jobs. Love your blog and your work

Reba said...

I love Drabble. And I love your 'Sugar' print--even bought a copy on Etsy!

grace said...

I love, love, love "Fun Home" by Alison Bechdel. (close runners-up: "Persepolis" and "Jimmy Corrigan.")

Strcprstskrzkrk said...

Hey, we all know that the Bitterkomix dudes rule (even if one of them did pour a beer over my head once... probably richly deserved, knowing myself). xx

Anonymous said...

ahh.. nice to see the book mentioned again - I was afraid you had forgotten!

For those new here - you can see most of the book by going through the archive, however - it is indeed a lovely print, and hacing it in your palms is indeed a much, much nicer experience.

Been awy too long - the Rapport's Afrikaans felt a bit verkeerd. Not sure why...

Strcprstskrzkrk said...

Sorry - meant to leave a link to Bitterkomix

Strcprstskrzkrk said...

"Dit is gemaaklik op die oog"...? You're right, erich, it's as is if one of us soutpiels wrote that by directly translating English idioms into Afrikaans. Ok, enough from me for tonight.

flowerpress said...

Hi Jesse,
Thanks for commenting on my giveaway :-) Now I can join yours!
If Tintin counts then definitely The Castafiore Emerald. Or Shaun Tan for graphic novels.

painted fish studio said...

congratulations on your 2nd blog anniversary, and also on the great reviews!

my favorite comic is one that is done by a fellow minnesotan: violet days by chris monroe. she cracks me up. give her a google.

Honey said...

Well if we're talking web based I don't think you can go past Girl Genius. www.girlgeniusonline.com

In published form I'm still a fan of 2000AD.

Heather Moore said...

Happy anniversary, and congrats on all the reviews and publicity. Fantastic!

Anonymous said...

Hi Jesse,
Great interview, and great book reviews! I'm not entering the draw (I already have my copy!) but I noticed a previous commenter mentioned Shaun Tan - I've recently read my first Shaun Tan (The Arrival) and I'd definitely recommend it (the creatures in it are amazing!). As to 'favourite' comic? That's too hard - the list of contenders is l--o--n--g!

wazz said...

I love Sara Varon's work -- particularly "Robot Dreams". I also like the work of Joe McClaren (not strictly comic-y though). I bought his wee book "Beer" recently.

kathryn said...

congratulations jesse,
i trally adored 'blankets' by craig thompson and 'fun home' by alison bechdel
i'm actually off out to the bookshop now so all these reccomendations are great !
ta

lauren fowler said...

okay, hands down white ninja comics.
it's dark and sweet and naive and unPC but it's great. And then of course your stuff!!

Anonymous said...

Ooh, ooh! I already have a much-loved copy - signed, nogal - so I'm just here to talk about comics!

I devoured everything I could lay my hands on as a kid (DC, EC, Marvel), following my favourite writers and illustrators from title to title, but the greatest revelations during my formative years were perhaps the 'Crisis' series (the short-lived offshoot of 2000AD, not the DC title) for its political tub-thumping and liberal doses of sex-'n'-drugs, and, definitely, the toe-curlingly fantabulous Love and Rockets for... pretty much everything. Until I discovered the loco world of Los Bros Hernandez, women in comics generally looked (and behaved) like missile-breasted men. Maybe with swords. In Jaime and Gilbert's world, the wild and rebellious chicas grew fat, got bad haircuts, died, formed punk bands, joined gangs, went on drunken rampages and dated masked mexican wrestlers. You know, just like real-life. Only drawn better. And I mean MUCH better - Jaime H is hands-down the best illustrator of women alive. Probably.
(Oops, I'll stop now - apologies to Miller, Mills, Moore, Milligan, Hewlett, Bisley, Morrison, Gaiman, McKean and everyone else I've left out.)

In fact, it's not hard to see why I'm a fan of your work, Jesse - you have similarly identifiable and endearingly fallible characters - and that beautifully crisp and economical line that I've never quite been able to master.

Okay, okay - I'm leaving already... :)

Billy said...

Congratulations on your blog´s anniversary and also on your work, although I still have enough to browse and be entertained for a while.

I love "Liniers" and his humour (http://macanudoliniers.blogspot.com/)

Anonymous said...

I love Calvin and Hobbes also watchmen, and dc comics' superman and batman!!! would like to read this one : )

lc_intocable (at)yahoo.com

ren said...

my absolutely favoritest comic ever is "good-bye chunky rice" by craig thompson. it's beautiful, brilliant, sad and happy all at the same time. just go get it.

sewkalico said...

I'd love to read your book, but can't think of a comic that I can recommend. I don't get out much LOL. Congrats on such great reviews!

AMCSviatko said...

Apart from yours, of course? :-)

I loved Larson and still miss his day per page desk calendars. And I used to me majorly addicted to Groo by Sergio Aragones. In fact I still have a Groo bookmark which is in the book I'm reading right now...

karrie said...

I am a nerd... My favorite is xkcd

Denise Kiggan said...

Congrats on 2 years! Quite an accomplishment!
This whole comic thing is quite new to me. The last time I really read comics was as I was growing up - Archie, Casper the Friendly Ghost, etc.!

Anonymous said...

Hi Jesse. I would really love to read your book! My favorie comic when I was a kid was "Ziggy". I haven't seen it around much lately but his forlorn look and silly observations always make me giggle.

Sonya said...

I have a soft spot for Maus and also Lynda Barry's 100 Hundred Demons.