Studs Terkel's Working: A Graphic Adaptation - Softcover

Pekar, Harvey

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1595583211 ISBN 13: 9781595583215

Publisher: The New Press, 2009

Synopsis

"Working has been a book, a radio drama, a Broadway musical, and now a gripping graphic novel. I can't speak for Studs, but I suspect he would have been tickled to see it adapted by a former government file clerk and wage slave, who knows all about working." --Roger Ebert

In the thirty-five years since Pulitzer Prize-winner Studs Terkel's Working was first published, it has captivated millions of readers with lyrical and heartbreaking accounts of how their fellow citizens earn a living. Widely regarded as a masterpiece of words, it is now adapted into comic book form by comics legend Harvey Pekar, the blue-collar antihero of his American Book Award-winning comics series American Splendor.

In Studs Terkel's Working, Pekar offers a brilliant visual adaptation of Terkel's verbatim interviews, collaborating with both established comics veterans and some of the comic underground's brightest new talent. Here are riveting accounts of the lives of ordinary Americans--farmers, miners, barbers, hookers, box boys, stockbrokers--depicted with unsurpassed dignity and frankness. A visual treat with a visceral impact, Studs Terkel's Working will delight Terkel fans everywhere, and introduce his most powerful work to a new generation.

About this title

About the Author

Harvey Pekar is a comic book writer and author of the autobiographical American Splendor series, which was adapted into an Academy Award-nominated film. He lives in Cleveland, Ohio.

Paul Buhle is a senior lecturer at Brown University and editor of several books of comic art, including A Dangerous Woman, Students for a Democratic Society, and A People's History of American Empire. He lives in Providence, Rhode Island.

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. Pekar (American Splendor; Our Cancer Year) adapts Terkel's masterpiece of oral history in this loving tribute. Working features various artists, including Sharon Rudahl (A Dangerous Woman: the Graphic Biography of Emma Goldman), Terry LaBan (Edge City) and frequent Pekar collaborator Gary Dumm (Students for a Democratic Society: A Graphic History). Though several of Pekar's colleagues have connections with the labor movement or activism, this volume does not push a particular political or social agenda. It simply adds dimension to Terkel's original, illustrating the daily concerns of working men and women. As is typical in collections, some of the pieces are stunning, while others merely adapt the story. Two standouts are Jack Spiegel: Organizer and David Reed Glover: Stockbroker, perfectly illustrated by Peter Gullerud and Pablo G. Callejo, respectively; Gollerud's stark woodcuts recall the art of the labor movement, while Callejo's meticulous detail and use of shading reflect the claustrophobia of a desk job. This collection will capture the interest of Pekar fans and Terkel aficionados alike, particularly in light of Terkel's death last year. (May)
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Edition details

• Publisher: The New Press
• Publication date: 2009
• ISBN 10: 1595583211
• ISBN 13: 9781595583215
• Binding: Paperback
• Language: English
• Number of pages: 208
• Editor: Buhle Paul