A burned-out superhero comic artist goes on an adventure that spans time and space―with two female companions.
Acclaimed cartoonist Dylan Horrocks returns with a long-awaited new graphic novel, the first since his perennial classic, 1998’s Hicksville. Cartoonist Sam Zabel hasn’t drawn a comic in years. Stuck in a nightmare of creative block and despair, Sam spends his days writing superhero stories for a large American comics publisher and staring at a blank piece of paper, unable to draw a single line. Then one day he finds a mysterious old comic book set on Mars and is suddenly thrown headlong into a wild, fantastic journey through centuries of comics, stories, and imaginary worlds. Accompanied by a young webcomic creator named Alice and an enigmatic schoolgirl with rocket boots and a bag full of comics, Sam goes in search of the Magic Pen, encountering sex-crazed aliens, medieval monks, pirates, pixies and ― of course ― cartoonists. Funny, erotic, and thoughtful, Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen explores the pleasures, dangers, and moral consequences of fantasy. Full color"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Dylan Horrocks lives in New Zealand with his wife and two sons. He is the author of the award-winning graphic novel Hicksville and the comic book series Pickle and Atlas, and has also written for DC Comics and Vertigo, including Hunter: the Age of Magic and Batgirl.
“This book is necessary for anyone paralyzed even a bit by the creative/spiritual confusion of the digital age. Horrocks explores the role and responsibility of storytelling, juggling genres, fiddling with the mechanics of the comics form, and reclaiming the sense of magic that once reigned the medium -- a playfulness contagious for the reader. Like his Hicksville, a must have in every library.”
- Craig Thompson (Blankets, Habibi)
“Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen is a coming-of-age story for the fantasies of our past and a joyful bear hug for the storytellers of our future. An effortless, magical read from front to back.”
- Scott McCloud (Understanding Comics, The Sculptor)
“Horrocks’ intelligence and crisp, colorful Tintin-esque art combine in an offbeat, incisive, and entertaining critique of classic comic tropes.”
- Ray Olson, Booklist
“...[A] thoughtful, layered graphic novel... The result is sublime: a breezy-reading rumination on the promise and the problems inherent in graphic novels’ complicated history, and the power the creator holds in shaping the medium’s future.”
- Aaron Ragan-Fore, Eugene Weekly
“Zabel embarks on a journey... [that] transcends the classic cautionary 'be careful what you wish for' tale, reflecting on gender politics in comics and how they intersect with fantasy.”
- Hillary Brown, Paste
“Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen is, like Hicksville, a meta-comic, a story about what it means to construct and share fictions made out of panels, captions, pictures and words; like Hicksville, it presents a secret history of what comics could or should have been. ... Sam Zabel is, mostly, a thoughtful delight, a celebration of Horrocks’s chosen medium, with powerful supporting characters helpfully present to save the day...”
- Stephen Burt, Rain Taxi
“It may sound very cerebral, but the energy and excitement of the storytelling makes Sam’s artistically enlightening experience a thrilling adventure for the reader. ...[T]his graphic novel looks at how erotic imagery produced through the male gaze has evolved over the past century, but it never lets the intellectual elements get in the way of the fun. And this book is a LOT of fun... Sam Zabel And The Magic Pen may contain nudity and (not particularly graphic) sexual content, but it’s a great title for teen readers, offering valuable insights about the process of creation and the artist’s ability to challenge or reinforce social ideals.”
- Oliver Sava, The A.V. Club
“More Calvino than Borges... The story moves vertiginously between fantasy worlds, as Horrocks stages confrontations between comics’ pulpy and frequently sexist past, and the more female-friendly webcomics and manga of present-day practice. ...[T]he book’s real achievement is in the way it manages to be both besotted and furious with cartooning’s speckled history – plus be newly impassioned about the future of comics.”
- Sean Rogers, The Globe and Mail
“Rampant self-doubt and other real-world obstacles so often encountered by creative types temper the vintage sci-fi weirdness in Sam Zabel and the Magic Pen. ...[I]n artful page layouts and a well-built framework for his observations, Horrocks’ deep love for comics is... apparent in Sam Zabel.”
- Dominic Umile, Washington City Paper
“...[W]onderful, and there’s nowhere near enough Dylan Horrocks work in the world.”
- Kurt Busiek (Astro City, The Autumnlands)
"About this title" may belong to another edition of this title.
Shipping:
FREE
Within U.S.A.
Shipping:
US$ 3.50
Within U.S.A.
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in clean, average condition without any missing pages. Seller Inventory # 10882060-75
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Better World Books, Mishawaka, IN, U.S.A.
Condition: Very Good. Former library book; may include library markings. Used book that is in excellent condition. May show signs of wear or have minor defects. Seller Inventory # 13558518-6
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: ThriftBooks-Dallas, Dallas, TX, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Good. No Jacket. Former library book; Pages can have notes/highlighting. Spine may show signs of wear. ~ ThriftBooks: Read More, Spend Less 1.8. Seller Inventory # G1606997904I3N10
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: St Vincent de Paul of Lane County, Eugene, OR, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. THIS IS AN EX -- LIBRARY BOOK BUT STILL IN GOOD CONDITION!!! Former Library book. Hardcover This item shows wear from consistent use but remains in good readable condition. It may have marks on or in it, and may show other signs of previous use or shelf wear. May have minor creases or signs of wear on dust jacket. Packed with care, shipped promptly. Seller Inventory # 2HH-04-1143
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Book Deals, Tucson, AZ, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. Good condition. This is the average used book, that has all pages or leaves present, but may include writing. Book may be ex-library with stamps and stickers. 1.85. Seller Inventory # 353-1606997904-gdd
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Book Deals, Tucson, AZ, U.S.A.
Condition: Fine. Like New condition. Great condition, but not exactly fully crisp. The book may have been opened and read, but there are no defects to the book, jacket or pages. 1.85. Seller Inventory # 353-1606997904-lkn
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Goodwill Industries of VSB, Oxnard, CA, U.S.A.
Condition: Good. The book is nice and 100% readable, but the book has visible wear which may include stains, scuffs, scratches, folded edges, sticker glue, highlighting, notes, and worn corners. Seller Inventory # 4JQO8Z004P5Z
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Books End Bookshop, Syracuse, NY, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. Slight supine, corners bumped. Seller Inventory # 1035281
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: EdmondDantes Bookseller, Minneapolis, MN, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: Very Good. NOT X-Library. Hardcover (no Dust Jacket, as published) with only minor reading wear; book is clean, unmarked. In stock. Ships from MN, USA. Seller Inventory # 015923
Quantity: 1 available
Seller: Wizard Books, Long Beach, CA, U.S.A.
Hardcover. Condition: new. New. Seller Inventory # Wizard1606997904
Quantity: 1 available