Books : Acme Novelty Library #19 (No. 19)
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Binding: Hardcover
Dewey Decimal Number: 741
EAN: 9781897299562
ISBN: 1897299567
Label: Drawn and Quarterly
Manufacturer: Drawn and Quarterly
Number Of Items: 1
Number Of Pages: 80
Publication Date: October 28, 2008
Publisher: Drawn and Quarterly
Release Date: October 28, 2008
Sales Rank: 15900
Studio: Drawn and Quarterly
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Editorial Review:
Product Description:
The penultimate teen issue of the ACME Novelty Library appears this autumn with a new chapter from the electrifying experimental narrative “Rusty Brown,” which examines the life, work, and teaching techniques of one of its central real-life protagonists, W. K. Brown. A previously marginal figure in the world of speculative fiction, Brown’s widely anthologized first story, “The Seeing Eye Dogs of Mars,” garnered him instant acclaim and the coveted White Dwarf Award for Best New Writer when it first appeared in the pages of Nebulous in the late 1950s, but his star was quickly eclipsed by the rise of such talents as Anton Jones, J. Sterling Imbroglio, and others of the so-called psychovisionary movement. (Modern scholarship concedes, however, that they now owe a not inconsequential aesthetic debt to Brown.) New surprises and discoveries concerning the now legendarily reclusive and increasingly influential writer mark this nineteenth number of the ACME Novelty Library, itself a regular award-winning periodical, lauded for its clear lettering and agreeable coloring, which, as any cultured reader knows, are cornerstones of any genuinely serious literary effort. Full color, seventy-eight pages, with hardbound covers, full indicia, and glue, the ACME Novelty Library offers its readers a satisfying, if not thrilling, rocket ride into the world of unkempt imagination and pulse-pounding excitement.
Average Rating: 
Rating:  -
The first half is one of the best things I've ever read, the second is old hat for Ware, but who cares. He draws like dynamite.
Rating:  -
Make no mistake. I love Chris Ware. When a new Acme Novelty Library comes out, I order it ASAP.
The art is staggeringly gorgeous and graphic design is impeccable.
But it's getting to the point that the drudgery of making it through the narrative of character's failed dreams and sexual obsessions is wearing a bit thin for me.
Not to say that the story is badly written by any means...the parallels between the main character's sci-fi story and what was happening in his real life was wonderfully plotted out. The overlapping symmetry and reoccurring symbolism was great.
But for the love of mike... I'd love to just get a straight-forward FUN story outta Mr. Ware sometime.
Just one.
Rating: -
Another beautiful, strange, achingly sad work by Chris Ware. It is apparently a speculative story about a science fiction writer whose best-known story, "The Seeing Eye Dogs of Mars," is superbly illustrated at the beginning, seamlessly evolving into a reverie of the first very screwed-up "romance" of it's creator, the father of recurring Ware character Rusty Brown. W.F. "Woody" Brown was first seen as the depressed English teacher in #16 and #17, and the backwards chronology now explains his fascination with schoolgirl Alice White. As another reviewer noted, I believe that this Ware fellow is up to something really big and really amazing when all 52 or whatever volumes are completed.
Rating: -
Reading "Jimmy Corrigan: The Smartest Kid on Earth" reawakened the thrill of discovery that I felt when I first read Joyce's Finnegan's Wake. This book reminded me of the joys of reading the short stories of John Updike. Both are about perfect.
Rating: -
Chris Ware's recent output of work is no doubt his most impressive. Sadly this won't be recognized for a few years. It won't be until these chunks of story that comprise the last few Acme Novelty installments are collected and released in their full form that it will be clear what he is up to. The two books on the horizon are "Building Stories" (a piece of which makes up Acme Novelty Library #18) and "Rusty Brown" which has had now three releases, numbers 16, 17 and now 19.
Rusty Brown himself makes nary an appearance in this volume as the focus is placed instead on Rusty Brown's father, minor science fiction writer W.K. Brown. The work is segmented into two halves, the first being an illustration of one of Brown's science fiction stories, a gripping piece called "The Seeing Eye-Dogs of Mars". There is something very satisfying about seeing Ware tackle science fiction. His art style isn't the most obvious for the genre but the two compliment each other surprisingly well. The novel then progresses into more traditional territory for Ware (which is not to say it isn't emotionally effecting, well observed, and masterfully composed, because it is) and it has the advantage of reflecting back on the opening section. As usual with Ware the book itself is beautifully assembled. Chris Ware is growing leaps and bounds as an artist because he has not lost anything that made his early work special yet has increased his scope as a writer and continues to invent with the form. With each ... Read More
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