Syncopated: An Anthology of Nonfiction Picto-Essays

A graphic anthology with a unique hook: Syncopated collects the best in nonfiction by today's most talented graphic artists

From Persepolis to The 9/11 Report: A Graphic Adaptation, the graphic medium has become a popular and provocative platform for nonfiction. This innovative, all-new nonfiction anthology collects powerful memoirs, profiles, and reportage from gifted, up-andcoming creators.

Think of Syncopated as a New Yorker for the comics set: a collection of stimulating, eye-opening pieces on subjects political, historical, artistic, and personal. Syncopated will take readers back in time to the glory days of old Coney Island and introduce them to fascinating personalities: graffiti artists, the inventor of the Dvorak keyboard, and psychologist Erik Eriksen. It will open their eyes to pieces of forgotten history, such as the Tulsa Race Riots of 1921--and to new perspectives on critical current-day issues, such as the interrogation of prisoners at Guantanamo Bay. And it will immerse them in fascinating subcultures, such as the infamous chess players of New York City's Washington Square Park.

Originally self-published to acclaim from comics fans, our relaunch of the Syncopated anthology series--withall-new material--is poised to bring this extraordinary work to a whole new audience.

"The big-label relaunch of the once — self-published Syncopated anthologies ('a New Yorker for the comics set') is a uniformly classy affair with only a few slow moments. As the title suggests, the book collects meaty article presented as comics. Series editor and curator Burford contributes two pieces, one of which might be the book's high point: a study of the life of Boris Rose, who built probably the world's largest collection of live jazz recordings, still locked in storage and most of it never heard by anyone but Rose himself. Alex Holden provides an amazing bit of picto-journalism in 'West Side Improvements,' the story of Manhattan's riverside train tracks and the vibrant graffiti culture that grew in their tunnels. Nick Bertozzi's 'How and Why to Bale Hay' is a somewhat traditional graphical memoir; Greg Cook's 'What We So Quietly Saw' is anything but traditional, using only silhouettes to tell selected stories from inside Guantnamo Bay. Only Dave Kiersh's 'Welcome Home, Brave' fails to fully satisfy, due to a flat narrative. An elegant and smart volume, well worth the space on the collector's shelf." Publishers Weekly (Copyright Reed Business Information, Inc.)

This innovative, all-new nonfiction anthology collects powerful memoirs, profiles, and reportage from gifted, up-and-coming creators.

The stories in Syncopated challenge convention, provide perspective, and search out secret truths–all in the inviting, accessible form of comics.

Syncopated will give you a daringly different view of the past–from the history of vintage postcards to the glory days of old Coney Island. It will immerse you in fascinating subcultures, from the secret world of graffiti artists to the chess champs of Greenwich Village. And it will open your eyes to pieces of forgotten history–for example, the Tulsa race riots of 1921–and to new perspectives on critical current events, such as the interrogation of prisoners at Guantánamo Bay. These “picto-essays” encompass memoir, history, journalism, and biography in varied visual styles–each handpicked by Brendan Burford, one of Americas top editors.

Brendan Burford is the comics editor at King Features Syndicate. He has also been self-publishing the Syncopated anthology series, and the autobiographical series Brendan Comics, since 2002.