Synopses & Reviews
The Infinite Wait and Other Stories is not a sustained narrative, but rather a collection of three short stories. The stories in this collection contain Julia Wertz's signature acerbic wit, ribald humor, and keen eye for the everyday, but they also find the cartoonist delving more deeply into the personal.
Review
Nominated for the Will Eisner Comic Industry Award for Best Reality-Based Workand#147;Infinite Wait, even if lyrically titled, has everything to do with the continuum of health, illness, relapse, life and love; its take on Lupus (as well as addiction) is granular. Follow her lead, read, write-draw your own story (or help others to do so), and youand#8217;ll take your life back from labs, meds, insurance denials and TV commercial cures, and start to live again.and#8221; and#151; Andrew Schechterman, Graphic Medicine
and#147;Each story features outrageous, insightful and painfully honest tales from various chapters of her life. Though currently spending much of her time photographing abandoned urban sites, Wertzand#8217;s future in comics remains blindingly bright, evidenced by this fine, must-have collection.and#8221; and#151; Richard Pachter, Miami Herald
and#147;With drawings that appear simple and child-like, Wertz disarmed me, and drew me into a story that is both sardonic and poignant. Sheand#8217;ll probably hate that description!and#8221; and#151; Jeff Smith, author of Bone and RASL
and#147;I love the cute rubbery way she [Julia Wertz] draws, which belies her candor and her dark dark humor.and#8221; and#151;and#160;Ellen Forney, author ofand#160;Marbles: Mania, Depression, Michelangelo, and Meand#160;(Gotham Books, 2012)
and#147;Her [Wertzand#8217;s] previous books had me snorting with laughter about every other page; this one is no different. In this collection of short stories, it's easy to go for laughs when describing your long history of bad jobs, not so easy to get at the funnybone when discussing being diagnosed with lupus when you are just twenty years old.and#8221; and#151; Cynthia Clark Harvey, Phoenix New Times
and#147;Wertzand#8217;s sassy sense of humor was an absolute riot to read, for even during the more serious situations she still remained her usual self. Highly relatable if youand#8217;re just entering into your 20and#8217;s, enjoy your booze, or if youand#8217;ve ever had to work in the food industry, for it sucks. A lot.and#8221; and#151; Cameron Hatheway, Bleeding Cool
and#147;Wertz has a sarcastic, funny quip for every situation she finds herself in. There used to be a feature in MAD Magazine when I was a kid called and#147;Snappy Answers to Stupid Questions.and#8221; The Infinite Wait reads like and#147;Snappy Answers to Stupid Questionsand#8221; with a plot.and#8221;- Robert Boyd, The Great God Pan is Dead
and#147;With an internal gaze thatand#8217;s unflinching and unforgiving, Wertz blows all comers out of the water. Her honesty is searing, caustic, strengthening and yet not without fear. Her truths are coated in an equally zingy humour, a cloak that makes them less scary and more manageable.and#8221; and#150; Zainab Akhtar, The Comics Beat
and#147;Wertz has shown us her drunken side, but has never talked about her battle with Systemic Lupus like she does here in both a heart-wrenching and heart-warming way. While one of her more serious works, itand#8217;s still told with that great sense of humor weand#8217;ve all come to love. She just gets better and better!and#8221; - Jimmy Aquino, Boing Boing
and#147;Wertz has grown by leaps and bounds into one of comicsand#8217; best memoirists and funniest writers, and one gets the sense that the best is yet to come from herand#133; By going over old territory with new insights, Wertz not only makes those older books better in light of what is revealed here, she has also crafted a moving and funny new work thatand#8217;s the best of her career to date.and#8221; and#150; Rob Clough, The Comics Journal
and#147;The Infinite Wait is a welcome leap forward for her [Julia Wertzand#8217;s] storytelling skills, a book full of the small moments in life and the big fears as well.and#8221; - Kiel Phegley, Comic Book Resources
Synopsis
These are comics filled with the sometimes messy, heartbreaking and hilarious moments that make up a life.
About the Author
Julia Wertz was born in the San Francisco bay area in 1982. She is the author/illustrator of the unfortunately titled autobiographical graphic novels The Fart Party vol 1 and vol 2, Drinking at the Movies and The Infinite Wait and Other Stories. She currently lives in Brooklyn, NY and makes comics at Pizza Island (RIP). Her work appears in absolutely no other publications and sheand#8217;s an irregular contributor to twitter.