Staff Pick
Fante Bukowski is the self-declared creative genius most of us know much too well. In fact, he may even be us. Or at least, he may be me. I'm laughing with him, I promise, not at him. This complete collection of the Fante Bukowski comics by Noah Van Sciver is both a pain and a pleasure to read. Recommended By Doug C., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
Synopsis
Living in a beat-up motel and consorting with the downtrodden as well as the mid-level literati, Fante Bukowski must overcome great obstacles -- a love interest turned rival, ghostwriting a teen celebrity's memoirs, no actual talent -- to gain the respect and adoration from critics and, more importantly, his father. Van Sciver has created a scathing, hilarious, and empathetic character study of a self-styled author determined that he's just one more poem (or drink) away from success.
This expanded edition includes a foreword by novelist Ryan Boudinot (Blueprints of the Afterlife), a facsimile reproduction of Bukowski's literary debut, 6 Poems (thought lost to time in the wake of a motel fire that destroyed the entire original print run), a "Works Cited" section, and a selection of "visual tributes" by over two dozen cartoonists including Nina Bunjevac, Simon Hanselmann, Jesse Jacobs, Ed Piskor, Leslie Stein, and others.