Synopses & Reviews
This graphic biography documents the brief and intense period of creativity Vincent van Gogh (1853andndash;1890) spent in Arles, Provence, in southern France. Here van Gogh dreams of setting up an artistsandrsquo; studioandmdash;a haven where he and his friends can paint together. But attacks of mental illness leave the painter confused and disoriented. When his friend and fellow artist Paul Gauguin refuses to reside permanently at the Yellow House, a distraught van Gogh cuts off part of his own ear. Throughout this period of intense emotion and hardship, Vincentandrsquo;s brother Theo stands by him, offering constant and unconditional support. Writer and illustrator Barbara Stok breathes riveting new life into a fascinating episode of art history, creating a vivid portrait of one of the worldandrsquo;s most beloved and legendary artists.
Praise for Vincent:
andquot;Stylistically, Stok is almost faultless... [Vincent] leaves us aware of a small breath of fresh air blown into the world of art historyandquot;and#160;The Times Literary Supplement
and#160;
andquot;Stok does a brilliant, sympathetic job of picturing the artist, whether jagged with madness or sitting amid the wheat fields and sunflowers of Arlesandquot;and#160;The Guardian
Review
"These images capture with remarkable sensitivity the essence of Feynmans character. The comic-book picture somehow comes to life and speaks with the voice of the real Feynman.” -- Freeman Dyson, The New York Review of Books "Spectacular.” -- The Horn Book, starred review "...a penetrating and insightful biography" --Washington Independent Review of Books "Challenging and thought-provoking" --VOYA review
Review
andldquo;Stok has drawn an emotional, informative, and inspirational biography for artists and art lovers everywhere. Fantastic.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;While approximating Van Gogh, she sticks to her own elemental, comic stripandndash;like style that suggests both a simplified Tintin and a more complicated Peanuts.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;This inventive art biography eschews the usual visual cliches and brings its subject into a sharp and sympathetic focus.andrdquo;
Review
andldquo;Ms. Stokandrsquo;s story of Van Gogh goes to dark places, following the artistandrsquo;s obsessive work ethic and manic outbursts into a clear psychotic episode.andrdquo;
Synopsis
Richard Feynman: physicist . . . Nobel winner . . . bestselling author . . . safe-cracker.
In this substantial graphic novel biography, First Second presents the larger-than-life exploits of Nobel-winning quantum physicist, adventurer, musician, world-class raconteur, and one of the greatest minds of the twentieth century: Richard Feynman. Written by nonfiction comics mainstay Jim Ottaviani and brilliantly illustrated by First Second author Leland Myrick, Feynman tells the story of the great mans life from his childhood in Long Island to his work on the Manhattan Project and the Challenger disaster. Ottaviani tackles the bad with the good, leaving the reader delighted by Feynmans exuberant life and staggered at the loss humanity suffered with his death.
Anyone who ever wanted to know more about Richard P. Feynman, quantum electrodynamics, the fine art of the bongo drums, the outrageously obscure nation of Tuva, or the development and popularization of the field of physics in the United States need look no further than this rich and joyful work. One of School Library Journals Best Adult Books 4 Teens titles of 2011 One of Horn Books Best Nonfiction Books of 2011
About the Author
JIM OTTAVIANI (
Feynman,
Primates) is the worlds preeminent writer of comics and graphic novels about science. Notable works include a biography of Niels Bohr and the fast-paced tale of the desperate lives of early paleontologists and
T-Minus: The Race to the Moon, from Aladdin books. He has worked as a nuclear engineer and is currently employed as a reference librarian in Ann Arbor, Michigan.
LELAND MYRICK (Feynman, Missouri Boy) is the Ignatz Award- and Harvey Award-nominated author and illustrator of The Sweet Collection and Bright Elegy. His writing and illustrations have appeared in publications as diverse as Dark Horse Comics, GQ Japan and Vogue Russia. He grew up in Missouri, a place that has inspired much of his poetry and art, and he now lives in Pasadena, California, with his wife and daughter.