Synopses & Reviews
Eleanor Davis's is the artist's first collection of graphic/literary short stories. Davis is one of the finest cartoonists of her generation, and has been producing comics since the mid-2000s. represents the best stories she's drawn for such curatorial venues as and No-Brow, as well as her own self-publishing and web efforts. Davis achieves a rare, subtle poignancy in her narratives that are at once compelling and elusive, pregnant with mystery and a deeply satisfying emotional resonance. Happy shows the full range of Davis's graphic skills -- sketchy drawing, polished pen and ink line work, and meticulously designed full color painted panels-- which are always in the service of a narrative that builds to a quietly devastating climax.
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"Imaginative and funny and fanciful, but its also very thoroughly worked out. Shes not afraid to be clear." Françoise Mouly
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"Daviss short comics have been Tumblr favorites for her artistic style mixing classic illustrative techniques with unsettling observations and sexuality. This first print collection of her stories promises no less." Publishers Weekly
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"You will not find many more beautiful books released this year. Though the individual stories themselves may seem small and even translucent to the touch, the sum is something far greater than the parts. After you've read it once, you'll find yourself revisiting these stories many times. The art is pretty and the stories are sad, but the effect is nothing less than a complete affirmation." NPR Books
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"...[] is an inspired and inspiring collection of short work clearly establishing Davis as a leading cartoonist of the Tumblr era.... Davis' clever and sometimes jaw-droppingly beautiful artwork makes [these] stories feel real." Tim O'Neil The A.V. Club
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"Sad or happy, Davis is one of the greats. So is this book." Dan Kois Slate
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"Lies! Deceit and rank mendacity! Eleanor Davis promises what current pop music insists is perfectly possible -- that you can be happy -- and then she doesn't deliver. Instead she draws comics full of hilarious surrealism, gut-tugging tropes and eloquent despair. How dare she? ... In her roundabout way, she dramatizes not the prospect of happiness, but the promise of it. Her natural territory is found in all the funny and tragic effects of that promise." Carolina A. Miranda Los Angeles Times
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" " Hillary Brown
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"Davis's brightly coloured, melancholic short stories catalogue different approaches to the form -- here a science fiction tale, there a glimpse of suburban young love -- all featuring lost souls desperate for happiness." Douglas Wolk The New York Times
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"Davis is rightfully a rising talent, and one of her greatest gifts is her ability to build narrative momentum. She creates suspense, mystery and come-hither curiosity by never overtipping her artful hand." Sean Rogers The Globe and Mail - The Best Books of 2014
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" " Michael Cavna The Washington Post - Top 10 Graphic Novels of 2014
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"This collection... is impressively varied and emotionally resonant. With images ranging from scratchy black-and-white line drawings to robust images saturated with color, Davis is comfortable in a variety of styles, carefully choosing each one to best fit her tone and mood." Kelly Thompson
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"Eleanor Davis' breakthrough short story collection ... is a gorgeous book filled with exquisite cartooning. Davis switches between styles and subject matter with each story, flitting between melancholy, heartbreak, and nostalgia with a casual virtuosity." Etelka Lehoczky NPR Books
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"Eleanor Davis's stylistic inconsistency is one of her greatest strengths, and , a collection of her short pieces, shows off the breadth of her artistic range. ... Almost all of her characters are casting about for ways to fight off despair... They're doomed to failure, of course, but they keep trying." Tim O'Neil The A.V. Club
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"The success of this collection suggests that short pieces are likely Davis' métier, but what's here is so accomplished that it's natural to hope for a book-length work next time out." Hillary Brown Paste
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"Though Davis' tales can be wildly different in look and narrative, they are united by themes of yearning, of characters searching for the thing that will make their lives better. ...Remarkable ... exquisite ... left me wanting more." Gordon Flagg Booklist
Synopsis
This is the first collection of literary short comics stories by an award-winning cartoonist.
Synopsis
Named one of NPR's and Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2014.
Synopsis
Eleanor Davis'sHow to be Happy is the artist's first collection of graphic/literary short stories. Davis is one of the finest cartoonists of her generation, and has been producing comics since the mid-2000s. Happy represents the best stories she's drawn for such curatorial venues as Mome and No-Brow, as well as her own self-publishing and web efforts. Davis achieves a rare, subtle poignancy in her narratives that are at once compelling and elusive, pregnant with mystery and a deeply satisfying emotional resonance. Happy shows the full range of Davis's graphic skills -- sketchy drawing, polished pen and ink line work, and meticulously designed full color painted panels-- which are always in the service of a narrative that builds to a quietly devastating climax.
Named one of NPR's and Publishers Weekly's Best Books of 2014.
Shortlist, Slate's 2014 Cartoonist Studio Prize for Best Print Comic of the Year
2015 Ignatz Award Winner: Outstanding Anthology or Collection
About the Author
Raised in Tucson, Arizona, Eleanor Davis lives in Athens, Georgia with her husband, the cartoonist Drew Weing.