Synopses & Reviews
THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER!
From the subway to the skyscraper, from Manhattan's financial district to the Long Island suburbs, every inch of New York tells the story of one man's mind: Robert Moses, the architect who designed it all. Now, in Pierre Christin and Olivier Balez's new graphic biography, the rest of Robert's story will be told.
Review
"The artwork by Balez (Le chanteur sans nom) is stunning, not only in the intricate cityscapes but in the complementary blue-orange color palate. Christin never lets the biography stay too long in a single narrative mode, moving back and forth from exposition to dialogue. Nor does the book skirt some of the more troubling aspects of Moses' attitudes toward urban renewal. It's a gorgeous primer in the history of New York's urban planning." Publishers Weekly
Review
"Robert Moses: The Master Builder of New York City, from Nobrow Press, is an unqualified success; toss in the gorgeous artwork and carefully crafted story, and it transcends just about any biography, graphic or not, that you're likely to read this year....What makes this particular graphic novel so successful is that every action, from his questionable liaisons with pop singers at Jones Beach, to his triumphs of helping the poor, are illustrated in a beautiful, colorful style that is filtered through a nostalgic haze. Because of Balez's technique, everything looks like a tranquil memory...the book is a great introduction to Moses for those that aren't familiar with his story, and a beautifully illustrated one at that." Multiversity
Review
"Robert Moses: The Master Builder of New York City, Pierre Christin and Olivier Balez chronicle this almost Randian figure in architecture and urban planning, who was driven to re-shape New York into his global vision. But some of his colossal proposals would overstep the mark, such as the 10-lane Lower Manhattan Expressway, successfully opposed by activist Jane Jacobs. Christin and Balez note that while Jacobs is commemorated with a day in her honour, Moses's name remains obscure to many; their insightful portrait should help to correct that." Paul Gravett, The Independent
Synopsis
The achievements of one man changed the the face of an entire city. Robert Moses: the mastermind of New York.
About the Author
Pierre Christin was born at Saint-Mandé in 1938. In addition to the ongoing Valerian series, Christin has written several other comics one-shots, including The City That Didn't Exist, The Black Order Brigade and The Hunting Party, all illustrated by Enki Bilal. Among the many European comics artist he has collaborated with are Enki Bilal, Jacques Tardi, Alexis, Raymond Poïvet, Jijé, Annie Goetzinger, Daniel Ceppi, and François Boucq. He has also written screenplays and science-fiction novels. This is his first colloboration with Olivier Balez.
Olivier Balez is a longtime comics artist and children's book illustrator who resides in Chile, following years of study around the world. He has illustrated work in virtually every genre of comics, colloborating with Florence DeCamp, Eric Corbeyran, and Pascale Fonteneau, among many others.