The Anchorage Press 'Enshrines' MUSH! . . .in the Outhouse!

In his review of MUSH!, Anchorage Press writer Jamie Smith exclaims,

This book should be enshrined in the outhouse as required and repeat reading

For a book like MUSH, I'm not sure there's much higher of a compliment than that! He also had many nice things to say about the book's refreshing take on talking animal comics and its authentic depiction of mushing. Jamie also talks at length about the art. Unlike most reviewers, Jamie brings a great deal of comics related experience to the table. He's taught comics and comic art at the University of Alaska as well as being a comics creator in his own right. His weekly cartoon, Nuggets, has appeared in the Anchorage Press and Fairbanks Daily News-Miner since 1988. In talking about the art for MUSH! he had this to say,

Infurnari’s artwork here is exceptional—his loose, sketchy linework using a Japanese manga quill pen lends a spontaneity to the drawings that thoroughly suits the subject matter

I could continue to quote this piece but I think it best for you to read it in its entirety here.

**Jamie Smith has also written an extended, 'redux' version of this review on his own blog, Ink and Snow. That review is available here.

It was a pleasure talking about MUSH with Jamie who brings a rare enthusiasm for the medium informed by decades of experience creating comics. Please go take a look at the review and while you're at it, go take a look at this nice gallery of Nuggets and other work by him.

Thanks!

Marathon Awarded a Kirkus Star!

Kirkus book reviews proudly claims to be the "world's toughest book critics." It's for that reason that I'm so excited that Marathon by Boaz Yakin and I has recently been awarded their highest honor…the Kirkus star review.

Infurnari fills patchwork panels with glimpses of rugged faces, slashing swords and jumbles of martial action with “KLAK” “CHK!” sound effects. Yakin draws from ancient historical and legendary sources but adds invented incidents to round out Eucles’ character and elevated dialogue to heighten the epic atmosphere: “The gods have laid a feast both bitter and sweet before me.”

Marathon hits bookstores and comics retailers June 19th.

Time Fucker in "I'm Taking this Laying Down!" Pt 2 Now at TripCity

I've been remiss in posting here about the latest updates of Time Fucker. Last thursday saw the second installment with the penultimate third arriving tomorrow. For those who didn't get in on the ground floor (let's get real people this is seriously basement quality humor) the first installment is available here.

MARATHON included in School Library Journal Spring GN Selections

Brigid Alverson, writing for the School Library Journal, has included MARATHON as one of it's Spring Graphic Novel recommendations. Here's the skinny:

YAKIN, Boaz. Marathon. Illustrated by Joe Infurnari. First Second. June 2012. pap. $16.99. ISBN 9781596436800.

Gr 7 Up—Yakin tells the story of the first marathon runner, a former slave who carried vital messages between the rulers of Athens and Sparta before and during the Battle of Marathon. Although recommended for ages 12 up, this book has some violence and a (tasteful) bedroom scene that might make it inappropriate for some readers.

Marathon hits stores June 19th, 2012.

Robot 6 Loves MUSH! Sled Dogs with Issues!

Robot 6, one of the blogs over at Comic Book Resources, has a regular feature by Tim O'Shea called Talking Comics with Tim. In the latest installment, Tim talks to Glenn Eichler and myself about MUSH! Sled Dogs with Issues. More interview than review, it's an interesting piece and I encourage you all to go read me wax rhapsodic or rap idiotic depending on your point of view. Here's a little taste…

O’Shea: Question for the both of you, there appear to be metaphorical fences in this book (between people and between the dogs), in addition to the physical fences. Would you agree?

Infurnari: When I read the script, I was reminded of how in art and literature natural landscapes have often represented the depths of the human psyche. There’s something about the dark bottomless fathoms of the oceans, the mysteries of the forest or the wide open expanses of sand or snow that spark our imaginations. In Mush!, the barren isolation of the Alaskan landscape sets the scene for a story about the dogs’ psychological state and ultimately our own interior lives as readers. The fences in this story are boundaries preventing the dogs from being out in the open on a run where they are most happy. The trail is their bliss and the fences that keep them from it mark the breeding area of their issues.

Eichler: Well, definitely. No one can ever know or meld with another person (or dog) entirely, and the isolation in which they all live just throws those differences into brighter relief. But that same isolation also creates fences that enclose the people and the dogs, forcing them together because they really can’t get away from each other. I’m saying the book has a lot of fences. It’s best to read it with a pair of wire cutters.

O’Shea: Glenn, not to get bogged down in details, but naming one’s dog is often a challenge. You really did a good job of naming the team of dogs in this story, did that come to you quite easily as you developed the characters or was it challenging with certain characters?

Eichler: I hate naming characters as a general rule, but I tried for a mix of the silliness and anthropomorphism often found in the names that real people give their real dogs. I also wanted to touch on the way people will give their puppies names that turn out to be either perfectly descriptive of their adult personalities, or utterly wrong.

O’Shea: Glenn (from the book’s acknowledgements you thank the dogs “who talk to him when he sleeps”) how long have you heard the dogs talking to you?

Eichler: I didn’t write that. The dog dictated it.

To read interview in its entirety, click here.

MUSH! is HUGE in Singapore!

You'll have to forgive my overly histrionic title but when Nicholas Yong, journalist for the Singapore Straits Times writes such a lovely review for MUSH! Sled Dogs with Issues, I can't help but get a little excited. The book is available there through Books Kinokuniya. Here's the review in full:

Guy is going after team leader Dolly’s job. Buddy is lusting after Venus, who is not interested. And all Winston wants is a bit of respect, while nobody knows what Fiddler wants.

The dog-eat-dog world comes to life in this wry, offbeat tale of six sled dogs and their two owners in the remote Alaskan frost.

All six pooches have clearly defined personalities and all just want the boss to hitch them to his sled and take them on a run. As Fiddler, a mixed-breed Alaskan Husky, gloomily puts it: “Not much point being alive if we don’t run.” Much of the fun of the story lies in watching the dogs interact between the longed-for runs: These mutts are as flawed as their owners, plagued by ambition, self-doubt and self-absorption.

The outspoken, caustic Dolly, a gorgeous Seppal Siberian sled dog, gets the best lines. In response to Fiddler’s remark about a sled dog who does not run, she says: “The meaning of that dog’s life is, he should be a cat.”

There are also plenty of laughs at the expense of the hapless Buddy, a Greenland dog, whose lust for Dolly is the very definition of, erm, puppy love. He is too dense to tell that she is indifferent to him, although the owners have mated the two several times.

Infurnari’s frenetic, almost cartoonish visuals complement Eichler’s acerbic wit perfectly and make the dogs particularly expressive. The human characters almost pale in comparison.

Dog owners Frank and Patty have their own issues. Frank is determined to disavow human society, declaring that “my dogs care about me more than they do”. Exasperated, Patty has the perfect comeback: “How loving do you think your precious dogs would be if you didn’t control their food?”

There is a strange irony in seeing humans, who consider themselves highly evolved, and dogs, supposedly their best friends, bickering over the same things. Frank might as well be talking about people when he says of the dogs: “They’re never more than one bite away from backsliding into wildness.”

At the end of this charming, enjoyable tale, Frank and Patty face the same issue as the dogs: They just have to learn to get along and work together if they want to survive.

Thanks go to Nicholas Yong for contacting me and bringing this to my attention.

Stephen Colbert Loves MUSH! Sled Dogs with Issues!

On last night's Colbert Report, Stephen had a brief segment about MUSH! Sled Dogs with Issues! This is one of the coolest things EVER! He actually pronounced my name correctly, too! Here's a link to the full episode. Mush is featured at around 20:00. Enjoy!

http://www.colbertnation.com/full-episodes/tue-december-6-2011-the-black-keys

Thanks, Stephen!

Paul Gravett Reviews MUSH!

In his online series, PG Reviews, Paul Gravett looks ahead to some notable December releases including MUSH! Sled Dogs with Issues! He gives a lowdown on what the publisher, First Second, had to say about the book and then shifts to what he says about the book. Here's a quote,

Lovely design devices for the chapter titles and the skilled layouts that go full bleed and manga-esque in high-drama scenes show a creative team that knows how comics can really work. This is an utterly beguiling and touching dog story and not in the least bit ‘shaggy’! It will whoosh you away and make you want [to] shout out loud, ‘YAPABRA! BLEE DRAY CALLA SCOW!’

I'd say that's pretty good! Thanks for the review, Paul! The full review is available here.