It’s an amazing concept and one that’s executed pretty much flawlessly. I started leafing through the book during the middle of the night right before bed and ended up reading the entire thing, captivated by each and every page.

Read the rest!

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I got a wonderful, smile-inducing email from Christy Lockstein which led me to this review.

I know you probably hear graphic novel and think: comic book, superheroes, men in tights, gore, geeks, teenagers. While that may be true of many, this one sets the golden standard to be something better.

Go check it out!

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Like the rest of the titles reviewed here, Postcards travels far and wide but ends up getting you right where you live.

Read the rest!

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...any introduction to the work of cartoonists Phil Hester or Tom Beland is something worth writing home about.

Read the rest!

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The variety and unexpected subject matter of these stories gives the book great strength. Vintage-style images and stories based on turn-of-the-century ethics, joys, and dilemmas provide a surprising and unique readg experience for both comic fans and readers new to the graphic style.

Read the rest! For those coming over to the site for the first time, the supplements mentioned can be found here and this month's contest can be found here. Last month's contest was a bit different - we'll be switching it up every month.

Labels: postcards, press, review

Edited by Jason Rodriquez, Postcards is a collection of stories inspired by actual vintage postcards gathered from flea markets, antique shops, and second-hand stores. The postcards may be limited a single paragraph of text, but the creators that have contributed to this anthology have allowed their imaginations to fill in the blanks and tell the “true stories that never happened”.

Read the rest...

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From Marty Weil:

After viewing antique postcards, artists pondered the subtext and extrapolated several sentences into complete stories--an interesting concept sure to capture the imagination of any postcard collector or ephemera enthusiast.

From About Heroes:

I honestly can't recommend this book enough to my friends that happen to be teachers, because it really is a wonderful idea that they could use in the classroom.

Labels: postcards, press, review

Visually stunning and poignant, POSTCARDS is an entertaining and eye-opening look into the power of imagination and nostalgia.

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I'd call this one a highlight of the POSTCARDS press. From what I understand, this'll be in the print edition tomorrow, as well. America's number one newspaper. Also, as far as I can tell, this is the first time USA Today is reviewing graphic novels. And they only reviewed four of them in the column. And called them "some of the summer's best offerings."

It's fascinating to see artists' take on, in Rodriguez's words, the turn-of-the-century equivalent of modern-day text messages."

Read the rest. I think this is a Johnnie Blue Review. Going to get a glass now.

Labels: postcards, press, review

A lot of things. Long review, with art. Go check it out.

I’ve been keen to read this book ever since Rodriguez announced it over a year ago. It’s a great idea: he dug up old postcards that had been mailed, sent them to various comics creators, and asked them to come up with a short story based on what was written on the back of the card. What he got was a slew of interesting stories, some of which are brilliant, and great art by a wide variety of people.

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Each story in the anthology starts off with the postcard itself, and a short note from Rodriguez; each story is a small gem of imagination, each a prime example of the art form and its possibilities.

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You have to scroll down a bit but Comics Should Be Good's Greg Burgas comments on the Saturday Comic Relief signing and shows off his autographed copy of POSTCARDS. Also, there was apparently some feud between Greg and Tom Beland that was patched up at the signing.

POSTCARDS: Bringing People Together

It was around five o’clock when I headed over to the Comic Relief pavilion for a signing of Postcards. This anthology features some excellent stories by a host of good creators, and although not all of the stories work perfectly, it’s still a fascinating project. My book was passed around to Antony Johnston, Ande Parks, Matt Kindt, Rick Spears, Rob G, GB Tran, Joseph Bergin III, Jason Copland, and Micah Farritor, as well as Jason Rodriguez, the book’s editor.

Labels: events, postcards, review

Two more POSTCARDS reviews. Las Vegas Weekly:

The obsolescence of postcards (referred to at one point as “turn-of-the-century text messages”) necessitates a certain setting, with many of the stories taking place in the first decade of the 20th century, although there’s a surprising amount of variety from story to story.

And a non-review from Precocious Curmudgeon:

My central problem is that, while I share editor Jason Rodriguez’s fascination with these found objects, my fondness for them comes from a different place. To me, postcards represent the promise of adventure or temporary escape from routine. They’re reminders that there are more interesting places out there waiting to be seen when the day-to-day gets to be too much. No matter what’s written on the back of them, they’re messages from a less mundane place.

Honestly, if every "bad-ish" review was like the one above I'd be very happy. The point of the project has always been to get people thinking and making their own stories. I don't consider a "I would have told different stories" review a bad review - it means the book has people doing what I wanted them to do.

Labels: postcards, review

A touch of voyeurism steeped in Americana, these stories play out like mini-noirs of everyday lives from a bygone era. The artwork sweeps a variety of styles, from traditional comic form to clean spartan lines, rich shading to impressionistic sketchwork.

Check it out!

Labels: postcards, review

A nice little review and event plug on DCist. Chris Klimek says...

The product of this experiment is a morose but thoroughly arresting collection, full of tales of war, disease, homesickness, thwarted love, loneliness and murder. And con men. (Apprently, no one ever sent a postcard in a fit of joy. Or maybe it’s just that happy stories are boring.) Yet the tales are so economically told — and the black-and-white artwork, despite the diversity of styles on display, is so uniformly superb — that you can’t help but be seduced by these vignettes of woe.

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In what is likely one of the coolest honors bestowed upon POSTCARDS so far, we are today's Daily Candy. I think that means POSTCARDS is sexy, chic, and fashionable. So congrats to everyone buying it, you just became hip.

Labels: postcards, press, review

David L. Ulin of the LA Times spends a bit of time talking about POSTCARDS. On the whole I'd call the review lukewarm but there's enough there to get somebody to give it a read and come to their own conclusions.

To develop the project, Rodriguez gathered old antique store postcards and sent them to comics artists with the charge that they use the messages — hellos, bits of information, whispers of longing and regret — as a starting point. At its heart, then, "Postcards" wants us to consider the nature of truth and reality, the way storytelling often has a logic that existence lacks.

Labels: postcards, review

Great review!

'Postcards' is one of those perfect little books that you might well miss in the bookstore. I haven't a clue where it will get shelved, though experience suggests that you'll have to look for it with the graphic novels. But it should be filed with fiction. With non-fiction. Alas, no pigeonhole yet for "good reading".

Labels: postcards, review

Another good review, this time from Bill Baker. It's buried in that column - scroll down to get the whole thing.

I found almost every one of these tales to be at worst very good and interesting, with more than half providing some kind of real entertainment value and food for thought long after the covers were closed. There were a number of standout stories, including the incredibly moving first two tales ["Blue" written by Chris Stevens and illustrated by Gia-Bao Tran, and "Time" by Tom Beland] which sets everything up nicely.

Labels: postcards, review

Marc Mason digs it!

While this doesn’t spring to mind as the most obvious genesis for an anthology, it does prove to be one of the most fruitful. What an amazing piece of work POSTCARDS turns out to be- like with FLIGHT, there isn’t a true whiff in the entire bunch.

Read the rest...

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There's a little piece in the Honolulu Star Bulletin about POSTCARDS today. Gary Chun was nice enough to interview me for it. I think it came out well, although I do want to go on record as saying that we weren't afraid of Harry Potter - the book was delayed a week because production asked for an extra week.

But, beyond that, all good.

Labels: postcards, review

There are so many great pull-quotes in Colleen Mondor's excellent articles for Bookslut entitled "Creative Souls" (featuring POSTCARDS, of course) that I don't even know which one to reproduce here. Here's just one of the many highlights:

As a collection, Postcards offers a wealth of ways in which to analyze, reconsider and dream about your own anonymous postcard, letter or photograph collection, and should be an early choice for any teen interested in writing or drawing. Beyond the typical forms of artistic expression, however, Postcards shows just how dynamically creative people think -- that they are able to transcend the obvious and break free of all conventions.

I suggest you go read the whole piece. Colleen represents the response I hope to get from the majority of people that read the book.

Labels: postcards, press, review

I was doing my morning routine of checking to see who's talking about POSTCARDS when I came across this review by Sabrina Williams. She says...

"It’s far from an optimistic collection, but absolutely thought-provoking. The reader may never look at a postcard the same way again."

I can live with that. Anyway - she's giving away her copy of the book to someone who posts in her comment section by July 9th. So go and post.

Labels: postcards, review

This book will delight browsers and has a place in creative-writing classes, as well as offering supplementary material for American-history students in search of slice-of-life insights.

They say more than that. At the link.

Labels: postcards, review

Rodriguez clearly took care in the writers he chose, and it shows in each scene of every story. Breathing life into lies is the art of the writer, but when these lies have a solid past, something to make them more real than the real of feeling, then there is even more burden. Yet all of these writers have met that challenge. In the crafting of stories that are every bit as believable as they are not, this group has created an experience that matches any found in an antique store.

Read the whole review...

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"...this anthology-with-a-theme should not be missed by those who like their comics in short, punchy and clever doses."

Labels: postcards, review

In their 2007 Graphic Spotlight...

"...The resulting book fills in the blanks with dazzling, poignant tales from both gifted novices and established voices such as Ande Parks, Phillip Hester, Harvey Pekar, and Joyce Brabner."

There's plenty more at the link, I suggest going and checking it out.

Labels: postcards, review

Originally published on May 30th, 2007.

A wonderful review from AICN. I'm not going to post the whole thing, it's quite long, but here's a snippet...

These are intimate, real life stories about lovers and liars, adventurers and cowards, heroes and villains. The time and effort spent in each story is evident. Editor Jason Rodriguez says that postcards were the first forms of text messaging. They were written in code or in-speak, often vague or unclear to anyone except the writer and the person the card was intended for. These snapshots in time were all these writers and artists needed to take off to make this truly memorable graphic novel. If you want to try something new in the indie market, but are afraid to take a chance, try POSTCARDS: TRUE STORIES THAT NEVER HAPPENED. I doubt you will be disappointed.

Click to read the rest...

Labels: postcards, review

Originally published on May 22nd, 2007.

I was going to just cut and paste the review but I need to set this up a bit. Library Journal is a VERY important journal to get a good review in. I was sitting on pins and needles waiting to see what they thought about the book. This isn't the actual journal, yet, but this is a nice indication of what's to come, I'm hoping. Between this review and Kirkus selecting us for their 2007 Graphic Spotlight, I'm feeling damn good about this book.

Ok, onto the review...

Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened. Villard: Random. Jun. 2007. 160p. ed. by Jason Rodriguez. ISBN 978-0-345-49850-2. $21.95. ANTHOL

As the title suggests, the inspiration for each of the graphic short stories in this anthology was one of the antique, used postcards in the editor's collection. Sixteen stories by more than 25 contributors, many with multiple award nominations, provide a wide variety of styles in art and storytelling. Each piece is introduced by Rodriguez with an explanation of his expectations from each postcard and how, more often than not, the artists and writers went above and beyond what he imagined. A number of the stories allow for brief, poignant glimpses into the characters' lives, like an American couple taking refuge in Paris during the Depression; two tic-tac-toe hustlers trying for one more scam; a mother hiding her illness from her playful, young daughter; and an elderly man missing his deceased wife. One lighter adventure is a tongue-in-cheek tribute to the Golden Age of comics starring a superhero known as the Midnight Caller. A collaboration by Harvey Pekar, Joyce Brabner, and Matt Kindt illustrates how a life can be summed up simply in the cards and letters one receives. Readers of the popular Flight volumes will enjoy the anthology format, but Postcards will appeal more to those who lean toward real-life tales like Brian Fies's Mom's Cancer, Alison Bechdel's Fun Home, or Marjane Satrapi's Persepolis. Older teens and adults will appreciate the book's themes and art. In addition to the black-and-white artwork, Postcards will feature an eight-page full-color insert, although this was not available in the galley copy. Recommended.—Don Boozer, Cleveland P.L.

(I emphasized the "Recomended")

Labels: postcards, review

Originally published April 30th, 2007.

More of a pre-review lead-up to a bigger column but still - it's nice to know that the first person who read the book seemed to really dig it. From Colleen Mondor or ChasingRay.com and writer for Booklist and Bookslut:

Jason Rodriguez collected a bunch of antique postcards and then sent them out to some graphic novelists who crafted the most amazing bunch of stories based on just a few lines and a picture. Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened is a very unique collection and I highly recommend it. It's due out in June and the final copy looks gorgeous. Rodriguez has writers like Ande Parks, Antony Johnston and Tom Beland along and a host of talented illustrators. There's a little bit of everything here but mostly very human drama. I hope the book is successful and a second title appears behind it - this is just a great idea and very well executed. (In the July column along with other books for creative teens although it is written for an adult audience as well.)

Labels: postcards, review