Days Like This [Paperback]

J. Torres (Author), Scott Chantler (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: May 19, 2003

J. Torres, who used memory to great effect in The Copybook Tales, now casts his eye back to the early '60s, when pop music ruled the airwaves. Days Like This follows the formation of "Tina & the Tiaras," a new girl group, as they rise up the charts and overcome personal obstacles to become stars. Featuring stunning art by newcomer Scott Chantler that's reminiscent of the clean lines of vintage graphic design from the period.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Set in the girl-group era of the early 1960s, this slender, pleasant graphic novella concerns a plucky young woman who becomes a songwriter; three almost-as-plucky young girls discovered at a high school talent show who become singing sensations Tina and the Tiaras; and a relatively plucky woman who's starting her own record label with some money from a divorce. Chantler's drawings are simple, cute and clean-lined-not an approximation of manga, exactly, but an American equivalent of its quick, bold images. (The book's small b&w format should appeal to manga buffs.) And there's something adorable about the panels of three smiling girls in matching dresses harmonizing or getting their hair done together, even if their notched-circle eyes recall Disney's Huey, Dewey and Louie. As a quick entertainment for younger teens, Days Like This is charming, but there's not much more to it than its surface, and writer Torres largely glosses over the fascinating tensions in the music business of the time (not to mention the work that actually went into creating three-minute AM-radio masterpieces): nobody's got anything tougher to face than a disapproving dad. Torres's fictionalizations of history are harmless on their own (the Brill Building, for instance, becomes "Harmony Plaza"), but what they add up to has none of the convincing force of details-just a cheery little fable about girls on their way to the top.
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From the Publisher

fictions:

"Days Like This is a pure, original tale of another time. The spirit of the early 60s sweeps through the book & It feels nostalgic yet fresh & really brightens your day. It's a shining example of crossover comics; things that your wife or your mom would love as much as you do."

iComics:

"Days Like This is a breath of fresh air with its originality and high spirits; Torres and Chantler have created a book that will put a smile on even the grumpiest faces... Days Like This is a book that I think everyone who reads it will enjoy."

Product Details

• Paperback: 80 pages
• Publisher: Oni Press (May 19, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1929998481
• ISBN-13: 978-1929998487
• Product Dimensions: 7.9 x 5.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.5 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,563,716 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)