In her first full-length graphic memoir, Julia Wertz (creator of the cult-hit comic The Fart Party) documents the year she left San Francisco for the unfamiliar streets of New York. Don’t worry—this isn’t the typical redemptive coming-of-age tale of a young woman and her glorious triumph over tragedy or any such nonsense. It’s simply a hilarious—occasionally poignant—book filled with interesting art, absurd humor and plenty of amusing self-deprecation. Box by box, Wertz chronicles four sketchy apartments, seven terrible jobs, family drama, traveling fiascos, and too many whiskey bottles to count.
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Lizzy Caplan Reviews Drinking at the Movies
In addition to her breakout role as "Janice Ian" in Mean Girls, Lizzy Caplan's film credits include Hot Tub Time Machine, Cloverfield, and My Best Friend's Girl. She'll next be seen in 127 Hours, directed by Danny Boyle. On television, Caplan received raves for her performance as a vegan with a habit for vampire blood in the HBO drama True Blood. Read her review of Drinking at the Movies:
Drinking at the Movies, Julia Wertz's new Fart Party book, may just be her best work yet. My copy is certainly dog-eared within an inch of its life. She exhibits the same hilariously self-deprecating grumpy grump from her previous books, but Drinking brings a whole new layer to the Julia Wertz experience. That's right, I said "the Julia Wertz experience" ... which actually sounds more like a carnival ride to be avoided, one that will leave you inexplicably drunk with holes in your clothes.
In this book Julia is darker, lugubriously introspective, and dare I say, more vulnerable than in her previous works. Yet she's still really, really, obscenely funny. There aren't many authors working today who can illustrate the pervasive despair that sometimes likes to crash on your couch in your 20s--but Julia Wertz nails this. In fact, you should probably get copies for your parents and other assorted relatives who like to mumble things like "youth is wasted on the young" when you complain about stuff. Maybe reading Drinking at the Movies will kickstart your dumb mom's memory, and she'll remember that being in your 20s is actually kind of lonely.
Now I'm depressed. Thanks for nothing, Wertz.
Review
Praise for Drinking at the Movies
“This comic masterpiece should not be gifted to your grandma, unless of course your grandma is, to borrow the phrase, the shiznit. Instead, it should be read by you. Wertz’s hilarious, cutting, filthy wit will either make you want to date, be, or shower her.” —Sara Barron, author of People Are Unappealing
"[P]ut it on your radar" — USA Today
“Charming…bold yet subtle…Subtly subverts the expectations of the memoir even as [Wertz’s] drawing style — blocky, simple, with a deceptive lack of polish — speaks to the rough-hewn intimacy of the form…She is laceratingly self-revealing, exposing her failings with a glee that borders on the perverse…What Wertz is tracing is the difficulty of knowing how to live…Title to the contrary, this is not really a book about alcohol. Rather, it's about her development, her transition into adulthood ("Well, sort of"), which Wertz reveals with acuity and grace…A quiet triumph, a portrait of the artist in the act of becoming, a story with heart and soul.” —David Ulin, Los Angeles Times
“Wertz might be best known for her comic The Fart Party, but this is my favorite work of hers to date….Wertz isn’t a girly-girl: She likes to drink whiskey, wear the same outfit every day and look on the darker side of life. I can only dream of sneaking a bottle of Jack into the theater with her.” —Whitney Matheson, USA Today’s Pop Candy blog
“This comic masterpiece should not be gifted to your grandma, unless of course your grandma is, to borrow the phrase, the shiznit. Instead, it should be read by you. Wertz’s hilarious, cutting, filthy wit will either make you want to date, be, or shower her.” —Sara Barron, author of People Are Unappealing
“Wertz’s first full-length graphic novel captures everything that is the glorious twenties—that is if you’re a broke comic artist who’s struggling to pay rent and keep your head afloat above the fray that is life in New York City. Wertz capably—and more importantly, believably—gets to the nitty gritty of post-collegiate life.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Delightful.”—Time Out New York
“Charmingly awkward…Confronts the vices of Jane Everywoman while simultaneously allowing us to see through her unique perspective.” —Bust.com
“Wertz’s self-caricature is one of the most memorable in comics…Wertz is careful not to tip her hand too far in any direction. While the autobiographical and travelogue aspects of the comic dominate key sections of the book, they never threaten to completely take over or overwhelm Wertz’s gags…Frequently hilariously disgusting…Her (cranky and quirky but lovable) identity remain[s] fully intact.” —Rob Clough, The Comics Journal
“Brilliant old-school comic strip timing...[Wertz has] added some new qualities not found in her earlier work: a sense of narrative beyond the individual strip and—it is true—some serious drawing chops…She has found a way to maintain the unique style she developed when she started cartooning in her early 20s while developing the craft to fill in background details and nuance in expression…Drinking at the Movies is her best work yet, a book that feels in many ways like the proper launch of her career.”—Jared Gardner, The Comics Journal
“Wertz opens up with a warts-and-all look at her first year in New York…Strips away much of the whiskey coating that Wertz usually uses and leaves us with an honest image of what life is like for her…Do yourself a favor and get yourself a copy of this book.” —Stumptown Trade Review
“F-ing fantastic...Knee slapping hilarity…Her art can be described as a bit simplistic. That's no insult. She's found her own style and it completely works…If the late Harvey Pekar went on a drunken bender and crapped out a kid onto a pizza box, it would be Julia Wertz…Pick this book up…You'll laugh a lot, possibly tear up and have a sudden craving for pizza and beer.” —Comic News Insider
Praise for Julia Wertz and The Fart Party:
“I wish the little 2-D Julia was my ‘Indian in the Cupboard’…I’d make an easy chair out of a ring box, fasten it to the front of my bike, give her a pen cap full of whiskey, and off we’d go!”
—Fiona Apple
“Simple, candid, and very funny.”
—San Francisco Examiner
“Like the best work of the slacker era, The Fart Party communicates the joyous underbelly of an underwhelming existence.” —Douglas Rushkoff
“Fart Party is friggin’ hilarious.” —New York Magazine
“Julia Wertz is the next big thing in comics. Fart Party is cute, raw, reckless and laugh out loud funny.” —Keith Knight, The K Chronicles
“There’s something enchanting about Wertz’s comics….she’s hilarious, profane and occasionally self-conscious. In a good way. The best way.” —Paul Constant, The Stranger
“Wertz brings to light the funny and real moments of day-to-day life in New York…the honesty of her experiences translates across age, gender, and geographic demographics. She’s fun to laugh at.”
—Stumptown Trade Review
“This comic masterpiece should not be gifted to your grandma, unless of course your grandma is, to borrow the phrase, the shiznit. Instead, it should be read by you. Wertz’s hilarious, cutting, filthy wit will either make you want to date, be, or shower her.” —Sara Barron, author of People Are Unappealing
"[P]ut it on your radar" — USA Today
“Charming…bold yet subtle…Subtly subverts the expectations of the memoir even as [Wertz’s] drawing style — blocky, simple, with a deceptive lack of polish — speaks to the rough-hewn intimacy of the form…She is laceratingly self-revealing, exposing her failings with a glee that borders on the perverse…What Wertz is tracing is the difficulty of knowing how to live…Title to the contrary, this is not really a book about alcohol. Rather, it's about her development, her transition into adulthood ("Well, sort of"), which Wertz reveals with acuity and grace…A quiet triumph, a portrait of the artist in the act of becoming, a story with heart and soul.” —David Ulin, Los Angeles Times
“Wertz might be best known for her comic The Fart Party, but this is my favorite work of hers to date….Wertz isn’t a girly-girl: She likes to drink whiskey, wear the same outfit every day and look on the darker side of life. I can only dream of sneaking a bottle of Jack into the theater with her.” —Whitney Matheson, USA Today’s Pop Candy blog
“This comic masterpiece should not be gifted to your grandma, unless of course your grandma is, to borrow the phrase, the shiznit. Instead, it should be read by you. Wertz’s hilarious, cutting, filthy wit will either make you want to date, be, or shower her.” —Sara Barron, author of People Are Unappealing
“Wertz’s first full-length graphic novel captures everything that is the glorious twenties—that is if you’re a broke comic artist who’s struggling to pay rent and keep your head afloat above the fray that is life in New York City. Wertz capably—and more importantly, believably—gets to the nitty gritty of post-collegiate life.” —Kirkus Reviews
“Delightful.”—Time Out New York
“Charmingly awkward…Confronts the vices of Jane Everywoman while simultaneously allowing us to see through her unique perspective.” —Bust.com
“Wertz’s self-caricature is one of the most memorable in comics…Wertz is careful not to tip her hand too far in any direction. While the autobiographical and travelogue aspects of the comic dominate key sections of the book, they never threaten to completely take over or overwhelm Wertz’s gags…Frequently hilariously disgusting…Her (cranky and quirky but lovable) identity remain[s] fully intact.” —Rob Clough, The Comics Journal
“Brilliant old-school comic strip timing...[Wertz has] added some new qualities not found in her earlier work: a sense of narrative beyond the individual strip and—it is true—some serious drawing chops…She has found a way to maintain the unique style she developed when she started cartooning in her early 20s while developing the craft to fill in background details and nuance in expression…Drinking at the Movies is her best work yet, a book that feels in many ways like the proper launch of her career.”—Jared Gardner, The Comics Journal
“Wertz opens up with a warts-and-all look at her first year in New York…Strips away much of the whiskey coating that Wertz usually uses and leaves us with an honest image of what life is like for her…Do yourself a favor and get yourself a copy of this book.” —Stumptown Trade Review
“F-ing fantastic...Knee slapping hilarity…Her art can be described as a bit simplistic. That's no insult. She's found her own style and it completely works…If the late Harvey Pekar went on a drunken bender and crapped out a kid onto a pizza box, it would be Julia Wertz…Pick this book up…You'll laugh a lot, possibly tear up and have a sudden craving for pizza and beer.” —Comic News Insider
Praise for Julia Wertz and The Fart Party:
“I wish the little 2-D Julia was my ‘Indian in the Cupboard’…I’d make an easy chair out of a ring box, fasten it to the front of my bike, give her a pen cap full of whiskey, and off we’d go!”
—Fiona Apple
“Simple, candid, and very funny.”
—San Francisco Examiner
“Like the best work of the slacker era, The Fart Party communicates the joyous underbelly of an underwhelming existence.” —Douglas Rushkoff
“Fart Party is friggin’ hilarious.” —New York Magazine
“Julia Wertz is the next big thing in comics. Fart Party is cute, raw, reckless and laugh out loud funny.” —Keith Knight, The K Chronicles
“There’s something enchanting about Wertz’s comics….she’s hilarious, profane and occasionally self-conscious. In a good way. The best way.” —Paul Constant, The Stranger
“Wertz brings to light the funny and real moments of day-to-day life in New York…the honesty of her experiences translates across age, gender, and geographic demographics. She’s fun to laugh at.”
—Stumptown Trade Review
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More About the Author
Julia Wertz was born in the San Francisco bay area in 1982 and currently lives in New York City. She is the author/illustrator of the autobiographic comic books The Fart Party vol 1 and vol 2 (Atomic Books 2007, 2009) Drinking at the Movies (Random House 2010) and The Infinite Wait and Other Stories (Koyama Press 2012.) Some of her work is available in French and Spanish from AlterComics. For more, visit www.juliawertz.com.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
2 of 2 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
Julia Wertz follows in the tradition established by Harvey Pekar in his American Splendor series. The life experiences of Everyman or in this case Everywoman can be as fascinating as any superhero, or because we can relate to them, perhaps more so. This autobiographical graphic novel follows a year in the life of Julia following her move from San Francisco to New York. Cleverly drawn, we follow with schadenfreude the mishaps and misadventures of Julia as she bounces from apartment to apartment, job to job, consuming vast quantities of alcohol along the way. We are routing for her to succeed, because in reading this book, we can see how immensely talented she is. It is the dry, self-deprecating humor that really makes this an enjoyable read.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
I really wanted to like this book but just couldn't. I thought it was be a quirky, dry tale about a misfit living in NYC. But no. The main character (who is based on the author) whines throughout the entire book and yet never does anything to make her life better but continue to complain. I'm sure a lot of people out there may do the same thing but it's not worthy of writing a book about it. If I wasn't reading this for work I would not have finished it. Humor would have saved it had there been any. That's what usually makes characters like this work. They may not be the best people but they've got a clever quip or sarcastic reply that attracts the reader to them. Instead this reads like the boring diary of a self centered person.
1 of 1 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback|Amazon Vine™ Review
(What's this?)
This book was well done, and I enjoyed it, but I didn't find it as funny as the hype promised. It was humorous, but not really to my tste. Others may like it better than I did.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Loved it
This was my first time being introduced to Julia Wertz's work. I thought it was very very funny, because of the truth in her writings and her style of humor. Read more
Published 2 months ago by Kelsey
2.0 out of 5 stars
I Just Couldn't Get in to It
I really wanted to like this graphic novel because it sounded like a funny read. However, I found myself bored most of the time, to the point that I just wanted the story to be... Read more
Published 13 months ago by musiclover13
3.0 out of 5 stars
Drink a little, it will make it better.
I didn't care for this book at all, so I gave it to my 20YO daughter who I think is more the intended audience. Read more
Published 16 months ago by Working Mom
1.0 out of 5 stars
How?
I bought this book at a comic book store and well... I wish I hadnt. It is the most boring meaningless book ever. Read more
Published 18 months ago by Hero-92
5.0 out of 5 stars
Unique and fun!
I finally read Julia Wertz's Drinking at the Movies, and I nearly laughed my head off. Written in a graphic novel format, it follows the author through many changes in her life,... Read more
Published 18 months ago by S. Smith
4.0 out of 5 stars
Cheers!
This is an autobiographical comic about Julia Wertz's move from San Francisco to New York in her early 20s and the trials and tribulations associated with the transition, as well... Read more
Published 19 months ago by Noel
3.0 out of 5 stars
Light-hearted and Funny
Drinking at the Movies is a nice, short graphic novel about funny, sad and sometimes weird events that happen in a specific period in the author's life. Read more
Published 20 months ago by Michigoon
3.0 out of 5 stars
Fun, but kind of "rough"
OK, full disclosure- I am generally not a big fan of graphic novels and apparently did not read the product description well prior to ordering this. Read more
Published 20 months ago by sarabella
4.0 out of 5 stars
Funny graphic memoir
`Drinking at the Movies' is a coming of age memoir in graphic format. Wertz is the author/artist who created the `Fart Party' comics. Read more
Published 21 months ago by Laurie A. Brown
4.0 out of 5 stars
A Graphic Novel for Adults
If you read Maus : A Survivor's Tale : My Father Bleeds History/Here My Troubles Began/Boxed or Harvey Pekar'a American Splendor and More American Splendor: The Life and Times of... Read more
Published 22 months ago by Bennet Pomerantz
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