Fear of Comics (Love and Rockets) [Paperback]

Gilbert Hernandez (Author)

Book Description

Series: Love and Rockets | Publication Date: December 1, 2000

An ambitious, fascinating collection of Beto's comics at their most experimental, plus archival strips never before collected. Surreal fantasy, blackout shorts, a return to the wild sci-fi of earlier years and more.

From Gilbert Hernandez, the acclaimed co-creator of Love & Rockets, comes Fear of Comics, a collection of short stories penned with Beto's signature surrealistic and often experimental style (along with good doses of sex and humor!). A number of seemingly absurd stories in Fear of Comics can be read as existential dialogues between Hernandez's ego and id, including "Peripeteia," featuring a woman and her anthropomorphic jack-in-the-box, Bolo Cereal, both of whom are attended to by miniature, flying "love gremlins." The two debate the existence of God amidst the gremlins, who serve as living embodiments of their faith, ebbing and flowing in the light of their masters' consciousness. Fear of Comics spotlights the full range of Hernandez's talent. Other stories include "All With a Big Hello," "Roy," "Heroin," "Glorified Magnified," "She Sleeps With Anybody But Me," and "Shout Ramirez and Her Very Best Friend, Dinky," which includes an appearance by the aforementioned love gremlins. One of the last stories, "Abraxas," curiously blends elements from earlier, seemingly unrelated stories, with characters from "Spirit of the Thing" visited by ten-story-high versions of the love gremlins. Fear of Comics collects for the first time the very best of Hernandez's short fiction from the pages of his New Love comic book series, and 8 New Love covers, as well as stories from Zero Zero, rare Vortex Comics stories, and a piece from the Goody Good #1! 112 pages of black-and-white comics

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Gilbert continues to prove that the comics format is an effective vehicle for Latin American-style magic realism. Several stories in Fear of Comics relate strange happenings in a small Mexican village: a tree dispenses spiritual guidance to a lovesick hunchback; the ghost of an irresponsible mother searches for the children she killed; the village is invaded by a giant "love gremlin," etc. Short absurdist tales and some decade-old sf round out the contents. Gilbert's new stories featuring members of the cast of his Love and Rockets stories set in the village of Palomar are stronger than these selections. Still, though lacking the scale of the Palomar saga, these stories still feature his fluid cartooning, bold compositions, and singularly intriguing characters. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

“If you've never heard of Gilbert Hernandez, you're missing out on [one] of the hidden treasures of our impoverished culture.” (The Nation )

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Product Details

• Paperback: 112 pages
• Publisher: Fantagraphics Books (December 1, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560974117
• ISBN-13: 978-1560974116
• Product Dimensions: 10.9 x 7.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 13.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,822,190 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome writing, awesome art!, March 30, 2004

By 

Sibelius (Palo Alto, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Fear of Comics (Love and Rockets) (Paperback)

Gilbert Hernandez's "Fear of Comics" is a wonderful anthology of comic shorts that serves as an excellent showcase of his first-rate writing and dramatic sensibilities. Ranging in tone from zany to macabre to absurdist each of the dozen or so stories (along with another dozen or so comic-strips) are narrative treats unto themselves. From the paranoia of the sci-fi tale, "Return of the Tzik," to the surreal horrorscapes of "The Legend of the Crying Woman: La Llorona," this book will surely have a story or two of interest to anyone - fans of Hernandez or not.

And, it certainly goes without saying that the stark black and white visuals in every panel actually lives up to the quality of writing working hand in hand to enhance the overall quality of the book every step of the way. A quality book not to be missed by any fans of the graphic novel medium.

5.0 out of 5 stars Fear of Comics it's a classic album, December 12, 2010

By 

Ricardo De Avila Amaral "Brevvi" (SpBr) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Fear of Comics (Love and Rockets) (Paperback)

Fantastic and Bizarre. Hernandez know how to draw strange worlds with his pencil. The Fear of Comics it is also a "Fear of Love", because everything here happens around the love stories from his characters.