Gasoline [Hardcover]

Dame Darcy (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 2008

At the height of a society governed by corporate greed and corruption, a fiery apocalypse rains down. Among the few survivors are the Armbusters, a family of orphaned witches. Establishing a utopian commune, they uphold their position of power through the maintenance of their car, the only remaining working automobile. The Armbusters' search for precious gasoline pits them against the conniving nihilists who lurk in the decaying urban sprawl, and they learn to adopt new, alternative means of survival to which they had been blind while caught up in a life of materialism. Written and illustrated by the cult artist Dame Darcy, Gasoline is a rollicking, eco-conscious, gothic fairy tale of danger and suspense, heartbreak and redemption, and above all the perseverance of magic and love.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Heavily illustrated, post-apocalyptic, green/gothic/voodoo fairy-tale road-movie of a book, unlike anything we've seen before - DIVA

About the Author

Dame Darcy is a graphic artist, cartoonist and musician based in Los Angeles and New York. Her comic book Meatcake has been published by Fantagraphics since 1993. Her other publications include Frightful Fairytales (2002), Dame Darcy's Meatcake Compilation (2003) and The Illustrated Jane Eyre (2006). She also sings and plays bass in the group Death by Doll, whose debut album, Gasoline, was released in 2006.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 191 pages
• Publisher: Merrell Publishers (October 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1858944422
• ISBN-13: 978-1858944425
• Product Dimensions: 9.7 x 6.8 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.9 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 2.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,588,962 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Not the quality I expected, February 6, 2009

By 

A. Fields - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Gasoline (Hardcover)

I'm a huge fan of both Meat Cake and Frightful Fairy Tales, but for whatever reason Gasoline falls short for me. Too much description of the landscape and appearance of the characters (especially considering the fact that these things are also drawn) and not enough plot substance. The illustrations, though still beautiful, seem like more of an afterthought than fully integrated pieces of the book. That said, however, I have not finished the book yet, so maybe it will get better. hopefully.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A New Direction for our Dame, April 23, 2009

By 

Xanthippe Svanstrom "writer/illustrator" (Portland, OR) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gasoline (Hardcover)

In a handful of ways, Gasoline is quite a departure from the spectacular Dame Darcy's usual productions: it's a fully-fledged novel, the text is instructional and contains a moral of sorts a la Aesop. Fans will still delight in pirate exploits, mad gorgeous ladies and gents doing mad gorgeous things, her usual flair with a pen that seems to originate in netherworlds--with the bonus of many drawings appearing in colour. Get set for a line-up of all-new characters, each unique and spellbinding (I'm an especial admirer of Olivia the eight-legged cat!). The voodoo sacrifice left me queasy, but I think it was meant to put the reader off; once one reaches the end of the story its futile brutality becomes fairly clear.

True workmanship went into the book itself as well, hard cover with gilt graphics over a vintage fabric-look ground--and tree-free!

Admirers of the Fae/Fey Queen Darcy and all she represents, rejoice.

1.0 out of 5 stars Gasoline, January 22, 2011

By 

Monsieur Pie-pie - See all my reviews

This review is from: Gasoline (Hardcover)

First of all it is not a graphic novel (comic book) like it is said to be and it is hardly a novel, but it does have pretty pictures, but that is not enough to make it worthwhile reading. Read "Meatcake" instead and "Frightful Fairytales" is also good, but it is out of print.