Isolation And Illusion: Collected Short Stories Of P. Craig Russell (Paperback)

by P. Craig Russell (Author)

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist
Pretty obviously, there has long been considerable sf and fantasy content in comic books and graphic novels. Just about no comics artist's work, however, is as obviously pretty as Russell's. He has a sinuous line few can match, a refined eye for shading and coloration, a flair for dramatic composition, and figure-drawing skills for days. It is possible to be rewarded simply by paging through his stuff, noting its nods to Mucha, Klimt, Beardsley, Goya, Fragonard, the Pre-Raphaelites, and Michelangelo (all over!); the words of the text can seem just so much accompaniment. With source texts as good, however, as H. P. Lovecraft's vertiginously creepy "From Beyond," O. Henry's Christmas classic "The Gift of the Magi," and the star of this book, a delightful caricatural rendering of Cyrano de Bergerac's Voyage to the Moon, and with inspirations as daring as traditional Japanese suicide in "Dance on a Razor's Edge" and cracking up in space in "Breakdown in the Starship Remembrance," Russell produces worthwhile reading as well as spectacular art. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Product Description
Since the 1970s, P. Craig Russell (Murder Mysteries, The Ring of the Nibelung) has created some of the most sophisticated and lavishly drawn stories ever to hit comics shops. Dark Horse is proud to present a rare sampling of the work spread over his long career, including early masterpieces like "Dance on the Razor's Edge" and "The Starship Remembrance," along with more recent adaptations of H.P. Lovecraft's "From Beyond" and O. Henry's "Gift of the Magi." If you're a lover of fine illustration and masterful storytelling, these long out-of-print stories are an essential addition to your comics collection.

Product Details

• Paperback: 120 pages
• Publisher: Dark Horse; illustrated edition edition (January 16, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1569718385
• ISBN-13: 978-1569718384
• Product Dimensions: 10 x 6.5 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.9 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,022,762 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Gorgeous book!, December 28, 2003

By	GoryDetails "gorydetails" (Nashua, NH USA) - See all my reviews

This is a simply stunning collection - and varied, as well; from the moody black-and-white illustrations of "Dance on a Razor's Edge" (subtitled "a ballet on the death of Yukio Mishima") to the colorful and hilarious rendition of de Bergerac's "Voyage to the Moon," to the gorgeous pencil-sketch drawings of the enigmatic title story (which features a beautiful angel-winged man wandering through a demolished cityscape), the book's a winner. There's also "Breakdown on Starship Remembrance," a space-faring tale of a kind of inside-out claustrophobia, and "Insomnia," which depicts a sleepless night so perfectly that you feel you've been through it [and which has a truly wonderful capper of an ending]. In fact, I think I enjoyed every tale in here - with the possible exception of the Lovecraft story; some things just don't work as well when illustrated, even by a really fine illustrator, and "From Beyond" is one of 'em. But, that aside, the collection's really fine...

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing art, great stories, June 16, 2008

By	M. E. Smith - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

Each story in this compilation is a treat. If you are into comic art, short stories, or just great short fiction in general, this is a good book to have. If you are a P. Craig Russell fan, you should probably already own this. It is amazing that his storytelling has been very solid from the earliest works in hiss great career. This book "illustrates" why Russell is a comic visionary.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding stories, varied artwork, August 12, 2006

By	wiredweird "wiredweird" (Earth, or somewhere nearby) - See all my reviews (TOP 100 REVIEWER)

P. Craig Russell has been a defining force in comics for at least thirty years. I don't know much about his more commerical work, drawing other people's characters. This work, however, shows how good it can get when a masterful illustrator follows his own lead.

The first half of this collection presents some of Russell's wondeful adaptations. They draw from many sources: speculations on the non-fictional suicide of an influential Japanese writer, a beautiful rendering of O. Henry's "Gift of the Magi," H.P.Lovecraft, and Cyrano de Bergerac. The stories vary widely in narrative mood, so Russell varies his visual style to match, Mishimo's death is a dark, realistic monochrome; Cyrano is brightly colored cartoony in keeping with the story it tells.

The second half of the book is Russell's own work, and even more varied. Dreamy "Sonnambula" tells it's wandering story without words. "Isolation and Illusion" is equaly silent and dreamy, but the only pencil-drawn piece in the collection. "The Insomniac" is filled with hard lines and harsh color in a combination of visual styles, and the other stories explore other narrative and visual territories.

Russell is generally known for pastel palettes and delicate inking. That's just an artistic choice, though. This book shows just how versatile this master storyteller can be. If you're new to Russell, you might do well to start here.

//wiredweird