Penny Century: A Love and Rockets Book (Love and Rockets) [Paperback]

Jaime Hernandez (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 6, 2010 | Series: Love and Rockets

Wrestling, romance, and more in the fourth collection of Maggie stories from Love and Rockets.

Picking up right after Perla La Loca, the third volume of the definitive “Maggie” series repackaging, this compilation of stories from Jaime Hernandez’s solo comic Penny Century and his subsequent return to Love and Rockets (Volume II) charts the further lives of his beloved “Locas.”

But first... wrestling! Penny Century starts off with a blast with “Whoa, Nellie!,” a unique graphic novelette in which Maggie, who has settled in with her pro-wrestler aunt for a while, experiences that wild and woolly world first-hand.

Then it’s back to chills and spills with the old cast of Hopey, Ray Dominguez, and Izzy Ortiz—including Maggie’s romantic dream fantasia “The Race” and the definitive Ray story, “Everybody Loves Me, Baby.”

Penny Century also features two major “flashback” stories: “Bay of Threes” finally reveals the full back story behind Beatriz “Penny Century” Garcia, Maggie’s long-time, bleached-blonde bombshell friend (who gives this volume its name and can currently be seen as a super-villainess in Love and Rockets: New Stories), while “Home School” is one of Hernandez’s popular looks at his characters’ lives from when they were little kids, drawn in an adorable simplified Dennis the Menace type style. 240 pages of black-and-white comics

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

This charming collection of stories from the long-running and much acclaimed Love and Rockets explores friendship and romance through the interconnected experiences of several characters over many years. Most prominent is Maggie, a Hispanic everywoman who struggles with her on-again/off-again relationship with her girlfriend Hopey as well as the men who pass in and out of her life. Also spotlighted is Penny Century herself, her adventurous lifestyle, and the impact she has on two men completely fascinated with her. What's impressive about Hernandez's work isn't so much each story on its own as it is how all the pieces fit together into a whole world that's almost but not quite like our own. The way one character can shift from being the central protagonist and then a minor character whose existence drives the plot makes the series fascinatingly lifelike. Hernandez's gorgeous art is both expressive and simple; his great skill at depicting human anatomy in motion is most evident in a stand-alone story about women's wrestling. It all comes together to construct a world and people easy to relate to. (Apr.)
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Review

“I could point to the frenetic pace of many of the stories; the cute, odd, and endearing sort of strangeness spawned in this lightly magical universe; or even the beautiful art, which is truly the mark of this master cartoonist. … Soup to nuts, this is a great book.” (Jeremy Nisen - Under the Radar )

“What's impressive about Hernandez's work isn't so much each story on its own as it is how all the pieces fit together into a whole world that's almost but not quite like our own. ... Hernandez's gorgeous art is both expressive and simple... It all comes together to construct a world and people easy to relate to.” (Publishers Weekly )

“As ever, there's just a tiny hint of extra-normal fantasy at work in the stories, just enough for readers to accept that there's something very strange over the horizon or in Izzy's psyche, but never enough to overwhelm the wonderful, human reality of these beloved characters. Highly recommended for older readers.” (Grant Goggans - The Hipster Dad's Bookshelf )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 256 pages
• Publisher: Fantagraphics (April 6, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1606993429
• ISBN-13: 978-1606993422
• Product Dimensions: 7.5 x 0.7 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #382,613 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Love and Rockets Rocks!!!! May 3, 2010

By Todd W. Rittenhouse

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

If you like this series then this is a good addition to the collection. I especially like these big new multi-issue books they are in, and the covers are also better than the originals. More classy.

5.0 out of 5 stars Los Bros Hernandez have done it again ! May 16, 2013

By Michelle Sears

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

I like Penny and the Loco Chicas. The stories in this book made it clear what happened to Penny to make her what she became.

3.0 out of 5 stars a time in the wilderness November 6, 2012

By Hotrodimus

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Jaime really lost the plot for a while after the conclusion of L&R vol. 1. This is easily the weakest collection in the series and is a bit of a chore to get through - but it's totally worth it because he got a second wind with L&R Vol II and then "New Stories" volume 3 onward, all of which contain some of the best work that he's ever done, EVER. It's worth it to read through this volume to get the important contextual connecting stories, and there are still a few gems like "Home school."