Tails Book 1 [Paperback]

Ethan Young (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: September 4, 2012 | Series: Tails

At first, Ethan may seem like your typical struggling cartoonist.  He works at a NYC animal shelter, lives with his folks, and fosters a huge amount of cats -- all while trying to successfully publish his comic strip, Crusader Cat.

But Ethan's not typical, nor is anything else in his chaotic life. The trouble is, Ethan's just too hapless to realize it yet.  As his life gets weirder in the real world, it also does on the comic page. Before he knows it, Ethan gets in over his head when fantasy and reality combine -- and then things get really weird.

Tails: Book One collects Chapters 1 through 9 of the semi-autobiographical webcomic by Ethan Young (Comic Book Tattoo: Tales inspired by Tori Amos, Comeback Kings), and includes all-new, never-before-seen pages.
 

Editorial Reviews

From the Author

Tails has been a labor of love since the very first pencil stroke.  What started as a self-indulgent, semi-autobiographical mini-series, has blossomed into an even more self-indulgent, comedic, slice-of-life fantasy.  It all hinders on one thing, the ability to make readers resonate with a flawed protagonist, and even -- dare I say it -- like the flawed protagonist by journey's end.  This comic has acted as therapy, catharsis, and ultimately, as a surreal love letter to the things I cherish: first loves, foster cats, vegan hippies, epic fantasy, costumed heroes, and all things strange.  I hope you'll pick up a copy of Tails and feel the same way.

From the Inside Flap

" I see [Tails] as a first major work by a cartoonist who we should start to pay attention to." - Timothy Callahan, Comic Book Resources

"Tails is fast, fun, and a sure sign that indie comics are not lacking talent and enthusiastic new blood.  I look forward to what Ethan Young does next." - Michael Allred, creator of Madman, The Atomics, and Red Rocket 7.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Hermes Press (September 4, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 161345015X
• ISBN-13: 978-1613450154
• Product Dimensions: 6.7 x 1 x 10.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,003,180 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Ethan Young was born in 1983 in NYC to Chinese immigrant parents. The youngest of 3 sons, he took to drawing at the age of 3. After attending the School of Visual Arts for one semester, Young left to pursue an illustration career. His first graphic novel, "Tails: Life in Progress", was awarded the Gold Medal for Best Graphic Novel during the 2007 Independent Publishers Book Awards. In 2009, Young contributed artwork to the critically acclaimed "Comic Book Tattoo: Tales Inspired by Tori Amos". He has recently reworked "Tails" into an ongoing webcomic, with print editions released through Hermes Press. In addition to comic book work, Young is also a prolific freelance illustrator.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Write a review, write a review.... November 13, 2012

By Brian Stoll

Format:Paperback

...and that's the mantra that I've heard since this came out. Well here's your review. I was going to read just a little on a nice Sunday afternoon. Well I hope you're happy...I read the whole thing in one sitting. Do I even need to say that the Artwork is amazing. The dialog is spot on. My God man...what more do you want from me. Do you want the begging for a comic of Catropolis? A sequel? YES PLEASE!!! What happened to these people..we want more! Seriously, this is a work from a very talented writer and artist (and dare I say...a really nice and funny guy?) Get, and enjoy!

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Awesome. April 21, 2013

By A. Carr

Format:Paperback|Amazon Verified Purchase

Great art and writing! Can't wait for Tail Book 2 to come out. A great insight into veganism and animal rights activism. A must read,

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Unexpectedly wonderful blend of personal and fantastical October 31, 2012

By Carrie Cuinn

Format:Paperback

You take chances with independent comics because that's the best place to find something new. There are brilliantly written but poorly drawn web comics, and beautiful but weakly-scripted art comics, and a range of titles in between. Some creators make stylistic choices, to be sure, and there are many comics by first time creators who will certainly get better. There is, above all, potential. It's huge field. Anything could be out there.

If you're very lucky, you stumble across something special. TAILS is at the perfect middle of that range of indie comics. The story, which is both fantastical and intensely personal, reads as if it was created by a seasoned author, while the traditionally-drawn art is crisp, clean, and lovely.

Young's eponymous alter-ego, "Ethan", suffers through life as an angry, under-appreciated and under-published comic book artist. Ethan's perception of his own self is so much bigger than his real world can contain, and eventually spills out into a fantasy world where he's the superhero that the city of his dreams needs.

All of that sounds like a fairly run-of-the-mill concept, but Young's deft handling of the story leaves one surprised and deeply moved. The character is unreliable as a boyfriend, a son, and a narrator, and Young lets us see the vast difference between Ethan's perception and the actions of everyone around him. The character is insecure, and dark, but at the same time, there is just enough vulnerability to him that you don't want to give up on him. He's broken, and the reasons for that are told in flashbacks and family arguments all throughout the story, but he also wants to be loved.

He just doesn't know how to make that happen.

Meanwhile his passion for his comic book creations, particularly his world of anthropomorphic animals, invests living breathing life into what becomes, for Ethan, another reality. But even there his inability to connect with the people around him leads to another failure.

With all of that depth and detail in the story, it'd be easy to assume that the art would suffer, but it's even better than the text. Open up the book to see Young's excellent use of black space, the way the captions bleed out over the panel frames, and the tiny details in the texture of the wall, the tree.

It's refreshing to see an artist who will to take risks with their use of space, light, and dark, while at the same time compiling panels with a recognizably "comic book" feel.

I can't wait for the second part of the story.