Ex Libris

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

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Description

Ex Libris revolves around a character who is holed up in a room with nothing but a futon and a bookcase full of comics. As they peruse covers, read stories and fragments of stories, they start to feel that the comics contain some kind of message and possibly a threat. Lines between fiction and reality, sanity and madness, begin to blur as the reader becomes convinced they need to solve the mystery of these books before they can leave the room.

You'll see lots of different drawing styles and types of stories (all invented by me, though many wink at existing traditions) and in that sense this book continues the line of exploration and play that Matt Madden initiated with 99 Ways to Tell a Story: Exercises in Style. At the same time this book is also a tribute to the meta-fictional tradition of authors that were among Madden's formative influences as an artist: Jorge Luis Borges, Julio Cortzar, Vladimir Nabokov, and Italo Calvino (whose novel If on a Winter's Night a Traveler was in many ways the inspiration for this book).

Reviews

"Madden calls attention brilliantly to the mediums building blockselements like panel borders and sound effectsin a kind of comics theory course with the punch line of the protagonist declaring that drawings have a greater power than words to get under your skin. This endlessly inventive work is a metafictional master class in comics."Publishers Weekly; Starred Review "Madden displays a keen mastery of numerous visual and narrative styles. A formally inventive, deeply emotional tale, reminiscent of Italo Calvinos If On a Winters Night a Traveler..."Library Journal "This elegant showcase of graphic storytelling displays deep knowledge of the language of comics. The books metafictional forays always serve the unnamed readers tale, too; the subtle build of the mood and suspense around them results in a dazzling graphic novel."Foreword Reviews; Starred Review Praise for 99 Ways to Tell A Story: "A fascinating analysis of and a treatise, of sorts, on language in comics." Steven Heller, designer and author "Balances postmodern irony with genuine invention and amusement." The Guardian "Theres a new discovery on every page, making this one of the most thrilling and surprising graphic novels around."Comics Worth Reading "Astonishingly, for a book that is above all else repetitive, it never gets boring. Even the obvious is interesting, and Madden also comes up with a lot of great stuff, ways of seeing that might not have occurred to the reader. Fantastic and thought-provoking fun. Highly recommended."The Complete Review

Author Bio

Matt Madden is a cartoonist who has also taught in art schools around the world. His best-known book is 99 Ways to Tell a Story: Exercises in Style (Penguin), a comics adaptation of Raymond Queneau's Exercises in Style which led to his initiation into Oubapo, The Workshop for Potential Comics, in 2005. In 2013 he was named Chevalier dans l'Ordre des Arts et des Lettres by the French Government. He has also done translations from the French and Spanish, including Aristophane's The Zabme Sisters (First Second) and Edmond Baudoins Piero (New York Review Comics). He wrote two comics textbooks in collaboration with his wife, Jessica Abel, and the couple were series editors for The Best American Comics from Houghton-Mifflin Harcourt for six years. From 2012 to 2016, he and his family did a four-year residency in Angoulme, France at La Maison des auteurs. They are currently living in Philadelphia where he is doing translations and finishing up his new comic, Ex Libris, when hes not looking after his kids or playing guitar. You'll find more at www.mattmadden.com.