Fantagraphics Welcomes Sophomore Graphic Novel From Noah Van Sciver

MAY 30, 2014, SEATTLE, WA — Fantagraphics has acquired the international rights to Saint Cole, the second graphic novel from critically acclaimed cartoonist Noah Van Sciver, coming in March of 2015. Serialized as a webcomic starting in 2013, this book highlights Van Sciver's ability to create dark portraits of contemporary twentysomething manhood.

Saint Cole depicts four days in the life of a twenty-eight-year-old suburbanite named Joe, who works at a pizzeria to support his girlfriend, Nicole, and their infant child. When Nicole invites her troubled mother to move into their two-bedroom apartment until she lands on her feet again, Joe reacts by retreating into alcohol: he wants out, and he’s angry. He’s in a position to act rashly — and he does. This sophomore graphic novel from Noah Van Sciver may seem like a left turn from his wildly successful debut — a graphic biography of Abraham Lincoln entitled The Hypo — yet upon closer reflection, it shares the cartoonist's preoccupation with pathos and the human condition.

"Basically from the beginning of my 'comics career' people have told me that my work was very Fantagraphics. That's a high compliment!" explains cartoonist Noah Van Sciver. "I was ecstatic when they became the publisher of my first book, and now I'm even happier to be working with them on my second graphic novel. It's a perfect fit."

"Noah Van Sciver is an aesthetic moving target," says Fantagraphics president Gary Groth. "Saint Cole couldn’t be more different from The Hypo — an intimate story that reflects the despair and nihilism of modernity."

The Hypo was lauded as MTV's "Best Graphic Novel of 2012," one of Library Journal's "Best Graphic Novels of 2012," #3 on Boing Boing's "Best Damn Comics of the Year" survey, #4 on Publishers Weekly's "2012 Graphic Novel Critics' Poll," one of the Ten Essential Graphic Novel Biographies by The A.V. Club, and was featured in newspapers across the country and online.

Noah Van Sciver was born in 1984 and raised in New Jersey. He first came to comic readers’ attention with his comic book series Blammo, which earned him an Ignatz Award nomination in 2010. He currently lives in Denver, CO.

SAINT COLE
By Noah Van Sciver
March 2015 • $19.99
Flexibound • 978-1-60699-817-5
112 pages • Black & White • 7.5" x 9.25"

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