Abstract Comic Anthology featured in Holiday Books issue of New York Times Book Review!!

I know that Derik scooped me on it, but I've been sitting on this news for a week not wanting to jinx it, though I could hardly wait to post about it--so I'll do it anyway. This is the greatest exposure the Anthology has had yet, and, given the reach of the Book Review, probably the greatest exposure we could have hoped for; and it's in the Holiday Books issue, no less, as one of Douglas Wolk's favorite comics of the year. (Not to mention that this brings us that much closer to convincing Fanta to do a second volume--so spread the news widely, folks!)

When I get my physical copy of the review tomorrow, I'll post here a scan of the actual review. IN the meantime, here's what Wolk has to say:

The artists assembled by Andrei Molotiu for his anthology ABSTRACT COMICS (Fantagraphics, $39.99) push “cartooning” to its limits: the selections have few if any words, no characters or plot, and very few clearly identifiable representations — just abstract images in sequence. Some contributors draw on comics’ native vocabulary for their lines and compositions, while others avoid contour drawing altogether. (The “Mutts” artist Patrick McDonnell’s sequence is mostly circles, right angles and negative space; Janusz Jaworski’s watercolor blobs “communicate” with word balloons full of meaningless scribbles.) It’s a fascinating book to stare at, and as with other kinds of abstract art, half the fun is observing your own reactions: anyone who’s used to reading more conventional sorts of comics is likely to reflexively impose narrative on these abstractions, to figure out just what each panel has to do with the next.