More On Mr. Ware.

I have been meaning to discuss the awe-inspiring Acme Novelty Library #20 for a while and apologies that I have not. Especially since Chris was one of the first D+Q cartoonists I met in comics, way back before either one of us were with D+Q. When I worked at DC and before Jimmy Corrigan, he, Ivan Brunetti and I ate lunch alongside both a Beatles Festival and a Wizard World in Rosemont, IL, a bit disconcerting but very memorable. Technically, #20 is the first Acme that D+Q has published and not distributed. It's also been selling so fast, that this print run is guaranteed to sell out much more quickly than #19. And while it may be obvious that, of course, a Chris Ware book would sell, I can't help but think of just how well it performs with nary an interview or event. (Note to other D+Q cartoonists, do not get any funny ideas!) As a publicist, is this making my job easier or just obsolete? I can't decide. Ok, I'm a bit self-obsessed here, let's return to what matters, that Chris has created another outright masterpiece. It's not hyperbole. Other people have noticed, too.

Gabe Fowler of Desert Island listed it as the #1 buzzed book on Flavorwire and pretty much sums up my opinion of the book as well: this most recent book is probably one of the most readable things that he has ever done. It’s innovative on all fronts — from the story and the lettering to the design and layout. In my world, this is a must-have book.

Good man RC Baker of the Village Voice selects Acme among the years best as well stating: we see parents’ faces slowly come into focus through their baby’s eyes, watch the young Jordan Lint grow into an adult-scaled world, then follow his punctured ambitions and bumptious middle-aged affairs to the moment when everything contracts back down to that first dot of consciousness. Astonishing.

Ian McGillis of the Montreal Gazette selects it as the years best and says {a} book that's a thing of beauty in itself.

Alan Brisbort of The New Haven Advocate: It is as handsome as any volume in the Acme series, swaddled in Ware’s antiquarian touches, from the Victorian wallpaper-like cover to the wistful scenes of Midwestern homes, muted browns, blues and greys.

Whitney Matheon of USA Today's POP CANDY: {Ware} still manages to slip in thick slices of pain and meaning that resonate long after the reading experience ends.

Publishers Weekly says the book is stunningly realized and notes the extraordinary climax which I am always hesitant to bring up as I am scared to be posting a "spoiler".

The Onion's AV Club connects it back to Jimmy Corrigan stating: What separates this work-in-progress from Jimmy Corrigan is that Ware seems to be working more intuitively, inserting rhyming images and structural parallels from chapter to chapter without overemphasizing their meaning. He’s showing how easily a shift in focus creates a shift in perception. In Rusty’s story, Jordan Lint is just a villain. In Jordan’s story, it’s not so simple… A- (I promise the reviewer read the book, har har.)

MTV weighs in: To put it simply, Chris Ware's "The ACME Novelty Library Volume 20", leveled me. As I finished its final page and closed the beautifully bound cover, I had a lingering, buzzing pain in my chest. A pain that felt like guilt, regret, loss, love, emotion. Everything that Ware's main character, Jordan "Jason" Wellington Lint, felt as his journey ended. The impact of the images, the complexity buried within each word, the layout of the pages, and the raw human intensity of the story affected me deeply.

Comics writer about town Sean T. Collins declares on his blog: the single best comic I have ever read. His complete review is here.

The Austin Chronicle offers a few words that can be summarized with wow!

Amazon selected it as the year's best, The Barnes & Noble Review weighs in. Even Art In America offers an opinion in connection to Chris' Fall show at the Adam Baumgold Gallery.

Congrats to Chris, but really thank you to Chris for creating yet again one of the most stunning pieces of graphic fiction to date. Every comic book fan in the world owes you one.

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