Another really excellent commentary-- this time for a comic I have just never been able to care for: have several issues of Acme Novelty, but perhaps not enough to have reached the understanding you present. On the other hand, I've read enough to have decided not to buy more. You make an excellent case, though, for my seeking this out at our wonderful library, and trying again! (Recommendations for additional Love of Comics--if you don't mind!--Lone Wolf & Cub, The Goon, Amelia Rules, Lazarus... heh... the list goes on!)
I read it first as a novel, and when I went back and read issues of Acme Novelty Company, one of the things that impressed me most was all the JImmy Corrigan stuff Ware *didn't* put in the book. By leaving the child genius stuff and more fanciful fantasy/dream stuff out, the novel achieves a pathos and gravitas that is not, I feel, present in the episodic and serialized form. Checking it out at the library definitely sounds like the way to go!
And thanks for your suggestions! I'd love to tackle the Goon and Lone Wolf (shamefully, I haven't yet read Lazarus and Amelia Rules; which should I read first?) And that's not the first 'request' for the Goon either!
Amelia has five or six slender volumes: her life with her mother and aunt and neighborhood kids, pleasant and heartwarming, funny. As a US citizen, though, I have to recommend Lazarus; probably three, maybe four volumes by now, about a world in which several rich families have taken over the world, now divided into family at the top, family employees, and the rest of us, the "waste". It's lost a little of its political edge these days, involved now more with family infighting, but still sadly, sadly pertinent to politics today. So of them, I guess I'd vote for Lazarus first. While voting is still a US feasibility.
I've heard so much good stuff, but I've been concerned about the same thing you hint at here - the fact that it will feel dated and broad. I guess the word-of-mouth is just too good, though! Reality does seem be out-satirizing dystopian sci-fi today, though...
HUGE GOOF ALERT! I made a horrible mistake that in this video that I will never live down. Acknowledgement in our follow-up video here: ua-cam.com/video/EjlvJ-LslGE/v-deo.html
Thanks for this - Jimmy Corrigan is a remarkable book, and one that I found incredibly moving when I first read it 16-17 years ago. I really must re-read it sometime soon.
I cannot believe it has been 21 years since the book was published; I feel you will find it remains fresh and affecting, if not more, when you reread it. I feel that way about all Chris Ware. though, that it really rewards revisitation!
Thank you for this video! I've read a lot of comics, from all over the world, but never got into Chris Ware/Jimmy Corrigan. By the time I've head of him, he already had multiple publications out. I found many things confusing about them. Are all Chris Ware's work about Jimmy Corigan? Is it a continued story? Where do I start? The most confusing was the many changes in formats over the years. I hope you do follow-up videos about this subject as I feel I am missing up on quality reading. Keep up the excellent work! Always a joy to watch your videos.
Yes, it can be confusing, especially since Ware has such a distinctive style/approach that seeing only snatches of his works would make it impossible to distinguish between them. Jimmy Corrigan was an 'ongoing strip' -sometimes of a few pages, sometimes a page or less, sometimes longer - that ran in his indie/self-published series the Acme Novelty Company, which has 21 'issues' (though some could be labelled 'volumes'), as well as in other magazines or periodicals. _The Acme Novelty Company_ also contained other strips like 'Quimby the Mouse', 'Rusty Brown', and later 'Building Stories'. All of these, like Jimmy Corrigan, were later collected into separate books. _Jimmy Corrigan_ is complete and done, and the paperback or hardcover volume I highlight here is the novel that Ware wanted it to be. As I mentioned in another reply here, it is interesting to note that Ware did not include every single Jimmy Corrigan story he had in the series, and the book, in my opinion, is better for it. In short, the Pantheon book called _Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth_ is all the Jimmy Corrigan you need to read to get the full, powerful, story.
Also, I certainly hope to get to the 'many formats' question you have, which I believe is about the Acme Novelty Company series more than the 'collected' Jimmy Corrigan novel.
I just wanted to thank you for this and other wonderful videos. You are very helpful, articulate, expressive and informative, specially while talking about the more dificult things to descrive in works of art, like themes, ideas and feelings. I'm just starting to get into Graphic Novels. What great luck to find your channel at this particular time! I'll be subscribing and following your videos, Best of luck from Chile!
Thank you so much for those extremely kind words and I'm absolutely thrilled you;re enjoying the videos as much as you are. A very warm welcome to the channel, and to this exciting and gorgeous world of comics - I hope you find plenty to discover and enjoy as you make your way through 😁 Let me know if there's anything more I can do to assist! Cheers!
Wonderful review sir! This book is in my list for a long time. I honestly love hardcovers (and this one deserves to be read in that format) but the price is three times more compared to the paperback. Maybe I'll have to wait and save some money :D
Yes, the hardcover is the way to go for this one (I may have a quick video up soon on exactly why!) and I personally have a fondness for HCs anyway, so I understand the need. Having said that, what is most important is the story within, so if it makes a difference between reading it and not reading it, I'd say bite the bullet and go for the PB. If you love it, you'd be guaranteed to eventually get the HC. If, for some reason, you don't love it, you'll be happy to have saved the money. Or maybe see if the next video just convinces you to get the HC anyway!
A very warm welcome and so glad you liked the video! If interested, check out my videos on Ware's other books, Building Stories ua-cam.com/video/8uwFGU3w8Hs/v-deo.html and Rusty Brown ua-cam.com/video/_bxK1h852zQ/v-deo.html
I've loved the Rusty Brown pieces over the years in Acme Novelty Company but I have not yet gotten my hands on the collected edition. Soon, I am sure! 😀
I've now met some very smart and mature kids, so I don't want to say NO 14 year old will like this. But it is a mature and complex work, and the themes of abandonment, family, loneliness and more may be better appreciated by people who've experienced some of it. But one can always try and if it doesn't work, return to it some years later to try again!
Another really excellent commentary-- this time for a comic I have just never been able to care for: have several issues of Acme Novelty, but perhaps not enough to have reached the understanding you present. On the other hand, I've read enough to have decided not to buy more. You make an excellent case, though, for my seeking this out at our wonderful library, and trying again! (Recommendations for additional Love of Comics--if you don't mind!--Lone Wolf & Cub, The Goon, Amelia Rules, Lazarus... heh... the list goes on!)
I read it first as a novel, and when I went back and read issues of Acme Novelty Company, one of the things that impressed me most was all the JImmy Corrigan stuff Ware *didn't* put in the book. By leaving the child genius stuff and more fanciful fantasy/dream stuff out, the novel achieves a pathos and gravitas that is not, I feel, present in the episodic and serialized form. Checking it out at the library definitely sounds like the way to go!
And thanks for your suggestions! I'd love to tackle the Goon and Lone Wolf (shamefully, I haven't yet read Lazarus and Amelia Rules; which should I read first?) And that's not the first 'request' for the Goon either!
Amelia has five or six slender volumes: her life with her mother and aunt and neighborhood kids, pleasant and heartwarming, funny. As a US citizen, though, I have to recommend Lazarus; probably three, maybe four volumes by now, about a world in which several rich families have taken over the world, now divided into family at the top, family employees, and the rest of us, the "waste". It's lost a little of its political edge these days, involved now more with family infighting, but still sadly, sadly pertinent to politics today. So of them, I guess I'd vote for Lazarus first. While voting is still a US feasibility.
I've heard so much good stuff, but I've been concerned about the same thing you hint at here - the fact that it will feel dated and broad. I guess the word-of-mouth is just too good, though! Reality does seem be out-satirizing dystopian sci-fi today, though...
I'd love to see a video on Lone Wolf & Cub as well. A masterpiece that belongs to you library of excellent videos on the most seminal works in comics.
HUGE GOOF ALERT! I made a horrible mistake that in this video that I will never live down. Acknowledgement in our follow-up video here: ua-cam.com/video/EjlvJ-LslGE/v-deo.html
Been a long wait. But absolutely worth it 😊
Thanks so much! Apologies for the unplanned delay; hopefully it doesn't happen again!
Great video. Can't wait to see more.
I have heard of this story but never got round to reading it. If I find it in a library, I will take it out and read it
Great idea - if you do, come back here and let us know what you thought of it!
Thanks for this - Jimmy Corrigan is a remarkable book, and one that I found incredibly moving when I first read it 16-17 years ago. I really must re-read it sometime soon.
I cannot believe it has been 21 years since the book was published; I feel you will find it remains fresh and affecting, if not more, when you reread it. I feel that way about all Chris Ware. though, that it really rewards revisitation!
Really neat analyse for a great book
Thank you so much; I'm thrilled you enjoyed it!
Thank you for this video! I've read a lot of comics, from all over the world, but never got into Chris Ware/Jimmy Corrigan. By the time I've head of him, he already had multiple publications out. I found many things confusing about them. Are all Chris Ware's work about Jimmy Corigan? Is it a continued story? Where do I start? The most confusing was the many changes in formats over the years. I hope you do follow-up videos about this subject as I feel I am missing up on quality reading. Keep up the excellent work! Always a joy to watch your videos.
Yes, it can be confusing, especially since Ware has such a distinctive style/approach that seeing only snatches of his works would make it impossible to distinguish between them. Jimmy Corrigan was an 'ongoing strip'
-sometimes of a few pages, sometimes a page or less, sometimes longer - that ran in his indie/self-published series the Acme Novelty Company, which has 21 'issues' (though some could be labelled 'volumes'), as well as in other magazines or periodicals. _The Acme Novelty Company_ also contained other strips like 'Quimby the Mouse', 'Rusty Brown', and later 'Building Stories'. All of these, like Jimmy Corrigan, were later collected into separate books. _Jimmy Corrigan_ is complete and done, and the paperback or hardcover volume I highlight here is the novel that Ware wanted it to be.
As I mentioned in another reply here, it is interesting to note that Ware did not include every single Jimmy Corrigan story he had in the series, and the book, in my opinion, is better for it.
In short, the Pantheon book called _Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth_ is all the Jimmy Corrigan you need to read to get the full, powerful, story.
Also, I certainly hope to get to the 'many formats' question you have, which I believe is about the Acme Novelty Company series more than the 'collected' Jimmy Corrigan novel.
I just wanted to thank you for this and other wonderful videos. You are very helpful, articulate, expressive and informative, specially while talking about the more dificult things to descrive in works of art, like themes, ideas and feelings. I'm just starting to get into Graphic Novels. What great luck to find your channel at this particular time!
I'll be subscribing and following your videos,
Best of luck from Chile!
Thank you so much for those extremely kind words and I'm absolutely thrilled you;re enjoying the videos as much as you are. A very warm welcome to the channel, and to this exciting and gorgeous world of comics - I hope you find plenty to discover and enjoy as you make your way through 😁 Let me know if there's anything more I can do to assist! Cheers!
Wonderful review sir! This book is in my list for a long time. I honestly love hardcovers (and this one deserves to be read in that format) but the price is three times more compared to the paperback. Maybe I'll have to wait and save some money :D
Yes, the hardcover is the way to go for this one (I may have a quick video up soon on exactly why!) and I personally have a fondness for HCs anyway, so I understand the need. Having said that, what is most important is the story within, so if it makes a difference between reading it and not reading it, I'd say bite the bullet and go for the PB. If you love it, you'd be guaranteed to eventually get the HC. If, for some reason, you don't love it, you'll be happy to have saved the money.
Or maybe see if the next video just convinces you to get the HC anyway!
For the Love of Comics waiting for the video!
Great video! Just subscribed
A very warm welcome and so glad you liked the video! If interested, check out my videos on Ware's other books, Building Stories ua-cam.com/video/8uwFGU3w8Hs/v-deo.html and Rusty Brown ua-cam.com/video/_bxK1h852zQ/v-deo.html
a friend gave me this book around 20 years ago and I never read it. I think I will now.
Wow! I would love to know what you thought of it if you do give it a read!
Have you read Rusty Brown, what are your thoughts on that?
Great look on Jimmy Corrigan btw!
I've loved the Rusty Brown pieces over the years in Acme Novelty Company but I have not yet gotten my hands on the collected edition. Soon, I am sure! 😀
Is it good for a 14-year-old boy?
I've now met some very smart and mature kids, so I don't want to say NO 14 year old will like this. But it is a mature and complex work, and the themes of abandonment, family, loneliness and more may be better appreciated by people who've experienced some of it. But one can always try and if it doesn't work, return to it some years later to try again!
@@ftloc i like the book so much, and i think i will understand it, i try it
thank u
Like your channel. Dislike this book.
Haha, fair enough; I'll take it! Thanks!