Book Description

The Love and Rockets Reader: From Hoppers to Palomar started as a series ofblog posts attempting to answer the deceptively simple question: "whatmakes Love and Rockets so great?" Over the next six years, it quickly grewinto a meticulously researched study containing in-depth analysis of andcommentary on the series. Author Marc Sobel delves into the comics'themes, symbols and influences, as well as the Hernandez Brothers'artistic development. Organized into seven main chapters, one for each ofthe first seven Love and Rockets trade paperback collections (representing theoriginal Love and Rockets Vol. I), the book also includes: the comics'origins in the Hernandez Brothers' roots, such as their involvement in theSouthern California punk scene, their adventures in self-publishing, and theirvital partnership with Fantagraphics; an examination of the HernandezBrothers' ill-fated Mister X (a science-fiction series) collaboration; areview of Mario's solo book, Brain Capers; and a paradigm-changinganalysis of Gilbert's vastly underappreciated erotic graphic novel,Birdland. As an "extra," The Love and Rockets Reader also includesJaime's very first published work: the never-before-reprinted four-pagestory, "Another Time, Another Place," from 1977. An essentialresource for scholars and enthusiasts alike, this book will enlighten and deepeneven the most ardent fans' appreciation of this groundbreakingseries.