War Passenger is a documentary film that tells the story of David Axe, a middle-class, suburban-raised South Carolina resident who walked away from his family, friends, and career to travel to Iraq in 2005 at the peak of the Middle Eastern conflict. Armed with only a backpack and a video camera, David embraced his role as a “citizen journalist” and continued to seek out the world’s worst war zones. Since 2005, he has reported from Iraq, Afghanistan, Lebanon, Somalia, Chad, Congo, and East Timor. During his travels, David began to write autobiographical comic books detailing a life at war where IEDs, piracy, and child soldiers were an everyday reality. Utilizing over 100 hours of David’s personal video footage, War Passenger takes you to the frontlines of the world’s conflicts and shows you how hard it is to come back home.

NBM readers are familiar with his multiple award winning book, War Fix, which Axe collaborated on with Steve Olexa.

 Visit warpassenger.com for more information.

You might not be aware that Stan Mack, author of NBM’s Taxes, the Tea Party, and Those Revolting Rebels, is also considered to be one of the founding fathers of contemporary cartoon reportage.

Stan recently was profiled in Print Magazine focusing on his work in the magazine back in 1996 which predicted the new digital revolution.

Check it out HERE and also check out a previous piece where Stan discusses Taxes and the current political climate.

NBM Publishing is extremely proud and flattered to receive an Eisner nomination for Best U.S. Edition of International Material for Abelard by Régis Hautiere and Renaud Dillies.

Also nominated for “Great Graphic Novel for Teens’ by YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association), here are what some other reviewers are saying:

“At times, both whimsical and melancholy, Abelard transcends the artform as an example of exquisite storytelling.”

– Broken Frontier

“Wonderful, thoughtful, and moving.”

– Sequential Tart

“If the cartoon images of birds and bears–and the addition of the word “magical” to the book’s front cover–give the impression that Abelard is a children’s fantasy, be assured that it isn’t. Think of it more as an anthropomorphic piece of magical realism in the manner of Joanne Harris’ Chocolat, a reflection on hope and dreams that may surprise you by just how affecting it is.”

– Blog Critics

“(Abelard) starts off feeling somewhat quaint and unassuming, and by the time you realize where it is heading, it is far too late to stem the tide of heartache that the book makes you feel…A book very much worth your time and money. This is a high-quality piece of work.”

– Comics Waiting Room

“A beautifully crafted piece of storytelling from Hautiére that tugs mercilessly at the heartstrings but doesn’t ever fall into sentimental or sickly sweet. If anything, by the end, we’re assaulted by the brutality of the story. And Dillies’ artwork is quite beautiful, his charming characters almost deliberately at odds with some of the themes and actions of the tale, yet never feeling wrong. His stylised colours perfectly suited to detailing all the wonders, all the misery, all the dreams Abelard finds along his journey.”

– The Forbidden Planet International Blog Log

“ A poignant, droll, and heartbreaking “funny animals” tale for grown-ups, with breathtaking art.”

– Karen Green – Boing Boing Annual “Return of the Best Damn Comics of the Year” List

“Abelard is a magnificently well-told story… It’s truly a fantastic graphic novel that’s perfect for people who aren’t normally comic book fans.”

– Panels on Pages

“…Starts out feeling like a sweet, whimsical pastoral children’s graphic novel and slowly morphs into a wonderfully moving adult story that kind of sneaks up on you with its craft, intelligence and interesting themes.”

– Comics Bulletin

After a great time at MoCCA, here we are, back again, with some recent reviews of various NBM titles.

Abelard

Has been nominated for “Great Graphic Novel for Teens’ by YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association).  Results will be announced in January 2104 by the ALA.

“At times, both whimsical and melancholy, Abelard transcends the artform as an example of exquisite storytelling.”

– Broken Frontier

An Enchantment

“Billed as “A Graphic Poem,” author/artist Durieux’s volume renders a reverie rich with carefully detailed sepia-toned illustrations that incorporate photo reproductions of the museum’s celebrated artwork…Highly recommended.”

– Library Journal

“Pure escapism through art.”

– Comics Worth Reading

“In an afterword, writer/artist Christian Durieux says his ambition was to create poetry in comics. With this beguiling, bittersweet reverie, I think he has succeeded.”

– New Hampshire Telegraph

“The art is lovely, the characters and dialogue are rich, and the book sweeps you up and carries you along with its verve. Each entry in the Louvre series has been unique, and has challenged its readers as a work of art should. This one stands above the others in its power to engage.”

– Comics Waiting Room

Philosophy – A Discovery in Comics

“(Philosophy: A Discovery in Comics) is very much a “discovery”, a “first look” at philosophy that warns against subscribing to any particular system of thought too rigidly and instead encourages critical, personal engagement. It’s an important lesson to learn, particularly for young adults who are just beginning to engage with abstract thought.”

– Multiversity Comics

“Philosophy is organized like a virtual road trip, with de Heer and her husband Yiri (also a cartoonist; he did the coloring for this volume) offering commentary on the issues and philosophers covered, frequently raising the same kinds of questions that we would have, and providing reasonable answers to many of them. The illustrations are cute and colorful, alternating between standard frame-based sequential comics and full-page splashes, and de Heer’s cheerful style keeps even the weightiest questions from seeming too difficult to contemplate.”

– Playback:stl

Stargazing Dog

“If you have a heart at all, you will cry reading this book.”

– Lost in the Stacks

Lovers’ Lane: The Hall-Mills Mystery

The Morton Report has a fantastic interview with Rick where he discusses A Treasury of Victorian Murder Compendium as well as his true-crime work in general.

“Rick Geary’s distinctively inked style is a perfect match to the tales of bloodshed he favors—they recall both woodcuts and graphical newspaper illustrations of the Police Gazette variety, giving a period flavor to his work. His deadpan style of storytelling, as well as his unerring choice of unusual details to highlight, give the proceedings a touch of humor of the “what fools these mortals be” variety.”

– Playback: stl

Here’s a fantastic video trailer for our upcoming ZOMBILLENIUM Vol.1: Gretchen by Arthur de Pins, which is receiving it’s first English translation.

Francis von Bloodt, vampire, a good family man, manages the theme park Zombillenium. They don’t just hire anyone, at Zombillenium: mere mortals need not apply, the park works only with genuine werewolves, vampires and zombies. This is what Aurelian gets to discover as, burnt out, deceived by his wife, he finally gets hired in spite of himself in this strange business. Gretchen, a plucky trainee witch, helps him get around…

NBM is once again heading to the MoCCA Arts Festival and we’re happy to have Stan Mack (Taxes, the Tea Party, and Those Revolting Rebels) signing on Saturday following his 11:30 am panel, Art As Passion: Celebrating the spirit of comics through observation and reportage which will be moderated by Dan Nadel.

Stan will be at the NBM/Papercutz Booth (161-162) on Saturday from 12:30-1:30 and then from 3 to 5.

Also hanging out at the NBM booth will be cartoonist Lance Tooks making a rare U.S. appearance. He’ll be signing copies of his series Lucifer’s Garden.

We’ll also have a special free sample of Persia Blues by Dara Naraghi and Brent Bowman as well as our latest titles including An Enchantment by Christian Durieux, The Initiates by Etienne Davodeau, and Abelard by Régis Hautière and Renaud Dillies. We’ll also have plenty of Papercutz titles including Annoying Orange, The Smurfs, Ariol, Ninjago, Power Rangers, and more.

So come on by, meet some cool folks and celebrate comics!

NBM/Papercutz

Booths 161-162

The original French edition was Gourmand Magazine‘s Best Wine Book of the Year (2011).  Now, NBM is proud to release The Initiates in English for the first time.  Here’s what the reviewers are saying:

“This intensely thought-provoking graphic novel makes us pause to consider our relationships with other people and asks us to think about who we are, what we do, and how we perceive and relate to the world around us”

– Publisher’s Weekly

“It’s hard to imagine a more pleasantly told story.”

– The Comics Reporter

“(An) engrossing piece of comics reportage.”

– A.V. Club

“I was inspired, by the end, to better appreciate just how much hard work goes into a delicious wine or a beautiful comic. This would make a wonderful gift to any artist, or those aspiring to be.”

– Comics Worth Reading

“This book will teach [you] something new in an entertaining form.”

– New York Journal of Books

“A book that sticks with you long after you put it down… An amazing piece of work.”

– Comics Waiting Room

“Beautifully rendered…”

– Shelf-Awareness

“Beautifully designed…highly recommended in every respect…will certainly make my top five graphic novels of 2013.”

– Ich Liebe Comics!

“A compelling read no matter where you are in your wine journey.”

– Wine Harlots

“A page-turner…perhaps the best book ever for explaining, viscerally, the toils of a terroirist.”

– Wine-Searcher

If you haven’t picked up this new edition of Stephen Weiner’s groundbreaking Faster Than a Speeding Bullet: The Rise of the Graphic Novel, here’s what the critics are saying…

“Though its title gives the impression that the book’s focus will be on superhero GN fare like Knight or Neil Gaiman’s Sandman, Weiner provides a broader view of comics’ maturation as a storytelling form.”

– Seattle Post-Intelligencer

“Anyone new to learning about the comics industry’s history would find a wonderful starting place with Faster Than a Speeding Bullet.”

– Playback: STL

NBM is once again heading to the MoCCA Arts Festival and we’re happy to have Stan Mack (Taxes, the Tea Party, and Those Revolting Rebels) signing on Saturday following his 11:30 am panel, Art As Passion: Celebrating the spirit of comics through observation and reportage which will be moderated by Dan Nadel.

Also hanging out at the NBM booth will be cartoonist Lance Tooks making a rare U.S. appearance.  He’ll be signing copies of his series Lucifer’s Garden.

We’ll also have a special free sample of Persia Blues by Dara Naraghi and Brent Bowman as well as our latest titles including An Enchantment by Christian Durieux, The Initiates by Etienne Davodeau, and Abelard by Régis Hautière and Renaud Dillies.  We’ll also have plenty of Papercutz titles including Annoying Orange, The Smurfs, Ariol, Ninjago, Power Rangers, and more.

So come on by, meet some cool folks and celebrate comics!

NBM/Papercutz

Booths 161-162

Persia Blues, the upcoming graphic novel from NBM publishing and creators New York Times best-selling writer Dara Naraghi and artist Brent Bowman will debut as a four part series of single issues with issue #1 premiering today for just 99 cents, exclusively on comiXology, —the world’s largest digital comics platform with over 100 million downloads to date.  Subsequent issues will be released every two weeks and will retail for $1.99.

The first volume in a three volume series coming from NBM, Persia Blues was both the first title from the publisher that utilized a Kickstarter campaign and the first time they’ve serialized a pending title digitally before it reaches print. The e-comic books will be taken down upon publication of the book when a simultaneous e-book version of the GN will appear.

It tells of Minoo Shirazi, a rebellious young Iranian woman, struggling to define herself amidst the strict social conventions of an oppressive regime, and the differing wishes of an overbearing father, in betrween life in Iran and life in midwestern America. Minoo Shirazi is also a free-spirited adventurer in a fantasy world, a place where aspects of modern America and ancient Persia meld into a unique landscape. And yet, neither of these women are the true Minoo Shirazi.

At the intersection of guilt and freedom, family and self, ancient myths and modern enigmas, lies…Persia Blues.

“Persia Blues is a character-driven slice of life tale, combining fantastical elements with contemporary politics, while exploring the universal themes of tradition, family, guilt, and freedom,” explains Naraghi, “As an Iranian-American writer, I’ve always been interested in exploring multicultural themes in my stories, and this series is my most ambitious and personal work to date. I believe strongly in the sequential art medium, and feel that diversity and fresh perspectives can only strengthen and expand the already amazing world of comics and graphic novels.”

NBM Publisher Terry Nantier further explained the methodology to this release, “In today’s book market we’re really appealing to a broader potential reader base than ever before.  By offering our books serialized through comiXology there’s an opportunity for a reader to try the first chapter for an extremely low price and then decide if they want to continue to follow the series digitally or purchase the physical book.  Digital is unquestionably the future, but physical books offer a richer opportunity for design and presentation which allows us to indulge and release a book worth owning physically.” The book is being solicited for in Diamond’s Previews this month.

See more

About the Author & Artist:

Dara Naraghi was born in Iran and educated in the United States. An Ohio State University alum, he works in the information technology field, but his passion is for the comics medium. His debut graphic novel, Lifelike, has garnered many positive reviews, from the likes of award-winning novelist Cory Doctorow, and cartoonist Sam Kieth. His other notable graphic novels include the Terminator Salvation official movie prequel, and Witch & Wizard: Battle for Shadowland (both New York Times Bestsellers), as well as works for Image Comics, IDW Publishing, Dark Horse, and DC Comics. Dara is also a founding member of the comic book writers/artists collective known as PANEL, with whom he has produced 20 volumes of their comics anthology. Dara lives in Columbus, Ohio with his wife, daughter, and the world’s sweetest hound dog. Visit him online at www.DaraNaraghi.com

Brent Bowman is a graduate of the Columbus College of Art And Design with a degree in Illustration. A lifelong comics fan, Brent has been drawing since he was old enough to pick up a pencil. His work has appeared in publications by Image Comics and Caliber Press, as well as the collectible card game Age of Empires. He’s a contributing member of PANEL, a local comics collective that publishes two anthologies a year. Brent has been nominated for the small press SPACE prize in 2008, 2010 and 2011 for both his PANEL work and his own original self published comics. He lives in Columbus Ohio with his wife and two boys. Visit him online at https://sites.google.com/site/thebrentbowmanproject