NBM Blog » Nicolas Cinquegrani

Meet us and our artists at MoCCA this weekend

NBM — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 22:42:30 +0000

The MoCCA Festival is coming right up, here in NYC this weekend of April 10 and we’ll be busy with quite a few of our authors appearing! Come and meet:

Brooke A. Allen premiering our brand new ‘A Home for Mr. Easter.’
Greg Houston (Vatican Hustle)
Neil Kleid and Nicolas Cinquegrani (The Big Khan, Brownsville)
Ted Rall (The Year of Loving Dangerously) but also with ‘A Silk Road to Ruin’ about Central Asia which is astir with Kyrgyztan’s revolution.

Here’s the schedule of their appearances:

Saturday

11-1: Brooke Allen & Ted Rall
1-2: Nicolas Cinquegrani
1-4: Greg Houston
2-4 Brooke Allen
4-5: Nicolas Cinquegrani
4-6 Ted Rall

Sunday:

11-1: Ted Rall
noon-1: Neil Kleid/Nicolas Cinquegrani
1-4: Brooke Allen
1-3: Greg Houston
3-5: Kleid/Cinquegrani
5-6: Houston

And of course, we’ll be bringing our latest graphic novels for sale besides these guys’!

Meet ya there.

Who we got at MoCCA

NBM — Wed, 31 Mar 2010 20:39:20 +0000

The MoCCA Festival is coming right up, here in NYC the weekend of April 10 and we’ll be busy with quite a few of our authors appearing! Come and meet:

Here’s the schedule of their appearances:

Saturday

11-1: Brooke Allen & Ted Rall
1-2: Nicolas Cinquegrani
1-4: Greg Houston
2-4 Brooke Allen
4-5: Nicolas Cinquegrani
4-6 Ted Rall

Sunday:

11-1: Ted Rall
noon-1: Neil Kleid/Nicolas Cinquegrani
1-4: Brooke Allen
1-3: Greg Houston
3-5: Kleid/Cinquegrani
5-6: Houston

And of course, we’ll be bringing our latest graphic novels for sale besides these guys’!

Meet ya there.

Unshelved on The Big Kahn

NBM — Tue, 23 Feb 2010 16:33:30 +0000

The very popular daily strip for Librarians “Unshelved” recommends The Big Khan.

And this book, by the way, has gone back to press!

A bevy of reviews

NBM — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 19:35:53 +0000

First off, for The Big Khan, a rave from Tony Isabella of Comics Buyers Guide:

“Riveting. The emotions that drive this graphic novel make it a genuine page-turner with a satisfying conclusion. With admiration for Kleid’s riveting story and Cinquegrani’s deft realization of the characters and locations with which he has brought that story to life, The Big Kahn earns the full five out of five Tonys. It’s a masterpiece.”

Comic Mix on Rall’s Year of Loving Dangerously:

“Much of the strength in this remarkable account comes from Pablo G Callejo’s artwork. The Spanish artist keenly captures the look and feel of New York City during the go-go Reagan years. His people are wonderfully varied and his attention to detail is excellent, from clothing to color. His artwork is ideally suited for this cautionary tale and made reading it a lot easier.
This is an important work in that it lays bare a man’s life and shows how easily things can go awry and why society needs safety nets.”

Susan Boslough of Playbackstl, provides an interesting insight on Rick Geary’s Famous Players:

“Geary provides a nice overview of the case as well as sketching in some background about early Hollywood, and he has the dramatist’s instinct for maintaining the reader’s interest by carefully timing the release of crucial information.
Each chapter of Famous Players is introduced by a “Stars of the Photoplay” image of a famous actor of the day, one of which has a notable connection with Taylor. Gloria Swanson’s greatest creation, Norma Desmond, was named after William Desmond Taylor and Mabel Normand. The name was aptly chosen, as Desmond’s fictional life in Billy Wilder’s Sunset Boulevard encompasses the glory days of the silents while coming to a conclusion even more lurid than anything in either Taylor’s or Normand’s careers.”

And by the way, Famous Players just shipped its paperback edition at $9.95, in time for Xmas!

Seattle’s The Stranger on Vatican Hustle by Greg Houston:

“What’s the art look like? It’s kind of Ralph Steadman-y. Nice and messy and whorl-y. I like it a lot.
Do you recommend it? Yes. Blaxploitation parodies are definitely played out, but Houston has an alternative enough edge to his work that this book is visually and structurally interesting. I’m looking forward to seeing more work by him.”

They also reviewed Things Undone by Shane White and while they liked the art, thought it came up short, alas.

Big Kahn is becoming Enormous Khan

NBM — Wed, 16 Sep 2009 18:22:40 +0000

The publicity on The Big Kahn just keeps rolling along and gathering steam! The latest is a great interview by author Sasha Watson on Publishers Weekly’s Comics Week newsletter.

And… looks like a major paper will be running something very soon… stay tuned.

Words for Big Kahn

NBM — Tue, 25 Aug 2009 13:31:31 +0000

More reviews for The Big Kahn:

“This story moves in unexpected directions in a quiet and real-feeling way. This is not a sensationalistic story that might appear on a cable network; instead, Kleid allows the characters sufficient time and space to move in their own interesting directions.”

Comics Bulletin

“Well written, well drawn, with characters you can understand and sympathize with. Grade: 8/10″

Sequential Tart

The Big Kahn gets The Big Press

NBM — Wed, 12 Aug 2009 18:39:22 +0000

First off: Booklist, an influential review of books:

Kleid’s second graphic novel observes the fallout of a 40-year deception. At Rabbi David Kahn’s funeral, a Gentile asks to see his brother one more time. His brother? Just so, for the rabbi wasn’t a Jew. He came to Judaism as a young crook working a con but, falling in love and marrying into it, stayed to become a revered spiritual leader. His family is devastated, none more than elder son Avi, a sincere young rabbi presumed to be David’s successor-but no longer, which shakes his faith. Equally affected is David’s daughter, Lea, who has been in full rebellion against her upbringing (she is first seen here assuaging her grief by shtupping in a synagogue closet while Avi delivers the eulogy) but now reacts with self-doubt. This is an unusually rich work. Every character is well realized. Each panel’s composition, perspective, and placement within the continuity, and also the transitions between scenes, are done with care. Unfortunately, Cinquegrani’s figural skills don’t match the excellence of story and visual conceptualization. Nevertheless, a not-to-be-missed original graphic novel. -Ray Olson

And then from Graphic Novel Reporter:

Kleid’s script is a wonder, with its pitch-perfect ear for dialogue. Paired with Nicolas Cinquegrani’s richly textured shades and overtones, it not only captures New Jersey well—it also fully delivers on the premise of the story. When the no-good brother bursts in, disrupting everything and causing chaos at the scene, the emotions he provokes in the family and in the crowd are so nicely executed that they feel completely real—Cinquegrani’s work bringing the panels to life right along with the script, which is at times funny and then heartbreaking.

The Big Kahn is an adventurous step for Kleid, author of Brownsville and the webcomic Action, Ohio. Like Brownsville, it’s a Jewish story set out east, but it’s so simply executed (and subtly ambitious) that it sneaks up on you more easily and more casually than you expect. Its great strength lies in that. I loved the story and was glad to be able to read it in graphic novel form. — John Hogan

See MORE on the book including preview pages.

The Big Kahn is now in stores!

Terry — Mon, 10 Aug 2009 13:39:42 +0000

One of our best and most anticipated books this season, The Big Kahn, is now out and available in stores. Buzz was mounting in San Diego for it as we premiered it there.

As soon as Neil presented this concept to me, I knew we had a winner. But at first, like most people, I thought it would be a comedy. What, a Rabbi who wasn’t Jewish? Turned out to be a grifter? But when Neil explained to me this was serious and I read on more about his concept, I was even more intrigued. It’s a funny premise alright, but what Neil does with it is fascinating. It becomes a story on the nature of faith and with all the different characters in it, reacting in a wide variety of ways, it’s just a great read, his best work so far. I fell in love with it, I hope you do too.

Big Kahn gets buzz in San Diego

NBM — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 15:03:11 +0000

Neil Kleid’s and Nicolas Cinquegrani’s The Big Kahn built up some good buzz in San Diego with Publishers Weekly telling others this may be the sleeper of the show.

The site Comic Book Resources posted a follow-up interview with Neil who provides some fun background on this.

By the way, the book has shipped from our warehouse and will hit stores within the next week or two!

ForeWord on The Big Kahn

NBM — Tue, 09 Jun 2009 13:28:28 +0000

Bright and early, ForeWord, the magazine covering small press for the nation’s libraries, weighs in with a review of The Big Kahn:

“A story about belief and truth—in gods, marriages, and selves. An interesting addition to all high school, community, and church libraries. Excellent for book clubs and study groups as well.”

And look for articles and interviews coming up in various publications such as HEEB magazine. Buzz at MoCCA as the authors signed a special preview was building!