“When a book like LOVING DANGEROUSLY does come along, I have to read it twice because I am so taken aback by the fact honest-to-God literature is being produced in graphic novel format.

And that’s truly what LOVING DANGEROUSLY is…literature. Not only am I hooked in for the rest of this trilogy, but I’m intrigued to traverse Rall’s other titles to see how the temperance of age and the stark differences of today’s world would be viewed through his eyes.”

“The Year of Loving Dangerously is just the second book I’ve read of Ted Rall’s, the first being his account of his travels along the Silk Road in Silk Road to Ruin. I quite enjoyed the latter, how he combined his memories of the trip with accurate descriptions of the people and political climes of the countries he visited along the Silk Road. This book didn’t disappoint, either. A graphic memoir that presents this one particular year, a year of many hardships to Ted Rall, realistically and often humorously, it shows what a person can do if he or she doesn’t give up when faced with a seemingly insurmountable roadblock. Though Rall considered suicide at one point in the book, he fortunately toughed it out and carried on. This story gives hope to us all.”

So says Curled Up with a Good Book

The next one, from Andrew Wheeler, is more nuanced:

“Rall’s story of the summer of 1984 is worthy of a graphic novel.” He starts to say but: “It does have a tendency to come across as bragging. But Rall’s dialogue and narration keep the story flowing, and Callejo (artist of Bluesman) draws a lot of very attractive women in and out of bed with the young Ted Rall. I still have the feeling that Rall is telling this story in a very slanted way — that he’s very carefully chosen how to present this time in his life to make himself look as glamorous and positive as possible — but it’s a very readable graphic memoir that will make all men close to Rall’s age either remember their own youth fondly or wish fervently that they’d been more “active” back in the day.”
The Antick Musings of G.B.H. Hornswoggler, Gent.

And there have been some much more scathing reviews of late on that note of Rall just showing off, including Rob Clough on The Comics Journal’s site where the art was also criticized which surprises us:

“A book that was all over the place: frequently entertaining, often baffling and contradicting itself at any number of turns.  If only it had been Rall’s own hand depicting these events, then this messiness might have held a greater appeal.”

 Most love the art but some just can’t get into the more realistic style Callejo chose, apparently. Also, interesting that all women who reviewed this, and there were many, didn’t see Rall as bragging, in fact they admired his survival skills!

First, let’s point you to a fun interview on Smith Magazine’s site with Ted Rall on his recent Year of Loving Dangerously.

Greg McElhatton of Read About Comics sees Rall’s book as a bit of an exercise in self-justification but still grants that “This is the kind of glimpse into someone’s life that readers rarely get,” and especially raves about artist Pablo Callejo’s work on this:

“a treat from start to finish; he draws his characters with an innocent look, thanks to rounded faces and clean lines. Callejo draws the young Rall in a way that makes him both recognizably the cartoonist (for those who have seen or met him), but without feeling stiff, posed, or light boxed off of existing photographs. I think it’s Callejo’s art style that actually makes the book slightly more likable; Rall’s narration may not ever come across as warm, but his alter-ego on the page does in places.”

And Sequential Tart picks up on this about Callejo:

“a marvel to behold. Callejo is surely an artist to watch and this book specifically demonstrates how versatile an artist he is. How easy it would have been for Callejo, like so many other comic book artists, to make all of the women Ted sleeps with pictorial copies of each other. The fact that there were so many characters, and I never confused any of them and I always recognized the recurring ones, is a great artistic accomplishment.

Rall is obviously an excellent writer. And the book is very funny at times, so don’t let the serious premise scare you away. I enjoyed this graphic novel immensely and have been encouraged to check out more of Rall’s books. Read this book with an open mind and eye for detail and I think you will enjoy it just as much. 9 out of 10.”

“He was more interested in well-stocked refrigerators than impending sexual adventures. Realistically illustrated in soft colors by Callejo, of Bluesman (2004–06) fame, and maximally unbuttoned in some places, Rall’s sympathetic account of his life on the edge encourages identifying with a situation so desperate that his outrageous choices seem necessary.”

And Publishers Weekly thought Jesse Lonergan’s Joe & Azat equally charming:

“Lonergan follows his graphic novel, Flower & Fade, with this charming and engrossing study of a friendship that transcends cultural borders. A simply illustrated charmer that grips readers from its opening pages and remains on the mind well after it has been read and absorbed.”

And don’t forget, Ted appears at MoCCA Thursday evening at 7PM to talk about and then sign this book!

“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.

“Say what you will about political lightning rod Ted Rall: the man’s not afraid of coming off like a dick. Callejo’s painted art, a far cry from the proto-punk stylings Rall uses on his political cartoons, captures the milieu wonderfully and even manages to convey the varying degrees of dismay Rall’s young self feels over the way his life is going.

Of course, you might already know him for his work with Rob Vollmar on Bluesman and the Castaways.

Always wondrous stuff.

And hopefully he’ll talk for both he and Ted who *grumblmumbl* hardly participates here even if I resort to pointing a gun at him!!!

Ted?… You there?

groan

Xaviera Hollander, author of the best-selling “The Happy Hooker” (which sold 16 million copies) and helped to revolutionzie attitudes on sex, has provided the introduction to Ted Rall’s forthcoming The Year of Loving Dangerously (shipping in October and being solicited in comics stores now).

Mentioning her own experience running a brothel in New York in the seventies and being proud of it she says:

“Ted didn’t take money for sex, but in Manhattan a place to spend the night is the next best thing to cash—and that’s what he wanted, and consistently got, for over a year until he landed back on his feet. His is an unusual story for its honesty. But I’m willing to bet it’s anything but uncommon in its frequency.
“What makes “The Year of Loving Dangerously” interesting is that, unlike the work of many cartoonists, he is not a shoe-gazer. He is not socially awkward, writing about his inability to get a date, much less get laid on a Saturday night. Like my attitude as “The Happy Hooker,” Ted didn’t feel wallow in self-pity. To the contrary, he embraced life and sex, even when they came about in less than conventional ways. He loved and respected women and loved every minute of his sexual adventures. He was not a cad. He was a lover. The fact that he did it to survive doesn’t change that.

“The Year of Loving Dangerously” may be the first sex-positive book written by a typical, well-adjusted, heterosexual American man.”

See the previews.

I know it’s been a while since my last book, which is why I am excited about my new project, THE YEAR OF LOVING DANGEROUSLY. It’s a graphic novel, written by me and about me and drawn by BLUESMAN cartoonist Pablo Callejo, that returns to the autobio territory I abandoned after MY WAR WITH BRIAN in 1998. The first of my “Sex, Drugs, and Rock ‘N’ Roll” trilogy, YEAR covers the year beginning in mid-1984, when–in short order–I was expelled from college, evicted from my home, dumped by my girlfriend and fired from my job. Jobless, broke, with no prospects and nowhere to live, I found myself living on the streets of New York City in the mean, lean Reagan years.

Pablo has finished 80 pages so far. The book will be 128 in all, so he’s getting close to completion. We’ll have to make some edits. It’s amazing how he’s able to channel NYC in the ’80s across the Atlantic just from my descriptions, but there are some inevitable errors that creep in. For instance, the Village Voice wasn’t given away at the time; it was sold at newsstands. After continuity and other errors are fixed, we’ll go to press. It’s hard to know the exact pub date, but I think it’s safe to say that YEAR will be released in 2009.

I’m very excited about returning to the graphic novel form with a muscular, balls-out approach that rejects the wimpy navel-gazing I’m-a-sensitive-artist-who-can’t-get-laid BS that’s so prevalent in indie comics nowadays. This is also my first-ever collaboration with another artist, which has gone very smoothly. Pablo is a pro!

Chris and I wander the then-sketchy streets of Williamsburg, Brooklyn.Friends can drag you down--even friends who save your life.

Sometimes a friend can kill you--even one who saves your life.