Posted in: Comics | Tagged: boom, boom studios, eric powell

BOOM! to Expose Scandalous Eric Powell Stories and Gossip in New Art Book

Published Fri, 05 Apr 2019 18:06:52 -0500

Last updated Fri, 05 Apr 2019 18:07:52 -0500

While political junkies continue to hold out hope of finally getting their hands on the Mueller report (sorry, probably not going to happen), comic book fans will have a chance to get the real dirt later this year. Explosive publisher BOOM! Studios announced plans Friday to publish an an Eric Powell art book this October called The Art (And Many Other Mistakes) of Eric Powell, featuring not only the titular superstar comic creator's art, but also, according to the press release, "scandalous tales, family gossip, illegally obtained medical records, behind-the-scenes character designs, sketches, and illustrations from the twisted mind of the creator of the acclaimed series, The Goon, available in stores October 2019." Readers are invited to "celebrate an obscene number of years of low art and high art, failure and success, and the many other mistakes of [the] multi-award winning writer and artist."

More info from the press release:

In Nashville, Tennessee lives a man, a recluse, a curmudgeonly high falutin' cartoonist-type who, as a young child, had a penchant for drawing and making up tall tales. It was at the tender age of 18, he turned his back on a promising career in adult film cinematography and followed his heart into the comic book industry. Out of desperation, Eric kept drawing, painting, and then creating his own characters and worlds culminating with the beloved series, The Goon, currently celebrating its twentieth anniversary.

THE ART (AND MANY OTHER MISTAKES) OF ERIC POWELL sheds light on the deliberate and painstaking process of becoming a world renowned comic book creator as recalled by the artist and a few of his delinquent friends. This extensive art book spotlights never-before-seen childhood drawings, early superhero test pages, film poster art, and the establishment of Powell's homegrown publishing house Albatross (Exploding) Funnybooks.

Eric Powell is an Eisner Award-winning writer and artist best known for his critically acclaimed series The Goon, which launched in 1999, and quickly became an indie hit with a die-hard cult following. In 2002, Powell launched his own publishing house, Albatross Exploding Funnybooks, which has been home to several creator-owned titles, including his own series Chimichanga and Hillbilly, as well as Rebecca Sugar's Pug Davis, Fabian Rangel Jr. and Logan Faerber's weird war tale 'Namwolf, and Brendon Small's Galaktikon. In 2019, Powell relaunched The Goon at Albatross in coordination with the book's 20th anniversary.

And Powell said:

Ten years ago I thought to myself, 'I'm a multiple award-winning artist who has been at this for a while. It's probably time to put out an art book.' And since then many notable jag-offs have had art books published. Including Justin Bieber's The Art of the Bieb: A Retrospective of Paintings I Made With My Butt. Unfortunately I did not get an art book. What I got is what I always get… THE SHAFT! But then my friend and editor Sierra Hahn said, 'BOOM! Studios will do it.' And here we are. On the verge of the publication of a biography about a backwoods idiot who taught himself how to draw pictures for money.

Hahn responded:

He said we were friends? Well, okay then. This fancy art book chronicles the artistic legacy of Eric Powell, a curmudgeon and one-of-a-kind storyteller. This book is the culmination of a lifetime of experience in the gutters and trenches of the comic book world and an inspiring how-to for up and coming cartoonists who can learn from his many mistakes . . . This book is also home to some of the best cartooning and painterly work I believe this industry has ever known (and that's not sarcasm).

Find it in comic stores on October 23rd, and in bookstores on October 29th!