Posted in: Comics | Tagged: Comics, HRL

Martin Rowson to Adapt Karl Marx's Communist Manifesto as a Graphic Novel, and More from SelfMadeHero in 2018

Published Fri, 19 Jan 2018 16:00:11 -0600

British graphic novel publisher SelfMadeHero has unveiled the first six months worth of graphic novels for 2018. As ever, there is an eclectic choice. But the one that may stir many is the adaptation of Karl Marx and Frederick Engels's Communist Manifesto as a graphic novel by satirical cartoonist, and inspiration for many of my own forays into political cartoons, Martin Rowson.

In February, we release the third and final volume of Jean-Pierre Filiu and David B.'s much lauded history of US and Middle East relations, Best of Enemies. Filled with wit and insight, it's a concise and engaging guide to a period that began with Iraq's invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and ended with Obama's decision, in 2013, to put military action against Syria on hold.

Reinhard Kleist's Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds: An Art Book has so far been available only through nickcave.com. In March, it is released to bookshops country-wide. Find this full-colour, LP-sized coffee table book, filled with illustrations of the musician and his band, at a bricks-and-mortar store near you. You won't be disappointed.

March also sees the release of the Klimowski Poster Book, a handsomely produced collection of poster designs by the graphic artist Andrzej Klimowski. Working for Polish theatre and film companies, and drawing on folk art and Surrealism, Klimowski designed some of his generation's most iconic and influential poster designs. He is currently Professor Emeritus of Illustration at the Royal College of Art.

In April, a haunting, beautiful and devastating work of fiction: Out in the Open by Javi Rey. Adapted from Jesús Carrasco's award-winning novel of the same name, Out in the Open follows a young boy who, after suffering violence and betrayal at home, flees into an uncompromising landscape ravaged by drought. An elderly goatherd is his only hope of saviour.

In May, to mark the 200th anniversary of Karl Marx's birth, we bring you Guardian cartoonist Martin Rowson's graphic adaptation of The Communist Manifesto. Rowson employs his trademark draughtsmanship and wit to this singular, energetic adaptation of Marx and Engels' revolutionary pamphlet. To this day, it remains one of the most important works of political theory ever published.

In June, lift off… Writers Matt Fitch and Chris Baker have teamed up with Marvel and DC regular Mike Collins to tell the remarkable story of the first moon landing. Apollo unpacks the urban legends, the gossip and the speculation to reveal a remarkable true story about life, death, dreams and the reality of humanity's greatest exploratory achievement.

Finally, also in June, John Harris Dunning and Michael Kennedy bring us a stylish contemporary thriller, Tumult. At a house party, Adam Whistler meets – and beds – the lovely Morgan. But when he encounters her a few days later, she has no memory of him and introduces herself as Leila. People are being murdered and Leila, who has dissociative identity disorder (or "multiple personalities"), fears that Morgan might be the killer.

More, much more, as we have it.

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