{"product_id":"frank-johnson-secret-pioneer-of-american-comics-vol-1-paperback-by-frank-johnson","title":"Frank Johnson, Secret Pioneer of American Comics Vol. 1 Paperback by Frank Johnson","description":"\u003cbody\u003e\n                \n                    \n                        \u003ch2\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eProduct Details\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h2\u003e\n                        \u003cul\u003e\n                            \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublisher\u003c\/strong\u003e: \u003cb\u003eFantagraphics\u003c\/b\u003e \u003cb\u003e(2024-02-06)\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n                            \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eLanguage\u003c\/strong\u003e: \u003cstrong\u003eEnglish\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n                            \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePaperback\u003c\/strong\u003e: \u003cstrong\u003e634\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cb\u003epages\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n                            \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eISBN-13\u003c\/strong\u003e: \u003cstrong\u003e9781683968993\u003c\/strong\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n                            \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eItem Weight\u003c\/strong\u003e: \u003cstrong\u003e368.55\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cb\u003egrams\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n                            \u003cli\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions\u003c\/strong\u003e: \u003cstrong\u003e0.0 x 0.0 x 0.0\u003c\/strong\u003e \u003cb\u003ecm\u003c\/b\u003e\n\u003c\/li\u003e\n                        \u003c\/ul\u003e\n                        \u003cbr\u003e\n                        \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eAn astonishing historical and artistic discovery: a 2300 page proto-graphic novel begun by a “weekend cartoonist” in 1928 and continuing over the next 50 years!\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003eWhen Frank Johnson, an itinerant musician and shipping clerk, died in 1979, he left behind a startling discovery: more than 2,300 notebook pages of comics and 131 unbound drawings, among them a massive, continuous story line beginning in the earliest surviving notebook dated 1928 — before the existence of comic books! — and following the exploits of his own cast of characters across 50 years until Johnson passed away. During this lifelong project, Johnson invented in private many of the conventions and tropes that define comics storytelling, effectively enacting an alternative secret history of the comics medium.\n\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eThis debut publication of Johnson’s work is the first of two 600+ page volumes that will collect the best 1200 pages of his comics, including \u003ci\u003eWally’s Gang\u003c\/i\u003e, his 50-year magnum opus chronicling the humorous, cliff-hanging adventures of a group of bachelor friends; \u003ci\u003eThe Bowser Boys\u003c\/i\u003e, a seamy, darkly slapstick depiction of bohemian street life that could be considered the first underground comic series; and, coming in Volume 2, \u003ci\u003eJuke Boys\u003c\/i\u003e, absurd, self-reflexive graphic experimentation.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\u003cp\u003eCurator and historian Chris Byrne and fine artist and graphic novelist Keith Mayerson have brought this astounding work into the light of day and provide historical background and analysis.\u003c\/p\u003e\n\n                        \u003ch3\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/h3\u003e\n                        \u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eFrank Johnson\u003c\/b\u003e was born in Chicago on November 7, 1912. During the 1940s, he worked as a shipping clerk. Johnson married in 1968 after meeting his future wife, Kay, at the Paragon Ballroom on Lawrence Avenue. They lived on the North Side of Chicago until his death in 1979.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eChris Byrne\u003c\/b\u003e is the author of the graphic novel \u003ci\u003eThe Magician\u003c\/i\u003e (Marquand Books, 2013), included in the Rare Book and Special Collections Division, Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. Byrne is the owner and founder of the Elaine de Kooning House in East Hampton, NY, listed on the National Register of Historic Places. He was the former chair of the American Visionary Art Museum.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eKeith Mayerson\u003c\/b\u003e (b. 1966, Cincinnati, OH) has professionally exhibited his art in galleries and museums since 1993. His exhibitions are often installations of images that create larger narratives. His long running non-linear narrative “My American Dream” has been presented in separate exhibitions as “chapters” and the ongoing series continues through today and has recently been published as a 428 page “wordless novel” and monograph by Karma. His graphic novel \u003ci\u003eHorror Hospital Unplugged\u003c\/i\u003e, a collaboration with the writer Dennis Cooper, is well known among graphic artists and the queer community. A graphic-novel biography of James Dean is forthcoming, to be published by Fantagraphics.\u003c\/p\u003e\n                    \n                \n            \u003c\/body\u003e","brand":"Best Bookstore","offers":[{"title":"New","offer_id":46556388229281,"sku":"BBSNIJ9781683968993","price":48.59,"currency_code":"CAD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0525\/2084\/5473\/files\/9781683968993.jpg?v=1781813584","url":"https:\/\/www.bestbookstore.ca\/products\/frank-johnson-secret-pioneer-of-american-comics-vol-1-paperback-by-frank-johnson","provider":"Best Book Store","version":"1.0","type":"link"}