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Too Cool to Be Forgotten
From the critically-acclaimed cartoonist behind Box Office Poison and Tricked comes the delightful 2 Cool 2 B 4Gotten, a story of second chances.
Andy Wicks is a forty-something father of two who's making one final attempt to quit smoking: hypnosis. He's skeptical it will work, but is stunned to find that when he emerges from his trance, he's fifteen years old - and it's 1985! Is he doomed to relive the worst four years of his life or will this second go-round finally give him the answers he's been missing all his life? If nothing else he'll finally get to ask out Marie Simone from history class...
128 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
8 people are currently reading
649 people want to read
About the author
Alex Robinson
32 books211 followersAlex Robinson was born in the Bronx on 8 August. He grew up in Yorktown Heights, New York where he graduated high school in 1987. His first job upon graduation was washing dishes in a gourmet deli and it was while working there he decided that maybe college was a pretty good idea afterall.
He spent one year at SUNY Brockport and then transferred to an art school in New York City, where he majored in cartooning. Among his teachers were Will Eisner, Andre LeBlanc, Sal Amendola and Gahan Wilson. In his sophomore year he got a job at a bookstore, where he continued to work for seven long years.
After graduating from art school, Alex began doing mini comics (small print run comics xeroxed and stapled by himself). He soon started working on the story that would become his first graphic novel, Box Office Poison.
In 1996, Antarctic Press started publishing the serialized version of Box Office Poison. The series ran for twenty-one issues, and once the story was complete, Top Shelf Productions published the entire thing in one 608 page book. Shortly after the book was published, Alex won the Eisner Award for Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition.
Although Box Office Poison was nominated for several awards (a Harvey, an Eisner, an Ignatz and the Firecracker book award) it failed to take home a single prize. Pathetic. Alex bitterly got to work on a second book.
2005 got off to a great start when the French translation of Box Office Poison won the prestigious Prix du Premier Album award in Angouleme, France. August finally saw the release of Tricked, which Top Shelf announced was going to a second printing in November.
In 2006, Tricked lost the Eisner Award for Best Graphic Novel, but managed to win a Harvey and Ignatz Award. This year also so Astiberri in Spain release both of his graphic novels in handsome, one volume editions.
Alex has expanded his storytelling to include fantasy, with the release of Alex Robinson's LOWER REGIONS (2007) and time travel/high school in TOO COOL TO BE FORGOTTEN (2008).
He currently lives in New York City with his wife Kristen and their pets, Krimpet and Wrigley.
He spent one year at SUNY Brockport and then transferred to an art school in New York City, where he majored in cartooning. Among his teachers were Will Eisner, Andre LeBlanc, Sal Amendola and Gahan Wilson. In his sophomore year he got a job at a bookstore, where he continued to work for seven long years.
After graduating from art school, Alex began doing mini comics (small print run comics xeroxed and stapled by himself). He soon started working on the story that would become his first graphic novel, Box Office Poison.
In 1996, Antarctic Press started publishing the serialized version of Box Office Poison. The series ran for twenty-one issues, and once the story was complete, Top Shelf Productions published the entire thing in one 608 page book. Shortly after the book was published, Alex won the Eisner Award for Talent Deserving of Wider Recognition.
Although Box Office Poison was nominated for several awards (a Harvey, an Eisner, an Ignatz and the Firecracker book award) it failed to take home a single prize. Pathetic. Alex bitterly got to work on a second book.
2005 got off to a great start when the French translation of Box Office Poison won the prestigious Prix du Premier Album award in Angouleme, France. August finally saw the release of Tricked, which Top Shelf announced was going to a second printing in November.
In 2006, Tricked lost the Eisner Award for Best Graphic Novel, but managed to win a Harvey and Ignatz Award. This year also so Astiberri in Spain release both of his graphic novels in handsome, one volume editions.
Alex has expanded his storytelling to include fantasy, with the release of Alex Robinson's LOWER REGIONS (2007) and time travel/high school in TOO COOL TO BE FORGOTTEN (2008).
He currently lives in New York City with his wife Kristen and their pets, Krimpet and Wrigley.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 187 reviews
July 29, 2011
SPOILERS
I'm a bit undecided with Alex Robinson. "Box Office Poison" was really too long and rubbish while "Tricked" had at least more of a story and was about 200 pages shorter. Anyway, I read that his latest "Too Cool To Be Forgotten" was the best graphic novel of the year (2008) and saw it in the library so picked it up. It's a small book, much more so than the gargantuan paperbacks with 400-600 pages in them. It's more like 100 pages in a small hardback book with a cigarette packet cover. It's attractive and well designed.
Reading it, I have to say I enjoyed it a lot more. I'm not sure if it's because Robinson has scaled back his canvas and so the story is tighter and the characterisation more vivid but his work was much more enjoyable to read this time around. A middle aged man trying to give up cigarettes is convinced by his wife to see a hypnotherapist to give up. While hypnotised he returns to his adolescence and experiences his high school years with all the knowledge and insight from his 40 something year old self. It's an interesting experience to say the least. He no longer has confidence issues in his appearance and pays no attention to cliques and so stands out as something of an anomaly. He asks out the girl he fancied, he stands up to bullying teachers, he reassures friends he knows will find happiness in later years. It's really a positive transformative experience. There is a shadow here though. At first he imagines it's the spectre of tobacco and realises that he is at the time when he tried his first cigarette but finds out the reason behind his need for escape at this time of his life.
His father is terminally ill and dying in the house. The man never got to say goodbye to his dad and this time around gets to tell him all the things he wanted to say and spend the last few hours of his dad's life with him which in reality he hadn't done as he was hanging around outside smoking cigarettes. He realises he's been killing himself slowly because of his guilt and anger at himself for not being there when his father passed away.
There's so much that could go wrong with a story this sentimental. The writer could go overboard on the maudlin and ruin it completely but luckily Robinson's made the right choices and brought it back when he needed to and give the panels space at the right times, giving them words at the right times. The effect is devastating and what started out as an innocuous John Hughes like story becomes a touching and human tale of relationships. I'm so glad I came back to Robinson after years of avoidance after Box Office Poison which to me was bloated and unreadable, to find he's matured into a skilled and masterful comics writer/artist. Definitely one to read, I highly recommend this to the comics enthusiast and to those who are just in search of a good read.
I'm a bit undecided with Alex Robinson. "Box Office Poison" was really too long and rubbish while "Tricked" had at least more of a story and was about 200 pages shorter. Anyway, I read that his latest "Too Cool To Be Forgotten" was the best graphic novel of the year (2008) and saw it in the library so picked it up. It's a small book, much more so than the gargantuan paperbacks with 400-600 pages in them. It's more like 100 pages in a small hardback book with a cigarette packet cover. It's attractive and well designed.
Reading it, I have to say I enjoyed it a lot more. I'm not sure if it's because Robinson has scaled back his canvas and so the story is tighter and the characterisation more vivid but his work was much more enjoyable to read this time around. A middle aged man trying to give up cigarettes is convinced by his wife to see a hypnotherapist to give up. While hypnotised he returns to his adolescence and experiences his high school years with all the knowledge and insight from his 40 something year old self. It's an interesting experience to say the least. He no longer has confidence issues in his appearance and pays no attention to cliques and so stands out as something of an anomaly. He asks out the girl he fancied, he stands up to bullying teachers, he reassures friends he knows will find happiness in later years. It's really a positive transformative experience. There is a shadow here though. At first he imagines it's the spectre of tobacco and realises that he is at the time when he tried his first cigarette but finds out the reason behind his need for escape at this time of his life.
His father is terminally ill and dying in the house. The man never got to say goodbye to his dad and this time around gets to tell him all the things he wanted to say and spend the last few hours of his dad's life with him which in reality he hadn't done as he was hanging around outside smoking cigarettes. He realises he's been killing himself slowly because of his guilt and anger at himself for not being there when his father passed away.
There's so much that could go wrong with a story this sentimental. The writer could go overboard on the maudlin and ruin it completely but luckily Robinson's made the right choices and brought it back when he needed to and give the panels space at the right times, giving them words at the right times. The effect is devastating and what started out as an innocuous John Hughes like story becomes a touching and human tale of relationships. I'm so glad I came back to Robinson after years of avoidance after Box Office Poison which to me was bloated and unreadable, to find he's matured into a skilled and masterful comics writer/artist. Definitely one to read, I highly recommend this to the comics enthusiast and to those who are just in search of a good read.
August 18, 2010
God, it's a terrible irony of life that the deepest truths can't be expressed without lapsing into cliché.
June 12, 2025
La parte inicial con el revivir de la adolescencia cae demasiado en clichés, pero luego tiene un buen giro que sorprende al lector y le da un final interesante y emotivo.
February 19, 2017
A middle-aged man goes back in time (mentally, due to hypnosis--none of that comic trope time travel horseshit) to high school so he absolve himself of smoking. The presentation made it seem like a sort of 80's high school movie, but there's a feeling of stress and tragedy underneath the whole thing that gives it a bit of depth.
Robinson risks sentimentality very nicely here, swinging back around to the real issue at hand at a crucial point. Some of the longer bits of dialogue get to be a bit superficially heavy in the "what does it all mean, maaaaan" department. Nothing offensively bad--except an eye-rollingly-purposeful slip of "dad" instead of "did" 2/3 of the way through the book--just a little trite in spots.
The art reminds me of a Mad Magazine sort of thing. I like the panels, too, especially when bigger splashes bleed from one to the other. It really helps direct attention to the necessary places and makes my lazy ass not miss the subtleties.
This was enjoyable! Apparently Robinsons other books are like five times as long. Holy shit. I can't imagine that! There are already some rambles in this tight little story. Either way, I'd be interested in checking out more of his stuff.
Robinson risks sentimentality very nicely here, swinging back around to the real issue at hand at a crucial point. Some of the longer bits of dialogue get to be a bit superficially heavy in the "what does it all mean, maaaaan" department. Nothing offensively bad--except an eye-rollingly-purposeful slip of "dad" instead of "did" 2/3 of the way through the book--just a little trite in spots.
The art reminds me of a Mad Magazine sort of thing. I like the panels, too, especially when bigger splashes bleed from one to the other. It really helps direct attention to the necessary places and makes my lazy ass not miss the subtleties.
This was enjoyable! Apparently Robinsons other books are like five times as long. Holy shit. I can't imagine that! There are already some rambles in this tight little story. Either way, I'd be interested in checking out more of his stuff.
December 23, 2015
I mean to read this when it came out, but I just never got around to it. Finally did so in preparation for my interview with Alex Robinson, http://comicsalternative.com/comics-a.... A significantly shorter work from Robinson -- especially when you compare it to Box Office Poison and Tricked -- but it demonstrates that the artist can master the shorter story form, as well.
February 5, 2018
This one surprised me.
The father’s illness wasn’t completely from nowhere, but was handled well without directly being spelled out until the right time in the narrative.
The emotional level surprised, and I related enough to feel along at the end.
The father’s illness wasn’t completely from nowhere, but was handled well without directly being spelled out until the right time in the narrative.
The emotional level surprised, and I related enough to feel along at the end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 17, 2017
Wow. Shut up, I got a speck of dirt in my eye.
December 30, 2019
As I read the opening parts of this story I became more than a little sceptical by the resemblance to “Back To The Future” but what initially feels like a rubbish rip off is actually a pleasant homage and a fairly clever story in its own right. This story just got better and better as it went along. The art work is decent and in the end this was a really, really good yarn with some nice and inventive touches.
September 28, 2025
This was really fun!
The premise is basically that of the movie Hot Tub Time Machine.
A guy in his 40s goes back to high school initially to stop smoking through hypnosis. We see his regrets and life choices during those years along with the impact of having a dying father has on a child.
This was well written and very relatable. Has some hilarious moments as well.
The art is solid black and white with a decent amount of dialogue.
Recommended!
The premise is basically that of the movie Hot Tub Time Machine.
A guy in his 40s goes back to high school initially to stop smoking through hypnosis. We see his regrets and life choices during those years along with the impact of having a dying father has on a child.
This was well written and very relatable. Has some hilarious moments as well.
The art is solid black and white with a decent amount of dialogue.
Recommended!
May 8, 2025
Ya got me right here ❤️🩹, Alex!
May 30, 2022
Una terapia de hipnosis para dejar de fumar traslada a un adulto a sus años de instituto, donde tiene cosas que resolver. Ay, quien pudiera hacer una de estas visitas.
December 15, 2014
You ever notice that 2 stars look really pitiful? According to Goodreads, 2 stars means "it was okay," and that's exactly how I feel about this book. I've never read any of the author's other works, but based on what everyone is saying, I should read those. Too Cool to be Forgotten is a misleading title. Middle-aged Andy Whit heads to a holistic health center to quit smoking. He is hypnotized only to awaken in his old high school. He is again 15--which means that no one forgot him. How could they, when he's been transported back. They never knew he was any different than he was the day before in biology or math class.
While the emphasis is on Andy avoiding his first cigarette, of which he partook at a party when he was 15, the story shifts to Andy's father. We learn that there are problems at home based on what Andy's teachers and principal say, but it seems like Andy has no clue about these problems. It's actually these problems that Andy must face, which makes the story a bit hokey. When he wake up in the holistic doctor's office, she has this all-knowing smile, as if she could see into Andy's heart and know the hurt he felt and feels over his father's illness/death. All I could think was, "Bitch, you ain't psychic!"
There is a typo in the book. It drove me insane, especially since this is a graphic novel. There aren't that many words to proofread. Then I learn this at the end of the book: "Page 84 includes an error in which the protagonist, Mr. Wicks, thinks the word 'Dad' instead of 'Did.' This will not be corrected in future editions, as it was intentional on the part of Mr. Robinson. The publishers and proofreaders wish to note their opposition to including such grammatically awkward and painfully heavy handed foreshadowing, but have let the issue rest out of respect for the author..."
Two thoughts:
1). "dad" instead of "did" is "clever" in the way that novice writers think including themselves in the story is clever because they didn't take the time to learn about metafiction.
2) Good for the author. It's not often that authors get the final say, and, let's face it: it's not like they're making tons of money anyway, so integrity is important.
While the emphasis is on Andy avoiding his first cigarette, of which he partook at a party when he was 15, the story shifts to Andy's father. We learn that there are problems at home based on what Andy's teachers and principal say, but it seems like Andy has no clue about these problems. It's actually these problems that Andy must face, which makes the story a bit hokey. When he wake up in the holistic doctor's office, she has this all-knowing smile, as if she could see into Andy's heart and know the hurt he felt and feels over his father's illness/death. All I could think was, "Bitch, you ain't psychic!"
There is a typo in the book. It drove me insane, especially since this is a graphic novel. There aren't that many words to proofread. Then I learn this at the end of the book: "Page 84 includes an error in which the protagonist, Mr. Wicks, thinks the word 'Dad' instead of 'Did.' This will not be corrected in future editions, as it was intentional on the part of Mr. Robinson. The publishers and proofreaders wish to note their opposition to including such grammatically awkward and painfully heavy handed foreshadowing, but have let the issue rest out of respect for the author..."
Two thoughts:
1). "dad" instead of "did" is "clever" in the way that novice writers think including themselves in the story is clever because they didn't take the time to learn about metafiction.
2) Good for the author. It's not often that authors get the final say, and, let's face it: it's not like they're making tons of money anyway, so integrity is important.
September 6, 2008
I've already read BOP, so I know how realistically unsympathetic Robinson's characters can be. This one did seem less cynical. Andy's behavior wasn't anything original, but it's exactly what I would expect to do too, so that was fine. And I was in high school that same year, which added a lot to the fun. The part that bothered me pretty much from the beginning was how it took him so long to visit his father. It was made clear so early that he was near-death that it was distracting how much Andy ignored his presence in the house. I understand the anger, but you didn't even see that, or any actual effort to disregard his presence. The final scene was another where it's exactly what you'd expect, but it's because that's what people do. I even got sniffly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 3, 2012
Andy gives hypnosis a try as a last ditch attempt to quit smoking fro his wife and daughters. It doesn't quite work as expected as he finds himself transported back into the body of his teenage self, in high school in 1985.
On the surface this looks like a comedy time travel type story, but as with Robinson's other work it does have more going on under the surface than that. Though the comedy of a man in his forties getting another chance at enjoying being a teenager is funny as well.
Love Robinson's use of matt black backgrounds with black and white line art. Along with his wide range of expressive, cartoony characters. There's a great use of text and white space to provide an image of Andy's head near the start of the book too.
On the surface this looks like a comedy time travel type story, but as with Robinson's other work it does have more going on under the surface than that. Though the comedy of a man in his forties getting another chance at enjoying being a teenager is funny as well.
Love Robinson's use of matt black backgrounds with black and white line art. Along with his wide range of expressive, cartoony characters. There's a great use of text and white space to provide an image of Andy's head near the start of the book too.
February 7, 2014
A pleasant way to spend a couple hours. The art is more refined, less hurried, than Box Office Poison. There are fewer typos (man, this guy needs to practice his spelling). The story is a bit silly, especially compared to his other realist comics. It's about some guy who goes to a hypnotist to help him stop smoking, which send him back in time to his sophomore year of high school. So, you know... if you're aware of what you're getting into and don't take it too seriously, it can be fun.
December 22, 2013
Es un librazo, lo tomé y no lo pude soltar (me quedé dormida leyéndolo, porque lo empecé muy tarde anoche, pero tomarlo de vuelta fue lo primero que hice al despertar). Cuando terminé la última página me emocioné un poco, sin lágrimas ni gueás; sentí que se me apretó el corazón un poco, algo que difícilmente me pasa últimamente.
September 9, 2008
Yep.
I liked this, sorry some of my goodreads friends.
It reminded me of the David Bowie song "My Death Waits". Youth, sex, death, family, such and such.
With Alex Robinson's light/greasy touch.
It was nice to read him in a bite-sized more kid-friendly portion like this, also.
I liked this, sorry some of my goodreads friends.
It reminded me of the David Bowie song "My Death Waits". Youth, sex, death, family, such and such.
With Alex Robinson's light/greasy touch.
It was nice to read him in a bite-sized more kid-friendly portion like this, also.
June 23, 2008
A true graphic novella, and probably Alex's best book yet. Well paced mix of high school angst and examination of coming to peace with the past
June 25, 2016
13th book read in 2016.
Number 364 out of 506 on my all time book list.
Review Pending:
Number 364 out of 506 on my all time book list.
Review Pending:
January 15, 2018
For the life of me, I can’t remember if I’ve read Alex Robinson’s graphic novella, “Too Cool To Be Forgotten,” before. As I made my way through the book, I kept experiencing these little flashes of deja vu but I can’t say whether that’s because I had read these pages once before or if Robinson had just really nailed the feeling of being a fifteen-year-old in high school. Regardless, “Too Cool To Be Forgotten” is a smaller story than Robinson’s epic comics like “Box Office Poison” and “Tricked,” but it still packs one big emotional wallop.
Andy Wicks is desperate to quit smoking so, in a last ditch effort, he decides to undergo hypnosis to rid himself of his habit; however, things go horribly awry when he wakes up from the session in the body - and the life - of himself as an awkward teenager. With the benefit of hindsight, Andy is given the opportunity to make some of his formative choices all over again, right his wrongs, and say the things that he didn’t have the guts to say the first time around. It’s a fairly generic premise but Robinson is able to take it a step further. “Too Cool To Be Forgotten” is like those Russian nesting dolls: you think you know what it’s all about but then, to your surprise, it’s got a whole other layer just underneath. Anyone who think this comic is just about a guy who (sort of) goes back in time to stop smoking hasn’t read enough of Alex Robinson’s comics; he’s an absolute master of gut-punch plot twists (as well as character design, natural-sounding dialogue, pacing, etc.). “Too Cool To Be Forgotten” will leave you reeling.
I didn’t like high school. I wasn’t cool and I would never want to go back and relive those years. “Too Cool To Be Forgotten,” however? I’d go back to that. Or maybe I already have.
Andy Wicks is desperate to quit smoking so, in a last ditch effort, he decides to undergo hypnosis to rid himself of his habit; however, things go horribly awry when he wakes up from the session in the body - and the life - of himself as an awkward teenager. With the benefit of hindsight, Andy is given the opportunity to make some of his formative choices all over again, right his wrongs, and say the things that he didn’t have the guts to say the first time around. It’s a fairly generic premise but Robinson is able to take it a step further. “Too Cool To Be Forgotten” is like those Russian nesting dolls: you think you know what it’s all about but then, to your surprise, it’s got a whole other layer just underneath. Anyone who think this comic is just about a guy who (sort of) goes back in time to stop smoking hasn’t read enough of Alex Robinson’s comics; he’s an absolute master of gut-punch plot twists (as well as character design, natural-sounding dialogue, pacing, etc.). “Too Cool To Be Forgotten” will leave you reeling.
I didn’t like high school. I wasn’t cool and I would never want to go back and relive those years. “Too Cool To Be Forgotten,” however? I’d go back to that. Or maybe I already have.
June 23, 2023
Andy Wicks undergoes hypnosis to stop smoking, but instead travels back in time to his teenage years, the weekend where he first smoked a cigarette. Once again dealing with the troubles of a teenage existence, Wicks has to try to change his future without destroying it.
I enjoyed this book--the emotional resonance landed, even if the logic maybe didn't. As someone rapidly approaching 40 myself, I think I'm primed for a narrative that involves nostalgically sliding back into teenage years, for good or bad. It's fun watching Andy trying to navigate his teenage hormones, his past regrets, and his worry for the future--because, actually, he largely likes his life, and doesn't want to do anything to derail it. It makes for an interesting time travel problem: you can't make your past life better with your foreknowledge because you like where you ended up.
Robinson also does some cool tricks with the comic medium. There's simple stuff, like how the info sheet Andy fills out for the hypnotist tells us his background in a diegetic way. And there's some very cool imagery, like the way his silhouette and his father's are formed at one point through what seems like nonsequitor panels that combine to form composite. The fact that this may all be happening just in Andy's head also allows him to vary when adult and teen Andy appear in a scene, and that's also used to good effect.
And yet.... the more I think about the last third of the book, the more it seems to come out of left field. There are hints for the switch, but it doesn't totally resonate, and it does have the after effect of really diminishing what came before because of that lack of connection. Still, it did land its emotional punch, and what came before is a sweet, meta coming of age story.
I enjoyed this book--the emotional resonance landed, even if the logic maybe didn't. As someone rapidly approaching 40 myself, I think I'm primed for a narrative that involves nostalgically sliding back into teenage years, for good or bad. It's fun watching Andy trying to navigate his teenage hormones, his past regrets, and his worry for the future--because, actually, he largely likes his life, and doesn't want to do anything to derail it. It makes for an interesting time travel problem: you can't make your past life better with your foreknowledge because you like where you ended up.
Robinson also does some cool tricks with the comic medium. There's simple stuff, like how the info sheet Andy fills out for the hypnotist tells us his background in a diegetic way. And there's some very cool imagery, like the way his silhouette and his father's are formed at one point through what seems like nonsequitor panels that combine to form composite. The fact that this may all be happening just in Andy's head also allows him to vary when adult and teen Andy appear in a scene, and that's also used to good effect.
And yet.... the more I think about the last third of the book, the more it seems to come out of left field. There are hints for the switch, but it doesn't totally resonate, and it does have the after effect of really diminishing what came before because of that lack of connection. Still, it did land its emotional punch, and what came before is a sweet, meta coming of age story.
December 16, 2025
“Smetto quando voglio” di Alex Robinson è uno di quei libri che partono da un’idea bizzarra e finiscono per colpire molto più a fondo di quanto ci si aspetti.
Andy Wicks ha quarant’anni, fuma da sempre e ha già fallito ogni tentativo di smettere. Quando decide di provare anche l’ipnosi, l’ultima spiaggia, non immagina certo che l’effetto collaterale sarà ritrovarsi improvvisamente nel 1985, intrappolato nel corpo del suo sé adolescente. Il liceo, con tutte le sue ansie, goffaggini e ferite mai del tutto rimarginate, diventa così un destino peggiore della morte… o forse un’occasione inattesa.
Robinson gioca con il tema del ritorno al passato in modo intelligente e sorprendentemente tenero. Quella che potrebbe sembrare una semplice commedia fantastica si trasforma poco a poco in una riflessione sincera su crescita, rimpianti e seconde possibilità. Andy non deve solo “sopravvivere” di nuovo all’adolescenza, ma imparare a guardarla con occhi diversi, più maturi, più indulgenti.
Il tratto grafico, volutamente semplice e quasi infantile, funziona alla perfezione: smorza i momenti più dolorosi e rende ancora più efficaci quelli emotivamente più intensi. La regressione ipnotica diventa così un vero percorso interiore, un salto di qualità umano prima ancora che narrativo.
E poi c’è il finale, delicato e profondamente commovente, che riesce a dare senso a tutto il viaggio senza forzature. Un libro che fa sorridere, riflettere e, alla fine, anche un po’ stringere il cuore.
Consigliato a chi ama le storie di formazione atipiche, i racconti sul tempo che passa e, soprattutto, i fumetti capaci di sorprendere con una grande umanità.
Andy Wicks ha quarant’anni, fuma da sempre e ha già fallito ogni tentativo di smettere. Quando decide di provare anche l’ipnosi, l’ultima spiaggia, non immagina certo che l’effetto collaterale sarà ritrovarsi improvvisamente nel 1985, intrappolato nel corpo del suo sé adolescente. Il liceo, con tutte le sue ansie, goffaggini e ferite mai del tutto rimarginate, diventa così un destino peggiore della morte… o forse un’occasione inattesa.
Robinson gioca con il tema del ritorno al passato in modo intelligente e sorprendentemente tenero. Quella che potrebbe sembrare una semplice commedia fantastica si trasforma poco a poco in una riflessione sincera su crescita, rimpianti e seconde possibilità. Andy non deve solo “sopravvivere” di nuovo all’adolescenza, ma imparare a guardarla con occhi diversi, più maturi, più indulgenti.
Il tratto grafico, volutamente semplice e quasi infantile, funziona alla perfezione: smorza i momenti più dolorosi e rende ancora più efficaci quelli emotivamente più intensi. La regressione ipnotica diventa così un vero percorso interiore, un salto di qualità umano prima ancora che narrativo.
E poi c’è il finale, delicato e profondamente commovente, che riesce a dare senso a tutto il viaggio senza forzature. Un libro che fa sorridere, riflettere e, alla fine, anche un po’ stringere il cuore.
Consigliato a chi ama le storie di formazione atipiche, i racconti sul tempo che passa e, soprattutto, i fumetti capaci di sorprendere con una grande umanità.
March 29, 2018
After about 100 pages of mediocrity, Robinson pushed the fathers and sons button in the last twenty or so pages of this book and literally had my eyes swelling with tears. Man, the guy certainly knows how to manipulate me.
Premise: Andy Wicks is hypnotized to help him quit smoking, but goes back in time to high school, where he relives several experiences. He thinks he's there to refuse his first cigarette, but there's more to it. Thing is, the first 100 pages, it's fairly rote if you've seen one adult-in-high-school comedy. Robinson's done much better characterization in his previous books. The finale is a tear-jerker, literally, and he drops hints at the real mission behind Andy's time trip, but the ending isn't quite enough to overcome the obviousness of the first 100 pages.
Premise: Andy Wicks is hypnotized to help him quit smoking, but goes back in time to high school, where he relives several experiences. He thinks he's there to refuse his first cigarette, but there's more to it. Thing is, the first 100 pages, it's fairly rote if you've seen one adult-in-high-school comedy. Robinson's done much better characterization in his previous books. The finale is a tear-jerker, literally, and he drops hints at the real mission behind Andy's time trip, but the ending isn't quite enough to overcome the obviousness of the first 100 pages.
September 2, 2021
Andy Wicks tries hypnosis as a last-ditch attempt to quit smoking and ends up back in his high school body reliving that time of his life.
This book surprised me - I expected a more light-hearted, 'let's all laugh at how sucky high school is' story and this was darker and more existential. Andy takes this experience and runs with it by using his adult confidence to not get sucked into the 'oh god does anybody like me' pit that is high school. Instead, he asks out a girl he never had the guts to approach, turns down that first cigarette that started his smoking life, and says/hears some things that needed to be said with his father. Nice work!
This book surprised me - I expected a more light-hearted, 'let's all laugh at how sucky high school is' story and this was darker and more existential. Andy takes this experience and runs with it by using his adult confidence to not get sucked into the 'oh god does anybody like me' pit that is high school. Instead, he asks out a girl he never had the guts to approach, turns down that first cigarette that started his smoking life, and says/hears some things that needed to be said with his father. Nice work!
June 24, 2018
'it's a terrible irony of life that the deepest truths can't be expressed without lapsing into cliché'- quite sums up the emotionally loaded conclusion, though the conclusion is what lifts it above being another over-used 'back to school through mysterious time travel' story device. Robinson has an year for authentic, rambling but interesting dialogue, and that comes into play, but overall a book that rewarded my patience and made me contemplate my relationship with my parents and my children, which made it a worthwhile read.
January 19, 2020
I’ve had “Too Cool to Be Forgotten” on my bookshelf for some time now. It’s one of those comics that I occasionally throw in my tote bag for a quick reread. It’s a simple plot that reminds us that we’re not always the best at diagnosing ourselves. Stubborn attempts at “healing” on our own in solitary confinement aren’t always (really ever) fruitful either. Sometimes it’s the very thing we believe we’re overcome, have moved past, but perhaps have repressed that we still carry around with us like a brick day to day.
June 24, 2017
A graphic novel where the main character is hypnotized to help him quit smoking, and wakes up 15 years old again. It's a familiar time travel theme that has been done before. I almost always love time travel stories especially ones like this one, where they get a chance at redemption, or at least the opportunity to change things.
However this is a time travel story where the main character doesn't do anything cool or fun..and it quickly turns into a bunch of maudlin bullshit. Avoid this one.
However this is a time travel story where the main character doesn't do anything cool or fun..and it quickly turns into a bunch of maudlin bullshit. Avoid this one.
January 1, 2018
First, I love the cover of this book. I don't often pick-up a book simply for a nice cover, but for this book I made an exception. The illustrations were good, and the story wasn't bad (although a little slow in some areas). It's a mix of teen-angst with middle-age regret... all through the power of hypnosis. I never took up smoking, but there are things in my youth I'd like to have explored alternatives for. And this book (almost) let me live vicariously through that fantasy. 4.3*
May 3, 2018
This is a quick read about a middle aged guy who can’t quite smoking. He gets hypnotized, sending him back to high school a la Keanu Reeves made for TV movie. This book beats out Keanu.
Enjoyable characters, plenty of humor. A great shot of looking back at your younger you. Quick read that I highly recommend. Can I go to the bathroom now???
Enjoyable characters, plenty of humor. A great shot of looking back at your younger you. Quick read that I highly recommend. Can I go to the bathroom now???
March 25, 2020
This was a short, sweet, and at times, cheesy read - but overall, very entertaining! I still prefer Tricked’s interwoven plotline, but Too Cool to be Forgotten also showcases Alex Robinson’s characteristic nostalgia-infused “slice-of-life” atmosphere. Though the story has its clichés, Too Cool to be Forgotten has an underlying honesty and charm to it which makes it an enjoyable book.
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