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Nick Cave: Mercy on Me
Musiker, Schriftsteller, Schauspieler, Crooner – Nick Cave ist Kult. Reinhard Kleist hat sich der realen Figur angenommen und spielt in "Nick Cave - Mercy on me" mit Leben und Werk des Ausnahmekünstlers und schafft eine einzigartige Erzählung. Expressiv im Strich begleitet Kleist das Leben von Cave und entwirft ein Panorama aus Leidenschaft, Abhängigkeit und Tod. Reinhard Kleist at his best.
328 pages, Hardcover
First published August 22, 2016
82 people are currently reading
1416 people want to read
About the author
Reinhard Kleist
39 books108 followersBorn in 1970 near Cologne.
After school he had an internship at printing and publishing Landpress in Weilerswist Studium at the College of Visual Arts in Münster. There the albums "Lovecraft", "Dorian" and "adventure of a switchman" were created.
After graduation in 1996 he moved to Berlin.
where he worked in a studio. For some years he did workshops, lectures and exhibitions in countries like Mexico, Brazil, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Jordan, Algeria, Spain, Canada and others, at the invitation of the Goethe Institute or my foreign publishers.
In December 2013, as part of a project for ARTE, he was in a refugee camp in northern Iraq where he I did interviews with Syrian refugees. He did a lot of sketches, and did two workshops with children. The results and photos from the workshop can be seen at ARTE Refugees
In 2011 his comic strip "The Boxer" was published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, which was published in May 2012 in a revised version as a book by Carlsen Verlag.
In 2015, "The Dream of Olympia", the story of Samia Yusuf Omar, was published by Carlsen Verlag and in 2016 was awarded the "Annual Lynx" and the Catholic Children and Youth Book Prize.
After school he had an internship at printing and publishing Landpress in Weilerswist Studium at the College of Visual Arts in Münster. There the albums "Lovecraft", "Dorian" and "adventure of a switchman" were created.
After graduation in 1996 he moved to Berlin.
where he worked in a studio. For some years he did workshops, lectures and exhibitions in countries like Mexico, Brazil, China, Indonesia, Vietnam, Jordan, Algeria, Spain, Canada and others, at the invitation of the Goethe Institute or my foreign publishers.
In December 2013, as part of a project for ARTE, he was in a refugee camp in northern Iraq where he I did interviews with Syrian refugees. He did a lot of sketches, and did two workshops with children. The results and photos from the workshop can be seen at ARTE Refugees
In 2011 his comic strip "The Boxer" was published in the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung, which was published in May 2012 in a revised version as a book by Carlsen Verlag.
In 2015, "The Dream of Olympia", the story of Samia Yusuf Omar, was published by Carlsen Verlag and in 2016 was awarded the "Annual Lynx" and the Catholic Children and Youth Book Prize.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 236 reviews
February 2, 2020
someday i will learn not to read biographies of people i admire. it’s always kind of a letdown - you learn about all the times they were a jerk, or about all the ways in which they were dull, or about all the ways in which they were…byron. okay, that’s an exception, because it’s hard for byron to fall from grace when the bar is set so low. if anything, the bios i’ve read have made me realize he was less of a douche than his legacy.
but i figured this one would be cooler, because it's in graphic novel format, and it's a mixture of biography and fantasy, in which nick cave interacts with characters from his own songs and novels, many of which are (rightfully) displeased with what he’s put them through. i don’t know how much cave contributed to this project (other than a backcover blurb), or how much kleist made up or drew from the nick cave mythos, but the end result is kind of uneven.
it might be my own lack of interest in hagiography, which is just as bad to me as bios that tear down the heroic gauze. judging solely on the artwork, it’s great, and had it just been a tale of nick cave being confronted by euchrid eucrow or elisa day etc, i think i would have loved it - mostly because kleist imagines euchrid to very closely resemble gollum, which is delightful.
if there's ever a graphic novel version of And the Ass Saw the Angel, i will for sure buy it
but there’s just so mucha this
and this
all that teenage self-grandeur and “our music will change the world” and "oi punk rock fuck commercial rock and roll" and it's very…adolescent. which is fine and appropriate for depicting cave's rowdy reckless younger years, or during his addiction-clouded woolgathering, but in this book, he never quite seems to grow out of it. and that makes me squirm a little.
because i like nick cave - i like the boys next door, i like the birthday party, i like the bad seeds - he puts on a good show, his voice is equally skilled in "howling anguish" as "come hither to look at my etchings;" i'm a fan of his lyrics, his poems, and his novels; with And the Ass Saw the Angel being very close to my heart. his thematic blend of religion, violence, and poetry, appeals to the grit lit lover in me, and he’s probably the artist that paved the way for my appreciation of that stuff during my formative years.
but world-changing? wholly original? nah. that's a fantasy of adolescence. nothing is truly original, music never changed the world, and there are musicians who scraped my soul closer than nick cave ever did, who were classy enough to acknowledge their predecessors. this book gives a begrudging nod to johnny cash, but cave and pals spend more time talking shit about commercial rock, which in this case means postpunk, a musical period i happen to enjoy very much. nick cave does not get to talk shit about bauhaus, the psych furs, or siouxsie. dude, seriously?
but that's fine - a lot of it is during cave's insufferable dostoyevsky-quoting youth, but the book kinds rushes the end. anita (lane) is all over the book and then just vanishes, even though they collaborated after their split,
pj harvey and kylie minogue get a single panel mention, and so much is just glossed over. in a breathless sentence, marriage and kids and stability are fact-dropped before moving on. some of cave's most interesting work is being done during this time, and it's just barreled through and over. because boatman's call is too mellow and mopey and piano-y? because there's no interest in all the excellent musicians who contributed to murder ballads? i, for one, would love to have seen a cartoon shane macgowan. which may be redundant.
this book covers nothing of cave's post-1999 work, and a lot of the book just feels like rotating hairstyles. it's pretty, but there's not enough meat to it. which is, i suppose, what you get when you pick up a biography made of pictures, but i was hoping for a little more oomph.
come to my blog!
November 20, 2017
Δεν έχω λόγια να εκφράσω πόσο με γέμισε αυτό το graphic novel. Σωστότερη ωδή στον βάρδο ονόματι Nick Cave δεν μπορεί να υπάρξει. Ολόσωστο σχέδιο, καταπληκτικές συνθέσεις, πολύ ωραία επιλογή καρέ και στίχων τραγουδιών, ανατριχιαστικό.
February 15, 2018
Musician, novelist, poet, actor Nick Cave was born and raised in Australia, fronted the band The Birthday Party and got famous with The Bad Seeds. He struggled with heroin but was all along inspired and supported by his lover and muse Anita Lane. Kleist’s graphic biography draws on a lot of Cave’s lyrics.
I was not particularly a fan of Cave, but I am a fan of Kleist, who captures the spirit of Cave and that wild hard rock life in sort of punk musical pen and ink expressive drawing, wild and dark to match its subject. Feels like some of the darker work of Nate Powell (Swallow Me Whole). I really like the work of Kleist, best known for comics biographies such as Johnny Cash: I See Darkness; The Boxer (the story of concentration camp boxer Harry Haft; An Olympic Dream: The Story of Samia Yusuf Omar, and others. If you love Cave you might like this a lot--it is at this writing the highest rated of Kleist's work here on Goodreads--or you might like it less, as Goodreads friend Karen opined. The art and storytelling here are strong.
I was not particularly a fan of Cave, but I am a fan of Kleist, who captures the spirit of Cave and that wild hard rock life in sort of punk musical pen and ink expressive drawing, wild and dark to match its subject. Feels like some of the darker work of Nate Powell (Swallow Me Whole). I really like the work of Kleist, best known for comics biographies such as Johnny Cash: I See Darkness; The Boxer (the story of concentration camp boxer Harry Haft; An Olympic Dream: The Story of Samia Yusuf Omar, and others. If you love Cave you might like this a lot--it is at this writing the highest rated of Kleist's work here on Goodreads--or you might like it less, as Goodreads friend Karen opined. The art and storytelling here are strong.
November 20, 2017
Άψογο πορτρέτο του Αρχηγού, απαραίτητο για όσους θέλουν να διατηρήσουν στη μνήμη τους για όσο το δυνατόν πιο πολύ την καλύτερη του συναυλία στην Αθήνα τα τελευταία 15-20 χρόνια
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March 12, 2018Ovo je dosta zanimljivo ako volite Kejva, a posebno ako niste ljubitelji klasičnih "biopika" koji prate životni put od kolevke pa do groba: jer je dobrim delom u pitanju slobodno fantaziranje o razgovorima koje Kejvovi likovi vode s njim, upoređuju se, prebacuju mu i zakeraju što im nije makar izmislio bolja kola kad je već morao da ih ubije na ovakav ili onakav način.
November 5, 2017
Τα ακόρντα που πάλλονται αιώνια κ η διέξοδος της λύτρωσης...
Can't remember anything at all,
driving my car down to Geneva!!
Can't remember anything at all,
driving my car down to Geneva!!
January 11, 2018
A beautiful and magical journey into Nick Cave's art. It shows that creating is a painful process and I really like the idea of an artist confronting with his own characters. I didn't give it 5 stars because I think drawings should have been more accurate.
April 7, 2018
4.25/5 stars
This has to be the most creatively outstanding book that I've read for a while. Never have I imagined that a life story could be twisted into something as grand, powerful and emotive as this book. Not only is the biograohy told in graphic novel format, but Nick Cave's music and characters are intertwined with his life to fully bring this story off the page. The illustrations perfectly match the mood of Nick Cave's music and persona and help to bring the story to life. I think the graphic from really helped tell parts of the story in a way that words just couldn't. The pain, passion and raw emotions portrayed throughout the illustrations just blew me away. I was drawn into the world of the novel, be it be the world of his songs or that of his actual life, more than I ever have in a biography or non-fiction (although this isn't exactly a non-fiction novel). I feel like there is a sort of stigma around biographies that they're boring and droll, and I think this biography completely smashes that perception.
As I've already read a biography of this artist, I already understood and knew about type events that were portrayed. I think this was very helpful as they were not told in great detail or necessarily in order, but this slightly altered storytelling matched the progression of the novel. I just had such a great time reading this grand, dramatised and greatly emotive biography. If you want a day by day retelling of Nick Cave's life and discography, this isn't the right book. But if you're looking for an insight into the wild, mysterious mind of this artist and the heart behind his music, this is definitely it. I also think this book could be read by people who aren't a fan of Nick Cave's work as it is equally a portrayal of wild, undalterated passion, obsession and creativity. I still think that fans will get the most out of this book because the tone and overall feeling of it really complements Nick's music.
This has to be the most creatively outstanding book that I've read for a while. Never have I imagined that a life story could be twisted into something as grand, powerful and emotive as this book. Not only is the biograohy told in graphic novel format, but Nick Cave's music and characters are intertwined with his life to fully bring this story off the page. The illustrations perfectly match the mood of Nick Cave's music and persona and help to bring the story to life. I think the graphic from really helped tell parts of the story in a way that words just couldn't. The pain, passion and raw emotions portrayed throughout the illustrations just blew me away. I was drawn into the world of the novel, be it be the world of his songs or that of his actual life, more than I ever have in a biography or non-fiction (although this isn't exactly a non-fiction novel). I feel like there is a sort of stigma around biographies that they're boring and droll, and I think this biography completely smashes that perception.
As I've already read a biography of this artist, I already understood and knew about type events that were portrayed. I think this was very helpful as they were not told in great detail or necessarily in order, but this slightly altered storytelling matched the progression of the novel. I just had such a great time reading this grand, dramatised and greatly emotive biography. If you want a day by day retelling of Nick Cave's life and discography, this isn't the right book. But if you're looking for an insight into the wild, mysterious mind of this artist and the heart behind his music, this is definitely it. I also think this book could be read by people who aren't a fan of Nick Cave's work as it is equally a portrayal of wild, undalterated passion, obsession and creativity. I still think that fans will get the most out of this book because the tone and overall feeling of it really complements Nick's music.
June 17, 2018
Βαθμολογία: ★★★
Ένα κόμικ για το έργο του Nick Cave, που δυστυχώς απευθύνεται μόνο σε όσους είναι εξοικειωμένοι με το έργο του. Το περίμενα πιο προσβάσιμο. Μπράβο, πάντως στον Reinhard Kleist που για ακόμη μια φορά φαίνεται να έχει κάνει εξαιρετική δουλειά.
Ένα κόμικ για το έργο του Nick Cave, που δυστυχώς απευθύνεται μόνο σε όσους είναι εξοικειωμένοι με το έργο του. Το περίμενα πιο προσβάσιμο. Μπράβο, πάντως στον Reinhard Kleist που για ακόμη μια φορά φαίνεται να έχει κάνει εξαιρετική δουλειά.
November 1, 2017
So let's get this out of the way first: I am a Nick Cave fan. Not a rabid one, no - I don't believe he excretes perfect songs into the world, and almost every album he's associated with could do with having about a third chopped off it - but I like him well enough. I've seen him play a couple of times, and have most of the records. Hell, I've even read his books a couple of times. (Well, not the Bunny Munro one. )
But there's something important to know: I like him while disliking him. And this kind of informs my take on Reinhard Kleist's book, because though it's an interesting conceit and it's done pretty well, it buys into the sort of worshipful treatment of the guy that is part of what I dislike the most about how he's cultivated these days.
I'm kind of fine with the idea of the man firming up his legend for the future, even if it's something the award-rejecting "my muse may spook!" guy of earlier years would've pissed on. I can get that band members come and go and some may be treated shabbily or not. I just find it weird that he's gone from being part of a thrilling, occasionally dangerous band to being some kind of goth poet laureate, placed beyond middle-aged criticism, with his fans collaborators in firming up the myth of Aussie genius when it's more a case of Faulkner plus Berlin plus drugs plus Jebus. (Let's face it, the crowds back home were the reason Cave et al fucked off in the first place.)
(Actually, this piece by Anwen Crawford covers my concerns in a much more elegant way than I could muster.)
ANYWAY. The point is that I find that Cave is often considered beyond criticism, and I often wonder how much of this is tied in with him being the soundtrack to the youth (or the cooler older siblings) for a lot of those that call the critical shots, or who want to be convinced that their investment in same was worth it. I understand this, and I'm sure I'm guilty of it with bands. But Kleist's work here, I think, falls into the trap of uncritically lauding the bloke when it could've been a bit more nuanced.
The work is a mixture of fact, fantasy and what happens when song characters leak into the world. Parts of the story take place in the framework of songs - we see the prisoner from 'The Mercy Seat', we experience a drive to CERN, we hang out by a river with a soon-to-be-dead Elisa Day, and we watch Jangling Jack fuck up his trip to the big smoke, amongst others. These sections are effective to varying degrees, and I like the idea that the man's creations are aware of him and desire some kind of reckoning, even though it's a bit too on-the-nose close to being an take on 'We Call Upon the Author'.
The historical parts are interesting if you know the history of Cave's bands. I found it enjoyable to see Pew et co drinking their way through half-fucked gigs, and was rather taken with the fact that both Mick Harvey and Blixa Bargeld's hair is spectacular whenever they're pictured in the work.
(The illustration style in the book - lots of marker? - is a mixed bag. When it's good, it is great, and Kleist is great at salting scene-setting details through the frame, and uses a lot of darkness to solid effect. But when it's bad, it seems pretty dire, especially when illustrating real people. I'm willing to forgive the shonky illustration of fictional characters, as I suspect that's an editorial choice rather than a fault in execution, but still it often drew me out of what was going on.)
I just find the book presents its story in a very positive way, even the fucked parts. Sure, the Cave presented here is a bit of an arsehole: he fucks up bathrooms while off his tits, he's a junkie and a cheater and uncompromising and truculent as fuck. But it's all sort of filtered through the lens of viewing the work as being all-time great in total. Which, in some cases it is (fuck me, but 'Tupelo' is one for the ages, and to be fair he and his band have written more than a couple of classics) but it's not the entire story.
I'm not sure how privy Cave was to the creation of the book: he's thanked in it, and offers a fairly good quote for the back cover. I don't know if he collaborated on the book particularly much, but I imagine it's a fairly positive portrait overall, so he'd not be that unhappy.
I'm glad I read the book; I am. I just find that as I get older, Cave brings up more issues for me. I can't be as uncritically worshipful as I was when I was younger (and yes, hadn't read any Faulkner). I know a bunch about the guy, and Kleist's work provides some nice portraits of some of that - the move to Brazil, the recording of Tender Prey, the trips to rehab and the frenetic typing - but I felt overall it was a little too worshipful of the subject. That's on me. But fervent fans will absolutely love it.
I didn't love it, but I do appreciate the work, and I did enjoy my time with the book. It's worth a look if you've been into the guy at some point, whether it was in the artist's big-hair or porno-mo phases.
But there's something important to know: I like him while disliking him. And this kind of informs my take on Reinhard Kleist's book, because though it's an interesting conceit and it's done pretty well, it buys into the sort of worshipful treatment of the guy that is part of what I dislike the most about how he's cultivated these days.
I'm kind of fine with the idea of the man firming up his legend for the future, even if it's something the award-rejecting "my muse may spook!" guy of earlier years would've pissed on. I can get that band members come and go and some may be treated shabbily or not. I just find it weird that he's gone from being part of a thrilling, occasionally dangerous band to being some kind of goth poet laureate, placed beyond middle-aged criticism, with his fans collaborators in firming up the myth of Aussie genius when it's more a case of Faulkner plus Berlin plus drugs plus Jebus. (Let's face it, the crowds back home were the reason Cave et al fucked off in the first place.)
(Actually, this piece by Anwen Crawford covers my concerns in a much more elegant way than I could muster.)
ANYWAY. The point is that I find that Cave is often considered beyond criticism, and I often wonder how much of this is tied in with him being the soundtrack to the youth (or the cooler older siblings) for a lot of those that call the critical shots, or who want to be convinced that their investment in same was worth it. I understand this, and I'm sure I'm guilty of it with bands. But Kleist's work here, I think, falls into the trap of uncritically lauding the bloke when it could've been a bit more nuanced.
The work is a mixture of fact, fantasy and what happens when song characters leak into the world. Parts of the story take place in the framework of songs - we see the prisoner from 'The Mercy Seat', we experience a drive to CERN, we hang out by a river with a soon-to-be-dead Elisa Day, and we watch Jangling Jack fuck up his trip to the big smoke, amongst others. These sections are effective to varying degrees, and I like the idea that the man's creations are aware of him and desire some kind of reckoning, even though it's a bit too on-the-nose close to being an take on 'We Call Upon the Author'.
The historical parts are interesting if you know the history of Cave's bands. I found it enjoyable to see Pew et co drinking their way through half-fucked gigs, and was rather taken with the fact that both Mick Harvey and Blixa Bargeld's hair is spectacular whenever they're pictured in the work.
(The illustration style in the book - lots of marker? - is a mixed bag. When it's good, it is great, and Kleist is great at salting scene-setting details through the frame, and uses a lot of darkness to solid effect. But when it's bad, it seems pretty dire, especially when illustrating real people. I'm willing to forgive the shonky illustration of fictional characters, as I suspect that's an editorial choice rather than a fault in execution, but still it often drew me out of what was going on.)
I just find the book presents its story in a very positive way, even the fucked parts. Sure, the Cave presented here is a bit of an arsehole: he fucks up bathrooms while off his tits, he's a junkie and a cheater and uncompromising and truculent as fuck. But it's all sort of filtered through the lens of viewing the work as being all-time great in total. Which, in some cases it is (fuck me, but 'Tupelo' is one for the ages, and to be fair he and his band have written more than a couple of classics) but it's not the entire story.
I'm not sure how privy Cave was to the creation of the book: he's thanked in it, and offers a fairly good quote for the back cover. I don't know if he collaborated on the book particularly much, but I imagine it's a fairly positive portrait overall, so he'd not be that unhappy.
I'm glad I read the book; I am. I just find that as I get older, Cave brings up more issues for me. I can't be as uncritically worshipful as I was when I was younger (and yes, hadn't read any Faulkner). I know a bunch about the guy, and Kleist's work provides some nice portraits of some of that - the move to Brazil, the recording of Tender Prey, the trips to rehab and the frenetic typing - but I felt overall it was a little too worshipful of the subject. That's on me. But fervent fans will absolutely love it.
I didn't love it, but I do appreciate the work, and I did enjoy my time with the book. It's worth a look if you've been into the guy at some point, whether it was in the artist's big-hair or porno-mo phases.
March 28, 2020
A very odd experience and not only because I don’t read graphic novels... Cave is Cave and a surreal mix of biography and often nightmarish stories out of his lyrics will obviously hold irresistible elements to a fan. I really like how a lot of the story is told from different perspectives and the fact that we arrive at some places from different directions.
What’s not great is the way a lot along the way is glossed over - a a huge chunk of time is even totally ignored. The Aussie years were formative and Berlin obviously important, but could not 1989-2012 have gotten a couple of pages of the 320+ ?
What’s not great is the way a lot along the way is glossed over - a a huge chunk of time is even totally ignored. The Aussie years were formative and Berlin obviously important, but could not 1989-2012 have gotten a couple of pages of the 320+ ?
November 17, 2019
Επιτέλους ο άχρηστος ο Ράινχαρντ Κλάιστ έγραψε ένα κόμικ της προκοπής. Αν διάβαζα ένα ακόμα στο πρότυπα του Havanna και της βιογραφίας του Κάστρο που έχει κάνει, πραγματικά θα πίστευα ότι τα δικαιώματα έκδοσης τα χαρίζει, δεν τα πουλάει.
Εδώ όμως, με τάπωσε πανηγυρικότατα και το χάρηκα. Ο Nick Cave είναι από τις πλέον φασέικες περσόνες της διεθνούς μουσικής σκηνής, χωρίς βέβαια να ανήκει εκεί εν τέλει παρά μόνο καταχρηστικά. Αγαπημένος μουσικός, πολυτάραχη ζωή με τρελά σκαμπανεβάσματα που είναι τρομερά δύσκολο να απεικονιστεί στο χαρτί χωρίς το ρίσκο να βγει τρελή μούφα. Ε, ρίσκαρε και κέρδισε, ευτυχώς. Το κόμικ καραλέει σαν Α/Μ σχέδιο και σαν αφήγηση, με άψογη μείξη τραγουδιών του Cave από τον καιρό του με τους Birthday Party μέχρι και τους Bad Seeds μέσα στις διάφορες φάσεις της ζωής του, μείξη που απεικονίζει άριστα το πως έβγαζε την εκάστοτε φάση του στην μουσική του.
Μπράβο στον Κλάιστ για το κομικάκι αυτό, του αξίζει. Ίσως τσιμπήσω και την βιογραφία του Cash τώρα με νέα όρεξη.
Εδώ όμως, με τάπωσε πανηγυρικότατα και το χάρηκα. Ο Nick Cave είναι από τις πλέον φασέικες περσόνες της διεθνούς μουσικής σκηνής, χωρίς βέβαια να ανήκει εκεί εν τέλει παρά μόνο καταχρηστικά. Αγαπημένος μουσικός, πολυτάραχη ζωή με τρελά σκαμπανεβάσματα που είναι τρομερά δύσκολο να απεικονιστεί στο χαρτί χωρίς το ρίσκο να βγει τρελή μούφα. Ε, ρίσκαρε και κέρδισε, ευτυχώς. Το κόμικ καραλέει σαν Α/Μ σχέδιο και σαν αφήγηση, με άψογη μείξη τραγουδιών του Cave από τον καιρό του με τους Birthday Party μέχρι και τους Bad Seeds μέσα στις διάφορες φάσεις της ζωής του, μείξη που απεικονίζει άριστα το πως έβγαζε την εκάστοτε φάση του στην μουσική του.
Μπράβο στον Κλάιστ για το κομικάκι αυτό, του αξίζει. Ίσως τσιμπήσω και την βιογραφία του Cash τώρα με νέα όρεξη.
September 24, 2017
Não tenho a mínima possibilidade de saber como será que este livro resulta para os não indefectíveis.
Quanto a mim, resultou perfeitamente. Uma hábil teia de ficção/biografia e mito, colocada numa perspectiva muito apelativa. Capítulos que são independentes mas se entrecruzam,e com estrutura cronológica que é,no geral,a natural, mas que não hesita em saltar no tempo,sem respeito particular ao bosao de Higgs. Canta-se tanto quanto se lê,e isso,neste caso, é extraordinário.
Não sendo uma biografia de Nick Cave ( e eu já li algumas) é a imersão mais completa que já vi no seu universo emocional e criativo.
Quanto a mim, resultou perfeitamente. Uma hábil teia de ficção/biografia e mito, colocada numa perspectiva muito apelativa. Capítulos que são independentes mas se entrecruzam,e com estrutura cronológica que é,no geral,a natural, mas que não hesita em saltar no tempo,sem respeito particular ao bosao de Higgs. Canta-se tanto quanto se lê,e isso,neste caso, é extraordinário.
Não sendo uma biografia de Nick Cave ( e eu já li algumas) é a imersão mais completa que já vi no seu universo emocional e criativo.
October 3, 2022
možda malo preapstraktno za moj ukus, radije bih da su se autori držali stvarnosti i popratili caveov život onakvim kakav je bio i kakav jest, nego da su izabrali varijantu oživljavanja njegove mašte, tripova i likova iz pjesama... ovako mi djeluje pomalo zbrkano, nisam uspjela uhvatiti ni za glavu ni za rep. ipak, vjerujem da bi istinske fanove zadovoljio ovaj crno-bijeli strip, a ja ne spadam baš do te mjere u posvećene obožavatelje.
November 6, 2021
Αγαπώ τον Νικ Κειβ
Τον εχω δει σε συναυλιαρα με bad seeds, ειναι καποιο ειδος θεοτητας, καποιο ειδος μυσταγωγίας ή λατρειας, με την εννοια του cult. Περιμενα να δω αυτη την ατμοσφαιρα αποτυπωμενη στο χαρτί.
Προσωπικά λιγο απογοητευτηκα απο την ελληνική βερσιον του γκραφικ νοβελ. Εφοσον τα μισα θα ηταν στ αγγλικα, θεωρω οτι δεν ειχε λογο υπαρξης. Καλυτερα να το επαιρνα κατευθειαν στο πρωτοτυπο. Θεωρω οτι η μεταφραση ηταν καπως τσαπατσουλικη και δεν σεβαστηκε το ελληνικο κοινο που μπορει να μην ειναι τοσο εξοικειωμενο με τ αγγλικα, γιατι τα θεωρησε αυτονοητα. Ακομη και ο τιτλος του βιβλιου ειναι απαραλλαχτος με το πρωτοτυπο. Θεωρω πως αυτο ειναι λαθος.
Στα συν η ομορφη νταρκ ατμοσφαιρα, με πολύ μαυρο, ετσι οπως ειναι ο Κειβ, η ιστορια του απο πού προηλθε και το ομορφο μπλεξιμο ζωης και στιχων, ετσι οπως συντιθεται αλλωστε η ζωη αυτής της μουσικής ιδιοφυίας.
Ισως επειδη τον αγαπω πολύ να στενοχωρεθηκα λιγο. Νομιζω οτι ηταν καπως λιγο, οτι του αξιζε κατι μεγαλυτερο.
Θα ηθελα ωστοσο ν ακουσω και τις γνωμες αλλων φαν που το ξεφυλλισαν.
Μηπως εγω ημουν η κακοπροαιρετη, υπεραπαιτητική για τον Κειβ ή και με μεγαλες προσδοκιες απο τη μερα που το ειδα πως πρωτοκυκλοφορησε
Τον εχω δει σε συναυλιαρα με bad seeds, ειναι καποιο ειδος θεοτητας, καποιο ειδος μυσταγωγίας ή λατρειας, με την εννοια του cult. Περιμενα να δω αυτη την ατμοσφαιρα αποτυπωμενη στο χαρτί.
Προσωπικά λιγο απογοητευτηκα απο την ελληνική βερσιον του γκραφικ νοβελ. Εφοσον τα μισα θα ηταν στ αγγλικα, θεωρω οτι δεν ειχε λογο υπαρξης. Καλυτερα να το επαιρνα κατευθειαν στο πρωτοτυπο. Θεωρω οτι η μεταφραση ηταν καπως τσαπατσουλικη και δεν σεβαστηκε το ελληνικο κοινο που μπορει να μην ειναι τοσο εξοικειωμενο με τ αγγλικα, γιατι τα θεωρησε αυτονοητα. Ακομη και ο τιτλος του βιβλιου ειναι απαραλλαχτος με το πρωτοτυπο. Θεωρω πως αυτο ειναι λαθος.
Στα συν η ομορφη νταρκ ατμοσφαιρα, με πολύ μαυρο, ετσι οπως ειναι ο Κειβ, η ιστορια του απο πού προηλθε και το ομορφο μπλεξιμο ζωης και στιχων, ετσι οπως συντιθεται αλλωστε η ζωη αυτής της μουσικής ιδιοφυίας.
Ισως επειδη τον αγαπω πολύ να στενοχωρεθηκα λιγο. Νομιζω οτι ηταν καπως λιγο, οτι του αξιζε κατι μεγαλυτερο.
Θα ηθελα ωστοσο ν ακουσω και τις γνωμες αλλων φαν που το ξεφυλλισαν.
Μηπως εγω ημουν η κακοπροαιρετη, υπεραπαιτητική για τον Κειβ ή και με μεγαλες προσδοκιες απο τη μερα που το ειδα πως πρωτοκυκλοφορησε
November 2, 2020
3.75/5
Mercy On Me is a graphic novel adaptation of Nick Cave's life. I love Nick Cave and his music and I also love graphic novels. To be honest, even though the artwork is fantastic and there are some very strong moments here (for example a chapter about the dead characters from Cave's songs coming back to haunt him) I think there were some weaknesses as well. I feel like most of the chapters were about the same events in his life (mostly him leaving his native country and trying to make a living as a young musician in a punk band) but with several details altered every time. That, combined with only a vague mention of his huge success and family, I think make it fail as a biography. But I enjoyed the dream sequences and the symbolism behind some of the events. It's very easy and quick to read and despite its flaws I'd recommend it to fans of Cave. Hey, it may even make you want to grab a more detailed biography or even one of his books!
Mercy On Me is a graphic novel adaptation of Nick Cave's life. I love Nick Cave and his music and I also love graphic novels. To be honest, even though the artwork is fantastic and there are some very strong moments here (for example a chapter about the dead characters from Cave's songs coming back to haunt him) I think there were some weaknesses as well. I feel like most of the chapters were about the same events in his life (mostly him leaving his native country and trying to make a living as a young musician in a punk band) but with several details altered every time. That, combined with only a vague mention of his huge success and family, I think make it fail as a biography. But I enjoyed the dream sequences and the symbolism behind some of the events. It's very easy and quick to read and despite its flaws I'd recommend it to fans of Cave. Hey, it may even make you want to grab a more detailed biography or even one of his books!
January 7, 2020
Reinhard Kleist her kitabında beni biraz daha büyülemeyi başarıyor. Biyografik çizgi romanı efsanevi bir mercekle ele alıyor ve adeta usta bir yazar gibi onu süslerken bir taraftanda ulaşılması zor bir dram haline getiriyor. Bir hayat kendine has çatışmaları bu kadar iyi yansıtılarak anlatılabilir mi? Hem sanatçıyı hem de eseri Türkçe'ye kazandıran Sırtlan Yayınları'nı tebrik ediyorum. Nick Cave seviyorsanız muhakkak edinin, sevmiyorsanız fikrinizi değiştirebilirsiniz. Çok samimi, derin, karanlıklardan geçen bir yol gibi kıvrılarak, pek çok yere uğrayarak zihninizde dolaşıyor. Büyülendim.
maybe
September 21, 2017
January 12, 2018
Πάρα πολύ ωραίο Graphic Novel για το είδωλο Nick Cave.
Ωραίο σχέδιο και ενδιαφέροντες οι ιστορίες από την ζωή του που έχουν επιλεχθεί: η αρχή στην Αυστραλία, το Λονδίνο, το Βερολίνο, οι Bad Sheeds, οι έρωτες και οι καταχρήσεις και τα τραγούδια-σταθμοί.
Για εμένα τα καλύτερα και πιο ενδιαφέροντα σημεία ήταν όταν παρουσιάζονταν τα τραγούδια του Cave και όταν οι χαρακτήρες των τραγουδιών του και του έργου του ήρθαν στην πραγματικότητα σε ένα μείγμα φαντασίας, ονείρου και πραγματικότητας.
Υ.Γ. Είχα goosebumps όταν διάβαζα το Red Right Hand εικονογραφημένο... :)
Ωραίο σχέδιο και ενδιαφέροντες οι ιστορίες από την ζωή του που έχουν επιλεχθεί: η αρχή στην Αυστραλία, το Λονδίνο, το Βερολίνο, οι Bad Sheeds, οι έρωτες και οι καταχρήσεις και τα τραγούδια-σταθμοί.
Για εμένα τα καλύτερα και πιο ενδιαφέροντα σημεία ήταν όταν παρουσιάζονταν τα τραγούδια του Cave και όταν οι χαρακτήρες των τραγουδιών του και του έργου του ήρθαν στην πραγματικότητα σε ένα μείγμα φαντασίας, ονείρου και πραγματικότητας.
Υ.Γ. Είχα goosebumps όταν διάβαζα το Red Right Hand εικονογραφημένο... :)
December 22, 2017
#readathon17 - [11/26]
<ένα κόμικς>
<ένα κόμικς>
August 2, 2018
I love Nick Cave and was interested in reading a graphic biography. But somehow this was not much too my taste. The storyline is chaotic and confusing. I can imagine that in order to draw a biography you have to make difficult decisions on what part you are drawing. I think the artiest could have made a better choke maybe. The style of drawings is a bit over the top for this book. It make it really dark. Somehow it befitted the Johnny Cash biography better, also by Kleist.
April 5, 2021
priča o muzičaru Nik Kejvu. Ispričana haotično i isto tako nacrtano. Meni se ni jedno ni drugo nije svidelo pogotovo što to treba trpeti na preko 300 stranica. Ne znam da li bi to izdržali i ljudi koji ga poznaju. U svakom slučaju I jedna zvezdica je previše ali neka bude pošto je to minimalna ocena. Preskočite ovo delo vas mozak i slobodno vreme će vam biti zahvalni.
February 23, 2019
Cool combination between the imaginary world as created by Cave in his songs and his biography. It only showed his beginnings, though, and Kleist focussed too much on Cave as a tormented genious, without giving a real voice to the ones surrounding him, resulting in a sort of hagiography.
The drawings are fitting for the matter, very dark and punk.
The drawings are fitting for the matter, very dark and punk.
August 20, 2025
PT Se, como eu, não sabes nada sobre o Nick Cave, podes sentir alguma dificuldade no início.
Nick Cave é uma figura enigmática e magnética. Esta obra acompanha a sua jornada desde as suas origens punk até à procura de um som único que preenchesse a sua visão artística.
Não sou fã da sua música e, para ser honesto, também não gostava muito da sua personalidade no início. No entanto, o trabalho de Reinhard Kleist é absolutamente impressionante—narrativa, escrita, ilustrações, tudo é impecável. No final, acabei por desenvolver empatia por Nick Cave e pelas suas lutas, que, de muitas formas, refletem os desafios que todos enfrentamos na vida.
A narrativa de Kleist despertou em mim a curiosidade de explorar a música de Nick Cave e de apreciar o artista por detrás dela de uma forma totalmente nova.
--
EN If, like me, you know nothing about Nick Cave, you might find yourself struggling a bit with this at first.
Nick Cave is an enigmatic and magnetic figure. This work traces his journey from his punk beginnings to his pursuit of a unique sound that would satisfy his artistic vision.
I’m not a fan of his music and, to be honest, I didn’t care much for his persona at first. However, Reinhard Kleist’s work is absolutely stunning—the narrative, the writing, the illustrations, everything is impeccable. By the end, I found myself developing empathy for Nick Cave and his struggles, which, in many ways, mirror the challenges we all face in life.
Kleist’s storytelling made me curious to explore Nick Cave’s music and appreciate the artist behind it in a whole new way.
Nick Cave é uma figura enigmática e magnética. Esta obra acompanha a sua jornada desde as suas origens punk até à procura de um som único que preenchesse a sua visão artística.
Não sou fã da sua música e, para ser honesto, também não gostava muito da sua personalidade no início. No entanto, o trabalho de Reinhard Kleist é absolutamente impressionante—narrativa, escrita, ilustrações, tudo é impecável. No final, acabei por desenvolver empatia por Nick Cave e pelas suas lutas, que, de muitas formas, refletem os desafios que todos enfrentamos na vida.
A narrativa de Kleist despertou em mim a curiosidade de explorar a música de Nick Cave e de apreciar o artista por detrás dela de uma forma totalmente nova.
--
EN If, like me, you know nothing about Nick Cave, you might find yourself struggling a bit with this at first.
Nick Cave is an enigmatic and magnetic figure. This work traces his journey from his punk beginnings to his pursuit of a unique sound that would satisfy his artistic vision.
I’m not a fan of his music and, to be honest, I didn’t care much for his persona at first. However, Reinhard Kleist’s work is absolutely stunning—the narrative, the writing, the illustrations, everything is impeccable. By the end, I found myself developing empathy for Nick Cave and his struggles, which, in many ways, mirror the challenges we all face in life.
Kleist’s storytelling made me curious to explore Nick Cave’s music and appreciate the artist behind it in a whole new way.
June 10, 2019
Nicka Cavea žeru už dlouhá léta, takže vlastně nechápu, že jsem tenhle komiks nechala tak dlouho povalovat v knihovně. Muselo dojít na úklid, abych ho znovu objevila, chňapla a už nepustila. A pak už jen tradá na vlnách páně Nickových písní, hudby, slov, nápadů, snů, imaginace, démonů a úletů. Nick v plné své kráse - divoký, rozervaný, často až neuchopitelný. To vše ve skvělých kresbách Reinharda Kleista. Příběh je poutavě vystavěn na bedrech Nickových silných postav. Celou četbu mi běžel v hlavě soundtrack, který jsem si pak ještě musela znovu pustit. I tak mi tam něco do té páté hvězdičky chybělo, jak kdyby bylo příliš brzy utnuto, klidně bych tuhle adrenalinovou jízdu ještě protáhla. Přečtu ještě jednou a možná pak zase znovu a třeba časem hodnocení navýším.
December 15, 2017
H ζωή, οι στίχοι και οι εμμονές του γνωστού τροβαδούρου οπτικοποιούνται από το πενάκι του Reinhard Kleist. H πορεία από τη γενέτειρα του χώρα στο Βερολίνο, οι Birthday Party, οι Bad Seeds, oι εφιάλτες του, όλα αρμονικά δεμένα σε ένα σουρεαλιστικό ταξίδι. Αν σας αρέσουν τα κόμιξ και λατρεύετε την μουσική του Cave, τότε πρέπει να το αποκτήσετε.
Υ.Γ. Θα ήταν πλεονασμός να αναφέρω με τη μουσική υπόκρουση μπορεί να γίνει η ανάγνωση του Nick Cave: Mercy on Me.
Υ.Γ. Θα ήταν πλεονασμός να αναφέρω με τη μουσική υπόκρουση μπορεί να γίνει η ανάγνωση του Nick Cave: Mercy on Me.
April 15, 2021
Můj první komiks! Ale rozhodně ne můj první Nick Cave, ten byl před tímto čtením velmi naposlouchán. Skvělé černobílé kresby, ale zásadní mi přišel stejně text – ať už to jsou bubliny aforistického ražení, úryvky z A uzřela oslice anděla nebo přímo Nicovy skladby. Biografie protkána postavami z písní, perfektně zobrazený temný a tísnivý vnitřní svět, který se může vymykat všemu. Opakující se pasáže, jež vyznívají pokaždé jinak. Jen mě občas mátlo pořadí jednotlivých oken, ale to je tím, že jsem zatím komiksový nekňuba.
Na tohle si pustím O Children.
Na tohle si pustím O Children.
July 21, 2021
Nije obvo klasicna biografija. Ovo je biografija mita. Mita o Nicku Caveu. Kao takva ona uzima samo ono ca joj paše da bi taj mit bio jos veci. I to radi dobro, dinamika je tu, crtež je pogođen. Samo ja nisam više u pravoj priči za taj mit.
December 3, 2020
Nebojím sa povedať, že som najväčší fanúšik Nicka Cavea na Goodreads, takže je asi celkom hanba, že hoci som si komiks kúpil hneď po vydaní, prečítal som ho až teraz. Vysvetlenie pre to nemám. Každopádne byť Najväčším fanúšikom Nicka Cavea sa pri ňom hodí, ak už pre nič iné, tak aspoň pre to, že človeku všetky tie texty na stránkach tak nejak prirodzene začnú hrať v hlave. Voči komiksu mám isté výhrady, napríklad jeho nevyváženosť (až prehnaná pozornosť sa venuje mladosti a iné obdobia sú buď spomenuté letmo, alebo úplne vynechané), alebo prehnané štylizovanie Cavea do pozície "ja som pánboh a všetci ostatní sú nezaujímavé komerčné sračky", badateľné hlavne v prvej a druhej časti, s ktorým nesúhlasím dokonca ani ja ako Najväčší fanúšik Nicka Cavea. Uznávam, že tu možno zapracoval fakt, že punkovú hudbu The Birthday Party veľmi neobľubujem a myslím, že to najlepšie, čo sa jej mohlo stať, bolo práve to, že ju Cave rozpustil a nechal vyklíčiť Bad Seeds. Naopak od tretej časti ma už Caveov vnútorný svet pomerne pohltil: najviac som si užíval neprekvapivo pasáže zachytávajúce tvorbu knihy A uzřela oslice anděla (ako ste si možno všimli, ako Najväčší fanúšik nemám rád preháňanie, takže len spomeniem, že je to jedna z najlepších kníh ever) a potom posledná časť, ktorá mi ulahodila výberom piesne, lebo Higgs Boson Blues je pecka.
April 4, 2019
I'm a fan of both Nick Cave and graphic novels, and this book stayed in my TBR pile for quite a while. Why? Because I was too afraid of being disappointed. A loving heart is easier to break, right?
And yet when I started reading the novel, I could barely put it down.
Kleist's drawing style suits Nick perfectly. Harsh lines, sharp corners, the striking contrast of black and white... And not only it's beautifully drawn, I adored the story line. It's very complex, multidimensional, multilayered and combines reality with fantasy beautifully. Some scenes are shown multiple times, from different perspectives, giving the reader better insight. I rarely ever reread books, but I have a feeling I will be rereading this more than once.
If you are looking for a biography and facts, there are better books for you. In this one, Nick's life and his creations coexist as equals. The characters Nick has created in his songs and books live alongside him, talk to him, touch him, scream at him. I imagine a non-fan might find the plot puzzling because of that. For a fan though, it gives an unusual satisfaction - an atmosphere that is only found in a biography of a real creator rather than just any well-known dude.
And yet when I started reading the novel, I could barely put it down.
Kleist's drawing style suits Nick perfectly. Harsh lines, sharp corners, the striking contrast of black and white... And not only it's beautifully drawn, I adored the story line. It's very complex, multidimensional, multilayered and combines reality with fantasy beautifully. Some scenes are shown multiple times, from different perspectives, giving the reader better insight. I rarely ever reread books, but I have a feeling I will be rereading this more than once.
If you are looking for a biography and facts, there are better books for you. In this one, Nick's life and his creations coexist as equals. The characters Nick has created in his songs and books live alongside him, talk to him, touch him, scream at him. I imagine a non-fan might find the plot puzzling because of that. For a fan though, it gives an unusual satisfaction - an atmosphere that is only found in a biography of a real creator rather than just any well-known dude.
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