Autobiographix

by Diana Schutz (Editor), William Stout, Bill Morrison

Dedicated readers have long known that the medium of comics and graphic novels isn't all about caped super-heroes and spandex-clad bad girls. In fact, the combination of words and pictures can be the perfect vehicle for telling all kinds of stories, from poignant memoirs to lighter takes on the mundane musings of modern life. This collection of short stories illustrates, quite literally, the effectiveness of the medium for telling the most personal of stories - the autobiography - and does so by showcasing some of the first published autobiographical stories from living-legend artists, mainstream greats, and young "indie" up-and-comers.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography, Anthologies, Short Stories

104 pages, Paperback

First published December 16, 2003

About the author

Former award-winning executive editor at Dark Horse Comics. Now semi-retired, but freelancing as a translator of French graphic novels, notably The Moebius Library, among others.

Reviews

[Chad · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second edition of an anthology released in 2003. It's all true stories in black and white comics told by the creators themselves. Some of these obviously worked better than others. I really liked Will Eisner's tale of his first interview for a job, Matt Wagner's cooking lesson, and twin brothers, Fabio Moon's and Gabriel Ba's, confrontation on a Paris subway.

Received a review copy from Dark Horse and Edelweiss. All thoughts are my own and in no way influenced by the aforementioned.

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic collection of new autobiographical comics by an impressive selection of artists.

Let's get the full list of contributors out of the way first: Sergio Aragones, Will Eisner, Jason Lutes, Paul Chadwick, William Stout, Bill Morrison, Diana Schultz, Arnold Pander, Matt Wagner, Eddie Campbell, Fabio Moon, Gabriel Ba, Stan Sakai, Metaphrog, Richard Doutt, Farel Dalrymple, and Paul Hornschemeier.



All of the comics are in black and white, with most of the contributions making good use of the monochromatic colouring (only Arnold Pander's strip I found a bit confusing).



As you'd expect, some are funny (Sergio Aragones' meeting with Richard Nixon is a hoot), some more dramatic (the comic by the twins Fabio Moon and Gabriel Ba springs to mind), and even a bit artsy (Paul Hornschemeier's comic is probably my favourite work in the book).



It's a very varied collection. Pick up a copy, tell me your favourite - you can't really be wrong.



(Thanks to Dark Horse Books, who provided me with an ARC through Edelweiss)

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 3 out of 5]

This might be better than my three star rating, but I have an axe to grind with you, Diana Schulz. This is the second edition of this book you have edited, you were given a second chance, and still you only include one woman's comics memoir and it is yours??!! In this age of women's comics memoir??! Is this a contractual obligation Dark Horse has with only certain authors? Does it reveal something about the leanings of Dark Horse?

Here's the list of creators: Sergio Aragones, Will Eisner, Jason Lutes, Paul Chadwick, William Stout, Bill Morrison, Diana Schultz, Arnold Pander, Matt Wagner, Eddie Campbell, Fabio Moon, Gabriel Ba, Stan Sakai, Metaphrog, Richard Doutt, Farel Dalrymple, and Paul Hornschemeier.

It feels like this is meant to be an older editor's older, archival (and thus?) male artist collection, and is not all that great, really. I generally and passionately love the work of Eisner and Lutes, but I was not a fan of much of any of this stuff. Maybe because of the 6-8 page limit, which means you maybe get a funny anecdote or wistful moment in that space. Maybe it's because my undies are in a twist about the gender imbalance that leads to my lower rating, but as I see it we are missing Gabrielle Bell, Keiler Roberts, Lucy Knisley, and so many great women creators here! I have in my GN-Memoir list dozens by women that are livelier than most of these tales. So maybe you insist that it is meant to be a sort of an older collection, but then what about Carol Tyler or Mimi Pond, and on and on???!

Though I am no longer a fan of Mad Magazine, I was amused by Mad contributor Sergio Aragones's anecdote of his meeting with Richard Nixon, and I liked Paul Hornschemeier's inventive comic, "Of This We are Certain," which is the last and probably the best of the bunch. I see they removed from the second edition Frank Miller's grumpy piece, which may have put some people off enough to take it out.

But yes, read memoir comics!

[Jan Philipzig · Rating 2 out of 5]

I had high hopes for at least half of the 16 autobiographical short stories collected here but ended up liking only two: the charming and understated "The Time I Met Richard Nixon" by the always reliable Sergio Aragones, and the surreal yet strangely familiar "A Traveller's Tale" by French-Scottish duo Metaphrog. Most contributions are mediocre, a few not even that (Paul Chadwick, Matt Wagner), and then there is the erratic, mean-spirited, completely pointless "Man with Pen in Head" by aging comic-book legend Frank Miller.

[Tita · Rating 5 out of 5]

Really, I've been eyeing this book a long long time ago. Picking it up the shelf, flipping the pages several times. What attracted me first is, of course, the simple sketchy drawings at the covers (by Will Eisner) - then the format (A5) and of course the contents. The title already said it all: it's a compilation of autobiographical strips by professional artists. All images came in black and white, which only nudge my weakness (I so love B&W images), so I finally gave in and ended up buying this book. And I don't regret it at all!

A number of artists contributed their bits of life in this book, some are stronger than the rest. Some pages are short but really powerful (Frank Miller's pages at the beginning of the book are indeed a perfect start!), some pages are longer, telling a lighter experience in life (Stan Sakai's travel diary, for example). Some pages look simple but intrigue deep thoughts (Will Eisner is undoubtedly the master of this game), while some pages basically telling life's lesson in a pleasant way (a playful look at life by Linda Medley, the only female contributor), or in an ironic way (a life and death question by Paul Chadwick).
The line up of artists here are really precious. I would recommend this book for anyone who would like to see a personal touch of great artists, told in their own words and drawings.

[Summer · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun little book with a handful of comics creators writing and illustrating short autobiographical stories. Notable: Frank Miller is quite possibly actually crazy, Paul Chadwick tells a great story, Linda Medley continues to be outstanding, and whoever it was that did the story about moving to the small town and having a bicycle, &c, bored the hell out of me.

[Alex Cunningham · Rating 5 out of 5]

If only "creative non-fiction" and cutting edge (so-called "indie") comics could mate more often. "Autobiographix" reads like a vision of the future that's too good to be true. It might also make you want to try to make that future happen anyway.

[L · Rating 3 out of 5]

My first 'graphic novel' (grown up comic book)..

[Paul · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most anthologies are invariably hit or miss in quality, but in this collection of brief autobiographical comic strips Diana Schutz has gathered masters of the comic-book form across the generations to make a wonderful package with very few weak spots. From Will Eisner’s classic charming rhythms to a wiry travelogue by the then-up-and-coming twins Gabriel Bá and Fábio Moon, the styles in this book run the gamut. Eddie Campbell’s scratchy figures live only a few pages away from Jason Lutes’s precise Wes-Anderson-in-comics-form layouts. Nevertheless, it’s all stitched together with care. Three pieces about very different trips in France are grouped together in the center with Stan Sakai’s piece ending with a man on the floor of a café immediately before Metaphrog’s strip opens with a man writhing on the floor of yet another French café. Perhaps it was assigned that way, or perhaps it was a coincidence, but either way it feels like serendipity, and it’s a grace note that helps to pull these disparate stories together. The only weakness in this book, really, lies in the fact that the creators skew heavily male. Of the nearly twenty writers and artists, only two are women (one of which is Schutz herself, penning a piece). This book, originally published in 2003, was recently reissued, and thankfully so, as it’s a wonderful little volume that shouldn’t be forgotten, but one can only hope that a similar work being commissioned today would have a slate of creators that included more than a sprinkling of women.

[Emi Yoshida · Rating 3 out of 5]

The only pieces rendered in full in the ARC I was sent to review were The Day I Became a Professional, and Of This Much We Are Certain. Both of these are beautifully composed and artistically rendered, and as pointed out in the Afterword "it's the confidences shared and the intimacy of connection that invite the reader's involvement." I'm a relatively new fan of the graphic novel genre and all my favorites (Stan Sakai, Jason Lutes, Paul Hornschemeier, and Eddie Campbell) are included. This anthology of the writer/artist memoir form is fantastic.

[Brandon · Rating 3 out of 5]

A collection of 'auto-biographical' stories from a bunch of talented cartoonists, though what counts as 'auto-biographical' goes a long way. Is it a story about meeting a famous person? What happened on a vacation years ago? An existential crisis and metaphysical philosophy lecture? All of the above, and more, as you read the volume. Plenty of neat stories and judging by other Goodreads reviews the ones every person likes and dislikes are different- which is the mark of a decent anthology.

[Rob McMonigal · Rating 3 out of 5]

Year read is a total guess.

This is a series of shorts by creators ranging from Frank Miller to Linda Medley who tell a story about themselves in a style they're best known for. It's pretty cool and I still remember a few of them vividly, such as Frank's depiction of being an extra in the Daredevil movie. Worth grabbing if you're a comics fan and can find it somewhere.

[Vitor · Rating 4 out of 5]

Amazing book, tell many short real stories about writers and illustrators, really good to know more comic creators, my favorites was will eisner interview for a job, and gabriel bá with fábio moon in Paris.

[Chris Browning · Rating 4 out of 5]

A genuinely lovely collection with barely anything that’s not great to fantastic in it. At times it felt like a cross section of my while journey through comics, with Aragones and Sakai and Eisner to more modern creators like Campbell and Lutes. Absolutely wonderful

[Maggie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Short stories in comic or graphic novel form. I enjoyed a couple of them.

[ComicNerdSam · Rating 3 out of 5]

A mixed bag of an anthology. I liked some, I didn't like others. Average overall.

[Michael Martin · Rating 2 out of 5]

This thin volume is wildly uneven, which is understandable for a compilation of this type. I regret to say that it’s a day after finishing it, and nothing within the collection stayed with me.

[Elizabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book of autobiographical short stories showcasing what the medium can do in the genre of autobiography. Unfortunate then that is almost uniformly dull. Almost every story is about name-dropping or how a comic book writer writes a comic book or other such navel-gazing fascinations. I started skimming after only a few pages. The two excepts were The Tree by Richard Doutt and "Recess!" by Linda Medley, both of which worked because of their simplicity. The first was one of the only stories to tell an actual story, not about a famous person and centred on the author. The second was by far the best and most interesting, because it actually came across like simply two people having a conversation. It was good because it felt real and totally lacked all pretension.

[George Marshall · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was wondering why talented contributors produced something so dull. I think the main problem is that they felt compelled to produce either adecdotes (dense stories with twists and morals) or high drama- and none of them had anything that interesting to say. It is a shame because comics, as a medium, do not need either and work very well with wry observations of dull reality (look at Chris Ware, Adrian Tomine, Alex Robinson, Michel Rabagliati,Gabrielle Bell, Harvey Pekar)- but then when I compare this book with the intense or deeply moving autobographical work of Carol Swain, Chester Brown, David Small, Debbie Drechsler, Lynda Barry, Carol Tyler, Judith Vanistendael) I can only conclude they picked the wrong people- the wrong men actually.

[Brigid · Rating 5 out of 5]

In April Dark Horse will reissue Autobiographix, which first came out in 2003. This anthology illustrates the breadth of the graphic autobiography medium with an eclectic collection of short comics by an impressive array of creators, including Will Eisner, Eddie Campbell, and Faryl Dalrymple. Some of the comics, such as Jason Lutes’ “Rules to Live By,” contemplate the medium of autobiography itself, while others are straightforward (and entertaining) accounts of incidents in the creators’ lives, like the time MAD Magazine contributor Sergio Aragones met Richard Nixon, or Bill Morrison’s memories of his childhood obsession with Batman. It was a good read, easy to pick up and put down, and left me with plenty of food for thought.

[Anthony · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love these kind of books. You let comic book writers and/or an artists put together a short stories, and then you collect them all together. This book was a collection of short, autobiographical vignettes. Some of them are serious, but most of them are quirky, funny experiences that will make you chuckle.

There are established comic book creators (Stan Sakai, Frank Miller, Will Eisner) as well as more indie artists (it must be kismet, because I just read one of Paul Chadwick's GNs). Worth a read, or 13 short read.

[Δημήτρης Μπ · Rating 3 out of 5]

I just finished the 2021 new hc edition of Autobiographix. It contains 14 short stories, written by a lot of different illustrators and artists, some more famous than others. There is a variety in the subjects of the stories: travel memoirs, major events from the artist's life, even a cooking recipe. Some stories have a tendency to be humorous and satirical, others are sad, nostalgic and there was a story or two that I didn't understand.

The main problem in the collection is that the stories are too short. The biggest ones are only 8-pages long and quite often I felt them being rushed.

[HeavyReader · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nonfiction graphic novel collection, an anthology of personal stories. Some of the stories were really fun and clever and others were just so-so; I guess that's usual for anthologies of any kind.

This anthology was quite male centric. Only two (possibly three) of the contributors were female. Were other women asked to contribute and they said no, or were no other women invited to participate? I guess I could ask Phil, who works for Dark Horse...

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

What captured my attention is that it's a book full of small autobiographies of famous illustrators. Some of the stories aren't that interesting but it's nice to have a diversity of styles and have many examples of illustrating a personal incident.

[Andy Littleton · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really enjoyed this collection, as the graphic novel method is so uniquely capable of telling personal stories. The stories are so varied, and so short and succinct, that it made for a one of a kind book reading experience. Give it a go!

[Gonzalo Oyanedel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Selección amena, a ratos reflexiva y dispar como suele darse en un surtido autobiográfico.

[Ming · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent-enough read that isn't particularly challenging or life-changing. Which might be bit of a disappointment, coming from the names in this collection. Oh well.

[Andréa]

Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss.

[Ana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great insight to more very cool author's lives. A quick and fun read.

[Joseph Young · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok set of stories in variety of formats. Most were not really that compelling though.