The Classic Love and Rockets 40th Anniversary Slipcase Set

by Jaime Hernández, Gilbert Hernández, Mario Hernández

In celebration of the 40th anniversary of Fantagraphics’ flagship series, this prestigious box set presents bound facsimiles of the original fifty issues of the Love and Rockets comics magazines. The Washington Post , Best Graphic Novels of 2022 Gilbert and Jaime Hernandez are now recognized as two of the greatest cartoonists in the history of the medium ― award-winning, world-renowned, critically acclaimed. But in 1982 when the first issue of Love and Rockets came out, they (occasionally working with their brother, Mario) were two young, struggling, unknown cartoonists who were bucking the dominant comic book trend of costumed characters and adolescent content with intimate, complex, humane, novelistic stories told in comics form. Love and Rockets has appeared in a variety of formats over the years and continues to this day, but the original 50-issue run represents a milestone in comics history. Fantagraphics is celebrating and honoring the 40th anniversary of Love and Rockets and the debut of the Hernandez's' first published comics with a gigantic eight-volume slipcase reprinting each issue in a facsimile edition. Their organic body of work is available in a series of scrupulously and logically organized graphic novels, but here Fantagraphics honors the original quarterly format by presenting the comics as they appeared between 1982 and 1996, recreating not only the reading experience of tens of thousands of fans, but of a particularly fecund period in comics history when a new generation of cartoonists was exploding the idea of what comics could be. Painstakingly recreated in issue-by-issue facsimile, this boxed set includes every cover, comics page, and letter column (even advertising!) in seven hardcover volumes. An eighth volume densely collates selected essays, reviews, and profiles that appeared in the popular (and unpopular) press between 1982 and 1996, along with over 100 pages of additional, rarely-seen comics from the period by all three Brothers, plus dozens of book and magazine covers ― a virtual history of the growth of Love and Rockets and the simultaneous rise of the literary comics movement of which they were exemplars and trailblazers. Product dimensions for Love and The First Fifty : 9.5"W x 11.5"H x 9"D 27.4 lbs. Black-and-white and full-color illustrations

Genres: Comics

2200 pages, Paperback

Published November 22, 2022

About the author

Jaime and his brother Gilbert Hernández mostly publish their separate storylines together in Love And Rockets and are often referred to as 'Los Bros Hernandez'.

Reviews

[Jase · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just got this today and just mostly viewed it for the format and packaging as I’ve read all of this material before.

This is essential comics by the guys who not only were among the handful who inspired and influenced every alternative comic that has come after but unlike a lot of foundational creators they to this day remain among the greatest working cartoonists. Jaime is almost unparalleled as an artist and I guess the common thing said about the Hernandez Bros is one is a better artist and one has more command of story and that might have been true in the beginning but today, at this moment, both are master cartoonists (tho Jaime probably remains a god artist).

This is an excellent edition and it was worth me accidentally meeting the delivery driver at my gate by chance and having to carry this heavy ass box 70 yards down my driveway to my house lol,

[Karrie]

Book 1 5*