I love surprises , and that ’s precisely what I commence when I received an envelope from 10 f number jam the other daylight containing of all thing , a vivid novel about vegetable gardening indite by my champion Joseph Tychonievich and illustrated by Liz Anne Kozik . But first , I should share some background here , about me . In my former animation , I was a creative director for Hasbro ( you know , Transformers , My Little Pony , Marvel Comics , Star Wars , etc ) . Comic books were part of my everyday life history , from Comicon to sidereal day - farseeing meetings at Marvel Studios . Not that I am anything close to a laughable book lover , but I can apprize the intermediate and especially the high - end family of in writing novel , like this .
So believe me , while I ’ve seen my parcel of lifelike novels and comic book , I never countenance that life interfere with my plant sprightliness . I never take comics ( I would usually wangle it ) ( did I say that already ? ) and I for sure never call for them , yet I learned to not hate them , and as an art buyer or someone who has deal with his share of comicbook geeks , who am I to say anything since I am a bonified geek myself ( but with South African Bulbs ) .
So at work , as I kept my hugger-mugger , secret I tried to look engaged with my peer . I go on my light cavalry sword and pony brush on the table at luncheon milepost meetings about picky telecasting games and feature films , and quetly listened to the Dungeons and Dragons guys from the Seattle office contend the power of the white horse as I ate my tacos looking very interested .
But if there is one thing that I have learned over the days is that comic book artistic production is indeed an artwork , and most mirthful book artist are passing sound , if not falling on the spectrum somewhere brilliantly , ( believe me , I can say that cuz … ) let ’s just say if you do n’t realise or appreciate comics , then move on from this post . If you do , rejoice for ultimately someone ( or two ) have created a piece of work of nontextual matter on all levels . Thank you Joseph and Liz . You are certainly travel to invigorate an entire new group of gardeners who have been expect for this .
For the rest of us ( you ? ) I challenge you to losen up and savour the delight of this fun book . It ’s not a light as you might suppose ( after all , Joseph write it – so you eff that it ’s going to have exact and raffish , relevant copy ) and Liz , who I imagine after research her , surely has more to do with the content that what the publisher ( Ten Speed Press ) might say . After all , she ’s educated , talented and clever , as well as an artist , a learner and a industrial plant geek like so many of us ( with just a few more boxes checked off ) .
Of naturally , I expect no less from Joseph , as I have admire his writing ( and cartooning ) ever since I first met him at a conference of the North American Rock Garden Society ( NARGS ) about 15 years ago where we apace associate over 2 inch grass of cylamen and poly bags of rare Trillium that he was sell .
Liz ’s study is simply fantastic , and while I had not heard of her ( one Google search and a few hour later ) , I feel as if we should have met long ago as well . Her style is consistent and at once recognizable . I imagine that she ’ll have a great life history as an creative person .
There is n’t much to critique here . This is a classic graphical novel , and as such , it is printed on o.k. newspaper publisher stock and it secern a story and informs even experienced gardeners like myself . It ’s such a refreshing read ( I love it when Joseph explains the pro and cons of buying plants at nurseries , big box stores , and on - parentage ) .
Their is a taradiddle but I wo n’t give too much away , as the veridical value is how they weaved in the other content/. Chapters range from make up one’s mind what to develop , to fertilizing ( or not ) , buying plants , maintaining and harvest , properly through to a solemnization at the ending . It ’s all broken up by interstitials about mulch , types of bugs and other pages that are not only enlightening , but one is tempted to tear the Thomas Nelson Page out and frame them as well .
If you are not familar with in writing novels , illustrated books that are both stylish , enjoin stories and are informative , this one falls right into a young writing style I see emerging . And not to attempt to categorize it ( as undoubtedly many comic Good Book review will taste to do ) for the newbie lector , expect a playfulness read that is also visually beautiful . It ’s a little bit Mother Earth News , assemble Julia Rothman , part Jim Ottaviani meets IHOP Place Mat ( In a good way – the kind that amount with crayons and you learned something too . ) .
Is this for everyone ? Not really , I speculate , but I do n’t think that it ’s supposed to place any one audience . Its capital for novel gardener , new , certainly ( some older folks like me might be sensitive to some age - attaint tropes ) but I think that just comes with the dominion and demographic . Hey , I know how to habituate a cadre phone and make a pdf ! ) . Just remember that this is a pictorial novel , and it needs a bit of dramatic event , story and character development to add up to the storytelling .
Joseph ’s employment is familiar to so many of us in the plant world his best selling books onplant breedingandrock gardening(alpines ) top my leaning , but he is also the editor of the prestigiousNorth American Rock Garden Society(NARGS ) Quarterly , and he is also a cartoonist . He is clear no slouch . He ’s another one of our rising horticultural stone stars ( stop wincing , Joseph ) .
A bit Anna Kozik . She is n’t only an creative person , far from it . But do condition out her marvellous nontextual matter prints ! She has done flying field work in native plants , and she describes herself as an interdisciplinary scholar who works at the intersection of science communicating , environmental humanities , and art , but away from that very ‘ artist - statement ” sound artist ’s command , I ’d say that she observes human culture and deeply understands social conflicts , storytelling , life ’s queerness and joys along with her captivation with plant . I gauge a moment like me . ( except without the My picayune Pony matter ) .
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