Fantagraphics Books
Francis Rothbart HC
from an acclaimed painter and illustrator.
Francis Rothbart follows a feral child who is raised by magpies and
other creatures and is repeatedly struck by lightning. Because of
these phenomena, the child develops eccentric talents, which he
then abuses, leading to his ultimate destruction by the same natural
world that once nurtured him.
Written mostly in rhymed verse, Francis's picaresque saga
unfolds in an allegorical environment, much like the topographical
constructions behind renaissance religious paintings. Referencing
both the Venetian landscapes of Bellini, Pierro di Cosimo, and Carpaccio,
mixed with the unlikely animated backdrops of Jay Ward
and Chuck Jones, Woodruff's images recall the fictive gardens of a
paradise lost that lingers somewhere deep in all our souls, moist and dark like the
caves of the pious saints.
Combining both paintings and drawings, each scene is a visual and verbal feast
that transports us to a place in which trees anthropomorphize into figures bending
from the weight of stalactite crowns, an iris becomes the gown for an oneiric sprite,
and the sky rains down tears, as if mimicking the melancholy of a weeping willow.
In a muted palette, Woodruff's carbon and white charcoal pencil drawings bring
us ever closer to this mythical ecology. The artist lovingly focuses on every detail:
ethereal, fragile blossoms, petals, roots, and leaves; impressively observed wildlife
creatures; and each curve of the hand lettered text is rendered by the delicate hand
of an illustrative obsessionist with a penchant for the poignant. Woodruff's images
are multi-sourced amalgamations that echo with familiarity, portraying a world
that is not only our own but also exists in the place of our half-remembered dreams.
Thomas Woodruff's works have been included in numerous exhibitions nationally
and internationally including the Whitney Museum of Art (NY), The Norman Rockwell
Museum (MA), the Kohler Arts Center (WI), and the National Gallery of Australia. He
lives in upstate New York
UPC/ISBN: 9781683966494
SKU: JUL221498
FOC Date: 07/31/2022
Release Date: 12/14/2022
Product Information
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This policy outlines our standard for new release and shipped comics, and the industry-standard guidelines we follow.
OUR STANDARD
Books without a stated grade will be offered as Near Mint 9.4 or better. We do not guarantee 9.8 condition on any book unless specifically noted.
We use industry-standard grading guidelines from:
- Â CBCS Comic Grading Scale
- Â Overstreet Comic Grading Standards
- CGC grading standards
If you're new to comic grading, the resources above are a great place to start.
WHY WE DON'T GUARANTEE 9.8
Modern comic printing is an imperfect process. Books are printed in massive
runs, bound at high speed, and shipped in bulk to retailers. Even brand
new books off the truck will exhibit minor production characteristics,
and that's normal, and consistent with industry standards across every
retailer.
A 9.8 grade represents near-perfection, and the reality is that not every printed book qualifies for that grade no matter where you buy it from.
We can absolutely commit to NM 9.4 or better. We cannot commit to 9.8 on every book, because that's not how comics are made.
WHAT QUALIFIES AS NM 9.4
Per industry standards, a book may exhibit the following minor characteristics and still grade as Near Mint 9.4, as long as there's no accumulation of defects:
Bindery characteristics:
- Minor to moderate corner tears
- White edges along the spine (common on most modern printings)
- Covers slightly offset from interior pages (common on cardstock covers)
Printing characteristics:
- Slight color rub on back covers
- Small paper wrinkles present from the paper roll prior to printing
- Wavy paper texture from the printing process
Spine characteristics:
- 2-3 small color-breaking spine ticks
- Minor non-color-breaking spine dings
These are normal modern production characteristics, not damage from handling or shipping. They are present on books across the industry, regardless
of retailer.
OUR RETURN & EXCHANGE POLICY
We do not accept returns or exchanges on books that meet our NM 9.4 or better standard.
We will replace or refund:
- Books damaged during shipping (clear shipping damage, not pre-existing print characteristics)
- Books that fall below NM 9.4 standard (significant spine damage, major creasing, tears, etc.)
- Wrong cover or wrong issue shipped
For premium variants (1:25, 1:50, 1:100, 1:250, 1:500 incentive covers, signed editions, exclusive variants), we apply enhanced QC during pull and packing. If a premium variant arrives outside our standard, contact us within 7 days of delivery and we will work with you on a replacement.
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