Hicksville (graphic novel)
Encyclopedia
Hicksville is a graphic novel
by Dylan Horrocks originally published by Black Eye Comics in 1998, since republished by Drawn and Quarterly
and in 2010 by Victoria University Press
.
town of Hicksville to research the early life of Dick Burger, whose work has taken the comic book industry by storm. He finds that Hicksville is a town in which everyone from the postman to the farmer is an expert on comics, yet everyone seems to hate Burger. The novel explores the machinations of the comic book industry, and contains a fictionalized account of the history of mainstream American comics, with particular attention paid to the era of Image Comics
.
Horrocks has said of the book: "It's a story about comics — their history and poetry — and also about what we New Zealanders call 'tūrangawaewae
' — having a place to stand in the world — a kind of spiritual home. Hicksville is my way of creating such a home for comics."http://www.comicsbulletin.com/features/97329882597582.htm
.
Graphic novel
A graphic novel is a narrative work in which the story is conveyed to the reader using sequential art in either an experimental design or in a traditional comics format...
by Dylan Horrocks originally published by Black Eye Comics in 1998, since republished by Drawn and Quarterly
Drawn and Quarterly
Drawn and Quarterly is a Canadian comic book publishing company, headed by Chris Oliveros, and based in Montreal, Quebec. Its focus is on graphic novels and underground or alternative comics. Drawn and Quarterly was also the title of the company's flagship quarterly anthology during the 1990s...
and in 2010 by Victoria University Press
Victoria University Press
Victoria University Press founded in the 1970s, is the book publishing arm of Victoria University of Wellington, Wellington, New Zealand.It publishes new fiction and poetry and specialises in New Zealand history, biography and essays.-Sources:...
.
Plot
Canadian writer Leonard Batts arrives in the tiny New ZealandNew Zealand
New Zealand is an island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses and numerous smaller islands. The country is situated some east of Australia across the Tasman Sea, and roughly south of the Pacific island nations of New Caledonia, Fiji, and Tonga...
town of Hicksville to research the early life of Dick Burger, whose work has taken the comic book industry by storm. He finds that Hicksville is a town in which everyone from the postman to the farmer is an expert on comics, yet everyone seems to hate Burger. The novel explores the machinations of the comic book industry, and contains a fictionalized account of the history of mainstream American comics, with particular attention paid to the era of Image Comics
Image Comics
Image Comics is a United States comic book publisher. It was founded in 1992 by high-profile illustrators as a venue where creators could publish their material without giving up the copyrights to the characters they created, as creator-owned properties. It was immediately successful, and remains...
.
Horrocks has said of the book: "It's a story about comics — their history and poetry — and also about what we New Zealanders call 'tūrangawaewae
Turangawaewae
Turangawaewae Marae is a very significant marae of the Māori people of New Zealand and is the headquarters for the Māori King Movement...
' — having a place to stand in the world — a kind of spiritual home. Hicksville is my way of creating such a home for comics."http://www.comicsbulletin.com/features/97329882597582.htm
Subsequent work
Batts and a minor character, cartoonist Emil Kopen, both appear in Horrocks' later series AtlasAtlas (comic series)
Atlas is the name of a comic book series by cartoonist Dylan Horrocks. It is published by Drawn & Quarterly.-External links:** at the Grand Comics Database...
.