KNOCKABOUT

June 8, 2012

The Lovely Horrible Stuff by Eddie Campbell

Money makes the world go round, as they say.

And around. And around.

Eddie Campbell is an award-winning graphic novelist (Alec, From Hell) whose works defies categorization. He presents a dizzying autobiographical investigation into MONEY. It’s a voyage that takes him all the way from the imaginary wealth of Ponzi schemes to the all-too-tangible stone currency of the Micronesian island of Yap. This is no dry and dusty treatise on finance. With his trademark blend of research, anecdote, autobiography and fantasy, he explores how money underwrites human relationships, flowing all around us like the air we breathe—or the water we drown in. The result is a whimsical graphic essay, deeply grounded in his personal experience with the lovely horrible stuff, ranging from television pilots to a world where drawing corporate superheroes requires literally transforming oneself into a corporation (which is kept in a shoebox under the bed). Fortunately Campbell’s wry eye and vivid full-colour artwork imbue the proceedings with real humanity, making The Lovely Horrible Stuff an investment that’s worth every penny.

“Campbell is one of the premier cartoonists of his generation.” Publishers Weekly

http://www.criticalmob.com/books/review/the_lovely_horrible_stuff

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2012/jul/17/lovely-horrible-stuff-eddie-campbell-review?INTCMP=SRCH

http://forbiddenplanet.co.uk/blog/2012/reviews-the-lovely-horrible-stuff/