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Eric Orner
The Completely Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green
by: Eric OrnerEric Orner’s groundbreaking comic strip debuted in 1990 and appeared in papers in a hundred cities across the US, Canada and the UK. Now, for the first time, every subversive, laugh-out-loud funny, and occasionally surreal episode from the gay everyman’s 15 years in print is in one deluxe collection.
$9.99 – $24.99
Eric Orner’s groundbreaking comic strip, “The Mostly Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green”, debuted in 1990 and appeared in papers in a hundred cities across the US, Canada and the UK. Now, for the first time, every subversive, laugh-out-loud funny, and occasionally surreal episode from the gay everyman’s 15 years in print is in one deluxe collection. Includes behind-the-scenes stories from the author, bonus strips, and a foreword by New York Times bestselling author David Ebershoff.
ISBN: 9781938720826
Publisher: Northwest Press
Publish Date: 2014
Page Count: 228
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The Legend of Bold Riley #1 $2.99 – $3.99
Bold Riley—who has set out to find adventure in the lands beyond her home of Prakkalore—comes across a fragment of bone that shares a tale of lost love. Riley tries to reunite the lost spirit with its beloved, but soon discovers that all is not as it seemed…
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A Waste of Time $7.99 – $19.99
The first full-length collection of irreverent and sweet comic strips from Rick Worley. Featuring a foreword by StevieD and EvilJeff from the Comic Book Queers podcast.
Foul-mouthed, sex-obsessed and misanthropic, Rick is no ordinary cute cartoon rabbit. The strips in this hysterically funny, surprisingly sweet collection range from fantasy tales about a closeted fundamentalist teddy bear, an oversexed fox, and a doomed robot love affair to autobiographical comics that share maybe a little too much information about the author. In their quest for contentment, the characters fail, fail, and sometimes fail again, but they never stop looking. There’s always the chance they’ll find that one person who was worth the search.
Or maybe not.
RAVES:
“There’s a brutal frankness and honesty coming from these foxes and teddy bears that you rarely see anywhere else. Comics are the one of the last havens to be truly offensive and beautifully unapologetic.” — from the foreword by StevieD and EvilJeff from the Comic Book Queers podcast.
“Beautifully drawn, hilarious, wistful, profane and very human. Rick Worley’s A Waste of Time knocked me out.” — Robert Kirby, creator of Curbside, Boy Trouble and THREE.
“Rick Worley’s insightful A Waste of Time comic strips are simultaneously tender and perverse—like his bunny.” — Howard Cruse, author of Stuck Rubber Baby and Wendel.
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A Waste of Time #2 $2.99 – $4.99
Worried about Rick’s prospects for a successful art career, his creations decide he needs some inspiration. They set out to find his favorite artist, the reclusive Bill Watterson, whether Watterson wants to be found or not.
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QU33R $9.99 – $39.99
Winner of the 2014 Ignatz Award for Outstanding Anthology!
QU33R, from editor Rob Kirby, features 241 pages of new comics from 33 contributors—legends and new faces alike.
In 2012, Justin Hall edited a book called No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics, that took readers on a journey from the beginnings of LGBT comics history to the present day. QU33R is an all-new project featuring queer comics legends as well as new talents that picks up where No Straight Lines left off. We’ve set down our history, now QU33R shines a light on our future!
QU33R had its genesis in an all-color queer comic zine called THREE, which featured three stories by three creators or teams per issue. Rob Kirby published three installments of THREE annually from 2010 to 2012, and the series did well, garnering not only an Ignatz nomination for Outstanding Anthology or Collection but also earning Rob the Prism Comics Queer Press Grant in 2011.
Producing the anthology was immensely gratifying, but featuring just three comics and publishing only once per year meant a lot of cartoonists weren’t getting the exposure they deserved. The publishing opportunities for queer cartoonists and queer subject matter are still limited, even today, and Rob longed for a wider distribution than he was able to manage on his own. He approached Northwest Press about doing a bigger compendium of all-new work.
While THREE was happening, Justin Hall was preparing his book No Straight Lines: Four Decades of Queer Comics, which Fantagraphics published in the summer of 2012. No Straight Lines traced the history of queer comics from their humble beginnings in the late 60’s/early 70’s all the way up to the present. The book was a whopping, award-winning success. Rob got to thinking that a follow-up volume—a sort-of-sequel focusing on all new work—would seal the deal, informing the world at large that we are still here, still queer, and still producing fresh and innovative work. He wanted to include not only several queer comics veterans, but also some fresh new faces and a few folks who haven’t necessarily belonged to the orthodox “queer comics scene” but have been doing non-heteronormative work all along.
QU33R features over 240 pages of new comics from a cross-generational lineup of award-winning LGBTQ cartoonists.
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RISE: Comics Against Bullying #1 $2.99 – $4.99
We all have a place where we belong. Featuring all-new stories from Howard Chaykin (American Flagg), Marc Guggenheim (Arrow), Chris Roberson & Dennis Culver (Edison Rex), Adam P. Knave (Amelia Cole), Jed Dougherty (World’s Finest), and many more! Proceeds benefit organizations including GLAAD, Prism Comics, and Stand For The Silent.
Broken Frontier –
“In his introduction, NYT-bestselling author David Ebershoff highlights the comparisons drawn between Eric Orner and Alison Bechdel, and writes that ‘Orner first drew Ethan Green for other gay men, and in doing so ended up creating something universal’. Once again, Northwest Press is living up to its motto that ‘Comics are for everyone’.” Read Tom Murphy’s review on Broken Frontier.
Comics Grinder –
“Eric Orner is one of the pioneers in LGBT comics. The Completely Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green, published by Northwest Press, is a great way to not only further establish him in the canon of LGBT comics, but simply to showcase the work of an excellent cartoonist.” Read Henry Chamberlain’s review on Comics Grinder.
The Bay Area Reporter –
“Ethan is gay, Jewish, lives in Boston, and suffers the usual indignities of a full sex life. Orner’s touch is light, text-driven, rings true. Some references (video store, AZT) are dated, but most (exes, coupled friends) are not. Serious issues (serodiscordant couples) are treated seriously. For Ethan’s mother, the fact that Ethan is dating a Cirque du Soleil performer (‘an acrobat, or clown, or something’) is a serious issue.” Read Roberto Friedman’s review on The Bay Area Reporter.
Sequential Tart –
“I enjoyed this book from start to finish… it is very well drawn and the characters, the settings, the emotions and the situations all comes across very real and authentic from the very first panel.” Read Patti Martinson’s review on Sequential Tart.
Lambda Literary –
“Orner’s book is a treasure trove of emotions, queer characters you both know and want to know, engrossing art, humor and good storytelling. I recommend curling up with this book and reading it cover to cover. Both old fans and new readers alike will relish this collection.” Read Cathy Camper’s review on Lambda Literary.
Journal of the Lincoln Heights Literary Society –
“The Completely Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green is a great collection. It is another beautifully designed and published book by Northwest Press.” Read Ginger Mayerson’s review on Journal of the Lincoln Heights Literary Society.
Out Smart –
“Orner’s comic covers the funny, subversive, and occasionally surreal events in the life of a gay everyman. This deluxe edition compiles all of the misadventures, false starts, and excessive worrying of Ethan Green.” Read Bradley Donalson’s review on Out Smart.
The Comics Journal –
“The Completely Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green is important not only as a historical artifact but also as the rare strip that follows its characters over time and makes the reader care about their evolution.” Read Rob Clough’s review on The Comics Journal.
Daily Xtra –
“Now Eric Orner, the cartoonist who invented Ethan, has released a compendium called The Completely Unfabulous Social Life of Ethan Green. In it, we relive the dramas and wisecracks that kept fans returning weekly to follow the cast of colourful characters Orner imagined.” Read Pat Johnson’s interview with Eric Orner on Daily Xtra.
Amos Lassen –
“Ethan lives a mostly ‘unfabulous’ life, hence the title. Sometimes we forget that a boring life can also be a source for comedy and we see that in Ethan. Both the stories and the artwork are filled with details and sometimes we have to look for these. This is a wonderful addition to every gay man’s library and it is filled with emotions and men who we want to know and those we do not.” Read Amos Lassen’s review with Eric Orner on Reviews by Amos Lassen.