"The ridiculously brilliant Samuel R. Delany is one of our most important living writers. Delany is a critical and creative colossus and with Bread and Wine he has produced a miniture masterpiece. Profoundly moving and hilariously honest (rotting socks anybody?), Bread and Wine is the kind of love story that renews ones faith in the incadescent power of love. Don't believe love is possible? Read Bread and Wine. Just broke up? Read Bread and Wine. Met someone who spins this fallen world into beauty? Read Bread and Wine — together. What Delany's tender account of his unlikely relationship with the gentle cheerful (and homeless) Dennis underscores is the humanity that love requires but also the humanity that love in turns renders. Backed by Mia Wolff's arresting (and occasionally rapturous) inks Delany's tale of cross-cultural cross-racial cross-class intimacy is a gift of wonder." – Junot Díaz
64-page black & white 8.25" x 10.5" hardcover • $14.99 ISBN: 978-1-60699-632-4
Ships in: June 2013 (subject to change) — Pre-Order Now
Written by black, gay science-fiction writer, professor, and theorist Samuel R. Delany, and drawn by artist/martial arts instructor Mia Wolff, Bread & Wine is a graphic autobiography that flashes back to the unlikely story of how Delany befriended Dennis, and how they became an enduring couple — Delany, a professor at Philadelphia’s Temple University, Dennis, an intelligent man living on the streets.
For casual readers and fans, Bread & Wine is a moving, sexually charged love story, with visuals informed by Wolff's professional physical pursuits. Her black-and-white pen-and-ink work not only expressionistically represents the characters' "body language" and the bustling New York setting, but is also filled with impish art references and visual puns. The scholarly potential for the book, based on the poem "Bread and Wine" by the German lyric poet Friedrich Holderlin, not only encompasses queer, African-American, and graphic novel studies, but also exploration in the literary and paraliterary academic fields.
This edition includes an introduction by Watchmen writer Alan Moore, commentary by the book’s protagonists, Delany and Dennis, and a new interview with Delany and Wolff.
We're excited to show off this advance copy of our handsome hardcover presentation of Bread & Wine by Samuel R. Delany and Mia Wolff, coming in about 2 months. Here's what some people had to say about the original, long out of print 1999 edition:
"Samuel R. Delany is one of the finest living American writers. In this revealing autobiographical love story, told in collaboration with fine artist Mia Wolff, Delany's brilliance shines." – Neil Gaiman
"Wildly eccentric artwork, a storyline that'd make Capote blush... Bread & Wine is smoking-gun proof that comics can go anywhere - and do anything." – Frank Miller
"Told simply and methodically like Delany's 1996 memoir, The Motion of Light in Water, the story is subdued yet acutely emotional. It reaches across the boundaries of race and class — as well as across hilariously opposed standards of personal hygiene — to capture two people in the process of building a life together." – Publishers Weekly
More previews are forthcoming, including a look at the spectacular surprise under the dust jacket. Preview a 6-page excerpt and pre-order a copy right here.
Fantagraphics is proud to present one of the most unusual and moving true love stories ever told. Famed science fiction author Samuel R. Delany recounts his unconventional courtship and blooming relationship with his partner Dennis, a love born on the streets of New York City, illustrated with unflinching detail and fluid, dynamic expressionism by artist Mia Wolff. Originally published in 1999 and out of print for years, Bread & Wine now comes to you in late June in a new hardcover edition with an introduction by Alan Moore and a new interview postscript with the creators and subjects of the book.
As the debate over same-sex marriage continues, this book transcends the politics and proves that love can be found and flourish under the most unexpected circumstances. Preview a 6-page excerpt, and pre-order a copy right here.
Fantagraphics is excited to be attending the 2013 MoCCA Arts Festival on Saturday, April 6th and Sunday, April 7th at the Lexington Avenue Armory in New York City!
We've got so many beautiful debuts in store for you -- in very limited quantities, so make our table your first stop:
You can also join Bill Griffith for a panel on Saturday:
Saturday, April 6th // 1:00 - 2:00 PM Guest of Honor Bill Griffith in conversation with Paul Di Filippo [in the Programming Room in the Lower Level]
Where will all these wonderful books and artists be, you might be wondering? Why, tables B64, B65, C80, C81 -- right in front as you walk through the main entrance! (See a bigger version of this map here.) Our PR/Marketing duo of Jacq & Jen will be happy to see you at MoCCA!
This month's Diamond Previews catalog is out now and in it you'll find our usual 2-page spread (download the PDF) with our releases scheduled to arrive in your local comic shop in March 2013 (give or take — release dates are likely to have changed since the issue went to press). We're pleased to offer additional and updated information about these upcoming releases here on our website, to help shops and customers alike make more informed ordering decisions.
