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Chris Ware
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The ACME Novelty Library #16 Hardcover – December 12, 2005

by Chris Ware (Author)
5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 19 ratings
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After four years of almost exclusively repackaging his sophomoric early work for the book trade, the children's entertainer and award-winning calligrapher F. C. Ware returns to his groundbreaking 1990s cartoon series "The ACME Novelty Library," a nearly decade-long publishing experiment which more or less single-handedly demonstrated the redemptive power a fancy paper stock or a little gold foil might exert over an otherwise dull, dry visual narrative.

This semi-annual periodical originally serialized his surprisingly undismissed "Jimmy Corrigan, the Smartest Kid on Earth," and now, with the 16th issue, Ware rejoins the proud, vital esthetic forum of the American comic book with his ongoing serial "Rusty Brown," a love story concerning the ambitions and mistakes of seven consciousnesses at a private school in Omaha, Nebraska, all revolving around a universally reviled child-and absolutely certain to be a favorite with readers of all tastes and biases. As told through the eyes of someone absentmindedly watching a television sitcom circa 1975, this first installment begins one January morning of that same year and describes everything of importance right up to and including the ring of the first period bell before eventually spiraling off into 1955, 2004, and toward the planet Mars, amongst other interesting and exotic time periods and locales. Riveting, fast-paced, and irresponsible, "Rusty Brown" distills the confusing and indulgent storytelling technique that led Mr. Ware's work to be referred to as "nearly impossible to read" by the Los Angeles Times Book Review. (In addition, Mr. Ware promises parallel serialization of his other work-in-progress, "Building Stories," which is actually a much better and more interesting project.)

Though originally released by alternative comics vanguard Fantagraphics Books, this new sixteenth issue is the first to be entirely produced, printed and published by Mr. Ware alone; limited to a single press run, once it is sold out, pulped, and/or burned, neither of these narratives will be available again until "Rusty Brown" and "Building Stories" are eventually edited, collected and remaindered as hardcover books. Thus, be the first in your mercantile district to own this first chapter of what years from now is sure to be a tart, possibly insincere reminder of the fragile economy and mental disposition of the early 21st century. 64 pages, full color, 9" x 7"
Previous page
  1. Print length
    64 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Publisher
    The ACME Novelty Library
  4. Publication date
    December 12, 2005
  5. Dimensions
    9.25 x 0.5 x 7.25 inches
  6. ISBN-10
    156097513X
  7. ISBN-13
    978-1560975137
  8. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

Alternative-comics artist Ware's new book is the latest volume of his long-running Acme Novelty Library, an elaborately produced hardcover that is a far cry from most (paperback) comics magazines. The strips in it depict the early years of nerdy, comic-book-obsessed Rusty Brown, an outcast at his elementary school who is well on the way to an ostracized adulthood. Rusty is hard to take a shine to, so it's fortunate that the supporting characters, including Rusty's schoolteacher father, sole friend Chalky White, and Chalky's alienated--adolescent sister Alison, whose stories unfold alongside Rusty's, are all more sympathetic and multidimensional. These strips aren't as formally daunting as much of Ware's other work, yet their parallel storytelling, precise compositions, and meticulous draftsmanship definitely demonstrate his mastery. Ware's occasional alternative-newspaper strip has forged on into Rusty's even more pathetic adulthood, and eventually, all the Rusty strips will be collected in a volume that may dwarf his acclaimed and plethoric Jimmy Corrigan (2000). Meanwhile, there are the elegant Acmevolumes, each a delight by itself. Gordon Flagg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Review

There is such craft and beauty in this graphic novel—it deserves to be perused for hours. -- Soo Jin Oh, Bookslut.com

Ware is the most versatile and innovative artist the medium has known. -- Dave Eggers, The New York Times Book Review

Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ The ACME Novelty Library (December 12, 2005)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Hardcover ‏ : ‎ 64 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 156097513X
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1560975137
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 15.5 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 9.25 x 0.5 x 7.25 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    5.0 5.0 out of 5 stars 19 ratings

About the author

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Chris Ware

Chris Ware

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Chris Ware is the author of "Jimmy Corrigan — the Smartest Kid on Earth" and "Building Stories," which was chosen as a Top Ten Fiction Book by both The New York Times and Time Magazine in 2012. A regular contributor of graphic fiction and over thirty covers to The New Yorker, his work has been exhibited at the MoCa Los Angeles, the MCA Chicago and the Whitney Museum of American Art as well as in regular exhibitions at the Adam Baumgold Gallery in New York and Galerie Martel in Paris. The PBS program "Art in the 21st Century" featured his work in their 2016 season, an eponymous monograph of his work was released by Rizzoli in 2017 and "Rusty Brown Part I" was published in late 2019 and selected as one the Best 100 Books of the Year by the New York Times. A solo retrospective of his work was presented at the Centre Pompidou in 2022, the Cartoonmuseum in Basel, Switzerland in 2023, the International Museum of Comic Art in Pordenone, Italy in 2024 and will continue to appear in Europe through 2025. The third and final facsimile volume of his unjustifiable, indefensible and fortunately recyclable sketchbooks will be published in October, 2024.

Customer reviews

5 out of 5 stars
5 out of 5
19 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Amir Sevilla
5.0 out of 5 stars Good quality
Reviewed in the United States on June 12, 2019
Verified Purchase
Good quality, came fast
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Daniel
5.0 out of 5 stars A great collection
Reviewed in the United States on February 24, 2006
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Much more emotional than the previous issue of ANL, this gorgeously-printed book collects installments of "Rusty Brown" and "Building Stories". The former has improved vastly since it's earlier installments---by going back to Rusty and Chalky's childhood (albeit in a sort of weird alternate universe, but then, continuity is overrated), Ware gets back to the sorrow&pity that characterized Jimmy Corrigan, rather than the snideness of previous Rusty Brown installments.
2 people found this helpful
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mpavi
5.0 out of 5 stars Great buy
Reviewed in the United States on November 9, 2013
Verified Purchase
Amazing comic book. Complex story, great drawings, awesome work with typography and beautiful colours. Chris Ware has proven himself as a master in this topic.
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R. A. Frauenglas
5.0 out of 5 stars I was very taken with this book
Reviewed in the United States on May 21, 2010
The Acme Novelty Library - Volume 16: RUSTY BROWN, by C. Ware (68 pg., 2006). I guess this slim volume between cloth covers (which are illustrated & seemingly part of the story-line) could be classified as a comic graphic novel. It seems to be a combination of what we've known for years as a comic book & what we've come to call a graphic novel (pioneered by Will Eisner, may his memory be a blessing).
On the surface, this slim volume would seem to be a trite & boring tale about two kids heading off to their first day at a new school & a kid at the school who gets bullied on a regular basis. The entire story takes place in one day. However, it's far from trite or boring.
This slim volume touches on many important adult issues. Ennui. An adult male's wish to just drive away & leave his job, wife & children behind & start anew someplace where no one knows him. Interacting with new coworkers. Interacting with new students. How to handle or how not to handle bullies. Daydreaming. Lust. The Lolita Syndrome. Broken homes. Single Grandparents forced to raise their grandchildren. The early onset of dementia. Interacting with coworkers. Domestic violence. Verbal abuse. Emotional abuse. Physical abuse. Public masks. Sexual affairs. Intellectual one-upmanship. Some of these topics are barely hinted at. Some are gone into more depth, or as much depth as this slim volume would allow. Even the hints are easy to pick up. A look. A leer. Raised voices. Vocabulary. Body language. Drawings without words.
I was very taken with this book & read it straight through. The author & illustrator, Chris Ware, has the knack of being able to get into both the male & female mind.
C. Ware is also very innovative as a comic graphic book designer. A dual plot runs through most of the pages of this slim volume; by, simply adding smaller cells on the bottom of each page; until, the story-line merged & the smaller cells disappeared into the larger cells. C. Ware even ran a premiere of what the next volume in this series will look like. Ware is very facetious & playful. I like Ware's sense of humor & playfulness. It even took me some time to find the copyright page in this volume.
It's worth digging up a copy of this book. It's beautifully done. I sure hope it doesn't get lost.
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R Toady
5.0 out of 5 stars A master at the peak of his powers.
Reviewed in the United States on May 30, 2006
The new Acme is finally here, and, lest I allow my excitement over its mere existence color my review, I let it sit for a little while after I bought it and then reread it. It is still amazing. The slow pace is the sign of someone who is not afraid of giving the story room to breathe. Any faster and this story would not have the same emotional impact that it already does after one all-too-brief installment. Ware's lines are wonderfully clear and his palette subdued and balanced, though the lower story does tend to strain the eyes somewhat with its nearly microscopic detail. Possibly his strongest work yet, although it seems a bit hasty to say, seeing as I'll be of retirement age by the time the damn thing's finished. But still, I am grateful that Mr. Ware is out there writing his pathetically beautiful comics.
One person found this helpful
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Juan G. Palacios Badillo
5.0 out of 5 stars Rusty's adventures from the beginning
Reviewed in the United States on April 10, 2007
This book is near of the "Jimmy Corrigan..." style and mood.

Visually clear and precise in order to benefit the narrative success.

There are two things that I specially enjoyed:

- The Chris Ware's cameo and his dissertation about depression

- the paralell sequence at the bottom of the page that intersect with the main story in one point of the book.

Chris Ware is a master. No doubt about it.

Great job.
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tiller
5.0 out of 5 stars masterpiece
Reviewed in the United States on December 29, 2005
I am a huge fan of Chris Ware's work and I believe this is one of his best pieces to date.

Worth reading over & over.

Almost like watching a movie in a weird way.
2 people found this helpful
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