New York Comic Con Booth 1248

October 5, 2015October 5, 2015 | Aaron McConnell

NYCC starts October 8 this week and I will be meeting up with my co-authors! Jonathan and Mike have been on the road since we debuted The Comic Book Story of Beer in Denver. They’ve been in Minneapolis, MN at DANGEROUS MAN BREWING COMPANY, Iowa City at BACKPOCKET BREWING COMPANY, Kansas City, MO at BARNES & NOBLE, Chicago, IL at BEERMISCUOUS CRAFT BEER CAFE, and Toronto Canada at THE BEGUILING BOOKS AND ART / PAGE & PANEL: THE TCAF SHOP. Today they’ll be in Ann Arbor, MI at NICOLA’S BOOKS, tomorrow in Akron, OH at LIZARDVILLE BEER STORE & WHISKEY BAR/BARNES & NOBLE, and then Oct. 8-11 for NEW YORK CITY COMIC CON. It doesn’t even end there! Check the WEBSITE for the complete list.

You can also find some of the REVIEWS for the book with a plethora of sample pages like these found at suntimes.com:

NPR Article on The Comic Book Story of Beer

August 18, 2015August 18, 2015 | Aaron McConnell

Summer’s winding down, and I guess that means it’s time for me to start blogging again. The Comic Book Story of Beer comes out in just over a month (Sept. 22nd) and we have NPR to thank for letting people know about it. Check out this article/interview by Alastair Bland: Guzzling 9,000 Years Of History With ‘The Comic Book Story Of Beer’

(More sample art included in the article…)

Graphic Novel Excerpt in honor of MLK Day

January 20, 2015January 20, 2015 | Aaron McConnell

Jonathan Hennessey, the writer I’ve collaborated with for three graphic novels, posted a 15 page excerpt from our Gettysburg Address Adaptation on his blog in honor of MLK Day. Please go HERE to read this insightful examination of the battle for civil rights following the end of the Civil War.

Teaser from The Atlantic

September 24, 2014 | Aaron McConnell

Here’s a teaser image that was posted at The Atlantic from the graphic novel I’m currently drawing. You can read the article which includes some excellent quotes by my collaborator Jonathan Hennessey at this LINK. Coloring on this image is by cartoonist Matthew Bogart.

Library Love

December 5, 2013December 5, 2013 | Aaron McConnell

I’m happy to announce that The Gettysburg Address: A Graphic Adaptation made a best of 2013 list, thanks to Library Journal. We’re on a short list alongside enormous talents like Peter Bagge and Gene Luen Yang. What an honor!

In addition, I received some pictures of the exhibit in Chicago that I mentioned in my last post. I wish I could see these large scale prints in person, but the photos will have to do for those of us not in Chicago between now and March 2, 2014. My thanks to the Chicago Public Library and the Harold Washington Library Center for hosting the show.

Below are pictures from earlier this year, but I thought I’d round out this graphic novel update with a snapshot that Jonathan Hennessey took at the Library of Congress National Book Festival in Washington DC Sept. 21-22. Again, looking at the surrounding books…what great company!

I have more blog posts on a variety of topics coming this week/month, so stay tuned!

Lanky Link’s Gettysburg Address 150th Anniversary

November 19, 2013November 19, 2013 | Aaron McConnell

It is for us, The Swingin’, to pick up the dues of these Fine Studs who cut out here and flieth through to Endsville…

There is all manner of reflection on the Gettysburg Address today, and I thought I’d illuminate a little Easter Egg that Jonathan Hennessey hid on page 162 of The Gettysburg Address: A Graphic Adaptation. He sent me some reference material of various memorabilia commemorating the speech to include in the above panel as I saw fit, and I included this red vinyl album for visual interest without knowing anything about “Lord” Richard Buckley. If you aren’t familiar with his recitation of the Address you have YouTube to thank: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v4u8bblgV1g

I have various links to share, and hope that you have time to check them out, so here we go:

Chapter 2 in its entirety (pages 31-49) available for you to read at Slate.com.
“The Gettysburg Address — a prescription for America’s split personality” written by Jonathan for Foxnews.com.
The Chicago Public Library has an exhibit of pages from the book printed at large scale in the Harold Washington Library Center. Here’s the info and location for those who may be in Chicago sometime between now and March 2nd, 2014.
Interview with Jonathan on the Library of Congress Blog.
Jonathan will also be on WBEZ’s “Morning Shift.” In Southern California he will be on KPCC’s “Take Two” with Alex Cohen. Link to WBEZ interview. Link to KPCC interview.
And here is a podcast that briefly recommends our book along with some other good books about the Gettysburg Address.

As always, I thank you for your interest.

50 Years Ago

August 28, 2013August 28, 2013 | Aaron McConnell

Commemorating the March on Washington 50 years ago today, here’s a panel from The Gettysburg Address: A Graphic Adaption. Below is a round-up of some of the internet buzz that the book has created since its release. If you want to cut to the chase, these articles suggest that the book is worth your time. It is interesting to read the different parts of the narrative that resonate with each reviewer, though. If you only have time to read one of the following, I suggest the CBR article since it includes commentary from Jonathan Hennessey (and a little from me) about the process of creating the book and the ideas therein.

Interview

“Gettysburg Address Gets Graphic with Lincoln, Bias and The Civil War” at Comic Book Resources

Reviews

“Available Wherever Books are Sold”

June 25, 2013 | Aaron McConnell

I received my author comps in the mail this morning on this official release day of The Gettysburg Address: A Graphic Adaptation. I’m very happy with the print quality and it’s satisfying to have it in hand after putting years of work into the project. I hope you get a chance to read it soon and I’d be interested to hear your impressions. Thoughtful reviews on amazon.com are also much appreciated. Speaking of reviews, there are already two starred reviews from Kirkus and Publisher’s Weekly. Go to graphicgettysburg.com to read the reviews, if you like. Thank you for your interest!

Announcing!…

April 23, 2013 | Aaron McConnell

…A New Website! But before I give you the link, I’m going to build up a little anticipation with the following process art from The Gettysburg Address: A Graphic Adaptation. This is how the magic happens;)

Now that I’ve revealed all my secrets, please go to graphicgettysburg.com to learn about the graphic novel with videos, visual annotations, essays, recommended reading and more!