Most Popular Books by Charles Burns

“The best graphic novel of the year” (Time) tells the story of a strange plague devastating the lives of teenagers in mid-1970s suburban Seattle, revealing the horrifying nature of high school alienation—the savagery, the cruelty, the relentless anxiety, and the ennui. We learn from the outset that a strange plague has descended upon the area’s teenagers, transmitted by sexual contact. The disease is manifested in any number of ways—from the hideously grotesque to the subtle (and concealable)—but once you’ve got it, that’s it. There’s no turning back. As we inhabit the heads of several key characters—some kids who have it, some who don’t, some who are about to get it—what unfolds isn’t the expected battle to fight the plague, or bring heightened awareness to it , or even to treat it. What we become witness to instead is a fascinating and eerie portrait of the nature of high school alienation itself. And then the murders start. As hypnotically beautiful as it is horrifying, Black Hole transcends its genre by deftly exploring a specific American cultural moment in flux and the kids who are caught in it—back when it wasn’t exactly cool to be a hippie anymore, but Bowie was still just a little too weird. To say nothing of sprouting horns and molting your skin…

A collection of three horror comic strips describing a man who encounters imaginary beings.

A true graphic milestone: the epic trilogy that began with X''ed Out, continued in The Hive, and concluded in Sugar Skull—now in one volume. The long strange trip of Doug in all its mind-bending, heartbreaking totality. The fragments of the past collide with the reality of the present, nightmarish dreams evolve into an even more dreadful reality, and when you finally find out where all of this has been going, and what it means . . . it will make you go right back to the first page and read it all again with new eyes. Just like Doug. (With full-color illustrations throughout)

The beloved and award-winning author of BLACK HOLE''s haunting and visually arresting story of an artist''s obsessions, and the value and cost of pushing the boundaries of creativity As a child, Brian and his friend Jimmy would make sci-fi films in their yards, convincing their friends to star as victims of grisly murders, smearing lipstick on the "bodies" to simulate blood. Now a talented artist and aspiring filmmaker, Brian, along with Jimmy, Jimmy''s friend Tina, and Laurie—his reluctant muse—sets off to a remote cabin in the woods with an old 8 millimeter camera to make a true sci-fi horror movie, an homage to Brian''s favorite movie: Invasion of the Body Snatchers. But as Brian''s affections for Laurie go seemingly unreciprocated, Brian writes and draws himself into a fantasy where she is the girl of his dreams, his damsel in distress, and his savior wrapped into one. Rife with references to classic sci-fi and horror movies and filled with panels of stunning depictions of nature, film and the surreal, Burns blurs the line between Brian''s dreams and reality, imagination and perception. A master of the form at his finest, Final Cut is an astonishing look at what it means to truly express oneself through art.

From the creator of Black Hole: the first volume of an epic masterpiece of graphic fiction in brilliant color. Doug is having a strange night. A weird buzzing noise on the other side of the wall has woken him up, and there, across the room, next to a huge hole torn out of the bricks, sits his beloved cat, Inky. Who died years ago. But who’s nonetheless slinking out through the hole, beckoning Doug to follow. What’s going on? To say any more would spoil the freaky, Burnsian fun, especially because X’ed Out, unlike Black Hole, has not been previously serialized, and every unnervingly meticulous panel will be more tantalizing than the last . . . Drawing inspiration from such diverse influences as Hergé and William Burroughs, Charles Burns has given us a dazzling spectral fever-dream—and a comic-book masterpiece.

An early cult classic graphic novel from the author of the acclaimed Black Hole.

The long, strange trip that began in X''ed Out and continued in The Hive reaches its mind-bending, heartbreaking end. Doug is forced to deal with the lie he''s been telling himself since the beginning. In this concluding volume, nightmarish dreams evolve into an even more dreadful reality... (With full-color illustrations throughout.)

Big Baby plays with his toys, find the monsters at the bottom of his neighbor''s new pool, finds a teen plague, and solves a mystery.

From the creator of Black Hole ("The best graphic novel of the year." —Time; "Burns''s masterwork." —The New York Times Book Review), the second part of an epic masterpiece of graphic horror in brilliant, vivid color. Much has happened since we last saw Doug, the Tintin-like hero from X''ed Out. Confessing his past to an unidentified woman, Doug struggles to recall the mysterious incident that left his life shattered, an incident that may have involved his disturbed and now-absent girlfriend, Sarah, and her menacing ex-boyfriend. Doug warily seeks answers in a nightmarish alternate world that is a distorted mirror of our own, where he is a lowly employee that carts supplies around the Hive. The second part of Charles Burns''s riveting trilogy, this graphic narrative will delight and surpass the expectations of his fans.

After a long absence, Matt returns in all his absurdly conflicted, tortured glory. In the tradition of Bukowski and R. Crumb, his tale turns on his disgust with himself and all of humanity, and, like the greats, Matt entertains as he cringes. His paradoxically clean and cheerful art is as likable as his persona is unlikable in this tale of avarice, obsession and masturbation. The episodic story begins in a bookstore, where Matt swoops in on a book he knows his friend, fellow cartoonist Seth, would love; Matt buys the book and then sells it to Seth at an obscene markup. The action moves on to Matt''s latest porn purchases, then stops by a coffee shop, where the author chews over his shortcomings with a third member of their cartoonist gang, Chester. Interposed are memories of childhood and scenes from Matt''s room in a boarding house, where his laziness and disgust with his fellow humans lead him to urinate in the largest jars he can find in order to avoid using the communal bathroom. The title indicates that Matt''s well aware of his entrenched personal issues - but this self-awareness never translates to any kind of epiphany or behavioral change.

by Charles Burns Ten years in the making, Charles Burns'' magnum opus careens towards its inevitably apocalyptic conclusion, with only two issues remaining! This tenth issue is printed with the bleakest and blackest of ink to date: ripe with the stench of infection, the home that Keith''s been sitting all summer is now a safe house for kids with the bug. Meanwhile, his courtship of Chris having turned irrevocably black, Keith''s futility is palpable until he bumps into a (seemingly) well Eliza at the supermarket. And what of those tadpoles growing out of Keith''s ribs? The story of a mysterious plague that strikes mid-70s Seattle, only affecting teenagers. MATURE READERS b&w, 32pg

.html by Charles Burns A shadowy life spews forth from Harvey Award winning Charles Burns'' dark pen once again, filling the page with an angst-ridden story of survival in a self-created civilization. Left alone in the woods to fend for herself, Chris finds hunger overwhelming and the wait for her boyfriend Rob doubly trying. Newly deflowered Keith takes her away from the cold tent and into his house. Everyone wonders why he''s being so nice ... Black Hole is probably the best portrayal of the uncertainty and desire of teenagers ever. b&w, 32pg (9 of 13)

"Silhouettes are an increasingly popular form of capturing portraits with a history that goes back hundreds of years. In this unique how-to book, silhouette artist Charles Burns teaches the basic techniques needed for making silhouettes: learning the proportions of a profile, tracing a shadow, reducing an image, drawing and cutting freely, and his own ''natural waves'' technique. You''ll learn to create scissor-cut portraits, painted silhouettes, hollow-cut silhouettes, silhouettes painted on glass, caricatures, and more, as well as how to use color, appliqué, and three-dimensional effects in creative and innovative ways and how to mount and display your creations."--Page 4 of cover.

Tegneserie - graphic novel. A compilation of twenty-five issues of a secret, handmade sketchbook zine titled Free S**t into a single pocket-sized volume. Features finished drawings, rough sketches, process pieces, and more

From the imagination of Charles Burns: 80 comic books that never were.

The history and current practice of the papal elections.

The adventures of Ham and Eggs continue! In this installment, the two mouse brothers learn the value of a good friend in a time of trouble. From the author of "Ham and Eggs in the Garden," "Ham and Eggs in the Soup" and "Ham and Eggs with Baldo."

Cartoons tell the story of El Borbah, a bizarre costumed detective who investigates a teenager''s disappearance, a suicide, a secret cult, and a missing girlfriend

Doug, un jeune homme, se lève avec un pansement sur la tempe. Que s''est-il passé ? Doug se laisse entraîner de l''autre côté du miroir par Inky, son chat noir, mort depuis des années... Un récit inspiré des collages de William Burroughs.

An impressionable boy named Tony Delmonte lives in a seemingly typicalAmerican suburb until he sneaks out of his room one night and becomesentangled in a horrific plot involving summer camp murders and backyardburials.

"Unwholesome Love has a strong connection to Charles Burns''s fake comic covers, as featured in his recent book Kommix. If you love the mystery of looking at those covers and trying to imagine what you might find inside, you''ll find what you''re looking for in Unwholesome Love." -- publisher''s website.

Dix-huit effroyables visages dessinés par Charles Burns (Black Hole, Toxic, La Ruche, Calavera...) et Gary Panter et découpés chacun en trois panneaux à assembler méli-mélo pour former jusqu''à 7 000 créatures monstrueuses différentes – du robot au monstre sanguinaire en passant par les insectes mutants – et recréer son propre bestiaire inspiré du sombre univers des deux célèbres artistes. Un livre-objet délirant !

Maître d''un monde fantastique et fascinant, Charles Burns n''a jamais caché sa passion pour les comics des années 50. Inspiré par cette esthétique souvent romanesque, l''auteur de Dédales s''est amusé à créer une collection de couvertures de comics fictifs dans laquelle il intègre des éléments propres à son univers étrange et organique. Dans Caprice, il dévoile une trentaine d''illustrations inédites pensées comme autant de livres potentiels. La force de ses dessins offre ainsi une multitude d''interprétations, et suggère au lecteur d''imaginer l''histoire qui découle de chaque image. On retrouve dans cette série un condensé des thèmes qui parcourent l''ensemble de son œuvre : l''adolescence, la métamorphose, les cauchemars ou encore la sexualité, qui sont ici autant de prétextes à la création d''une imagerie mystérieuse et envoûtante. Publié en exclusivité mondiale, cet ouvrage est le premier numéro de la nouvelle collection Kim.

C''était comme une horrible partie de chat... On finit par découvrir qu''il s''agissait d''une nouvelle maladie qui n''affectait que les adolescents. On la surnomma la " peste ado " et " la crève ". Les symptômes en étaient aussi variés qu''imprévisibles... Certains s''en tiraient à bon compte - quelques bosses ou une vilaine éruption cutanée - d''autres devenaient des monstres ou il leur poussait de nouveaux membres... mais quels que fussent les symptômes, une fois touché, on était " le chat " pour toujours.