Fandemonium
by Rick Schindler
This title was previously available on NetGalley and is now archived.
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Pub Date May 31 2013 | Archive Date Dec 01 2015
Description
Ray Sirico used to have it all. Once, he was the brilliant and
outrageous Clown Prince of Comics, who reinvented the venerable
superhero Skylord, and ranted and rollicked everywhere from TV talk
shows to Hollywood premieres.
But that was in the ’70s and ’80s. Now it’s 1993, and Sirico is a drunken has-been. His wife has left him, his movie flopped, and his comics’ publisher is doing so poorly that its new corporate parent has come up with a radical marketing stunt: the Death of Skylord.
Together, antihero Sirico and his superhero Skylord stand at the crossroads of comics and commerce, where quirky creators, fervent fans, conniving businessmen and preening celebrities converge. Deal-making, drug-dealing, lovemaking and truth-telling all collide at the riotous climax of a fateful weekend that leaves no one unchanged.
Fandemonium uses the colourful world of comics and fantasy as a microcosm and metaphor for media consolidation and the excesses of global mass culture. It is at once a hilarious satire of business and society, a portrait of an artist no longer young, and a sometimes poignant look at a universal challenge: to grow up, face the world, and put away childish things.
But that was in the ’70s and ’80s. Now it’s 1993, and Sirico is a drunken has-been. His wife has left him, his movie flopped, and his comics’ publisher is doing so poorly that its new corporate parent has come up with a radical marketing stunt: the Death of Skylord.
Together, antihero Sirico and his superhero Skylord stand at the crossroads of comics and commerce, where quirky creators, fervent fans, conniving businessmen and preening celebrities converge. Deal-making, drug-dealing, lovemaking and truth-telling all collide at the riotous climax of a fateful weekend that leaves no one unchanged.
Fandemonium uses the colourful world of comics and fantasy as a microcosm and metaphor for media consolidation and the excesses of global mass culture. It is at once a hilarious satire of business and society, a portrait of an artist no longer young, and a sometimes poignant look at a universal challenge: to grow up, face the world, and put away childish things.
Advance Praise
“Fandemonium made me angry. This is because it came as a surprise. I don’t like surprises. The surprise was that a book about comic geeks and comics culture could be so well-written, so engaging, and so much damn fun. Stop this man before he writes again. I hate surprises!” — Ted Rall, award-winning editorial cartoonist and graphic novelist
“If there were a medal for best book about the comics industry, Fandemonium would be the hands-down winner. This book captures that world with a wry humor and brings out the wackiness of its characters on both sides of the page.” — Jim Barnes, Editor and Awards Director, IndependentPublisher.com
“I’m really worried I won’t be able to convey to you just how much I enjoyed this book; so much so that I felt an odd sense of loss once it was over. Fandemonium is a 400-page tome, and I can safely say I would happily read another 400; then 400 after that. I loved it.” — Book Odyssey
“The book is densely plotted, with oddball characters popping out of its seams, featuring both laugh-out loud moments, and truly poignant scenes … This is highly recommended reading. Enjoy!”
— Weird and Wonderful Reads
“In a single bound, Rick Schindler has created a fizzing comic romp, a satire on the cynical commercial imperatives of big business and a love letter to comic books.” — Jon Gower, Movie Reviewer, Total TV Guide
“I think fans of comic books will REALLY enjoy this book… You do not need to read comic books to appreciate the universe that Rick Schindler creates and the look at the industry.” — Amy Jean Tomaso, The Taylor Network
“This book deserves any and all praise it earns and gets my recommendation to read. Readers not comics geeks are especially encouraged to give it a whirl.” — Expendable Mudge Muses Aloud book blog
“People send me stuff to review from time to time but it’s usually not worth a mention. Fandemonium, however, I devoured in three days.” — Lauren Orsini, Otaku Journalist
“If there were a medal for best book about the comics industry, Fandemonium would be the hands-down winner. This book captures that world with a wry humor and brings out the wackiness of its characters on both sides of the page.” — Jim Barnes, Editor and Awards Director, IndependentPublisher.com
“I’m really worried I won’t be able to convey to you just how much I enjoyed this book; so much so that I felt an odd sense of loss once it was over. Fandemonium is a 400-page tome, and I can safely say I would happily read another 400; then 400 after that. I loved it.” — Book Odyssey
“The book is densely plotted, with oddball characters popping out of its seams, featuring both laugh-out loud moments, and truly poignant scenes … This is highly recommended reading. Enjoy!”
— Weird and Wonderful Reads
“In a single bound, Rick Schindler has created a fizzing comic romp, a satire on the cynical commercial imperatives of big business and a love letter to comic books.” — Jon Gower, Movie Reviewer, Total TV Guide
“I think fans of comic books will REALLY enjoy this book… You do not need to read comic books to appreciate the universe that Rick Schindler creates and the look at the industry.” — Amy Jean Tomaso, The Taylor Network
“This book deserves any and all praise it earns and gets my recommendation to read. Readers not comics geeks are especially encouraged to give it a whirl.” — Expendable Mudge Muses Aloud book blog
“People send me stuff to review from time to time but it’s usually not worth a mention. Fandemonium, however, I devoured in three days.” — Lauren Orsini, Otaku Journalist
Available Editions
| EDITION | Ebook |
| ISBN | 9781908959218 |
| PRICE | $7.99 (USD) |
