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Review
''A superb anthology [which] gathers 54 of the UK's finest comic creators to tell a life story in a series of one-day snapshots.'' --The Times
''A beautiful and unexpectedly powerful volume, showcasing no less than 54 of the most talented British comics artists around...These 54 artists have between them cleverly pinned a life to the page: optimism turning first to disappointment, and then, finally, to a new and rising contentment.'' --The Observer
''Truly unique...I adored Nelson ...An absolute indie masterpiece.'' --Starburst Magazine
''A beautiful and unexpectedly powerful volume, showcasing no less than 54 of the most talented British comics artists around...These 54 artists have between them cleverly pinned a life to the page: optimism turning first to disappointment, and then, finally, to a new and rising contentment.'' --The Observer
''Truly unique...I adored Nelson ...An absolute indie masterpiece.'' --Starburst Magazine
Product Description
London, 1968. A daughter is born to Jim and Rita Baker. Her name is Nel. This is her story, told in yearly snapshots. Each chapter records the events of a single day, weaving one continuous ribbon of pictures and text that takes us on a 43 year journey from Nel Baker's birth to 2011. Based on an original idea by Rob Davis and co-edited by Davis and Woodrow Phoenix, Nelson celebrates the incredible diversity of talent in British comics today. Creators known for their editorial and national newspaper strips unite with those from humour comics such as the Beano, The Dandy, and MAD Magazine joining a wealth of talent from children s books, indie publishing and webcomics, with the science fiction and superhero worlds of 2000AD, Marvel, DC, and Dark Horse. Part exquisite corpse and part relay race, Nelson spans decades of British history and a myriad of stylistic approaches in telling the story of one woman s life by 54 creators, in 54 episodes, detailing 54 days. The result is a surprising and compellingly readable book that is sad, funny, moving, poignant, ridiculous, heartfelt, and real. This is a story like none you have seen before.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Nelson, edited by Rob Davis and Woodrow Phoenix
A collaboration between 54 British comic artists has produced a surprisingly cohesive and heartfelt novel
Rachel Cooke
[...], Friday 18 November 2011 11.00 GMT
This is a wonderful idea: Rob Davis, the artist and writer whose excellent graphic novel adaptation of Don Quixote came out earlier this year, and Woodrow Phoenix, the man who created the acclaimed Rumble Strip, have got together with the team at Blank Slate Books to produce a beautiful and unexpectedly powerful volume, showcasing no less than 54 of the most talented British comics artists around. Even better, all the profits from the first 4,000 copies of Nelson will go to Shelter, the housing and homelessness charity. If you're interested in discovering new voices (though I should say that Posy Simmonds also performs a cherishable cameo), and want to do a little bit of good in the process, then this is for you.
Nelson is a collaboration, by which I mean that those involved have produced one long novel, rather than a series of short stories. Davis's idea - and it's a good one - was to ask each of those who agreed to take part (they were rounded up via Twitter) to tell the story of a single day in a different year in the life of the character they would create together: a woman named Nelson, after her father's favourite pub, who was, they decided, born in 1968 (there being more artists than years, a couple have done different days in the same year). The result is much more than an elaborate game of consequences. Davis and Phoenix, as editors, obviously kept a close eye on the narrative. Though the vision and style of each artist is different, the baton is respectfully received, the story consistent and knowing. Yes, you will need to concentrate: the physical appearance of Nelson, her friends and family sometimes changes dramatically from year to year. But her essence remains the same. She is a clever, funny, difficult woman and, as she grows up, the reader worries for her. Will she ever be happy? Will she ever allow herself to be loved? Or will the painful legacy of her lost twin and her absent father - who may, she discovers, have ended up on the streets - finally crush her?
I loved this book. I liked the collision of styles and moods, from the Charles Burns-like attitude of Adam Cadwell and Faz Choudhury to the silent-movie simplicity of Jon McNaught and Kristyna Baczynski (though it also seems wrong to pick out names in such a galaxy of stars; the book has no weak links). But more than this, I liked the story. Nelson is only a year older than me, so the nostalgic bits - her Space Hopper, her passion for Duran Duran, her delight at the invention of the fax machine - were direct mailshots. I remember wondering how my family would survive the coming nuclear winter (Nelson's father obtains a "Protect and Survive" manual from the local post office), just as I remember I-Spy books on long journeys, and the Topper nestling alluringly between Twinkle, Mandy and the Beezer at the newsagent. The book has a heartfelt quality - a stark truthfulness - that you would never have predicted, given the circumstances in which it was born. These 54 artists have between them cleverly pinned a life to the page: optimism turning first to disappointment, and then, finally, to a new and rising contentment.
A collaboration between 54 British comic artists has produced a surprisingly cohesive and heartfelt novel
Rachel Cooke
[...], Friday 18 November 2011 11.00 GMT
This is a wonderful idea: Rob Davis, the artist and writer whose excellent graphic novel adaptation of Don Quixote came out earlier this year, and Woodrow Phoenix, the man who created the acclaimed Rumble Strip, have got together with the team at Blank Slate Books to produce a beautiful and unexpectedly powerful volume, showcasing no less than 54 of the most talented British comics artists around. Even better, all the profits from the first 4,000 copies of Nelson will go to Shelter, the housing and homelessness charity. If you're interested in discovering new voices (though I should say that Posy Simmonds also performs a cherishable cameo), and want to do a little bit of good in the process, then this is for you.
Nelson is a collaboration, by which I mean that those involved have produced one long novel, rather than a series of short stories. Davis's idea - and it's a good one - was to ask each of those who agreed to take part (they were rounded up via Twitter) to tell the story of a single day in a different year in the life of the character they would create together: a woman named Nelson, after her father's favourite pub, who was, they decided, born in 1968 (there being more artists than years, a couple have done different days in the same year). The result is much more than an elaborate game of consequences. Davis and Phoenix, as editors, obviously kept a close eye on the narrative. Though the vision and style of each artist is different, the baton is respectfully received, the story consistent and knowing. Yes, you will need to concentrate: the physical appearance of Nelson, her friends and family sometimes changes dramatically from year to year. But her essence remains the same. She is a clever, funny, difficult woman and, as she grows up, the reader worries for her. Will she ever be happy? Will she ever allow herself to be loved? Or will the painful legacy of her lost twin and her absent father - who may, she discovers, have ended up on the streets - finally crush her?
I loved this book. I liked the collision of styles and moods, from the Charles Burns-like attitude of Adam Cadwell and Faz Choudhury to the silent-movie simplicity of Jon McNaught and Kristyna Baczynski (though it also seems wrong to pick out names in such a galaxy of stars; the book has no weak links). But more than this, I liked the story. Nelson is only a year older than me, so the nostalgic bits - her Space Hopper, her passion for Duran Duran, her delight at the invention of the fax machine - were direct mailshots. I remember wondering how my family would survive the coming nuclear winter (Nelson's father obtains a "Protect and Survive" manual from the local post office), just as I remember I-Spy books on long journeys, and the Topper nestling alluringly between Twinkle, Mandy and the Beezer at the newsagent. The book has a heartfelt quality - a stark truthfulness - that you would never have predicted, given the circumstances in which it was born. These 54 artists have between them cleverly pinned a life to the page: optimism turning first to disappointment, and then, finally, to a new and rising contentment.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
Hats off to Rob Davis and Woodrow Phoenix, who have skilfully woven the work of 54 of Britain's most talented artists and writers into the life of a single character, Nel Baker.
If you are looking for a snapshot of the best in British comics art, then look no further. The attention to detail and story in this book does not disappoint.
If you are looking for a snapshot of the best in British comics art, then look no further. The attention to detail and story in this book does not disappoint.
Format:Paperback
As a comics fan of around four decades I'm a few years older than the protagonist and I can honestly say this is the best comic creation I've read in years. Got it as an unexpected xmas present leafed through and expected something disjointed and well meaning as so many comic creator anthologies have been before. How wrong I was, this story really lives. Nel is still out there growing older with me, I can wish her only the best.
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Most Recent Customer Reviews
magnificent exquisite corpse
I am constantly looking for something different when its comes to comics and Nelson really delivered on being original and distinct. Read more
Published 4 months ago by Panda108
A book full of amazing nuances
Nelson is Rob Davis' and Woodrow Phoenix' ground-breaking collaborative project, inspired by attending a recent English Comic Book Convention and the range of talent they saw on... Read more
Published 4 months ago by Donal Fallon
a perfect piece
This is a work of pure, touching, candid, involving, thought-provoking genius. A wild and ambitious idea that has worked perfectly. Highly recommended!
Published 5 months ago by anon
A book to go back to again and again
I like supporting charitable productions - Shelter get a donation - and also wanted to see a range of contemporary artistic styles in the UK today ..... Read more
Published 5 months ago by Normanghast
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