Money makes the world go round, as they say. And around. And around.
Eddie Campbell is an award-winning graphic novelist (Alec, From Hell) whose work defies categorization. His latest book is a dizzying autobiographical investigation into MONEY. It's a voyage that takes him all the way from the imaginary wealth of Ponzi schemes to the real hard stuff on an obscure South Sea tropical island where he investigates the history of the stone money. This is no dry and dusty treatise on finance; any complexities are pleasingly reduced to the level of bubblegum trading cards. In here you will hear about the corporation that Campbell keeps under his bed; you will meet colorful historical characters and be taken on dangerous shark-infested sea adventures; and after that, we will all plunge to the depths to retrieve our loose change. Campbell's wry eye and vivid full-color artwork imbue the proceedings with real humanity, making The Lovely Horrible Stuff an investment that's worth every penny.
"Campbell is one graphic novelist who has the potential—both creative and intellectual—to reach beyond the typical audience and into the wider world of essayists traditionally inhabited by the likes of Bill Bryson or Christopher Hitchens. Coupled with personable artwork that often seems like it’s torn straight out of a sketchbook, Campbell’s erudition comes off as comforting and familiar, with a conversational presentation of heady topics that brings it all down to earth." -- Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"A seriously playful look at a subject of universal concern: money... Campbell’s efforts go beyond the standard autobiography or journalism... is every bit the master of his medium." -- Booklist (starred review)
"Campbell is perhaps the most natural storyteller in comics... Generous with his wisdom but quick to point out how unwise he is, he is both the storyteller and the story, entering the fourth decade of his career with a book on money that's lively, poignant, and never dull. Tight as times are, The Lovely Horrible Stuff is worth every hard-earned penny you can find." -- ComicsAlliance
"Hilarious and provocative, like all of Campbell's work." -- Brian K. Vaughan, author of Saga and Y: The Last Man
96 page full color hardcover book
Top Shelf/Knockabout, 2012
