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English
New York Review Books
15 April 2016
Mark Beyer's outrageously dire, eccentrically charming black comedy is one of the great graphic novels of the Eighties, and a timelessly strange vision of urban life.

ENJOY THE ECSTASY OF AGONY. Amy and Jordan are just like us- hoping for the best, even when things go from bad to worse. They are menaced by bears, beheaded by ghosts, and hunted by the cops, but still they struggle on, bickering and reconciling, scraping together the rent and trying to find a decent movie. It's the perfect solace for anxious modern minds, courtesy of one of the great innovators of American comics. Now if only Amy's skin would grow back ...

This NYRC edition features a recreation of the original, pocket-size, slipcovered paperback, designed by Art Spiegelman and Francoise Mouly.
By:   ,
Imprint:   New York Review Books
Country of Publication:   United States
Edition:   Main
Dimensions:   Height: 127mm,  Width: 127mm,  Spine: 13mm
Weight:   180g
ISBN:   9781590179819
ISBN 10:   1590179811
Pages:   176
Publication Date:  
Audience:   General/trade ,  ELT Advanced
Format:   Paperback
Publisher's Status:   Active

Mark Beyer is a self-taught artist who began making comics in 1975. His work has appeared in The New York Times, The Village Voice, and many other publications, and was a mainstay of RAW magazine. He created a series of animated shorts for MTV's Liquid Television, designed album covers for John Zorn, and collaborated with Alan Moore. Amy and Jordan, the stars of his graphic novel Agony, were also featured in a newspaper strip that ran from 1988 to 1996, and which was collected in Amy and Jordan in 2004. His paintings and drawings have been exhibited around the world, including in Europe, Japan, and the United States. Colson Whitehead is the author of five novels, including Zone One, Sag Harbor, and The Intuitionist. His latest book is The Noble Hustle, a nonfiction account of the 2011 World Series of Poker. He is a recipient of a Guggenheim Fellowship and a MacArthur Fellowship.

Reviews for Agony

Mark Beyer's 'Amy and Jordan' was one of the great underground comic strips of the late '80s and early '90s -- the Candide-on-PCP misadventures of a seemingly accursed New York City couple. --Douglas Wolk, The New York Times Book Review Almost childlike in its energy and lack of story logic, this is a charming explosion of grotesque comedic misfortune, exactly as the title promises...Beyer's calamitous comedy has aged well, its geometric, densely patterned imagery recalling fine art as much as comics and still packing a punch among today's alternative cartoonists. --Publishers Weekly, PW Picks Exquisitely, gleefully hopeless. --The A. V. Club I couldn't get enough of their misery: I finished it in one sitting and flipped back to the beginning. --The Paris Review Daily Blog Mark Beyer's Agony is a highlight of the 80s art comics movement... Now available in a new edition as the first release of the New York Review Comics line, the abstract, absurd, and bleakly funny comic book returns, and it's just as oddly beautiful and relevant as ever. ...Throughout Agony, Beyer's artwork is odd, alienating, and remarkably effective. A self-taught artist whose work could easily be classified as outsider, raw, brut, or naive art, Beyer strikes a balance between simple, even childlike figure-work supported by a very dynamic and complex design. -- Comics Alliance Gorgeously madcap and brutally inspiring. --Kirkus Reviews Agony by Mark Beyer is an otherworldly pocket-sized jewel that's bound to be rediscovered. --Blouin Artinfo Beyer's work is universal at its heart ... One of the masters of the form. --Publishers Weekly Mark Beyer's are some of my favorite comics of all time, and surely the most perfectly realized vision of urban despair ever to hit the comic page. A must for any fan of bleakness and misery. --Daniel Clowes He's one of the flukiest geniuses in comics. --L.A. Weekly Exquisite poems of urban despair, dreamy and nightmarish. --Chip Kidd Perhaps the ultimate urban nightmare comic...Mark Beyer [is] not only an extremely funny cartoonist, but one of the most progressive as well. --Time A childhood hell palpitating with adult neuroses. --The Village Voice Beyer's seminal strip is a terrifying New York of the mind. --Dash Shaw I hope Mark Beyer's work will find a place in the canon...A treasure of the comics medium. --The Millions A complete and total original. --Kaz Mark Beyer s 'Amy and Jordan' was one of the great underground comic strips of the late 80s and early 90s the Candide-on-PCP misadventures of a seemingly accursed New York City couple. Douglas Wolk, The New York Times Book Review Almost childlike in its energy and lack of story logic, this is a charming explosion of grotesque comedic misfortune, exactly as the title promises...Beyer s calamitous comedy has aged well, its geometric, densely patterned imagery recalling fine art as much as comics and still packing a punch among today s alternative cartoonists. Publishers Weekly, PW Picks Exquisitely, gleefully hopeless. The A. V. Club I couldn t get enough of their misery: I finished it in one sitting and flipped back to the beginning. The Paris Review Daily Blog Mark Beyer s Agony is a highlight of the 80sart comics movement... Now available in a new edition as the first release of the New York Review Comics line, the abstract, absurd, and bleaklyfunny comic book returns, and it s just as oddly beautiful and relevant as ever....Throughout Agony, Beyer s artwork is odd, alienating, and remarkably effective. A self-taught artist whose work could easily be classified as outsider, raw, brut, or naive art, Beyer strikes a balance between simple, even childlike figure-worksupported by a verydynamic and complex design. Comics Alliance Gorgeously madcap and brutally inspiring. Kirkus Reviews Agony by Mark Beyer is an otherworldly pocket-sized jewel that s bound to be rediscovered. Blouin Artinfo Beyer s work is universal at its heart ... One of the masters of the form. Publishers Weekly Mark Beyer s are some of my favorite comics of all time, and surely the most perfectly realized vision of urban despair ever to hit the comic page. A must for any fan of bleakness and misery. Daniel Clowes He s one of the flukiest geniuses in comics. L.A. Weekly Exquisite poems of urban despair, dreamy and nightmarish. Chip Kidd Perhaps the ultimate urban nightmare comic...Mark Beyer [is] not only an extremely funny cartoonist, but one of the most progressive as well. Time A childhood hell palpitating with adult neuroses. The Village Voice Beyer s seminal strip is a terrifying New York of the mind. Dash Shaw I hope Mark Beyer s work will find a place in the canon...A treasure of the comics medium. The Millions A complete and total original. Kaz Almost childlike in its energy and lack of story logic, this is a charming explosion of grotesque comedic misfortune, exactly as the title promises...Beyer s calamitous comedy has aged well, its geometric, densely patterned imagery recalling fine art as much as comics and still packing a punch among today s alternative cartoonists. Publishers Weekly, PW Picks Exquisitely, gleefully hopeless. The A. V. Club I couldn t get enough of their misery: I finished it in one sitting and flipped back to the beginning. The Paris Review Daily Blog Mark Beyer s Agony is a highlight of the 80sart comics movement... Now available in a new edition as the first release of the New York Review Comics line, the abstract, absurd, and bleaklyfunny comic book returns, and it s just as oddly beautiful and relevant as ever....Throughout Agony, Beyer s artwork is odd, alienating, and remarkably effective. A self-taught artist whose work could easily be classified as outsider, raw, brut, or naive art, Beyer strikes a balance between simple, even childlike figure-worksupported by a verydynamic and complex design. Comics Alliance Gorgeously madcap and brutally inspiring. Kirkus Reviews Agony by Mark Beyer is an otherworldly pocket-sized jewel that s bound to be rediscovered. Blouin Artinfo Beyer s work is universal at its heart ... One of the masters of the form. Publishers Weekly Mark Beyer s are some of my favorite comics of all time, and surely the most perfectly realized vision of urban despair ever to hit the comic page. A must for any fan of bleakness and misery. Daniel Clowes He s one of the flukiest geniuses in comics. L.A. Weekly Exquisite poems of urban despair, dreamy and nightmarish. Chip Kidd Perhaps the ultimate urban nightmare comic...Mark Beyer [is] not only an extremely funny cartoonist, but one of the most progressive as well. Time A childhood hell palpitating with adult neuroses. The Village Voice Beyer s seminal strip is a terrifying New York of the mind. Dash Shaw I hope Mark Beyer s work will find a place in the canon...A treasure of the comics medium. The Millions A complete and total original. Kaz Mark Beyer s Agony is a highlight of the 80sart comics movement... Now available in a new edition as the first release of the New York Review Comics line, the abstract, absurd, and bleaklyfunny comic book returns, and it s just as oddly beautiful and relevant as ever....Throughout Agony, Beyer s artwork is odd, alienating, and remarkably effective. A self-taught artist whose work could easily be classified as outsider, raw, brut, or naive art, Beyer strikes a balance between simple, even childlike figure-worksupported by a verydynamic and complex design. Comics Alliance Gorgeously madcap and brutally inspiring. Kirkus Reviews Beyer s work is universal at its heart ... One of the masters of the form. Publishers Weekly Mark Beyer s are some of my favorite comics of all time, and surely the most perfectly realized vision of urban despair ever to hit the comic page. A must for any fan of bleakness and misery. Daniel Clowes He s one of the flukiest geniuses in comics. L.A. Weekly Exquisite poems of urban despair, dreamy and nightmarish. Chip Kidd Perhaps the ultimate urban nightmare comic...Mark Beyer [is] not only an extremely funny cartoonist, but one of the most progressive as well. Time A childhood hell palpitating with adult neuroses. The Village Voice Beyer s seminal strip is a terrifying New York of the mind. Dash Shaw I hope Mark Beyer s work will find a place in the canon...A treasure of the comics medium. The Millions A complete and total original. Kaz Gorgeously madcap and brutally inspiring. Kirkus Reviews Beyer s work is universal at its heart ... One of the masters of the form. Publishers Weekly Mark Beyer s are some of my favorite comics of all time, and surely the most perfectly realized vision of urban despair ever to hit the comic page. A must for any fan of bleakness and misery. Daniel Clowes He s one of the flukiest geniuses in comics. L.A. Weekly Exquisite poems of urban despair, dreamy and nightmarish. Chip Kidd Perhaps the ultimate urban nightmare comic...Mark Beyer [is] not only an extremely funny cartoonist, but one of the most progressive as well. Time A childhood hell palpitating with adult neuroses. The Village Voice Beyer s seminal strip is a terrifying New York of the mind. Dash Shaw I hope Mark Beyer s work will find a place in the canon...A treasure of the comics medium. The Millions A complete and total original. Kaz Beyer s work is universal at its heart ... One of the masters of the form. Publishers Weekly Mark Beyer s are some of my favorite comics of all time, and surely the most perfectly realized vision of urban despair ever to hit the comic page. A must for any fan of bleakness and misery. Daniel Clowes He s one of the flukiest geniuses in comics. L.A. Weekly Exquisite poems of urban despair, dreamy and nightmarish. Chip Kidd Perhaps the ultimate urban nightmare comic...Mark Beyer [is] not only an extremely funny cartoonist, but one of the most progressive as well. Time A childhood hell palpitating with adult neuroses. The Village Voice Beyer s seminal strip is a terrifying New York of the mind. Dash Shaw I hope Mark Beyer s work will find a place in the canon...A treasure of the comics medium. The Millions A complete and total original. Kaz These are some of my favorite comics of all time, and surely the most perfectly realized vision of urban despair ever to hit the comic page. A must for any fan of bleakness and misery. Daniel Clowes Exquisite poems of urban despair, dreamy and nightmarish. Chip Kidd Perhaps the ultimate urban nightmare comic...Mark Beyer [is] not only an extremely funny cartoonist, but one of the most progressive as well. Time He s one of the flukiest geniuses in comics. L.A. Weekly A childhood hell palpitating with adult neuroses. The Village Voice Beyer s work is universal at its heart, exaggerating the humor, paranoia, depression and exaltation we all feel sometimes...One of the masters of the form. Publishers Weekly Beyer s seminal strip is a terrifying New York of the mind. Dash Shaw I hope Mark Beyer s work will find a place in the canon...A treasure of the comics medium. The Millions A complete and total original. Kaz


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