I love surprises, and that’s precisely what I got when I received an envelope from 10 speed press the other day containing of all things, a graphic novel about vegetable gardening written by my friend Joseph Tychonievich and illustrated by Liz Anne Kozik. But first, I should share some background here, about me. In my previous life, I was a creative director for Hasbro (you know, Transformers, My Little Pony, Marvel Comics, Star Wars, etc). Comic books were part of my everyday life, from Comicon to day-long meetings at Marvel Studios. Not that I am anything close to a comic book fan, but I can appreciate the medium and especially the higher-end category of graphic novels, like this.
So believe me, while I’ve seen my share of graphic novels and comic books, I never let that life interfere with my plant life. I never read comics (I would usually fake it) (did I say that already?) and I certainly never collected them, yet I learned to not hate them, and as an art buyer or someone who has dealt with his share of comicbook geeks, who am I to say anything since I am a bonified geek myself (but with South African Bulbs).
So at work, as I kept my secret, secret I tried to look engaged with my peers. I kept my light saber and pony brush on the table at lunch milestone meetings about particular video games and feature films, and quetly listened to the Dungeons and Dragons guys from the Seattle office argue the powers of the white knight as I ate my tacos looking very interested.
But if there is one thing that I have learned over the years is that comic book art is indeed an art, and most comic book artists are extremely intelligent, if not falling on the spectrum somewhere brilliantly, (believe me, I can say that cuz…) let’s just say if you don’t understand or appreciate comics, then move on from this post. If you do, rejoice for finally someone (or two) have created a work of art on all levels. Thank you Joseph and Liz. You are certainly going to inspire an entire new group of gardeners who have been waiting for this.
For the rest of us (you?) I challenge you to losen up and enjoy the joy of this fun book. It’s not a light as you might think (after all, Joseph wrote it – so you know that it’s going to have accurate and snappy, relevant copy) and Liz, who I imagine after researching her, certainly has more to do with the content that what the publisher (Ten Speed Press) might say. After all, she’s educated, talented and clever, as well as an artist, a scholar and a plant geek like so many of us (with just a few more boxes checked off).
Of course, I expect no less from Joseph, as I have admired his writing (and cartooning) ever since I first met him at a conference of the North American Rock Garden Society (NARGS) about 15 years ago where we quickly connected over 2 inch pots of cylamen and poly bags of rare Trillium that he was selling.
Liz’s work is simply fantastic, and while I had not heard of her (one Google search and a few hours later), I feel as if we should have met long ago as well. Her style is consistent and instantly recognizable. I imagine that she’ll have a great career as an artist.
There isn’t much to critique here. This is a classic graphic novel, and as such, it is printed on fine paper stock and it tells a story and informs even experienced gardeners like myself. It’s such a refreshing read (I love it when Joseph explains the pros and cons of buying plants at nurseries, big box stores, and on-line).
Their is a story but I won’t give too much away, as the real value is how they weaved in the other content/. Chapters range from Deciding what to Grow, to fertilizing (or not), buying plants, maintaining and harvesting, right through to a celebration at the end. It’s all broken up by interstitials about mulch, types of bugs and other pages that are not only informative, but one is tempted to tear the pages out and frame them as well.
If you are not familar with graphic novels, illustrated books that are both stylish, tell stories and are informative, this one falls right into a new genre I see emerging. And not to attempt to categorize it (as undoubtedly many comic book critique will try to do) for the newbie reader, expect a fun read that is also visually beautiful. It’s a little bit Mother Earth News, meets Julia Rothman, part Jim Ottaviani meets IHOP Place Mat (In a good way – the kind that came with crayons and you learned something too.).
Is this for everyone? Not really, I suppose, but I don’t think that it’s supposed to target any one audience. Its great for new gardeners, young, certainly (some older folks like me might be sensitive to some age-shaming tropes) but I think that just comes with the territory and demographic. Hey, I know how to use a cell phone and make a pdf!). Just remember that this is a graphic novel, and it needs a bit of drama, story and character development to add to the storytelling.
Joseph’s work is familiar to so many of us in the plant world his best selling books on plant breeding and rock gardening (alpines) top my list, but he is also the editor of the prestigious North American Rock Garden Society (NARGS) Quarterly, and he is also a cartoonist. He is clearly no slouch. He’s another one of our rising horticultural rock stars (stop wincing, Joseph).
A bit more about Liz Anna Kozik . She isn’t only an artist, far from it. But do check out her fantastic art prints! She has done field work in native plants, and she describes herself as an interdisciplinary scholar who works at the intersection of science communication, environmental humanities, and art, but aside from that very ‘artist-statement” sounding artist’s statement, I’d say that she observes human culture and deeply understands social conflicts, storytelling, life’s quirks and joys along with her fascination with plants. I guess a bit like me. (except without the My Little Pony thing).
