Amy and Jordan

Book Description

For those of you who thought the comic strip was dead by the end of the twentieth century, here are 292 pieces of proof that you were wrong. Mark Beyer was breathing delirious, heartbreaking, otherworldly life into it by means of Amy and Jordan. Obviously, you weren’t reading New York Press.

But I sure was. Voraciously. Back in 1989, when I discovered that Beyer’s strips were appearing regularly in this new “alternative weekly” paper, I quickly became hooked, and a thought seized me: I had to clip and save them–they were exquisite poems of urban despair, dreamy and nightmarish. I was already a fan of Beyer’s talent based on his book Agony (Pantheon, 1988), but these new strips revealed, week by week, a whole new dimension to his work–an ingenious reinvention of panel-design that redefined what a comic strip could be. As with Peanuts, it helps to try and picture these in the context which they first appeared in order to appreciate just how profoundly they emerged from anything else on the newspaper page. Even the “outré” NYP ads and listings which often ran alongside them were hopelessly dull by comparison. One of its most impressive aspects was the way Form served the Content–no matter how eccentric the layout got, it somehow never confused the narrative. And what narrative: it was as if Candide had been transported to the East Village and split in two like an amoeba and holed up in a squat on Avenue C. Along with giant bugs from outer space.

So I did clip and save them, and put them into an envelope, which was then placed in a shoebox with a lot of other envelopes (receipts, receipts!), which was shoved to the back of the closet of my sixth-floor walk-up studio apartment, which I moved out of three years later and in the process I unwittingly threw them all away. Which frankly is just the sort of thing that Amy and Jordan would do. Drat. “Oh well,” I thought, once I’d realized it, “at some point someone will collect and publish them, and I’ll get them back that way.” And that was that.

Fast forward more than ten years, to the spring of 2002. During a panel of cartoonists I was chairing in Philadelphia, a member of the audience asked what Mark was working on and where he was. No one seemed to know. The discussion was transcribed and published in The Comics Journal that summer, and in the fall Mark contacted me with the best possible news: He’d read the panel transcript and wanted to publish again. And the Amy and Jordan strips had never been comprehensively collected. So now, as an editor, I was able to grant my own wish.

Amy and Jordan ran from 1988 through early 1996. After that, Beyer put cartooning aside to pursue other projects. This book signals his return to the realm of comics, which he says he wants to start making again. We can only hope he does. For now, I’m just thankful I finally have my Amy and Jordan collection back. –Chip Kidd, NYC, 10/03

Customer Reviews:

Makes Dark Look Light.......2007-03-09

Brilliant! This book is a compelling argument against the use of anti-depressants. I can't think of anyone who compares with Beyer. Feiffer seems like Norman Vincent Peale next to him. The artistry is as bizarre as the writing. Not for weak hearts or minds.

Misery Loves Company.......2005-03-26

Some people find it odd that "Amy and Jordan" is among my all time favorite comic strips. Many people just don't "get" the constant stream of depression, misery, and atrocity. From the start I saw the underlying truth of the situations, which is the basis of any good creation- comic strip or otherwise. This is an examination of the existential absurdity of modern urban life. This is an ode to the constant stream of irritation and suffering in a totally alienated and alienating blighted urban landscape.

Yet, the completely self absorbed characters of Amy and Jordan aren't all that sympathetic. They are as self-absorbed as all the monsters and sociopaths around them. You get the idea that the only reason that terrible things are happening to them are that they haven't had the chance to do it to others first. The constant theme is that life is an ordeal without meaning or purpose. Even children are sadistic monsters that will torture you if they can. It is repeatedly stated that you can trust no one. When supernatural elements such as the angel of death, demons, or ghosts pop up they are also shown to be just extensions of this same theme.

And yet, it seems to me that there is a lesson here. The universe is largely what you make it- or at least limit your perceptions to see it as. If you choose to see suffering as meaningless then it is meaningless. If your concerns are exclusively materialistic and meaningless then that is how the world will in turn react to you. If you are totally wrapped up in your own self-absorbed little ego then the universe will inflict a synchronistic string of disasters on you, both great and small, until that ego is beaten down- and you see behind it all.

I find it significant that the artist states, as himself, in the last strip of the collection that creative ideas are not invented but exist on other planes of existence and that artists merely connect with them and reinterpret them for a new generation. In that case, what is being connected with here is the upper rings of Hell- and Beyer and Dante are showing us the same thing in their own unique way.

As for the critics of the artist's unique drawing style- it is no more highly stylized and consistent than, say, Schulz work on "Peanuts." This book itself has a truly unique design different from any other collection of strips that I am familiar with. My only criticism is that 1) the strips are not in consistent chronological order, 2) there are no page numbers (makes it impossible to suggest an individual strip to anyone,) and there is one duplicate strip.

Averting the eyes is important, but just as impossible.......2004-08-20

A self-taught outsider in the sequential arts realm, Mark Beyer's graphical work has been notorious for appearing in free urban weeklies from the late 1980s to early 1990s. His best known work consists of a surreal, subterranean-inspired comic strip series. Collected for the first time (outside of crumbling newspaper clippings stashed in a shoebox in some dark hiding place), Beyer's quasi-popular "Amy & Jordan" strip has finally made it to store shelves, in black-and-white hardcover format. Indeed, while the tome is a bleak, gothic compilation which almost certainly isn't for everyone, it is (at its nicest) morbidly compelling.

Each strip is a study in urban alienation, with no oasis for Jordan or his sadistically-inclined roommate Amy throughout. The dead-end lives of the two protagonists continue unabated as the outside world invades and attacks them from the inside, page after agonizing page. Dealing with such light-hearted and universal subjects as premature death, prolonged starvation and mortal childhood illness, Beyer pries open every dismal, dry-rotted cask of the imagination, slyly smirking the whole while. The reader becomes a part of the assault, eyes incapable of averting, all the while whimpering, "Please... no more!"

And no two Amy & Jordan strips are alike, thanks to Beyer's unique paneling techniques. Every strip features its own style of frame, as if each panel were a piece of art interdependent of the other, yet isolated from all other strips within the book.

For fans who like their independent comic strips macabre (such as James Kochalka's now defunct Deadbear: Circus Detective) Amy & Jordan is the perfect compliment.

Black Book Guide to Official Country Music Fan Clubs: The Top 100

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Black Book Guide to Official Country Music Fan Clubs: The Top 100
Amy Jordan
Manufacturer: Black Book Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Look Inside Entertainment Books | Trip | Specialty Stores | Books
ASIN: 0979317509
Release Date: 2007-02-14

Product Description

Black Book Press publishes 100 Fan Clubs in a Black Book. If you love country music, you'll love the Black Book Guide to Official Country Music Fan Clubs: The Top 100. The book offers complete information about your favorite country music fan clubs, including how to join, the benefits, and what you can get for free from each of the Top 100 country music artists. For more information, visit the website at www.blackbookpress.com

Verses That Hurt: Pleasure and Pain from the POEMFONE Poets

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Versus that hurt-an exciting read.
Great poetry
Verses That Hurt (ed. Jordan and Amy Trachtenberg)
Unbridled, Beautifully Unstructured Poetry
This book saved my life!

Verses That Hurt: Pleasure and Pain from the POEMFONE Poets
Nicole Blackman
Manufacturer: St. Martin's Griffin
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Anthologies | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

General | Poetry | Literature & Fiction | Subjects | Books

ASIN: 0312151918

Amazon.com

Besides letting you know that Allen Ginsberg, John Giorno, and Hal Sirowitz are all collected here, I could tell you that this anthology crackles with irreverent energy, defiant audacity, and sybaritic sexuality. But that would be a bit much, wouldn't it? How about this heartbroken excerpt, then, from Nicole Blackman (my favorite discovery in the book): "we can finish each other's sentences. / she laughs a lot. / there's something wrong with her / but she won't say what it is. / she's the only friend who hasn't turned on me yet. / but she will. / they always do."

Book Description

What are are holding right now in your hands is a book. Not a telephone reciever, which is how most of the poems in this collection were first transmitted....There are plenty of examples of this spreading of one art form or another through popular mediums. There are all those wonderful Russian Constructivist posters, Dr. Alphabet's public poetry gatherings on football fields, Dada caberet antics, and various forms of street theatr....Essentially what all of these movements were trying to do was expand the playing field called "art". By making the field bigger they gave us all more room to frolic. They pushed art right out of the dusty museums and smack dab into your lives.... Poetry should be everywhere, and slowly but surely it's infiltrating our lives. We are gla dto be the instruments of this infiltration." --from the IntroductionFeaturingPenny Arcade, Tish Benson, Nicole Blackman, David Cameron, Xavier Cavazos, Todd Colby, Matthew Courtney, M. Doughty, Kathy Ebel, Annie Elliot, Janice Erlbaum, Allen Ginsberg, John Giorno, John S. Hall, Bob Holman, Christian X. Hunter, Shannon Ketch, Bobby Miller, Wanda Phipps, Lee Ranaldo, Shut-Up Shelly, Hal Sirowitz, Sparrow, Spiro, Edwin Torres, Emily XYZWith unabashed fervor the Poemfone poets are redefining poetry as we know it. Archaic literary rules that have never been bent have suddenly been broken., and Versus That Hurt chronicles this poetic phenomenon. This is a revolutionary gathering of disparate and brash talent that is not to be missed.

Customer Reviews:

Versus that hurt-an exciting read........2005-12-15

I loved every minute of this book, you never know what you're going to read next, my boyfriend loved it as well, & I am purchasing this book for him as well.

Great poetry.......2005-10-11

I have read this book over and over and over. Every time I read this collection, the more I like it. Very unique. I recomend anyone who loves poetry and likes something different, to pick up this book.

Verses That Hurt (ed. Jordan and Amy Trachtenberg).......2002-05-20

A few years ago a voice mail was set up in New York City, and poets were called in every month to read a new poem everyday onto the message. Then the public could call in everyday, listen to the poem, and respond after the beep with anything they had to say. The poems were recorded on an album, and the best printed in this wonderful book.

The book came out in 1997. The phone number they have listed in the introduction is either wrong or changed, I called it twice and kept getting the voice mail to someone named "Kika." The poets in this book are: Penny Arcade, Tish Benson, Nicole Blackman, David Cameron, Xavier Cavazos, Todd Colby, Matthew Courtney, M. Doughty, Kathy Ebel, Anne Elliot, Janice Erlbaum, Allen Ginsberg, John Giorno, John S. Hall, Bob Holman, Christian X. Hunter, Shannon Ketch, Bobby Miller, Wanda Phipps, Lee Renaldo, Shut-Up Shelley, Hal Sirowitz, Sparrow, Spiro, Edwin Torres, and Emily XYZ. All the poets get at least three poems, and very good portraits by photographer Christian Lantry. The poems are short enough that you can probably get through this in one sitting, or read a poet a day.

Penny Arcade starts the book off with a bang, using some really incredible verse. Tish Benson is next with poems that read like lazy blues songs, but filled with so much detail and activity, you can almost hear Billie Holliday gruffly whispering this in your ear. Nicole Blackman and her section is also incredible as she seems to speak for so many women who cannot find their own voice except hers. David Cameron's writing, while readable, is a little bland, like a freshman creative writing class. Despite his obvious emotion, I felt he was holding back on his own writing. Xavier Cavazos's section is slightly better, except for an entire poem that slams Rush Limbaugh. It may have been very clever when written and read, but it just give conservatives like Limbaugh more ammunition to go after art that they do not believe in. Why not a poem about Parkay hawking corporate monkey Al Franken, who had so much success slamming Limbaugh? Or Dennis Miller, whose rants against everybody was quickly dashed by asinine long distance ads. Nothing worse than a sell out. Todd Colby does better work with paragraph poems than traditional verse poetry. Matthew Courtney reads like poorly written Allen Ginsberg, full of "shocking" imagery and without a point. M. Doughty's work is scary and involving, and not your traditional stuff. Kathy Ebel left me with no response. I read it, I was done, and I was not terribly moved. Anne Elliot reads like poorly written Matthew Courtney. Janice Erlbaum is wonderful, filling a sonnet and sestina with modern situations, turning antiquity on its ear. Ginsberg is Ginsberg. Being a little familiar with his work, I expected to see poems about gay sex, followed by verses about a frog. Ginsberg is so Ginsberg. John Giorno's two poems are shocking, about more gay sex, and taking drugs. He seems to be shocking without TRYING to be shocking. I guess you could say his shock is natural.

John S. Hall also seems to be writing without getting to the heart of his point. His verse is so much posturing. Bob Holman is a bit of a bore, with quite a few poems here. Again, none stuck with me. Christian X. Hunter takes me into his world and it was hard to get out. He is probably my favorite poet here. Shannon Ketch reads like John S. Hall. Bobby Miller's very personal poems made me nostalgic for a time I could never experience. He writes about his first homosexual experience, and protesting Vietnam, so vividly, you swear you are there. Wanda Phipps opens with an angry poem, and never lets up. She is not threatening, but she has a lot to say. Lee Ranaldo also did not do it for me, his listed words seemed glossy and packaged. Shut-Up Shelley is fun because she is so different. Her changing font size on the page just screams at you, yet her photograph by Lantry shows her so whimsically. She is my second favorite poet here. Hal Sirowitz is my third favorite poet here, writing deeply personal poems about everyday things that had an obvious effect on his life. He is a blast to read aloud. Sparrow is weird. His first poem, involving possible sex with a cow, is a hoot, and his possible middle names for Bill Gates is a riot. Spiro is also very funny, especially his opening poem about heroin addiction. Edwin Torres also had me scratching my head for a while after I read him. His poetry is not hard, just inaccessible, and I was not interested enough in what he was saying to dig deeper. Emily XYZ reads like good Edwin Torres.

The 26 poets here are quite a variety, and I recommend this tome to any poetry lovers. I also repeat my mantra to read more poetry and keep buying those little chapbooks you might see in used bookstores or at flea markets. There is always time in your day to smarten up.

This does contain a lot of profanity, drug references, and sexual content, so giving it to your five year old to practice reading may not be a good idea.

Unbridled, Beautifully Unstructured Poetry.......2002-03-27

"Verses that Hurt" is one of the best collections of poetry I've read in a long time. Ideal for people who don't really like poetry, because it's not structured and very free-flowing, and people who DO like poetry as well, because hey, we love free-flowing expression too.

Some of the poems describe sweet happiness, and some capture the essence of hate and anger. Sexuality is a constant theme in some of them. One of my favorites is "Please Master" by Allen Ginsberg. To me, this captures the very essence of sexuality. And not just gay-male sexuality, I'm talkin' the whole picture, ALL sexuality, even though the terms use seem to allude to the first.

Definitely a good read.

This book saved my life!.......2002-02-03

Okay At first i only bought this book cuz nicole blackman had some of her work in it...but after sitting down and reading this I was intoxicated...I saw true emotions, they swore, made fun of others and themselves, talked about sex in all its' forms of taboo, This book also inspired me to kepp writing. alot of my poetry comes when i'm dark and angry so i have atendency to be very blunt honest and harsh...the poets in this book showed me that it was ok to be like that.....

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true, and funny, too
Dog Lovers' Alert
A "table top" must!
Thoughtful and very amusing
Puppy Chow For The Soul!!!

Life Is Short. Eat Biscuits!
Amy Jordan Smith
Manufacturer: Santa Monica Press
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

Cartooning | Comics & Graphic Novels | Subjects | Books

Cats, Dogs & Animals | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

Satire, General | Humor | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Animal Care & Pets | Home & Garden | Subjects | Books

All 4-for-3 Deals | 4-for-3 Books Store | Stores | Books
ASIN: 1891661418

Book Description

The lessons that dogs have to teach us about unconditional love and happiness are presented in this compilation of canine-inspired maxims. Infused with wit and humor, the Zen of dogs is captured in such inspirational bits of wisdom as, "For a dog there is only do or not do," and "Ask yourself, 'What would Lassie do?'" Masterfully designed with whimsical illustrations throughout, this collection of Taoist insights offers a refreshing perspective on living a happier and fuller life.

Customer Reviews:

true, and funny, too.......2007-04-06

I have read this book several times, and it never fails to make me smile...and make me think. My dachshund, Pirate, gives it five stars, and so do I.

Dog Lovers' Alert.......2006-07-26

This is an extremely clever book of philosophy derived from the observations of a dog owner. The delightful illustrations add to the book's appeal.

A "table top" must!.......2004-08-04

"If it makes your tail wag it's good" is only one of the thought provoking words of wisdom in these colorfully illustrated lessons that dogs can teach us about unconditional love and happiness. Every time I turn through these beautifully written pages my tail wags harder each time. Thank You Amy Jordon Smith for sharing your biscuit.

Thoughtful and very amusing.......2004-07-08

As a dog owner and lover of animals in general I found this book to be a must! Smith is very keen to remind us that our pets are not just animals but members of our family and their loyalty has no boundries.

Puppy Chow For The Soul!!!.......2004-07-01

LIFE IS SHORT; EAT BISCUITS is beautifully illustrated, and through the eyes of a puppy, reinvents so many of life's "words of wisdom"...sayings we've repeatedly heard, but unfortunately seldom apply. This book is truly Puppy Chow for the soul; especially for those of us that have experienced the unconditional love bestowed on us by our own "Calvin" puppy. Life is indeed short, so take the time, and share a biscuit with someone you love while enjoying this book. Kudos to the author and illustrator!!!

Interaction: Artistic Practice in the Network

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Interaction: Artistic Practice in the Network
John Johnson , Jordan Crandall , and John S. Johnson
Manufacturer: D.A.P./EYEBEAM ATELIER
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

Criticism | History & Criticism | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Arts & Photography | Subjects | Books

General | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 1891024248
Release Date: 2001-04-02

Book Description

INTERACTION began as online forum, hosted by Eyebeam Atelier, featuring an international group of artists, scholars, critics, architects, students, technicians, and curators. Discussing the transformations wrought by the Internet--particularly the latter's implications for artistic practices--the participants in this forum illustrate how the impassioned debates taking place on the Net can help forge new kinds of communities, discourses, and intimate connections across this most transitory of landscapes. This volume presents new essays and commissioned visual projects that elaborate on the crucial ideas raised in the forum--the new kinds of cultural identifications facilitated by the Internet; the relationship between art and activism; the poetics of online communication; the relevance of the museum in a digital world; and the complex relationships between bodies, information systems, and urban realities. What emerges is an unequivocal assertion of the continuing relevance of art in this era of increasing corporate colonization of the Web, changing critical strategies, and new questions of public and private space. Contributors to INTERACTION include Robert Atkins, Carlos Basualdo, Critical Art Ensemble, Coco Fusco, N. Katherine Hayles, Martin Jay, Knowbotic Research, Lev Manovich, Margaret Morse, Hans-Ulrich Obrist, Saskia Sassen, Yukiko Shikata, and Gregory Ulmer.

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Amy & Jordan
Mark Beyer
Manufacturer: SKETCH STUDIO (PARIS)
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000Q5CAXE

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AMY AND JORDAN
Mark Beyer
Manufacturer: Paris Sketch Studio
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000PH8K50

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BEYOND BAROQUE MAGAZINE Vol. 26 No. 2
Fred, Editor (Vincent Ferrini, Paul Vangelisti, Bill Mohr, Harry Northup, Holly Prado, Amy Gerstler, Shimon Ballas, et al) DEWEY
Manufacturer: Beyond Baroque Foundation
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback
ASIN: B000IZNLPI

Children and Television (The Annals of the American Academy of Political & Social Science)

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Children and Television (The Annals of the American Academy of Political & Social Science)

Manufacturer: Sage Pubns
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

General | Television | Entertainment | Subjects | Books

General | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Media Studies | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

General | Social Issues | Teens | Subjects | Books
ASIN: 0761911758

Children in the Digital Age: The Role of Entertainment Technologies in Children's Development

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A MUST FOR SCHOLARS

Children in the Digital Age: The Role of Entertainment Technologies in Children's Development

Manufacturer: Praeger Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

Culture | Business & Culture | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Internet Games | Games & Strategy Guides | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

Video Games | Games & Strategy Guides | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

General | Computer Science | Computers & Internet | Subjects | Books

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Children's Studies | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

Media Studies | Social Sciences | Nonfiction | Subjects | Books

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ASIN: 0275976521

Book Description

Television will be interactive, computers will provide feature-length motion pictures and TV programs, and information will be delivered like never before. Access to digital technologies is rapidly changing how children experience media, and how technologies will impact children's development, and is making media an increasingly active gateway for experiencing and learning about the world. This volume considers how children use media today, and how new media is emerging and merging with existing technologies. The distinctive features of both older and newer media are examined, along with why these technologies are attractive to children and adolescents. An interdisciplinary group of scholars from the fields of psychology, communication, sociology, and linguistics examine the effect of media experiences on children's social, cognitive, familial, and consumerist experiences. Social policy implications of media effects are also considered.

Customer Reviews:

A MUST FOR SCHOLARS.......2007-09-13

Although one of the earlier compendia on the subject, this is a worthwhile read for people interested on how media interacts with youth and family life. I am a child and adolescent psychiatrist. Review articles, essays, and original studies helped me in my research for my own self-help book for parents raising and preparing kids in a media-rich world.

Book Description

With over 40,000 copies sold, this timeless classic will touch the hearts of rural folk everywhere. Bestselling author Jerry Apps has collected oft-spoken phrases, observations, comments and conundrums. Black and white photographs complement the text that offers humorous, touching, unique glimpses into rural life in the Midwest.

Customer Reviews:

Wonderful book!.......2000-03-27

A wonderful book that friends left as a gift for us. It made me think about my family and our rural roots.

Much like a "Chicken Soup for the Rural Soul". This is a MUST READ if you live in a town where the stop light is the most exciting thing that came to town in 10 years!

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