Dear Creature

Description

Deep beneath the waves, a creature named Grue defies his nature, no longer wanting to eat lusty beachgoers, no matter how their hormones call to him. Grue discovers love after finding Shakespeare's plays in coke bottles. When his first attempt at companionship in the world above ends...poorly, Grue searches for the person who cast the plays into the sea. What he finds is love in the arms of Giulietta - but with his wicked past catching up to him, Grue must decide if becoming a new man means ignoring the monster he was.

Jonathan Case spent his formative years on a boat in Mexico, where he had nary to do but hole up in a cabin and draw, read and plot his escape from paradise. He made it out eventually, traveling to the American south to study performing arts at the Savannah College of Art and Design in Georgia. He is a member of Portland's own Periscope Studio, the largest collective of comics artists and writers in the United States. Case's work can also be found in the Eisner Award-winning anthology Comic Book Tattoo, Green River Killer, and The New Deal.

"This exuberantly weird comic novel succeeds in fusing '50s monster movies and the works of William Shakespeare ... The script also generates a surprising amount of pathos for the lovers' doomed passion. Startlingly assured for a debut effort." -Publishers Weekly "... A beautiful anomaly ... marvelously entertaining and a weird side-door entry into both Shakespeare and graphic literature... A funny, bizarre, unexpected pleasure that gives a creature from the depths heart and soul." -Kirkus Reviews "Dear Creature hits each mark it aims for, and makes the reader hungry for more." -Examiner "... A fabulous read that gives all of the human monsters out there (myself included) hope that even in a world obsessed with superficiality, anyone can find true love, even if you're a radioactive sea mutant ..." -B&N Book Club "By combining excellent character development with superlative dialog, and a heartfelt emotional arc, Case has written one of the best novels I have read in years. And yes, that is novels as opposed to graphic novels. And I think that it should be on everybody's short-list for the Eisner award." -The King of Elfland's 2nd Cousin "With expressive art and clever writing in Dear Creature, Jonathan Case creates a unique and entertaining story of a man from the deep who just wanted to find a companion in life." -Previews Magazine, Staff Pick! "... Surpasses many of the comics and graphic novels being published today ... An excellent book, far better than an author/artist's debut graphic novel has any right to be." -BrodartVibe "Dear Creature, the debut novel from Jonathan Case is pretty much perfect. A witty and sweet mashup of old monster comics and ill-fated love stories, you should buy it if you have the chance." -Spandexless "... A perfect marriage of storytelling and art ... A stunning debut graphic novel mixing an inventive mutant creature story with retro comic realism." -Shelf Awareness "... Whimsical, weird and wonderfully made." -Behold the Geek "Dear Creature does pretty much everything right. It captures the essence of a 50's monster movie. It works as a love story, as a tragedy and as a Shakespearean drama ..." -Panels on Pages "Dear Creature is an enchanting visual story that said many profound things in so few pages ... a true sense of humanity in every character ..." -Tim's Book Reviews "... Wonderfully imagined. The writing is crisp and quirky, complimenting the story, and its art, perfectly." -Staffer's Musings "... With Dear Creature, Jonathan Case announces himself as a bold new talent in independent comics. The stylish manner in which he brings together all these questions of morality, love, romance, murder, humor, literature and justice is wonderfully compelling and evocative. Storywise, there is very little conventional about it (thankfully), but in terms of form, this is simply how great comics are made." -The Outhouse "... Jonathan Case's hopelessly romantic monster becomes surprisingly sympathetic. Case's first solo graphic novel is assured and affecting ..." -Paul Gravett "Jonathan Case makes a huge splash with his graphic novel debut. Go out find this book and support indie comics, it's a fun read, it supports a good cause, and it could end up being an important book." -Geek Comic Review "Dear Creature is easily one of the best books I've read this year." -Horrortalk "Jonathan Case's debut is a successful story that manages to combine elements that shouldn't mesh, but work well together in this appealing graphic novel. And, I just love those opinionated funny crabs who provide the commentary in Dear Creature." -Lesa's Book Critiques "Jonathan Case has a really dynamic style and real talent creating expressive faces. The clean line work and fantastic compositions enhances the creature's story; of love and trying to fit in a world where you don't feel you belong." -Doug Dorr, Portland Comics Blog "Case is talented with both visual art and the written word; his art is some of the best brush pen work around, rich with detail and realism, and his writing, both plot and prose, is brilliant." -Ashley Cook, Giant Fire Breathing Robot "Dear Creature is sure to be one of the quirkiest and most surprising love stories you will ever read." -Gene Yang, Eisner Award-Winner for American Born Chinese "Every panel is beautifully composed... Case mastered it on his first project." -Steve Lieber, Eisner Award-Winner for Whiteout: Melt "An impressive debut. I dream of a world where every cartoonist's first graphic novel is this accomplished." -Derek Kirk Kim, Eisner Award-Winner for The Eternal Smile