"I Date Dead People" Review: Booklist (May 15th)

 The following review appeared in the May 15 issue of Booklist:

Booklist – May 15, 2011

I Date Dead People.

Kerns, Ann (Author) , Gorrissen, Janina (Illustrator)

Apr 2012. 128 p. Lerner/Graphic Universe, library edition, $29.27. (9780761360070). Lerner/Graphic Universe, paperback, $9.95. (9780761385493). Lerner/Graphic Universe, e-book, $21.95.

(9780761387398). 741.5.

"Nora loves old-fashioned things, including her family’s Victorian home, but she never expected to fall in love with a ghost! However, Nora and Tom’s love is threatened by angry spirits who will stop at nothing to get rid of the family living in “their” house. Kerns’ addition to the My Boyfriend Is a Monster paranormal-romance series is a little dry and slightly rushed, making it hard to truly know the characters, but fans will welcome the return of Görrissen’s appealingly rounded and cheerful art. This series is not deep, but the fun, romantic, middle-school-appropriate stories are sure to circulate well." — Snow Wildsmith

"I Date Dead People" coming out next week!

Heya there!

My latest graphic novel "I Date Dead People" will be coming out next week on april 1st (no, that is not a joke). You can already purchase it on Amazon.com, where they seem to have it in stock already!

For that reason, I took a few photos of my sample books to show you here. I've been wanting to do that for a while now as I received them months ago, but with all the moving and chaos, I didn't get around to do it.

So, have a look:

As with the last book "I Love Him to Pieces", there are two editions - the more expensive library edition with hardcover and the regular softcover edition. Both of them are manifactured in really amazing quality, so whichever you choose will look great.

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"I Date Dead People" random panel (9)

"I Date Dead People" random panel (8)

"I Date Dead People" random panel (7)

"I Date Dead People" random panel (6)

"I Date Dead People" random panel (5)

YALSA 2012 Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults

YALSA has named "I Love Him to Pieces" as one of its Top Ten Popular Paperbacks for Young Adults:

*Tsang, Evonne. My Boyfriend is a Monster: I Love Him to Pieces. Lerner/Graphic Universe. 2011. $9.95. 978-0761370796
Is their clique-crossing romance the cause of the zombie apocalypse?

  The complete list can be found here: http://www.ala.org/yalsa/booklists/poppaper/2012.

 I'm not mentioned there, I think it's more about Evonne's story, but it makes me happy anyway! ^^

"I Date Dead People" random panel (4)

"I Date Dead People" Review: Kirkus Reviews (January 15)

The following review appeared in the January 15 issue of Kirkus:

I DATE DEAD PEOPLE
Author: Kerns, Ann
Illustrator: Görrissen, Janina

Review Issue Date: January 15, 2012
Online Publish Date: January 4, 2012
Publisher:Graphic Universe
Pages: 128
Price ( Library Ed ): $29.27
Price ( Paperback ): $9.95
Price ( e-book ): $21.95
Publication Date: April 1, 2012
ISBN ( Library Ed ): 978-0-7613-6007-0
ISBN ( Paperback ): 978-0-7613-8549-3
ISBN ( e-book ): 978-0-7613-8739-8
Category: Fiction
Series: My Boyfriend is a Monster
Volume: 5

“I’ll never find a Mr. Darcy or a Heathcliff in this world,” moans Nora. Maybe not in this world.

Featuring a new family and an old house with a veritable platoon of supernatural residents, this latest entry in the tongue-in-cheek My Boyfriend is a Monster series hooks up a modern teenager and hunky, long-dead Thomas, who, it turns out, can manifest strongly enough to lock hands and lips. That’s the good news. Not so good: Two malicious poltergeists, a spectral moaner and a dark entity that can suck up both ghostly and living bodies, threaten to drive Nora and her family away entirely unless she can find a way to exorcise the lot. Except that the characters all sport oversized manga-esque eyes, the easy-to-follow black-and-white panels are drawn with a loose, expressive realism that effectively captures the plot’s droll and eerie turns. In the end, with a psychic’s help Nora does the deed even though it means Thomas’ departure, too—leaving her free for a budding new relationship with a (breathing) schoolmate.

Any resemblances to Demi Moore and Patrick Swayze are surely coincidental. (Graphic paranormal romance. 12-14)

"I Date Dead People" random panel (3)

"I Date Dead People" Cover

I hope y'all started out the New Year really, really good!

It will definetely be an exciting year for me, as me and my husband will be moving to Germany next month, into our newly-bought house! Interesting times ahead. =D

So, anyway... here's the final cover for my latest comic, "My Boyfriend is a Monster: I Date Dead People", as well as the inks I provided for the colorist. 

As it has already been shown on webs like Amazon, I think it should be safe to show it here now.

The colors were done by Eldon Cowgur, just like for "I Love Him to Pieces". 

 

 

And just for fun, these are some of the sketches I sent for the cover layout. The one that was finally chosen is number 5 here, although I preferred to give Nora a little smile in the end.

In case you're wondering - no, they were not supposed to be naked in the first layouts. I just normally don't draw clothes for quick sketches like these. ;)

"I Date Dead People" random panel (2)

"I Date Dead People" random panel (1)

Whenever I have nothing else to post, I'll just put up a random panel from my last comic. :)

"I Love Him to Pieces" Review: The Bulletin (July / August 2011)

The following review appeared in the July/August issue of The Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books:

Storrie, Paul D. Made for Each Other; illus. by Eldon Cowgur. Graphic Universe, 2011 126p (My Boyfriend Is a Monster) Library ed. ISBN 978-0-7613-5601-1 $29.27 Paper ed. ISBN 978-0-7613-7077-2 $9.95 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-7613-7186-1 $21.95   R Gr. 6-8

Tsang, Evonne I Love Him to Pieces; illus. by Janina Görrissen. Graphic Universe, 2011 124p (My Boyfriend Is a Monster) Library ed. ISBN 978-0-7613-6004-9 $29.27 Paper ed. ISBN 978-0-7613-7079-6 $9.95 E-book ed. ISBN 978-0-7613-7185-4 $21.95   R Gr. 6-8

"In these two opening titles in a graphic-novel series featuring unlikely romances between ordinary girls and their various monster loves, one girl falls hard for a boy who has mere hours before turning into a zombie that will then want to eat her, and another finds that her perfect new boyfriend is made up of reanimated corpse parts lovingly stitched together by his dad. Of course, true love is rarely smooth, and in this case, the heroines face not only the usual misunderstandings, insecurities, and intense feelings, but also flesh-eating zombies and jealous (and murderous) “siblings” cobbled together from dead bodies.

While neither book pushes the boundaries of graphic novels (both stick to fairly structured panels, black-and-white illustrations that mirror the text, and predictable comic-book-style exclamations and plot structuring), the mixing of romance and the supernatural, an obvious nod to Twilight and its ilk, may draw in readers new to the format. The gross factor (these are, after all, monsters) is present but downplayed in favor of the progression of the romances, with love more important than, say, the desire to eat your girlfriend’s brains. This series, with the flashy titles (each extended with a sequence of several funny subtitles), eye-catching covers, and popular themes, will easily attract readers; happily, they will be rewarded with sturdy plots and clever takes on human/monster love." AS

"I Love Him to Pieces" Review: Publisher's Weekly (April 4)

The following review appears in the April 4 issue of Publishers Weekly:

My Boyfriend Is a Monster, #1: I Love Him to Pieces

Evonne Tsang and Janina Görrissen. Lerner/Graphic Universe, $9.95 trade paper (128p) ISBN 978-0-7613-7079-6

"Though it starts out feeling like a lighthearted realistic fiction story, this graphic novel turns into a zombie story partway through. Nerdy Jack Chen and athletic Dicey Bell become more than friends when their high school gives them a parenting assignment to watch over an egg as if it's their baby. The two continue to draw closer, despite their differences. While on a date, word comes through that an infection is causing people to more or less turn into zombies, and the area is supposed to be evacuated. Jack gets bitten by one of the zombies and is fed a special pill in hopes it can stop the infection from overtaking him. But he isn't actually a zombie, which makes the title somewhat misleading. The zombie story comes in abruptly after the cute first half of the book, and it almost feels as if this consists of two different stories only linked together because it has the same characters. The ending also happens too quickly. Görrissen's artwork is slick and attractive, and she clearly has a skill for facial expressions. Ages 11–up." (Apr.)

"I Love Him to Pieces" Review: Booklist (March 15)

The following review appears in the March 15 issue of Booklist:

Booklist – March 15, 2011

I Love Him to Pieces.

By Evonne Tsang. Illus. by Janina Görrissen.

April 2011. 128p. Graphic Universe, paper, $9.95 (9780761370796); lib. ed., $29.27 (9780761360049). 741.5. Gr. 7-10.

"What happens when a baseball player and a goth nerd fall in love? The zombie apocalypse, of course. But jock Dicey is determined that she and Jack will survive—and maybe she’ll even finally get a kiss from him! Tsang and Görrissen’s entry in the new My Boyfriend Is a Monster graphic-novel series cashes in on the current zombie craze, but it does so with style and humor. Dicey and Jack are extremely likable characters—as are the bit players—and their young romance is crafted slowly enough to get readers invested in it. The middle section of the book gets rushed a bit when the zombies start appearing, but the final act, when the two teens try to fight their way out of embattled St. Petersburg, Florida, is scary and gory and exciting but not too bloody for a middle-school audience. Görrissen’s refreshing, black-and-white art gives the story a crisp, modern fell, with clearly individuated characters and realistic body types. A great beginning to a fun new series." –Francesca Goldsmith

2012 Texas Maverick Graphic Novels Reading List: "I Love Him to Pieces"

"I Love Him to Pieces has been named to the Texas Library Association’s 2012 Texas Maverick Graphic Novels Reading List!

The complete list can be found here:
http://www.txla.org/groups/Maverick."

Thanks, guys! And I'll forgive you for not getting my last name right (hardly anyone ever does).

"I Love Him to Pieces" Review: Kirkus Reviews (March 15)

Yeah, so it's already been 8 months since "I Love Him to Pieces" came out, and it never ocurred to me before to post the reviews I've been getting about it on this blog. Better late than never, right? I'll be posting them seperately, or it will be confusing.

The following review appears in the March 15 issue of Kirkus Reviews:

I LOVE HIM TO PIECES
Author: Tsang, Evonne
Illustrator: Görrissen, Janina

Review Date: March 15, 2011
Publisher:Graphic Universe
Pages: 128
Price ( Hardcover ): $29.27
Price ( Paperback ): $9.95
Price ( e-book ): $21.95
Publication Date: April 1, 2011
ISBN ( Hardcover ): 978-0-7613-6004-9
ISBN ( Paperback ): 978-0-7613-7079-6
ISBN ( e-book ): 978-0-7613-7185-4
Category: Fiction
Series: My Boyfriend is a Monster
Volume: 1

"Two teenagers fall for each other as a zombifying fungus stalks St. Petersburg, Fla., in this tongue-in-cheek romance. Paired up in school as an egg’s assigned “parents,” shy übernerd Jack Chen and irrepressible baseball star Dicey Bell feel a mutual draw—which is why they’re together, cutting class one day, when a sudden outbreak of mutant fungus turns nearly everyone into mindless, half-decayed killers. Though Dicey’s skill with a bat comes in handy for cranking up the body count, escape becomes an urgent priority when Jack is bitten. His scientist parents have a possible cure—but can they and the young fugitives hook up in time? Though so slow to get off the mark that the zombie action doesn’t even start until halfway through, the plot accelerates nicely thereafter, culminating in a wild drive in a tinkling ice-cream truck through crowds of slavering attackers. So vivacious are Jack and Dicey in Görrissen’s black-and-white art that readers will forgive the indistinct depictions of violence and the untidy way dialogue balloons spill over into adjacent panels. Simultaneously published with volume two, a tale with a different cast and setting titled Made for Each Other, written by Paul D. Storrie and illustrated by Eldon Cowgur. A hoot from opening salvo (“JACK CHEN, YOU’RE THE FATHER OF MY BABY!”) to closing clinch." (Graphic novel. 11-13)

New project preview

Here's a little preview for the current project I'm working on. Like the last one ("I Love Him to Pieces") it belongs to the series "My Boyfriend is a Monster".