Graphic novels
Early Reviews Are In!
Two of my upcoming books – The Encyclopedia of Epic Myths and Legends and The Day I Became a Potato Pancake – were recently reviewed by prominent publications. Now, if they were negative reviews, I’d pretend they didn’t exist. But they are in fact positive reviews, so I acknowledge their existence wholeheartedly!
First, there’s a glowing write-up of The Encyclopedia of Epic Myths and Legends in Kirkus Reviews. The critic who reviewed my book said that it was “A revealing study of ways in which mythology is still very much with us,” and that it “offers a broad perspective and unusually rich and stimulating parallels.” Click HERE to read the whole review.
The Encyclopedia of Epic Myths and Legends comes out in October. So does The Day I Became a Potato Pancake, which is a children’s graphic novel that was written by yours truly and illustrated by the incredible Beilin Xu.
And if you’ve guessed that the second write-up concerns The Day I Became a Potato Pancake, you guessed right, because that book got a fantastic review in Publishers Weekly. And just in case you don’t have a subscription to Publishers Weekly and therefore cannot read the review, here it is:
Young inventor Naomi Hirsch and her best friend Ben Sherman love playing with her scientist mother’s inventions, like the hologram simulation program. But when they break into Professor Hirsch’s lab after being banned, they find something even more powerful: the Transfogram, “an experimental machine” that accidentally turns Ben into a human-sized latke. Naomi’s mother endeavors to develop an antidote before Ben’s transformation becomes permanent at sundown on the first night of Hanukkah, but Ben’s sudden boost in popularity among his classmates makes him reluctant to be human again. Kaplan (96 Facts About Bad Bunny) maintains gravitas amid silly circumstances by utilizing emotional dialogue centered on character relationships and growth. Singaporean illustrator Xu’s brightly colored art showcases facial expressions that emphasize the struggle between knowing what’s right and letting go of something that makes one feel special. This speculative, character-focused graphic novel highlights aspects of Jewish identity and culture through multiple lenses to craft a goofy
yet nuanced read. Naomi and (human) Ben have tan skin. Back matter includes an art activity. Ages 7–9. (Oct.) —Publisher’s Weekly
Pretty cool, eh?
And if you DO have a subscription, HERE is the link to the review on the PW site.
The Encyclopedia of Epic Myths and Legends will be published by Quarto on October 8th, 2024, and The Day I Became a Potato Pancake comes out from Behrman House on October 15th, 2024. You can pre-order both books now!
My Favorite Kind of Vampires
Happy Halloween, everyone! As I mentioned in a previous blog post, I used to draw one-panel gag cartoons. Like, professionally. Only for a handful of magazines, and really just at the beginning of my writing career. These days I mostly work as a writer, and I don’t draw that much, unless you count the rough thumbnail sketches I draw for nearly every project I work on. Which definitely counts as drawing. But I don’t often show those sketches to the people I’m working with (although sometimes, I do).
Anyway, since it’s Halloween, I thought I’d post one of the gag cartoons I drew back in the day. It’s called “Vampire Nerds,” and it was originally published in the October 2006 issue of Nickelodeon Magazine. (That was the Halloween issue, as if you couldn’t tell by the cover date.) Check it out:
Obviously, vampire nerds are my favorite kind of bloodsuckers, because I myself am a massive geek. (Which you could probably tell by the fact that I write graphic novels about mythical creatures, children’s book adaptations of famous sci-fi movies, TV scripts about fairy tale characters, and scripts for uber-nerdy video games. But I digress…)
I may begin drawing cartoons again (like, professionally), because I really miss it. If that does indeed happen, I’ll definitely mention it on this blog. So keep checking this space!
Sequential Crush Podcast Interview!
Recently, I was a guest on the Sequential Crush podcast, hosted by author and comics historian Jacque Nodell. We talked about my writing career, my creative influences, and more. I had a fantastic time talking to Jacque, and I hope you enjoy listening to the episode!
Here’s Jacque’s description of the episode, from the Sequential Crush site:
“Join me for the first Sequential Crush podcast interview with writer Arie Kaplan. Arie has written for it all — TV, comics, magazines, and books, and he doesn’t show any signs of slowing down. Arie shares how he broke into pop culture writing, how he made a move from intern to professional, and he divulges his inspirations, faves, and dream projects.”
You can check out the interview HERE.