Published by Doubleday Books in October of 2002, my graphic novel Narcissa turns ten years old next week. Here are a few images from and inspired by the book.
I'm assembling a new edition in the coming year which will include Notes on Narcissa, a generously illustrated essay describing the creative process behind the 202 page graphic novel.
I enjoyed creating the book a lot and I'll always be grateful to its editor, Deborah Cowell, for making the whole endeavor possible.
The very first day of
Narcissa's release in stores, I received an email of congratulations from Eureka publisher Tom Pomplun, who invited me to contribute to his Graphic Classics series of comics adaptations. I've enjoyed being a part of his team, collaborating with the greatest writers who ever lived.
Narcissa also led me to NBM, whose editor and publisher Terry Nantier encouraged me to pitch him a project that eventually became known as
Lucifer's Garden of Verses. The four volume fantasy series concluded with
Between the Devil and Miles Davis, which featured the character of Narcissa in a very different context.
I've appreciated the friends I've made over the years thanks to
Narcissa, the thoughtful letters from readers that I've received and the occasional mentions it gets here and there from a few folks who remember it fondly.
A few years later the folks behind the yearly Salon de Comics in Granada, Spain re-published the book, which was in some ways a love letter to their country, in a Spanish language edition. Thanks again to Alejandro Casasola and Amalia Ramos of La Veleta for making it happen.
So now I'm putting the finishing touches on a piece I mentioned earlier about dance, then returning to New York for awhile to create
Thug Midwife, my next original graphic novel which shares quite a bit with the moody world of
Narcissa. Thanks for stopping by and perhaps I'll see you there!
Lance Tooks
