Books
Jessica Abel is the author and co-author of books on comics, storytelling, and creative work, including Out on the Wire, La Perdida, and the Drawing Words & Writing Pictures series.
books
As Seen In
The Austin Chronicle
AV Club
Los Angeles Times
Entertainment Weekly
The Chicago Reader
Book Riot
Mental Floss
The New York Times Book Review
The Forward
The Globe and Mail
Time Magazine
Transom
in print
non-fiction
Growing Gills:
How to Find Creative Focus When You’re Drowning in Your Daily Life
Go from overwhelmed, anxious, and stuck, to consistent, clear, and in control of your creative life.
“Abel delivers a motivating productivity guide for people who have trouble finishing creative projects.”
— Publisher’s Weekly
in print
non-fiction
out on the wire
the storytelling secrets of the new masters of radio
Discover how the best of the best in radio and podcasting make their magic. Ira Glass, Alex Blumberg, and more.
“A richly engaging graphic narrative about radio storytelling and storytelling in general…A spirited work whose readership should not be limited to those who make radio narrative or love to listen to it.”
— Kirkus Reviews (starred)
in print
fiction
Trish trash
rollergirl of mars
Trish "Trash" Nupindju is a talented young hoverderby player on Mars. She wants desperately to go pro but her family is going broke faster than her escape velocity.
"Trish Trash isn’t just a sports story and a coming-of-age tale; it’s also a masterful critique of capitalism."
— NPR
in print
fiction
La Perdida
Carla heads to Mexico City with a backpack, a few hundred dollars, and a head full of preconceptions. A story about finding yourself by getting lost.
Time Best Comic of 2006
It’s half comic book, half movie—an indescribable reading experience that you’ll have to try for yourself.
— NPR All Things Considered
out of print
non-fiction
drawing words and writing pictures
The alchemical art of combining words and pictures to make comics: go in with nothing, and come out with a finished comic in just 15 chapters.
A gold mine of essential information for every aspiring comics artist. Highly recommended.
— Scott McCloud, author of Understanding Comics
out of print
non-fiction
mastering comics
drawing words and writing pictures continued
Mastering Comics goes deeper and wider, introducing everything from webcomics to color, and helps the developing artist get from spark to finished work.
"For the artist/writer who is seriously interested in creating comics, both books in this series are a must-have resource."
— Children's Literature
in print
non-fiction
Life sucks
Life sucks when you're a baby-faced kid in LA -- broke, girlfriend-less and stuck in a dead-end job. And when we're talking about Dan Miller, we really mean dead-end.
This hilarious tale strikes perilously close to the reality of the slacker twenty-something life. Abel and Soria hit their mark with plenty of attitude and just enough snark to let their characters come to life. Warren Pleece’s art marvelously captures the humor of the mundane that lend the book’s crew of late-night wage-slave vamps believability and energy. A really fun read!
— booklist
in print
non-fiction
radio:
an illustrated guide
A collaboration with Ira Glass and This American Life, all about what happens behind the scenes with TAL and how they make their show.
out of print
fiction
mirror, window
Comics short stories of young Chicagoans grappling with serious questions, such as Does she love me?, Can I stay friends with someone who has betrayed my trust?, and Can I make a life as an artist?
Jessica finds urban lyricism in the most unexpected moments. Jessica gets the Everyman. She gets fiction.
— San Francisco Focus Magazine 2002
out of print
fiction
soundtrack
The best of Artbabe Volume 1, including most of the stories from the first four (minicomics) issues, long out of print, and Vol 1 #5, the issue for which I won a Xeric grant.
"I distinctly remember the first time I read Soundtrack. I was at my sister’s and I had left it on her coffee table. When I later went looking for it, it had sprouted legs and was nowhere to be seen. As I headed downstairs to the basement, I saw one of her friends, huddled in the stairwell, completely absorbed in its pages. I said to her, “ I didn’t know you read comics.” To which she replied, “I don’t. But I didn’t know they made comics like this.”