Fiction. Graphic Novel. African American Studies. Nearly forty years after breaking his way into public consciousness, the indefatigable godfather of African American cinema presents a graphic novel version of his latest film (of the same name). Beholden to no one but himself, Melvin Van Peebles vividly brings the big screen alive on the printed page in this delicious romp about a soul-searching globetrotter. The immaculately illustrated, bawdy picaresque details a lonely man's search for love in all the wrong places--an odyssey of a man ("played" in the film and in the illustrations by Van Peebles) whose restlessness keeps him constantly on the move. Replete with film stills, all-original illustrations, crackling dialogue, and trademark wit (recalling the best of Richard Pryor as funneled through an oversexed Miguel de Cervantes), this madcap adventure reflects an artist-provocateur at the peak of his creative power.

Author City: NEW YORK, NY USA

Melvin Van Peebles established his legacy not only as the iconoclastic founding father of modern African American cinema but black Broadway theater as well, producing, writing, directing, and sometimes even acting in his groundbreaking endeavors. Ain't Supposed to Die a Natural Death, his first American musical, was hailed as one of the best Broadway theater pieces of the 1971-72 season, and his film Sweet Sweetback's Baadasssss Song (1971) became legendary. He has been equally prolific across several media as a novelist, musician, and composer--and, quixotically, was the first black American to hold a seat on the American Stock Exchange. His numerous achievements include the French Legion of Honor, the 1999 Chicago Underground Film Festival's Lifetime Achievement Award, several Tony Award nominations, a Grammy Award nomination, and a Gotham Award from MOMA and the Independent Feature Project in December 2008. He lives in New York City.