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Charles Burns crafts eerie, hyper-controlled illustrations that probe the grotesque undercurrents of adolescence, identity, and disease. Best known for Black Hole, a haunting tale of teens afflicted by a sexually transmitted mutation, Burns fuses horror, surrealism, and suburban malaise in narratives that are as psychologically disturbing as they are visually exacting. His signature thick linework and stark black-and-white compositions amplify the unease within his stories. Deeply influenced by EC comics, punk zines, and pop surrealism, Burns helped redefine the aesthetic of independent comics, creating a uniquely unsettling body of work that lingers long after reading.
Free Shit is a compilation of Charles Burns’ self-published zines, originally distributed privately since 2000. This collection offers a behind-the-scenes look into Burns’ creative process, featuring a mix of finished drawings, rough sketches, and process pieces. Readers can explore the evolution of characters and motifs that appear in his acclaimed works like Black Hole and Last Look. The 208-page hardcover provides insight into the artist’s development over nearly two decades. Comix, Charles Burns, Fantagraphics, 2019 Fantagraphics 978-1683962601 Charles Burns 2019
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Charles Burns crafts eerie, hyper-controlled illustrations that probe the grotesque undercurrents of adolescence, identity, and disease. Best known for Black Hole, a haunting tale of teens afflicted by a sexually transmitted mutation, Burns fuses horror, surrealism, and suburban malaise in narratives that are as psychologically disturbing as they are visually exacting. His signature thick linework and stark black-and-white compositions amplify the unease within his stories. Deeply influenced by EC comics, punk zines, and pop surrealism, Burns helped redefine the aesthetic of independent comics, creating a uniquely unsettling body of work that lingers long after reading.
Free Shit is a compilation of Charles Burns’ self-published zines, originally distributed privately since 2000. This collection offers a behind-the-scenes look into Burns’ creative process, featuring a mix of finished drawings, rough sketches, and process pieces. Readers can explore the evolution of characters and motifs that appear in his acclaimed works like Black Hole and Last Look. The 208-page hardcover provides insight into the artist’s development over nearly two decades. Comix, Charles Burns, Fantagraphics, 2019 Fantagraphics 978-1683962601 Charles Burns 2019
