{"id":2609,"date":"2013-07-28T00:01:38","date_gmt":"2013-07-28T06:01:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=2609"},"modified":"2013-08-01T12:14:34","modified_gmt":"2013-08-01T18:14:34","slug":"7-imp%e2%80%99s-7-kicks-341-featuring-matt-phelan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/?p=2609","title":{"rendered":"7-Imp\u2019s 7 Kicks #341: Featuring Matt Phelan"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Last week, I read Matt Phelan’s<\/a><\/strong> newest graphic novel, Bluffton<\/a><\/strong><\/em> (Candlewick, July 2013), and then turned right around and re-read it multiple times. ‘Cause it’s really good and worthy of the second (and third … and fourth …) looks. <\/p>\n

I can promise you that you haven’t seen a book like this in a long while, nor will you see one like it any time soon. And I’m talking about the story. The format is nothing new: It’s Matt working in graphic novel format, once again, which he’s done before in very award-winning ways (2009’s The Storm in the Barn<\/a><\/strong><\/em> and 2011’s Around the World<\/a><\/strong><\/em>). <\/p>\n

This is the story of a young boy named Henry Harrison. It’s the turn of the 20th century in the quiet, little town of Muskegon, Michigan, and it’s the launch of a summer that will change his life forever. Arriving by train in their sleepy town, where Henry helps his father at his family-owned hardware store, is a troupe of vaudeville actors, including young slapstick star Buster Keaton (legend-in-progress) and his family. <\/p>\n

The actors are actually staying in Bluffton, the small neighborhood on the western side of Muskegon Lake, and Henry heads out there one day to check things out. There he sees Cobwebs & Rafters, the “official clubhouse of the Actors’ Colony.” He first sees Buster flying out of the window of the building there when he and his siblings are tossed out of the house by their father. Buster lands, looks up at Henry with a slight smile, and says, “Sand breaks the fall. It’s like landing on a pillow.” <\/p>\n

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Summer, 1908; the vaudevillians arrive via train …<\/em>
(Click to enlarge)<\/center><\/p>\n

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(Click either image to see master layout in its entirety)<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

Eventually, Ed Gary, “Noted Monologuist,” invites Henry to see a show, after he finds out that he’s never seen vaudeville in action. Henry is impressed, and he falls for the theatre. <\/p>\n

I really am loathe to give away the entire story here, because I don’t want to ruin anything for those of you who go on to read this. It’s a remarkably well-crafted tale. Suffice it to say that Henry spends his summer with Buster and learns a lot about … well, himself. And true friendship. And enviousness. And compassion. It’s remarkable how much emotion Phelan conveys in one, small panel; in particular, his drawings of the young Buster are rife with emotion, much of it welling up, hiding behind the complex boy’s eyes. (The pencil sketch that opens this post? I love it.) <\/p>\n


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Matt’s cover sketch<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n


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Final cover<\/em><\/center><\/p>\n

Every relationship in this story rings very true — the one between Henry and his father, the friendship Henry has with Buster, and Buster’s complicated relationship with his family. Buster also ends up briefly spending some time with Henry’s neighbor, a girl named Sally (I’d say they’re teens at this point), and it’s when Henry sees this that he realizes the depth of his emotions for her, making him act out in hurtful ways toward Buster. It’s a moving story — poignant without being saccharine. Phelan’s drawings are subtle and communicate a great deal with few lines, and the story is framed with a spot-on rhythm and pacing, guided in part by the passing of time (Henry looking back at multiple summers with Buster and the frustration he felt the rest of the year without his friend). As Kirkus<\/em> has written about him before, Phelan has a flair for visual drama, and it’s never more evident than here. <\/p>\n

Just this week, over here<\/a><\/strong> at Nerdy Book Club<\/em>, Matt discussed his research for this book and tells some neat stories you won’t want to miss. <\/p>\n

I thank Matt for sharing some sketches, early paintings, and such today. Here are some more: <\/p>\n

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“The next day, I went back to Bluffton with some kids from my neighborhood.”<\/em>
(Click each image to enlarge)<\/center><\/p>\n

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Sketches from beach scene<\/em>
(Click each to enlarge)<\/center><\/p>\n

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Layout for a Sally and Henry moment<\/em>
(Click to enlarge)<\/center><\/p>\n

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Layout sketch<\/em>
(Click to enlarge)<\/center><\/p>\n

BLUFFTON. Copyright \u00a9 2013 by Matt Phelan. Reproduced by permission of the publisher, Candlewick Press, Somerville, MA. Sketches used with permission of Matt Phelan.<\/em><\/p>\n

* * * * * * *<\/center><\/p>\n

Note for any new readers: 7-Imp\u2019s 7 Kicks is a weekly meeting ground for taking some time to reflect on Seven(ish) Exceptionally Fabulous, Beautiful, Interesting, Hilarious, or Otherwise Positive Noteworthy Things from the past week, whether book-related or not, that happened to you. New kickers are always welcome. <\/p>\n

* * * Jules’ Kicks * * *<\/strong><\/font>
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My kicks ONE<\/strong><\/font> to SEVEN<\/strong><\/font> this week are that I finished building my last lecture for the grad course I’m teaching this summer, so I have a more normal schedule once again (“normal” for me, that is). I even read a grown-up novel<\/a><\/strong> this week and started several other books. It’s lovely. <\/p>\n

And it’s big enough to cover all<\/em> my kicks. <\/p>\n

Also, throw in Bluffton<\/em>. It’s a tremendous book. <\/p>\n

What are YOUR<\/font><\/strong> kicks this week? <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Last week, I read Matt Phelan’s newest graphic novel, Bluffton (Candlewick, July 2013), and then turned right around and re-read it multiple times. ‘Cause it’s really good and worthy of the second (and third … and fourth …) looks. I can promise you that you haven’t seen a book like this in a long while, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[21,3,2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2609","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-seven-good-things-before-monday","category-intermediate","category-picture-books"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2609","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2609"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2609\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2609"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2609"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/blaine.org\/sevenimpossiblethings\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2609"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}