Second Avenue Caper: When Goodfellas, Divas, and Dealers Plotted Against the Plague

Author: Brabner, Joyce

Number Of Pages: 160

Details:

Winner of the 2015 Lambda Literary Award for Best LGBT Graphic NovelA Village Voice Best Graphic Novel of 2014The renowned graphic-book author Joyce Brabner's Second Avenue Caper is the true story of a tight-knit group of artists and activists living in New York City in the early 1980s who found themselves on the front lines in the fight against AIDS.Struggling to understand the disease and how they could help, they made a deal with a bona fide goodfella, donned masterful disguises, piled into an "A-Team" van, and set off for the border, determined to save their bedridden friends by smuggling an experimental drug into the United States from Mexico.With their community in crisis and the world turned against them, this impassioned gang of misfits never gave up hope as they searched for ways to raise awareness and beat the plague. Fast-paced, poignant, and beautifully illustrated by the award-winning illustrator Mark Zingarelli, Second Avenue Caper is a heartfelt tribute to the generation that faced down AIDS.

Reviews:

“Writer Joyce Brabner and artist Mark Zingarelli's true tale of early-1980s gay activists fighting the AIDS epidemic by running illegal antiviral drugs (and pot) from south of the border is as funny, and harrowing, as its mix of drag queens, mobsters, Cheez Whiz, and eulogies promises.” ―R. C. Baker, Village Voice“[Second Avenue Caper] bears the gravitas of a troubling moment in history, drawing compelling lines toward its present and future ramifications. It both burns with righteous anger and tenderly embraces the many whose lives have been touched by the AIDS plague.” ―Dave Wheeler, Shelf Awareness (starred review)“Second Avenue Caper captures the pathos, tragedy, sweetness and mania of the early days of the AIDS pandemic. Creators Joyce Brabner and Mark Zingarelli bring it to life and make it sing.” ―Cory Doctorow, Boing Boing“With visuals that blend cartoon-style appeal with documentary realism, Brabner's (American Splendor) chronicle of grassroots activism in N.Y.C.'s gay community during the early days of the AIDS crisis grabs readers from its opening splash page . . . Zingarelli crisply illustrates a story long hidden.” ―Publishers Weekly“A graphic memoir detailing a pot-dealing scheme that helped finance treatment for those dying from AIDS in the early days before the epidemic even had that name . . . [written with a] humorous spirit of irreverence, though the subject is deadly serious . . . a story of early warning, recognition and action.” ―Kirkus“Neatly converting the old NRA bumper sticker to proclaim that if drugs are outlawed, only outlaws will receive proper medical attention, with Second Avenue Caper Joyce Brabner and Mark Zingarelli expertly document a recent moment in history that already seems medieval in its ignorance. In an irresistible narrative crammed with drag queens, drug smugglers, and desperadoes, Brabner brings her considerable skills and experience as an activist and chronicler to bear upon an emblematic tale of our times, as classically heroic and moving as it is absurd, all brought to life by the beautifully honest and lucid artwork of the tremendous Zingarelli. This is a marvelous piece of work and a significant contribution to future histories of our stupefyingly complex times. I can't recommend it highly enough.” ―Alan Moore, award-winning graphic novelist and author of Watchmen, V for Vendetta, and From Hell“At that liminal moment when it became clear that a pattern of infection threatened to become a deadly epidemic, heroes emerged from the ranks of the ordinary. They were motivated by the desire to help friends survive this pitiless disease, or, in many cases, to make sure they died loved and cared for. Second Avenue Caper presents portraits of a few of these heroes, bringing them to life on the page as they describe, in their own words, ingenious plots to secure medication and provide care for those who had fallen ill with AIDS. These stories are told ...

EAN: 9780809035533

Release Date: 18-11-2014

Languages: English

Item Condition: New

Binding: Hardcover