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Book Cover for: Eden II, K. Wroten

Eden II

K. Wroten

In the grungy, punk-inflected world K. Wroten creates, a cast of disaffected young characters struggle to find their purpose in life. Faced with a dying Earth and numbingly useless jobs, protagonists Ellis and Dr. Otis Heck invent an immersive virtual reality game, Eden II. But when Heck betrays Ellis and sells the game to a mysterious corporation, the lines between fantasy and reality begin to blur. As each chapter highlights a new character in the ensemble, the game's impact grows as the world becomes consumed by fantasy.

Coming off the heels of their acclaimed queer comics Cannonball and Crimes, Eden II is Wroten's magnum opus, establishing them as a breakout graphic novelist. Philosophical, sarcastic, self-assured, Eden II is a vital work of the moment that positions Wroten alongside recent comics luminaries like Emily Carroll, Isabel Greenberg, Melanie Gilman, and Tillie Walden. Reminiscent of the stylized angst of Gregg Araki and Jamie Babbit's works, Wroten's imagery in Eden II reflects the blighted pastiche of Andrei Tarkovsky's Stalker--and they have suffused that pastiche with a dark sense of humor and technologically enhanced moral ambiguity.

Book Details

  • Publisher: Fantagraphics Books
  • Publish Date: Aug 29th, 2023
  • Pages: 452
  • Language: English
  • Edition: undefined - undefined
  • Dimensions: 10.53in - 8.64in - 1.35in - 3.75lb
  • EAN: 9781683967583
  • Categories: Science Fiction - GeneralFantasy - General

About the Author

Wroten, K.: - A graduate of the Kansas City Art Institute with a BFA in Illustration, and originally from Kansas City, MO, K. Wroten is a Brooklyn-based artist. Their work has appeared in The New Yorker, The New York Times, Vice, Them, and many other publications. Cannonball (2019) won the Lambda Literary Award for Best LGBTQ Graphic Novel and their graphic novella Crimes won the 2019 MoCCA Arts Festival Award of Excellence.

Praise for this book

An ambitious, skillfully crafted satire of art, philosophy, and modern ennui.-- "Library Journal"
K. Wroten's latest is the perfect combination of dystopic terror and blisteringly funny critique of capitalism, consumerism, modern daily life and media culture. Sharply drawn and wickedly told, Eden II is a delightful dive into the deep.-- "Ms. Magazine"
"Wroten deliver[s] a monumental work that offers vital youth insight and social commentary in a swirling fever dream of artistic expression."-- "Cinema Sentries"
A blistering critique of digital media and a kaleidoscopic depiction of consumer culture, Eden II is both fanciful and satirical, a combination of deft cartooning and virtuosic storytelling.-- "Queer Sci Fi"
An intimidating work that dives deep into the philosophy and quantum mechanics of existence. ... K. Wroten's cynical and tender warning about selling art out repays the work you put into it.-- "Comics Beat"
Ambitious [and] sprawling, Wroten's unique mash-up of speculative sci-fi, virtual reality metafiction, and coming of age narratives speaks to a youth culture I absolutely don't understand but find fascinating all the same.-- "Four Color Apocalypse"