Awards

• Winner of Alex Awards 2020

Overview

In this visually arresting graphic novel, surfer and illustrator AJ Dungo remembers his late partner and the shared love of surfing that endured throughout their difficult times. Dungo explores the beauty and complexity of his relationship with his partner as they face her prolonged battle with cancer. With a passion for surfing at the forefront of this narrative, Dungo intertwines his own story with those of the great heroes of surf in a rare work of non-fiction that is as moving as it is fascinating.

Full Product Details

9781910620632

Table of Contents

Reviews

I love this book deeply. AJ writes and draws like a surfer, with such fluidity, grace, and breathability, managing to flow with the most profound love and loss, without it dragging us under. He surrenders to the infinite power and mystery of the ocean to heal the void within . . . this book is a clean line that glides, rolls, and truly moves you. Currently my favorite graphic novel in the universe. --Craig Thompson, Eisner award winning author of the bestselling Blankets Nature is massive: Human forms are diminutive when measured against Dungo's spare representations of starry skylines, butterflies, mountain ranges and, primarily, the ocean, a striking and dense blue against the panels' abundant white space. [...] On two-page spreads that recall Raymond Pettibon's mesmerizing large-scale paintings of Hermosa Beach's wave riders, Dungo is engulfed by marble seawater, its dark swirls more closely resembling snaking wood grain than they do any ocean. --Dominic Umile, The Los Angeles Times While 'In Waves' packs an emotional punch, Dungo avoids sentimentality and is careful not to miscast the ocean as some soppy metaphor for salvation. The book seems to argue that life and death are what they are, and riding waves is no shortcut to health or happiness--it can, however, provide momentary escape, a temporary shelter, a kind of peace. As Dungo states, loss often leaves us alone 'with only water to comfort.' --Steve van Rees, Surfer magazine Dungo tells these stories with a sure hand, weaving time lines and seemingly disparate elements into a rich, cohesive tale. The simply drawn illustrations are elegant and economical but deeply powerful . . . A beautiful tribute to first love and living life to its absolute fullest. --Booklist Part memoir and part history book, A.J. Dungo brings both together in a tender examination of grief and healing for his debut graphic novel In Waves, finding the connections between the two focuses of his interest and emotion and uncovering how all these part can work to keep him going. --The Beat Always interesting when something is at once terribly sad and gorgeously life-affirming. A.J. Dungo's In Waves is exactly that. [...] It's heartfelt and it's heartbreaking. And it's so beautiful. --Jamie Brisick, author of Becoming Westerly The muted color scheme alternates aquamarine with seashell peach. Through sweeping two-page spreads showing the texture of waves in decorative, woodlike patterns and through quiet interludes following Kristen's ultimately tragic story, Dungo presents an evocative tone poem that celebrates the spirit of a young woman who clings to experience as tenaciously as a surfer riding high. --Publishers Weekly Dungo delineates his characters -- their faces often turned away from the reader like Downwind from the Smilin' Jack comic strip -- dwarfed by swirling, striped waves, austere urban landscapes and sometimes even just inky blackness, efficiently conveying the sense of helplessness and sorrow that comes when confronted with terminal illness. I also like the way Dungo draws his figures, loose and slightly rubbery, with a minimal amount of facial details, as though they might melt if they got too close to a heated surface. --Chris Mautner, The Comics Journal On paper In Waves is a story that weaves together chapters on the origins of surfing with the personal experiences of its author around the sport. In truth, it's about so much more. --Dylan Heyden, The Inertia

The muted color scheme alternates aquamarine with seashell peach. Through sweeping two-page spreads showing the texture of waves in decorative, woodlike patterns and through quiet interludes following Kristen's ultimately tragic story, Dungo presents an evocative tone poem that celebrates the spirit of a young woman who clings to experience as tenaciously as a surfer riding high. --Publishers Weekly

I love this book deeply. AJ writes and draws like a surfer, with such fluidity, grace, and breathability, managing to flow with the most profound love and loss, without it dragging us under. He surrenders to the infinite power and mystery of the ocean to heal the void within . . . this book is a clean line that glides, rolls, and truly moves you. Currently my favorite graphic novel in the universe. --Craig Thompson, Eisner award winning author of the bestselling Blankets Dungo tells these stories with a sure hand, weaving time lines and seemingly disparate elements into a rich, cohesive tale. The simply drawn illustrations are elegant and economical but deeply powerful . . . A beautiful tribute to first love and living life to its absolute fullest. --Booklist Part memoir and part history book, A.J. Dungo brings both together in a tender examination of grief and healing for his debut graphic novel In Waves, finding the connections between the two focuses of his interest and emotion and uncovering how all these part can work to keep him going. --The Beat Always interesting when something is at once terribly sad and gorgeously life-affirming. A.J. Dungo's In Waves is exactly that. [...] It's heartfelt and it's heartbreaking. And it's so beautiful. --Jamie Brisick, author of Becoming Westerly The muted color scheme alternates aquamarine with seashell peach. Through sweeping two-page spreads showing the texture of waves in decorative, woodlike patterns and through quiet interludes following Kristen's ultimately tragic story, Dungo presents an evocative tone poem that celebrates the spirit of a young woman who clings to experience as tenaciously as a surfer riding high. --Publishers Weekly

The comic is visually worshipful of the natural world and its vast waters * LA Times * In Waves engages with both the depths of Dungo's grief and the safe haven of surfing, offering a quick dip that will leave readers a bit battered by the waves. * Bookpage * A fragile and heartfelt account of love and loss it acts as both beautiful but unflinchingly honest memorial, and as a historical record of the development and the heroes of the surfing world. * Broken Frontier * It's a memoir about love, loss and surfing. Perfectly paced. Gorgeously illustrated. A genuine beauty to read. * OK Comics Book of the Year 2019 * A work of subtle, heartbreaking beauty' 'A beautiful book that lingers long after it finishes. * Gosh Comics Book of the Year 2019 * A poignant and heart breaking tale of love and loss that is interspersed with a history of surfing. All of which creates a fascinating mix of stories that are brought together by the unifying power of the ocean. * Pipedream Comics * Beautifully rendered in grief-tinged shades of teal and turquoise. * Marie Curie, Talkabout * I would defy anyone to read this and not be moved like a bobbing surfer sat atop his board awaiting the next big swell. * Page45 * Sight-soothing illustrations, intriguing surf history and a heart-breaking but life-affirming personal story. In Waves by AJ Dungo is a rare and exquisite graphic novel every surfer and art lover will covet. * Surfer Dad * A poignant exploration of loss, grief and more. * cherreading on Instagram * A simple idea executed very very well * That Comic Smell * It's a memoir of unbridled beauty, of vast unknowns, of what can last among the waves. * Multiversity Comics * Deeply moving and visually stunning. * The Inertia * Images of daily life contrast to the time the book spends in the water, and I recommend this book as an autobiographical exploration of what's truly important in life. * DR. J READS * A powerful read that's stuck with me. * @ComicsAnonBlog on Twitter * In Waves blends the history of surfing with a touching personal story and striking illustrations. * @alexboydwriter *

Author Information

AJ Dungo is an illustrator from Florida. He studied at the Art Center College of Design in Pasadena, and his work has been shown in several group exhibitions in New York and LA. His work strives to create interesting atmospheres and feelings that viewers can have a reaction to. He Lives in LA

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