Nick Pope: Summer of '88
Nick Pope: Summer of '88 - the illustrated diary sequel to Nick Pope, is now on sale on Amazon here! I'm so excited for you to read this very special new chapter in Nick's life.
“Stanton and Klecker's innovative, affecting coming-of-age diary comic is a love letter to an adolescence spent imagining oneself as an artist, learning to assert one's beliefs, and grappling with the pain of adolescent aspirations and the confusing feelings that come with working out one's sexuality in a time that was especially homophobic.”
- BookLife (Editor’s Pick)
“Klecker’s black-and-white artwork, edged with a punk sensibility, complements Nick’s adolescent voice and masterfully illuminates his interior life without overwhelming the story. The text and illustrations authentically portray grief and mental health struggles in a way that speaks to the past as much as to today. A great addition to the literature of teenage angst.”
- Kirkus Reviews (starred)
"It was an absolute delight to return to the world of Nick Pope -- a place where nostalgia and real human struggles cross paths effortlessly. Chris Stanton’s truly bittersweet storytelling and Raymond Klecker’s inventive artwork pulled me back into a time when everything in life was both fun and exciting and yet totally devastating"
- Pedro Martin, creator of MexiKid
“The sequel revisits Stanton’s sensitive, artistically inclined protagonist at a pivotal moment: the summer after his sophomore year of high school, when Nick’s private creative world begins to edge into public view. The result is a reflective narrative that explores art, vulnerability, sexuality, and the fragile exhilaration of being seen.”
- Independent Book Review
Teenage Nick Pope – born with prominent birthmarks around his eyes and bullied because of them – quits his therapist and starts writing and drawing in his diary again.
When Nick is offered a solo gallery show of his art, he’s forced to face internal and familial demons. Does Nick have the courage to draw self-portraits? Will his family stay together, even though his sister gets a job with the doomed Michael Dukakis campaign and his father refuses to show money-making films at his single-screen theater? And more immediately for Nick, are his feelings for fellow artist Max real – and does that mean he’s gay?
Tracy Chapman, Jean Michel-Basquiat and The Last Temptation of Christ all play a part as Nick makes his way through the life-changing summer of 1988.