Nick Pope: Summer of '88
What happens when a boy who has been bullied for how he looks must draw his own face for the world to see?
Teenage Nick Pope has prominent birthmarks around his eyes – and he is ridiculed because of them. He quits his therapist and starts writing and drawing in his diary again, convinced he can handle his internal chaos alone.
Now he has been offered a solo gallery show of his art.
Nick is afraid to draw himself. He is scared to figure out if his feelings for his fellow artist Max mean he is gay. His family is falling apart.
Can Nick confront these challenges before the summer of 1988 runs out?
Nick Pope: Summer of '88 - the illustrated diary sequel to Nick Pope, is now on sale on Amazon here, Barnes & Noble here, and through IngramSpark here.
It's also available as an e-book through Barnes & Noble 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 (Staff Pick)
“Stanton and Klecker create a work that is both aesthetically compelling and emotionally resonant, demonstrating the power of graphic narratives to engage with complex questions of mental health, identity, and embodiment.”- Graphic Medicine
(For some strange reason, Amazon insists on placing both Nick Pope books in the "Erotica Graphic Novels" category, and I can't change their minds about it. I assure you, the books are the furthest thing from erotica!)