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Concrete
Series · 6 books · 1990-2005

Books in series

Concrete, Volume 1 book cover
#1

Concrete, Volume 1

Depths

2005

Part man, part...rock? Over seven feet tall and weighing over a thousand pounds, he is known as Concrete but is in reality the mind of one Ronald Lithgow, trapped inside a shell of stone, a body that allows him to walk unaided on the ocean's floor or survive the crush of a thousand tons of rubble in a collapsed mineshaft...but prevents him from feeling the touch of a human hand. These stories of Concrete are as rich and satisfying as any in funny, heartbreaking, and singularly human. Depths, the first in a series of new collections reprinting the classic early Concrete stories along with never-before-collected short stories, includes the Eisner-nominated "Orange Glow" and "Vagabond," Paul Chadwick's autobiographical account of a cross-country hitchiking trip.
Concrete, Volume 6 book cover
#6

Concrete, Volume 6

Strange Armor

1998

A troubled man seeking spiritual renewal in the wilderness experiences a wholly unexpected rebirth - as a walking monolith, half a ton of animate stone able to perform astonishing feats of strength and endurance but forever denied many of life's fundamental pleasures. As Concrete, Ronald Lithgow becomes an overnight celebrity and the focus of dark government operatives desperate to keep the secret of his metamorphosis from the public. Concrete must struggle with the loss of his humanity while discovering, perhaps for the first time, what it truly means to be human.
The Complete Concrete book cover
#8

The Complete Concrete

1994

Concrete, a political speech writer who found himself trapped in an alien body composed of living stone. His new body can accomplish feats that flesh and blood could never conceive of - he can swim the Atlantic, be a rock star's bodyguard, or climb Mt. Everest alone - but at heart, Concrete is the most human character you'll ever meet in comics. Winner of more than a dozen top
Concrete book cover
#9

Concrete

The Complete Short Stories, 1986-1989

1990

This volume collects all of the concrete short stories that have appeared in Dark Horse Presents since that title's first issue, including "Burning Brightly, Brightly," which introduced Melissa Strangehands, and "Next Best," featuring Concrete's three-legged dog, Tripod. This multi-award-winning character is presented here in a deluxe format, making this book a must-have item for any serious collector of high-quality comics.
Concrete book cover
#10

Concrete

The Complete Short Stories, 1990-1995

1996

Ron Lithgow's new, 1200-pound body has its good it lets him do some things and see some places. But it draws a clear line between him and normal people, and in the end he'd much rather be just plain Ron Lithgow, and not Concrete.
Concrete book cover
#11

Concrete

Odd Jobs

1990

Concrete: Odd Jobs: A Special Edition Of Concrete's Days As A Rock Star's Bodyguard And His Time On The Farm, With Added New Material.

Authors

Andrew Vachss
Andrew Vachss
Author · 43 books

Andrew Vachss has been a federal investigator in sexually transmitted diseases, a social-services caseworker, a labor organizer, and has directed a maximum-security prison for “aggressive-violent” youth. Now a lawyer in private practice, he represents children and youths exclusively. He is the author of numerous novels, including the Burke series, two collections of short stories, and a wide variety of other material including song lyrics, graphic novels, essays, and a “children’s book for adults.” His books have been translated into twenty languages, and his work has appeared in Parade, Antaeus, Esquire, Playboy, the New York Times, and many other forums. A native New Yorker, he now divides his time between the city of his birth and the Pacific Northwest. The dedicated Web site for Vachss and his work is www.vachss.com. That site and this page are managed by volunteers. To contact Mr. Vachss directly, use the "email us" function of vachss.com.

Paul Chadwick
Paul Chadwick
Author · 11 books

Paul Chadwick (b.1957) has worked widely as an artist and writer for comic books, with collaborators like Ron Randall, Doug Wheatley, Alan Moore, John Bolton, Harlan Ellison, Jan Strnad, Randy Stradley, Archie Goodwin, Brian K. Vaughan, and others. He's most noted for his award-winning series Concrete, about a thoughtful man stuck in a brutish, rock-coated body. Born in Seattle, he grew up in its lakeside suburb Medina, then a haven for Boeing engineers and their families, now the site of palaces for Bill Gates and his ilk. His father Stephen F. Chadwick was City Attorney for the small hamlet. As a teen, he joined Apa-5, the amateur press alliance of comics fans which also provided a creative outlet for future comics luminaries like Frank Miller, Mike Richardson, Randy Stradley, Chris Warner, Randy Emberlin, and others. He attended Art Center College of Design, majoring in illustration. Around this time Chadwick lived in a courtyard apartment building, The Golden Palm, which teemed with talent. Bryn Barnard, Ron Harris, David Mattingly, James Gurney, Thomas Kinkade, Kurt Cyrus, Mark Verheiden, Andy Su, Terry Robinson all lived there, five of them as Chadwick's roommate (at different times). Chadwick graduated in 1979, and began storyboarding movies for Disney, Warner Brothers, Lucasfilm and others. Credits include Pee Wee's Big Adventure, Strange Brew, The Big Easy and Ewoks: The Battle for Endor. Chadwick says the auteurs behind two small films he worked on, Lies (Jim & Ken Wheat) and Miracle Mile (Steve DeJarnatt) were the greatest personal influences on his writing. Chadwick also freelanced illustration, mainly for movie advertising (Streamers and Galaxy of Terror were the only finished posters among the dozens of preliminary paintings he did) and for SF and Fantasy paperbacks. Chadwick decided to devote himself to comics, but Concrete didn't sell at first. Chadwick's first comic in print was The Life of St. Norbert, published by an order of Norbertine monks. Going from the sacred to the (mildly) profane, he next drew Steve Perry's strange and silly Salimba, about a jungle girl fighting "wormboys" and a giant three-headed were-dog. A year on Marvel's Dazzler completed Chadwick's apprentice years, and he sold Concrete in 1985 to Dark Horse comics. It has appeared intermittently ever since. A Concrete movie has been in development for years. Chadwick has written several screenplays for it, first in collaboration with Larry Wilson, then solo. Peter Jackson and Fran Walsh wrote one, as well, which briefly won a green light for the film. The decision was reversed upon the release of the surprise hit The Blair Witch Project, which caused the sudden mass delusion that Hollywood could dispense with costly visual effects and stars. The fever passed, but Concrete's window had closed, at least until somebody with the clout or energy decides to brave the thousand demons that lay waiting to kill every movie. Chadwick wrote and drew (inks by Ron Randall) eight issues of The World Below, about a network of vast, mysteriously lit caverns beneath northern Washington State, and the strange beings and technology to be found there. Dark Horse plans to reissue the series as a collection. The Human Dilemma, the newest Concrete series, won an Eisner Award (best cartoonist) and a Reuben Award (best in comic books division) from the National Cartoonist Society. Chadwick is currently drawing a miniseries for DC, Seven Against Chaos, written by Harlan Ellison. He's also working on a (non-Concrete, TBA) graphic novel for Dark Horse, as well as a new Concrete miniseries. Biography updated 2010

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