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The Fritz B-Movie Books
Series · 4 books · 2007-2021

Books in series

Chance In Hell book cover
#1

Chance In Hell

2007

A three-act story following the life of a young girl adopted out of a hellish slum by a decent man. She eventually marries a kind, well-to-do man, but finds that she can't escape the darkness and violence she left behind. Gilbert Hernandez's first original graphic novel from Fantagraphics follows on the heels of his acclaimed graphic novel, Sloth, from DC's Vertigo Comics in 2006. Chance in Hell tells the story about a little orphan girl who lives in the slum of slums. Nobody knows who she is or where she's from, but her fellow shantytown inhabitants collectively look over her. The three-act story follows our heroine as she is adopted by a decent man who raises her well, and she eventually marries a kind, well-to-do man, only to discover that she can't relate to the good life and the comforts it provides. This is the first in a series of standalone stories depicting the fictional filmography of Gilbert's Love and Rockets character, the B-movie actress Fritz. Hernandez wowed critics in 2003 with his epic work, Palomar, collecting more than 20 years of groundbreaking comics called "the most substantive single work that the comics medium has yet produced," by Booklist . Chance in Hell further establishes Hernandez as one of the great cartoonists of our age.
Garden of the Flesh book cover
#4

Garden of the Flesh

2016

As only the unfettered Id of Gilbert Hernandez could conceive, Garden of the Flesh is a sexually explicit retelling of the story of Adam and Eve up to Noah’s Ark. Hernandez presents a straightforward adaptation of the Bible parable, but one that also blurs the lines between erotica and pornography, as only Hernandez can.
Maria M. book cover
#5

Maria M.

Book One

2013

A woman comes to the U.S. from Latin America to escape her shady past, only to fall into a new shady life. After a go at the adult entertainment business, Maria marries a drug lord and her dangerous past is nothing compared to her new life in America. The drug lord's son, Gorgo, secretly falls in love with her and he watches over her like a guardian angel. Danger and corruption (and of course sex) drive the first half of this love story. Long-time Love and Rockets readers will find the storyline familiar... and that's because, in an Adaptation-style meta twist, Maria M. is actually the B-movie film adaptation of the life story of Luba's mother Maria, as previously seen in its "real" version in the classic graphic novel Poison River (available in the Beyond Palomar collection) — starring Maria's own daughter playing her own mother. Confused? Don't be! Maria M. will work perfectly on its own terms as the kind of violent, sexy pulp tale that Gilbert Hernandez has proven so adept at these past several years, and the "source material" for the story will just provide an extra layer of delight for the cognoscenti. Part two of Maria M. will be released in 2014.
Hypnotwist/Scarlet by Starlight book cover
#7

Hypnotwist/Scarlet by Starlight

2021

Eisner Award-winning creator Gilbert Hernandez returns with another installment in the Fritz B-film series! In the wordless comic / silent movie "Hypnotwist," B-movie actress Fritz plays a character who doesn't seem to be going anywhere - until she puts on a pair of glittery pumps. Her wanderings become increasingly surreal as she confronts motherhood, alcoholism, a sinister smiley face, cruelty, and her worst fate. Uncensored (and unabridged) for the first time! "Scarlet by Starlight" is a story that's Star Trek meets Heart of Darkness. Scientists, or colonizers, are doing research, surrounded by "primitive" fauna they affectionately nickname or treat like pests. Fritz plays Scarlet, a peaceful, catlike humanoid with a mate and children. When she becomes infatuated with one of the scientists, the fragile web of relationships explodes into violence and death, calling into question who the "advanced, civilized" creatures really are. Not for the faint of heart! The two graphic novellas that comprise the book will be published in a unique "dual-sided" format with two covers, so each story ends in the book's middle (with the one you're not reading being upside down). This very cool, handsome "Double Feature" package will be an essential item for Love and Rockets collectors! Includes 15 pages of previously unpublished, additional material.

Author

Gilbert Hernández
Gilbert Hernández
Author · 11 books

Gilbert and his brother Jaime Hernández mostly publish their separate storylines together in Love And Rockets and are often referred to as 'Los Bros Hernandez'. Gilbert Hernandez, born in 1957, enjoyed a pleasant childhood in Oxnard, California, with four brothers and one sister. In Gilbert’s words, they were “born into a world with comic books in the house.” His childhood enthusiasm for the medium was equaled only by his appetite for punk rock. Initiated by older brother Mario and bankrolled by younger brother Ismael, Gilbert created Love and Rockets #1 with his brother Jaime in 1981. Over 30 years later, the series is regarded as a modern classic and the Hernandez brothers continue to create some of the most startling, original, and intelligent comic art ever seen. From 1983 to 1996, Gilbert produced the now legendary Palomar saga, collected in the graphic novels Heartbreak Soup and Human Diastrophism, and considered to be one of the defining bodies of literature of its era. Gilbert lives in Las Vegas, NV, with his wife Carol and daughter Natalia.

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The Fritz B-Movie Books