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Action Philosophers! was a self-published comic book series by artist Ryan Dunlavey and writer Fred Van Lente, which was awarded a Xeric Grant in 2004,[1] leading to Action Philosophers! # 1's publication in April 2005.
The series focused on a concise biography of some of the most notable philosophers and their ideas. To quote the book's homepage:[2]
ACTION PHILOSOPHERS! is a comic book series detailing the lives and thoughts of history's A-list brain trust in a hip and humorous way that proves that philosophy is not just the province of boring tweed-enveloped college professors.
The series concluded with issue # 9, published in September 2007. The series was also collected into various self-published paperback collections. Dark Horse Comics published a deluxe hardcover collection of the series with new material in October, 2014.[3]
Reception
[edit]The American Library Association included Action Philosophers vol. 1 in its 2007 Great Graphic Novels for Teens booklist.[4] The series was nominated for a 2007 Ignatz Outstanding Debut Award[5] and received a positive review from Philosophy Now.[6]
Issue summary
[edit]- # 1: - Nietzsche, Bodhidharma, & Plato: "Wrestling Superstar of Ancient Greece!", featuring one of the series' most famous lines, "PLATO SMASH!"
- # 2: - The "All Sex Special", featuring Ayn Rand, Thomas Jefferson, & Saint Augustine.
- # 3: - "Self Help for Stupid Ugly Losers" featuring Sigmund Freud, Carl Jung, & Joseph Campbell.
- # 4: - "World Domination Handbook" featuring Karl Marx, Niccolò Machiavelli, & The Kabbalah.
- # 5: - "Hate the French" featuring René Descartes, Jean-Paul Sartre, & Jacques Derrida.
- # 6: - "The People's Choice" featuring Soren Kierkegaard, St. Thomas Aquinas, & Ludwig Wittgenstein.
- # 7: - "It's all Greek to you" featuring The Pre-Socratics, Aristotle, & Epictetus.
- # 8: - "Senseless Violence Special" featuring Kant, Schopenhauer, Hegel, & John Stuart Mill.
- # 9: - "The Lightning Round", the final issue featuring Diogenes the Cynic, Lao Tzu, Michel Foucault, David Hume, Confucius, George Berkeley, Francis Bacon, Jean-Jacques Rousseau, Thomas Hobbes, Mary Wollstonecraft, Baruch Spinoza and Gottfried Leibniz.
Collected editions
[edit]| Title | Material collected | ISBN |
|---|---|---|
| Action Philosophers! Giant-size Thing 1 | Action Philosophers #1-3 | ISBN 0-9778329-0-2 |
| Action Philosophers! Giant-size Thing 2 | Action Philosophers #4-6 | ISBN 0-9778329-1-0 |
| Action Philosophers! Giant-size Thing 3 | Action Philosophers #7-9 | ISBN 0-9778329-2-9 |
| The More Than Complete Action Philosophers! | Action Philosophers #1-9, plus new content | ISBN 978-0-9778329-3-4 |
| Action Philosophers! | Published by Dark Horse Comics, reprints "More Than Complete…", with a new story and historical material, hardcover format | ISBN 978-1-61655-539-9 |
References
[edit]- ^ "Xeric Foundation Comic Book Self-Publishing Grants for 2004". Xericfoundation.org. Archived from the original on December 3, 2019. Retrieved November 16, 2012.
- ^ the book's homepage Archived October 22, 2006, at the Wayback Machine
- ^ "Action Philosophers! HC". darkhorse.com. Retrieved December 10, 2014.
- ^ "2007 Great Graphic Novels for Teens". ala.org. July 30, 2007. Retrieved June 20, 2017.
- ^ "SPX announces Ignatz Nominees". Newsarama.com. Archived from the original on January 26, 2009. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
- ^ "Action Philosophers! by Fred Van Lente and Ryan Dunlavey". Philosophy Now. Archived from the original on April 15, 2010. Retrieved April 20, 2010.
External links
[edit]- Official series website, featuring free issue previews
- Interview with Fred and Ryan at comiXology on Action Philosophers and Comic Book Comics
- BamKaPow.com's interview, also examining the creative team's post-AP! projects
- Official Action Philosophers! message board
- Philosophy Now's review
- Interview with Indie Comics News
- HollywoodJesus.com Review Archived 2012-02-29 at the Wayback Machine