The graphic novel has become so much more than a comic book for grownups. There’s art, social commentary, humor, brilliant storytelling and…. oh, yeah…. actual knock-yer-eyeballs-out ART in them thar pages! 😁

Proof of concept: a long-running online graphic novel titled Android Blues by artist/author Steven Stahlberg, formerly of Georgia and points east, now living in Sweden.

As Mr. Stahlberg tells it, he began writing a script ‘way back in 1995, while living in Hong Kong. In 2014, after nine years of effort, he turned his would-be film script into an online comic, instead, that he made available for free.

Working on his own, Mr. Stahlberg spent the next ten years 😮 painstakingly producing one brilliant page after another: well-written, lusciously-illustrated pages, mind you, telling a compelling tale of suspense, rebellion, liberation and romance. Even better, he did it without an ounce of help from any so-called ‘artificial intelligence.’ This is real art for real humans, BY a real human! AI need not apply! 👍🏽

Mr. Stahlberg posted the final, eagerly-awaited page of his magnum opus in July of this year.

Now, in response to requests from fans like me, the artist/author (and fellow motorcyclist) is publishing a hard copy of his book.

To that end, he has established a Kickstarter — publishing books is no cheap date, it turns out, and especially not art books with high-quality reproductions of the artist’s work — so I’m encouraging anyone who enjoys art and storytelling to visit his Kickstarter campaign, get in line and eagerly await your opportunity to support this excellent artist/author and all-around nice guy, and help him fulfill his dream (and mine) of creating a hard copy edition of Android Blues.

NOTE, 31 December 2024: The book is complete, and as of November, 2024, the artist was shipping copies of the first signed editions. If you missed your shot at the first run, you may still be able to order copies by contacting the artist at his Facebook page.

However, I hasten to add that Mr. Stahlberg is not ‘just’ the author and artist behind a brilliant graphic novel. Oh, no, dear readers! He has a huge body of independent work. I’ll post a few here, to give you a taste, and encourage you to follow up on your own. Definitely worth tracking down!

Per usual, this artist originally caught my eye because he created some pieces with motorcycle themes. ‘Broomy’ was the first: a series of takes on the futuristic biker woman who just happens to be a witch, as well, and a patch-holding member of the Hell’s Witches MC (Motorcycle Coven) in Jacksonville, Florida.

In the moto-inspired genre, there was also this piece:

Farther afield:

Steven Stahlberg may also be found at Facebook, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) and Patreon.

NOTE, 31 December 2024: The book is complete, and as of November, 2024, the artist was shipping copies of the first signed editions. If you missed your shot at the first run, you may still be able to order copies by contacting the artist at his Facebook page.