The Con Artist: A Novel

by Fred Van Lente, Tom Fowler (Illustrator)

Overview

This illustrated mystery will appeal to comic book fans and anyone who appreciates an unconventional whodunit.

Comic book artist Mike Mason arrives at San Diego Comic-Con, seeking sanctuary with other fans and creators—and maybe to reunite with his ex—but when his rival is found murdered, he becomes the prime suspect. To clear his name, Mike will have to navigate every corner of the con, from zombie obstacle courses and cosplay flash mobs to intrusive fans and obsessive collectors, in the process unraveling a dark secret behind one of the industry’s most legendary creators.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781683690344
Publisher:	Quirk Publishing
Publication date:	07/10/2018
Pages:	288
Product dimensions:	5.90(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.80(d)

About the Author

Fred Van Lente is the #1 New York Times best-selling writer of such comics as The Amazing Spider-Man, Marvel Zombies, Deadpool vs the Punisher, GI Joe, Archer & Armstrong, and many more. He cowrote the graphic novel Cowboys and Aliens, which was made into a film starring Harrison Ford and Daniel Craig.

Cartoonist and illustrator Tom Fowler has worked in comics, advertising, and film and game design for a variety of clients including Disney, Simon & Schuster, Wizards of the Coast, Hasbro, MAD, Valiant, Marvel, and DC Comics. His best known comics include the MAD Magazine features "Monroe", "Venom",  "Hulk Season One", “Quantum & Woody”, the critically acclaimed "Mysterius the Unfathomable", and the all-ages series HOWTOONS:[re]IGNITION. Tom wrote for, and sometimes drew, the popular Rick & Morty comics series. Currently, Tom inks Doom Patrol for DC’s Young Animal imprint.

Read an Excerpt

I heard about the first death from the girl who picked me up at the airport. She said her name was Violet and she was my biggest fan.
(Continues…)

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Excerpted from "The Con Artist"
by .
Copyright © 2018 Fred Van Lente.
Excerpted by permission of Quirk Books.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

05/28/2018
Van Lente follows 2017’s Ten Dead Comedians, a send-up of Agatha Christie, with a madcap mystery spoof set at Comic-Con. Comic book artist Mike Miller is on his way to San Diego, Calif., when he learns that his mentor, Ben K, to whom he was slated to present an award, has died. He’s devastated, but goes about setting up his table at Artists’ Alley. That night, after one too many drinks around the hotel pool, he spots his nemesis and former editor, Atlas Entertainment exec Danny Lieber, who stole his ex-wife, Christine. Mike attempts to punch Danny in the face, an act that makes him a suspect in Danny’s subsequent shooting death, which he finds out about the next morning via two obnoxious, wisecracking cops. News that Ben K’s studio was ransacked and that he had a lawsuit with Atlas leads Mike to suspect the two deaths might be connected. Mike’s efforts to prove his innocence keep the pages turning all the way to the surprising ending. Through the wryly amusing Mike, Van Lente offers an insider’s look into the gloriously geeky world of cons. Agent: Jason Yarn, Jason Yarn Literary Agency. (July)

Publishers Weekly

More than just a hilarious mystery…[Van Lente] holds up con culture, nerd culture, and the entire comics industry for scrutiny.”—Herald Net 

“A madcap mystery spoof set at Comic-Con…Mike’s efforts to prove his innocence keep the pages turning all the way to the surprising ending.”—Publishers Weekly

“The Con Artist is a fun book. Fred Van Lente gives the comic book industry in general and San Diego Comic-Con in particular a big wet kiss on the cheek, well aware of the warts that lie in wait.”—Book Reporter

“A surreal, funny, poignant, and incredibly fun crime novel.”—Criminal Element 

“A lively romp loaded with geek humor.”—Foreword Reviews

“Filled with lively dialogue and an inside look at the comic industry.”—Ellery Queen’s Mystery Magazine

“Fred Van Lente knows comics. He also knows how to craft a compelling, memorable mystery. The Con Artist finds the author at full power, merging these two threads to create a fast-paced, impossible to put down novel. We all come out winning.”—Alex Segura, author of Blackout

“Comic-con devotees should get a kick out of the many, many Easter eggs Van Lente hides here.”—Booklist 

“A delightful read. Filled with smart retorts, sharp descriptions, and the frantic, chaos-filled atmosphere inherent in all cons.”—New York Journal of Books 

“A good book for comic book fans to read, but casual mystery readers should also enjoy this fun and engrossing mystery.”—Flickering Myth

“Aside from being chock-full of pop culture references, it’s also a commentary on the comics industrial complex—that there are those who had a hand in creating now-famous characters who have been forgotten or left behind.”—Geek Dad

“The Con Artist is a colorful, fast-paced novel that manages to bring out everyone's hidden geek by telling a compelling story full of mystery and action.”—BioGamer Girl

“Van Lente sucks you into the frenetic energy of the giant monster known as San Diego Comic-Con with his imagery and actual sketches.”—Geeks of Doom

“A nerd noir page turner.”—Graphic Policy

From the Publisher

2018-05-01
A roving comic-book artist loses his mentor, his nemesis, and his hope for a love life over the course of one Comic-Con, which threatens the loss of his freedom as well.Michael "Mike M" Miller thinks nothing of it when his comic-book character Violent Violet picks him up from the San Diego airport. After all, he's in town for Comic-Con, a celebration of comic books, where costumes are an essential part of the experience. It's a shame when Violet gives Mike the news that his longtime mentor and friend Benjamin Kurtz, aka Ben K, the creator of Mister Mystery, has died too suddenly to give Mike a chance to say goodbye. The news definitely makes Mike reflect on his own lifestyle. Since a breakup with his wife, Christine Black, a few years ago, Mike has become a nomad, traveling to different cities' Comic-Cons, drawing some custom illustrations for fans, and then shuffling off to the next venue. Even the people around Mike don't change from city to city. Though he hasn't been pleased to learn that Christine was supposed to be in San Diego, he especially hopes to avoid Danny Lieber, one of Atlas Entertainment's biggest hacks. Mike has never gotten over Christine's cheating on him with Danny, which added insult to injury after Danny tried to cut Mike's per-page rate. But Mike's hopes for reconciliation seem to be dashed by the news that Christine has moved on to another winner in current it writer Sebastian Mod. Christine's choice of partner may make Sebastian Mike's biggest enemy. But when Danny is murdered at the con, Mike becomes the obvious suspect anyway. If Mike didn't kill Danny, who did? Unless the cops find a more likely suspect, Mike may finally put down roots in a San Diego prison.Despite his signature fast pace and multifaceted, visually striking characters, Van Lente (Ten Dead Comedians, 2017) merges mystery and comics culture with mixed results and perhaps too many subplots. Tom Fowler's accompanying illustrations are accomplished, but the book format doesn't display them to best advantage.

Kirkus Reviews