The book discusses all of the monumental moments during Smith's life, including the anti-Mormon threats and violence which caused his followers to move from New York to Ohio, Smith's receiving the divine commandment of plural marriage, his imprisonment, his announcement to run for president of the United States, and his ultimate murder by an angry mob in 1844 at the young age of 38. In Joseph Smith and the Mormons, author and illustrator Noah Van Sciver, who was raised a Mormon, covers one of history's most controversial figures, Joseph Smith-who founded a religion which is practiced by millions all over the world. Van Sciver displays a love of the history and form of cartooning that recalls Art Spiegelman, a Lynda Barryesque thirst to unpack ideas of what creativity really means, and a Harvey Pekar-like way of just trying to stay alive in the face of despair.Alternative cartoonist Noah Van Sciver is to create a graphic novel, to be published by Abrams ComicArts in May 2o22, about the early history of Mormonism, called Joseph Smith And The Mormons.ĭecades in the making, an original graphic novel biography about the life of Joseph Smith, the founder of the Church of Latter-Day Saints.

The resultant effect is a routinely funny (Van Sciver never takes himself too seriously unless it is intended for comedic effect) but also deeply relatable book that touches on some of life's big questions, whether about the ways we measure happiness or success, the ways we often define ourselves by our careers, or the ways we can sometimes lose sight of the most important things. Van Sciver juxtaposes fictional stories about what life as a '19th Century Cartoonist' might have looked like with a series of autobiographical strips about life as a contemporary cartoonist, along with pieces about his father and childhood that inform the path in life he has chosen. Acclaimed cartoonist Noah Van Sciver puts to use all the creative arrows in his quiver in this captivating collection of fiction, biography, memoir, and more. A series of comic strips joined together by the theme of the author's chosen profession - cartooning - reveals a funny and often poignant reflection on the human condition and the lives we choose to live.

As a cartoonist noah van sciver