FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
September 2002
Contact Gina Johnston 206-826-4311 • gina@sasquatchbooks.com
“How many writers can place us back in third grade without getting vague or wistful?
Lynda Barry has no peer…We’re approaching a word not commonly used when talking of
cartoons: oeuvre.”
—Dave Eggers, The New York Times Book Review
ONE HUNDRED DEMONS
“Is it autobiography if parts of it are not true?”
“Is it fiction if parts of it are?”
So asks Lynda Barry on the first pages of her new book, One Hundred Demons. In
the book’s “Intro,” Barry depicts herself seated at her drawing table, paintbursh in one
hand, coffee cup in the other, looking a bit freaked out. This scene could be just another
day at the office for Lynda Barry except on this particular day she finds herself face-toface with a globular many-eyed monster—a demon. Her demon.
As demons go, this one seems pretty benevolent, bobbing in a Van Gogh-style
blue-green sea and sporting a cheery monkey smiley-face on his chest. This multi-clops
monster is the reader’s first clue that this is not just another day for Lynda Barry and, to be
sure, One Hundred Demons is unlike any of Barry’s previous offerings.
Not only are these the first comic strips Barry has painted in color, but they also
unveil a new, raw vulnerability as Barry includes herself as a main character, further
smudging that ever-blurry line between art and life. In a colorful, stream-of-conciousness
style delivered in Barry’s signature irrepressible voice, One Hundred Demons ($24.95,
hardcover, 224 pages,
1-57061-337-0, Sasquatch Books, September 2002) features 17 original comic strips
mixing the true and the un-true into something Barry calls “autobifictionalography.” These
strips first appeared in Salon.com’s popular “Mothers Who Think” column.
Lynda Barry began seeking out her personal demons after stumbling upon a
painting exercise used by a 16th century Japanese monk in her local library. In the “Intro,”
the friendly, many-eyed demon helps explain this discovery: “She checked out some books
from the library, followed the instructions, and the demons began to come.”
“But,” he quickly adds, “they were not the demons she expected.”
In the illustrated stories that follow, Barry finds her demons in the strangest of
places: in the bad behavior of her beloved dog; while tripping on acid as a teen in
Chinatown; through a picture of a lost childhood friend; and unfolding in her own
complicated reactions to the presidential election of 2000. In the strip called “Magic,”
Barry remembers a childhood friendship that seemed like it could—and should—go on
forever. She shows us how a song, or a snapshot from an amusement park photo booth, can
take us back to a perfect day in the past.
Dogs, smells, hate, first jobs…..these are inner demons nearly everyone can
understand. No matter what age, readers can relate to the events, people, and inner
dialogues that Barry unleashes in these colorful strips. Lending an intricate, handmade feel
to One Hundred Demons, Barry introduces each story with a two-page pastiche, detailing
“Today’s Demon” in the rich, visual language of collage.
Long considered a pioneer of the alternative comic scene, Lynda Barry been
drawing comic strips for over 20 years that have garnered her critical acclaim and a cultish
fan base. Her work has appeared in The New York Times, LA Times, Newsweek,
Mademioselle, Esquire, and Mother Jones; her commentary has aired on National Public
Radio; and she has made appearances on “Late Night with David Letterman.” Barry was
also recognized by the National Cartoonists Society as a “Virtuoso Cartoonist.” Her books
include The Greatest of Marlys, Cruddy, The Freddie Stories, and The Good Times are
Killing Me, which was adapted into a play and performed throughout North America.
After the cathartic release of her demons in this book, Barry encourages readers to
do the same. In the “Outro” called “Paint Your Demon,” Barry includes handwritten
instructions describing what materials to use, how to grind the ink, and how to hold the
brush. These details showcase not only Barry’s unique visual style but also her uncanny
ability to make an emotional connection with her readers on every page.
ONE HUNDRED DEMONS
By Lynda Barry
September 2002 • 224 pages • $24.95 • hardcover • ISBN 1-57061-337-0
Available in bookstores everywhere
Sasquatch Books • 800-775-0817 • www. Sasquatchbooks.com
About the author:
Lynda Barry—a writer, painter, teacher, and illustrator—writes the nationally syndicated
comic “Ernie Pook’s Comeek” and is the author of numerous books including The
Greatest of Marlys, Cruddy, The Freddie Stories, and The Good Times are Killing Me.
Barry was born in 1956 and first began drawing comics in 1977 while attending The
Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington. She lives in Evanston, Illinois.