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Erik Johnson is a graphic artist from the Northern Midwest who's lived in Rhode Island, Hawaii, and New York. His illustrations have appeared in the New Yorker, Rolling Stone Magazine, and Wired. His comics have been featured in Los Angeles Magazine, The New York Times, and Nozone. He collaborated on the hybrid novel/graphic novel Original Fake with author Kirstin Cronn-Mills for Penguin Books, and he co-published the experimental Kozmo-Knot the Never-Ending Comic Book with Uncivilized Books. Tsu and The Outliers is his first complete graphic novel.
"""There's an odd story structure here that keeps the reader off balance. It starts in the middle of an action scene and eschews conventional pacing and three-act structure. The book also defies the typical hero's journey and gives every character murky motivations. Is the scientist good or evil, or is that classification meaningless? Is Tsu a hero or simply someone in the wrong place at the wrong time? Is Tsu entering a dangerous world with unknown terrain, or is he finally traveling into territory where he can finally be understood? Johnson keeps this all delightfully vague and is aided by his dynamic, scratchy line. The professor jumps around like a Jack Kirby character and the action is larger-than-life in that Kirby style. The single-color wash serves to highlight the dense quality of the line rather than bleed over it, making it just one more slightly off-kilter thing about this odd, compelling book."" -- Rob Clough, HighLow Comics Tsu's loneliness and isolation, and the sweetness of the bond with his unlikely friend, are both poignant and potent.--Kirkus Reviews Tsu and the Outliers is an interesting look at a new type of superhero: a young non-verbal boy who is able to communicate with a creature that his world is afraid of. There are some interesting discussion points when it comes to bullying since Tsu is judged by his classmates because of his disability. [...] Overall, the story is pretty crazy (in a good way), and the end of the book sets up for a definite sequel which I NEED [...]--Unleashing Readers ""E Eero Johnson is one of the most talented illustrators working today - it's exciting to watch him become one of the most talented comic artists."" --Yuko Shimizu, A Wild Swan, Barbed Wire Baseball ""E Eero Johnson draws you into a world deeper & darker than the Black Forest."" --Nicholas Blechman, Fresh Dialogue One: New Voices in Graphic Design, 100% EVIL, Nozone IX: EMPIRE ""One wild and wooly adventure, it's like Alan Moore and Gary Panter had a love child, rivaling Stranger Things for its beautiful thrills. This is a treasure."" -- Toby Barlow"
