To sit and talk with Richard Fairgray is a journey, one I always look forward to, typically over a couple of drinks at a dive bar in Hollywood. You are permitted to ride a wave through his anecdotal memories, to muse with him on the possibilities and dead ends of art, to regale in the work, the seamlessly endless work. There is self-giving life in the simple and exhausting act of work and creation. Why would one ever want to stop?

In his new one-shot, Ambitious Failures, the reader will feel like they’re sitting across from Fairgray listening to him divulge, share, impart, wander, and reflect like I’ve had the pleasure of doing.

Richard Fairgray is one of the best storytellers in the comic book/graphic novel format that I know, and even if I didn’t know him personally, I’d still be blown away by his understanding of the artform, and resilience to give into any sort of easy way to perform upon the page. Every image leaves me in awe. Every turn of the page is a turn of the screw, digging just a little deeper and surprising me every time.

Ambitious Failures is a dance. A dance between his train of thought both in text and also visually. A weight-lifter will push themselves to add an extra 50 pounds, but they always have a spotter on hand if they happen to fail. Fairgray pushes the visual medium in this book, and there’s no one there to help him if it should all come crashing down. He doesn’t need it. He’s prepared to die on that page. I think maybe you need to be prepared to die in order to fly like he does with this book. With thoughtfulness, whimsy, and his trademark clever self-awareness, the book is a visual landscape of Fairgray literally navigating his chosen artform and how he chooses to live. It’s not only inspiring in a “Damn, I need to get some creating done,” but also in a “Damn, I need to get some living done.”

This is a 21-page journey worth taking. Earlier, I asked, “Why would one ever want to stop?” The only unfortunate thing about this book is when you come to the two simple words: The End. The good news is, you finish knowing that in two weeks, he’ll have another book to share.

Creative Team: Richard Fairgray (writer, artist, letterer, colorist, the whole she-bang)
Publisher: Richard Sux
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