Atangan, Patrick

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Atangan, Patrick

PERSONAL: Male.

ADDRESSES: Home—WA. Office—c/o Author Mail, NBM Publishing, 555 Eighth Ave., Suite 1202, New York, NY 10018.

CAREER: Writer and illustrator.

AWARDS, HONORS: Two Will Eisner Comic Industry Award nominations for Best Graphic Album, 2003, and New York Public Library Books for the Teen Age designation, 2004, all for The Yellow Jar.

WRITINGS:

The Yellow Jar: Two Tales from Japanese Tradition, NBM Publishing (New York, NY), 2002.

The Silk Tapestry and Other Chinese Folktales, NBM Publishing (New York, NY), 2004.

WORK IN PROGRESS: A book of Eastern Indian tales.

SIDELIGHTS: In 2003 Patrick Atangan made a promising debut on the graphic-novel scene with The Yellow Jar: Two Tales from Japanese Tradition. In this full-color book for adults and teens, the author-illustrator depicts two traditional Japanese tales using the bold colors and stylized figures of the ukiyoe or "floating world" woodcut style made famous by such Japanese artists as Utamaro and Hiroshige. In the story "The Yellow Jar" a fisherman finds a sea princess floating in a yellow jar, marries her, and later tries to rescue her from a demon warrior, while in the second tale, "Two Chrysanthemum Maidens," two sister blossoms suffer a sad fate. School Library Journal reviewer Steve Weiner found the stories "charming," and Hillias J. Martin wrote in the same periodical that Atangan's drawings are "lively" and reflect the illustrator's "keen sense of detail." Library Journal critic Steve Raiteri also applauded The Yellow Jar, calling it a "remarkable and unique book." Some reviewers expressed reservations about the volume, Martin judging the stories "anticlimatic," and Booklist reviewer Ray Olson complaining of "gaffes" in the text. Despite this complaint, Olson concluded that the book's graphic appeal outweighs such errors. Writing for Time.com, Andrew Arnold noted: "Beautiful to look at and a delight to read The Yellow Jar made for a knockout debut."

Atangan has expanded his first book into what he has since called the "Songs of Our Ancestors" series, graphic works based on Eastern art and literature. In The Silk Tapestry and Other Chinese Folktales the author/illustrator draws on Chinese literature and influences from scroll paintings and drawings to produce an "equally stylish rendition" featuring "painstakingly detailed" drawings, according to Booklist contributor Gordon Flagg. The first tale is a brief creation story; other tales include the tale of a woman who saves a river spirit and a story about young artists whose paintings come alive. While a Publishers Weekly reviewer found Atagan's writing "cliched" and the artwork "stereotypical," he applauded the author's "attention to authentic clothes and architecture." Writing for Library Journal, Raiteri dubbed The Silk Tapestry an "equally fine follow-up and new addition to the series."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, December 15, 2002, Ray Olson, review of The Yellow Jar: Two Tales from Japanese Tradition, p. 717; November 15, 2004, Gordon Flagg, review of The Silk Tapestry and Other Chinese Folktales, p. 572.

Bookwatch, February, 2005, review of The Silk Tapestry and Other Chinese Folktales.

Library Journal, March 1, 2003, Steve Raiteri, review of The Yellow Jar, p. 72; January 1, 2005, Steve Raiteri, review of The Silk Tapestry and Other Chinese Folktales, p. 87.

Publishers Weekly, November 22, 2004, review of The Silk Tapestry and Other Chinese Folktales, p. 40.

School Library Journal, April, 2003, Hillias J. Martin, review of The Yellow Jar, pp. 171-172; October, 2003, Steve Weiner, review of The Yellow Jar, p. 31.