http://andalittlewine.blogspot.com/2013/01/review-postcards-true-stories-that.ht....

Postcards: True Stories That Never Happened is a graphic novel short story collection, built around a premise that I love- each author (or collaborative team) in the collection was given a vintage postcard, and then asked to write a story about how the postcard came to be.

The trouble with postcards is that they're too short. What's there time to say, really? Hello, how are you, all's well, see you soon.

And that's the trouble with the short stories, too.

It's not so much that the 16 stories are bad (though a couple are) or boring (though a few of them are). It's that all of them drift towards the predictable. For everyday life to look interesting, we have to see enough of it to appreciate the tension the characters feel.

I think about American Splendor, Harvey Pekar's opus. Here we see Harvey fretting is way through life: his bills, his marriage, his job, his art. Any of them would be boring without the context that helps us understand that Harvey is consumed by being Harvey.

And I don't get that feeling from more than one or two of these stories. The best one, Joshua Hale Fialkov and Micah Farritor's "Homesick", follow a couple trying to live the sweet life in Paris during the Great Depression. The tension between the husband and wife is palpable- the realization that the dream they have achieved might not be a thing that can make them both happy, and the unspoken wondering when it will end and how.

I also enjoyed "The Midnight Caller's Holiday in Hades" by Robert Tinnell and illustrated by Brendand and Brian Fraim, about a superhero, told in the style of an old-time radio broadcase. Tom Beland's "Time," about a man who knows he is about to die and how he has come to peace with that, offers the sort of vanilla heaven that plagues The Night Bookmobile, but at least I was interested in the characters.

Which is, sadly, more than I can say for the rest of the collection. A great premise, inexpertly executed. ( )

I bought this book a few years ago at SDCC and I finally got around to reading it. Writers and artists come together to tell stories based off of older postcards and the messages written on them. It's an interesting exercise, and the stories range from sweet romances to creepy murder mysteries, histories and childhoods to campy superheros. My two favorites were "A Joyous Eastertide," a man's memory of his devoted stepmother, who had Tourette's Syndrome, and "Meet Me Tonight in Dreamland," a story of a lost romance, discovered only after a funeral unearths an old, hidden postcard. There are a couple of stories/artwork that is hit-and-miss, but overall I enjoyed this collection so much, particularly compared to other collections like Comic Book Ink. There's a lot more to relate to in this collection, and it will have you thinking about the stories behind postcards... and those that could have been! ( )

Art created from found objects. Postcards can be telling yet cryptic - there's not much room to write a message. This story in this collection of graphic stories starts with an old postcard and builds off of the text and pictures. Some were great, but as a whole, the collection fell a little flat for me. Definitely enjoyable, though. ( )

Ever found a folded-up, trampled-on, mud-soaked note in the middle of the Target parking lot? Did it say something like “See u at 5:00. Bring your sponge!”? And did you find yourself really wanting to know who the intended recipient was, the purpose of this recipient’s early-evening rendezvous, why in God’s name he or she needed a sponge, and if they’d actually remembered to bring one? If so, or if something close to that has happened to you, I may have a book for you. Postcards is a collection of graphically told stories inspired by real found postcards. Editor Jason Rodriguez has unearthed them from who-knows-where and passed them off to different artists, who, using their individual styles, have postulated on the stories behind them. Conceptually brilliant and perfectly executed, this book brings the reader into the midst of the creative process, allowing him or her to see how the artists draw on misspellings, handwriting, initials, or idiosyncratic phrasings in order to generate a heart-breaking, shocking, or triumphant graphic tale for our enjoyment. This is a must for anyone interested in graphic storytelling…or in nosey speculation.

Notes:
Graphic anthology with a creative twist. Starting from an old, sent postcard the author works in reverse and creates a fictionalized story about the potential characters and story behind the card. Each story begins with the photo of the actual card and a brief note about where it is from or any significant note about its acquisition. Fascinating read.