True Story, Swear to God: Chances Are

by Tom Beland

Life is about chances. What are the chances of going to a theme park, on the other side of the coast... and meeting a person who will change your life as you know it? What are the chances of this person living on the island of San Juan, Puerto Rico, some 9,000 miles from your home in Napa Valley, California? What are the chances of a long-distance relationship such as this lasting very long?
If you're California cartoonist Tom Beland and Puerto...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1932051090
• ISBN13: 9781932051094
• Release Date: March 2003
• Publisher: Ait/Planetlar
• Length: 176 Pages
• Weight: 0.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 6.6" x 10.3"
• Age Range: 13 to 16 years
• Grade Range: Grades 8 to 11

Customer Reviews

A lovely and unique little comic..

This is a firm and welcomed break from the abundance of superhero comics saturating the market. Instead, Beland has created a gentle and romantic little work, chartering the development of his relationship with a Puerto Rican radio DJ he met at a bustop in Disneyland. The artwork is light and likable and Beland is funny, warm, uncontainably romantic and eager to examine his own faults. While this is unlikely to revolutionise the comic genre, it is quick and likable and a complete break from whatever you may have read.

A hidden gem

Even if I wouldn't see myself in almost every page of this description of a long-distance love story, I'd be a fan of this book. It's funny at times, then hearbreaking, then thought provoking. Both the art and the writing are highly professional, Mr. Beland is truly ready for the big times.If you like books like Love & Rockets, Strangers in Paradise, Les Aventures Extraordinaires de Lapinot, you'll love this.Just buy the book already, 'kay??

A beautiful, witty book

My wife and I were at this book's presentation at a library in San Juan the other day - bought it on the spot - read it the same day - IT'S GREAT!!!California-bred Tom Beland shows us, in cartoons (a.k.a. comic book), how he met his future wife, Puerto Rican journalist Lily García (they worked togetheer from the second thru the fourth section of this book)). How they "clicked" and fell in love immediately, the doubts, the hopes and backstories of their romance... it's all here, from the moment they met "in a Magical Kingdom" (guess where that is) to the moment he first visits Puerto Rico and starts falling in love with the local culture... The book doesn't carry the story up to date, but since it is part of a series, it will come in an upcoming issue.If you want to fall in love all over again with your spouse, read this one together. If you want to have a better understanding of Puerto Rican culture thru wit, read this one. Tom Beland's drawings and writing are sharp, lucid and funny... this book is to be read and treasured.