Rust Belt

Rob Clough, of the Comics Journal, wrote of Sean Knickerbocker's first graphic novel, Killbuck (One Percent Press) that, "With this book, Knickerbocker's true style has emerged... ...Knickerbocker's ability to modulate emotion and mood from the extremes of violence to dealing with sheer boredom is his greatest talent."Rust Belt collects Sean Knickerbocker's series of related short stories set in the streets, the suburbs and the exurbs of a post-industrial, American city. He eschews sensationalism for intimacy, never judging or excusing, and keeps a neutral eye on his characters. Sean Knickerbocker's comics have been published in the award-wining literary journal, Ecotone, and the popular comics anthology series, Irene. He is a frequent contributor to the Nib. Sean's illustration clients include Minnesota State University Mankato's Creative Writing Center, Third Point Press, Minneapolis's 410 Project and the Children's Museum of Southern Minnesota. Sean Knickerbocker is also a co-founder of Good Pals Printing.

About the Author :
Sean Knickerbocker is a cartoonist, illustrator, and printer. He graduated from the Center For Cartoon Studies in 2012. His comics have appeared in Ecotone, Irene, and the Nib among other publications. He is a native of West Valley, New York and currently lives in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Review :
"It’s obvious Knickerbocker knows his subject matter well, and he’s skillful in the way he captures not only the experience of his central characters but the way they affect people around them. It’s a community that Knickerbocker is concerned with in Rust Belt and there is some interconnectedness with characters’ appearances in more than one story, but he’s also delving into the way personal experience can obscure a view of wider issues and obstruct the ability to create solutions for yourself. And it’s all rendered in a way that is far from depressing — it’s relatability is reassuring and its tone is even friendly, though moments can certainly jolt you in their honesty and stab you with your own recognition of them." — The Beat "Sean Knickerbocker’s stories are bleak. Characters in his comics become trapped with people they’d rather not know in places they’d rather not be, weighed down with memories they’d just as soon throw in a burn pit. So, in all this darkness, what sticks out about his illustrations is just how unassuming they are… …It’s grim yet graceful, apocalyptic yet nostalgic, dark yet deadpan. — Fear No Lit "Knickerbocker's comics have always struck me as what happens when the teens from Chuck Forsman's comics grow up and have to deal with real life… …It's a story about patterns repeating, again and again, and the title of the series is indicative of that certain sense of hopelessness and being one of, as Hunter Thompson would say it, the Doomed… …Knickerbocker walks the tight rope of empathizing with his down-on-their-luck characters (they are not played up for sport) and excusing their actions."  — High-Low "Rust Belt tells the story of David, a toe-haired fella who struggles with the bottle. Um, that’s kind of it. And it works. How it works is by not adding any theatre to the world of addiction. Everything about this comic is fairly ordinary and in this sense, it’s the ideal presentation of an entirely unglamorous affliction… … It comes off as highly relatable for anybody who’s ever had to grind through something and not crest on any sense of sensationalism–good, bad or otherwise." — Broken Pencil "Knickerbocker’s dialogue is concise and authentic, his illustrations raw and expressive, and his palette of blacks, whites, blues, and grays well-considered and emotive. This is one cartoonist very much worth keeping an eye on." — Four Color Apocalypse