Starting as a hardscrabble misfit and minister's son in the Bible Belt, followed by a stint as a suburban So-Cal Black punk, and onward to bicycle-obsessed, graphic novelist and dad in Oakland, Steady Rollin' is a portrait of the author in time-lapse. His memoir is composed of vignettes, uncovering his origins as an artist, exploring relationships past and present, ruminating on trauma and loss, and ultimately finding his place in the flow of life. Noland employs styles that capture the essence of the moment and dialogue that reflects the multi-layered complexities and challenges of communication. Steady Rollin' is an autobiographical anthology stitched together by years of work across styles that range from the sharp and detailed renderings for his New Yorker pieces to dreamier representations from his childhood. His reflections are at turns absurd, bitingly funny, and poignant. With its investigation the into the cycle of life from the Before Times to The New Normal, Steady Rollin' documents a world and a life in transition.

Author: Fred Noland
Binding Type: Paperback
Publisher: Birdcage Bottom
Published: 04/11/2023
Pages: 224
Weight: 0.7lbs
Size: 7.70h x 6.20w x 1.00d
ISBN: 9781957795911


Review Citation(s):
Publishers Weekly 04/03/2023

About the Author
Fred Noland's specialty is visual storytelling, whether in animation, comics, or illustration. Noland's comics have appeared in The New Yorker, Popula, and the East Bay Express. His illustrations have appeared in LA Weekly, Nickelodeon Jr., Xbox Magazine, Revolver, Canoe & Kayak, and more. He was the chief artist on the animated short series "Priced Out" which has been shown world-wide. In the year 2000 he was awarded a Xeric Grant for his one-man anthology Shpilkes. He is currently working on his first graphic novel, Major Taylor, for Drawn & Quarterly. This biography tells the story of Marshall "Major" Taylor, the first Black World Champion in road cycling, who became one of the first international sports stars.The youngest of three and the literal son of a preacher man, Fred Noland was raised in a very southern, very religious household. He spent his formative years in the Houston exurbs before returning to his birthplace in Ventura, California, a beach suburb just north of Los Angeles. There was a half dozen other black kids in a graduating class of three hundred. So...yeah...He discovered and embraced Underground Comics and found a sense of belonging in that community. He has produced a steady stream of his own esoteric, punk-flavored, minicomics and haunted the margins of the indie scene for decades. Fred lives in Oakland, California, where he is an avid but unremarkable cyclist and a proud poppa.