SelfMadeHero’s New Season Of Books – Kusama, Bowie, Butterflies And Angling

Always a great publisher, always pushing things in the medium, SelfMadeHero have just announced their new quartet of books for Spring 2025.

The new spring release slate from SelfMadeHero features four great looking books, taking us from another Art Masters book from Simon Elliott, this time on queen of the polka dots, Yayoi Kasama; through a colouring book and environmental tale of the monarch butterfly by the acclaimed Peter Kuper; another look at the life and work of David Bowie by Reinhard Kleist, following his own Starman book, with this one concentrating on the great man’s Berlin Years in Low; and finally the always inventive Gareth Brookes adapting one of the earliest environmental books, Izaak’s Walton‘s The Compleat Angler.

Kusama: Polka Dot Queen by Simon Elliott.

UK publication date: 10th April (US release: 20th May)

‘Following on from his previous works on David Hockney and Vincent Van Gogh, we are very happy to welcome Simon Elliott to our Art Masters series with Kusama: Polka Dot Queen.

‘A vivid portrayal of the life of Yayoi Kusama—Queen of Polka Dots, creator of infinity—from her unusual childhood to international artistic acclaim

‘From her days in 1960s New York as a proponent of free love and peace to her current position as internationally recognised Queen of Polka Dots and creator of infinity, Yayoi Kusama’s life is an extraordinary story of triumph over struggle through art.

‘Elliott’s new graphic novel vividly portrays Kusama’s unusual youth and family troubles, her discovery of a new style of painting, her struggles with mental illness, and her rise to international art stardom. For those seeking an introduction to this incredible artist or searching for a fresh take on her story – this is Yayoi Kusama’s life as you’ve never seen it before.’

Monarch’s Journey: A Story to Color by Peter Kuper (North America only)

US publication date: 29th April.

‘After his Eisner-winning eco drama Ruins successfully returned in paperback last year, Peter Kuper is back with Monarch’s Journey: a colour-in story about this beloved but endangered butterfly and the environmental challenges it faces on its yearly flights.’

‘A 48-page color-in story about the monarch butterfly, its migration, and the environmental challenges it faces along the way

‘Monarch’s Journey distinguishes itself from other coloring books through its narrative: the plight of the monarch butterfly as it struggles to navigate and survive the environmental changes of our modern world. Drawing upon Eisner-winner Peter Kuper’s legacy as a cartoonist and insect conservation advocate, Monarch’s Journey is a visual, interactive parable for adults and children alike that speaks to the perseverance needed to survive in the natural world and our role in influencing it.’

Low: Bowie’s Berlin Years by Reinhard Kleist.

UK publication date: 22nd May (US publication date: 8th July)

‘Having explored the stardust years in Starman, the legendary Reinhard Kleist concludes his Bowie duology with Low, detailing the former Thin White Duke’s legendary time in Berlin as he searches for inspiration and records his 1977 album Low.

‘In 1976, David Bowie escaped the frantic madness and substance abuse of his life in Los Angeles for the Wall of the divided city of Berlin. With his friend Iggy Pop in tow, Bowie quit drugs and created LOW, the first album of his “Berlin Trilogy”. But even here, during some of the happiest days of his life, Ziggy Stardust would not let him go…’

‘Low follows Bowie’s forays through West Berlin’s revolutionary music scene and wild club life, and takes us deep into his recording sessions at Hansa Studios. The friendship between Bowie and Iggy drives both artists to new creative heights, while Bowie’s relationship with the cabaret artist and drag icon Romy Haag illuminates his fascination with Berlin as a city on the brink.

‘Kleist’s Low is both a retelling of Bowie’s Berlin years and a vibrant portrait of the city itself.’

The Compleat Angler by Izaak Walton, adapted by Gareth Brookes.

UK release date: 19th June (US release date: 17th June)

‘An ambitious multimedia adaptation of a well-known and much-beloved classic of 17th-century literature, fit for lovers of art, nature, and the philosophy of fishing.

‘In 2021 Gareth Brookes gave the world The Dancing Plague – no, not the plague itself, but a graphic novel the New York Times called “visually stunning … With fire and needle, Brookes crafts a book the likes of which we’ve never seen before.” This year Brookes returns with another mixed-media masterpiece: his graphic adaptation of Izaak Walton’s Civil War-era classic The Compleat Angler.

‘A foundational environmentalist text centuries ahead of its time, The Compleat Angler is one of the most reprinted books in the English language. From the ruins of the English Civil War to the challenges we all face today, Gareth Brookes’s highly original multimedia adaptation of Izaak Walton’s classic focuses on its instructional aspects, highlights its eccentricities and contemplative themes of nature and friendship, and draws parallels between today’s politically divided and ecologically endangered England and that of the 17th century.

‘Following Brookes’s similarly ambitious The Dancing Plague, this adaptation is lovingly rendered in both linocut engraving and hand-drawn pen-and-ink to contrast the meditative and the instructional in Walton’s writing. As a guidebook on how to fish, this 350-year-old manual makes the perfect gift for any angling enthusiast, and its reflective writing connects with post-pandemic desires for calm, mindful pursuits and a return to nature.’