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Troy Little is an Eisner-nominated artist who took on the monumental task of adapting the American counterculture classic Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, written by world renowned Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, into a graphic novel. Teaming with Top Shelf and IDW, Little has crafted a comic that sticks to the storyline of the book […]

Comics artist Troy Little has landed a deal with IDW Publishing. Little plans to adapt the Hunter S. Thompson novel, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas: A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream.

The publisher has partnered with the Thompson estate for this project. Top Shelf Productions, an IDW imprint, has scheduled the release date for October 2015.

Thompson’s book was initially published as a two-part series in 1971 by Rolling Stone magazine. According to the press release, the story “follows Thompson analogue Raoul Duke on the mother of all Vegas benders, as he and his attorney Dr. Gonzo cover a motorcycle race, crash a drug-enforcement convention, and rack up obscenely large room-service bills, all while dosed to the gills on a truly spectacular assortment of mind-altering substances.”

Hunter S. Thompson’s birth of the gonzo memoir fear and Loathing in Las Vegas is getting a comics adaptation from Xeric-winning, Eisner nominated artist Troy Little (Chiarascuro). Created in cooperation with the Thompson estate, the book is due this October from Top Shelf. Notably, it’s also the first book to be an “IDW/Top Shelf” production as Little has a prior relationship with IDW 9(they also published his Angora Napkin. “I’m so pleased that one of the first collaborative projects to come out of the Top Shelf / IDW relationship will be Troy Little’s inspired take on a true classic of American literature,” said Top Shelf Editor-In-Chief Chris Staros. “One of the most unforgettable writers turned loose in one of my favorite cities! We can’t wait to show you what Troy’s done with it.”
 
Thompson’s classic tale follows journo Raoul Duke and attorney Dr. Gonzo on a drug-fueled, prototypical American road trip through the desert backwaters of Vegas.

IDW acquired Top Shelf as an imprint last January, and as most expected the changes to how the long running indie operate have been minimal up until now. This is a promising project, so it’s all good thus far.

Tracey Guest, director of publicity at Simon & Schuster, has been promoted to vice president, director of publicity.

Guest has been with Simon & Schuster since 1998. In her time at the publisher, she has worked on a wide range of books by authors including: Hunter S. Thompson, Bob Woodward, Don Rickles, Mike Birbiglia, Bob Dylan, Paula Deen and Sylvia Nasar. Guest’s most recent publicity campaign was for Jaycee Dugard‘s bestseller, A Stolen Life. Guest began her career at Dutton/Plume in 1991.

In an email, Adam Rothberg, SVP, corporate communications at Simon & Schuster, wrote: “Through it all, Tracey has demonstrated excellent judgment, warmth, spirit, and an ability to make good things happen for our authors in all forms of media.”

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We don’t think animals should be denied the right to get into the Halloween spirit. The video embedded above shares a cornucopia of pet costume ideas for Halloween, but we are building a list literary costume ideas for the galley cat (or dog) in your life.

We suggest: Clifford the Big Red Dog, Curious George, or The Very Hungry Caterpillar. Tweet your literary pet ideas with the hashtag #literarypetcostumes to or share them in the comments section.

The Book Bench hosted the Critterati contest this year, asking owners to submit a photo of their pet dressed like a literary character. Last year’s five winners included a puppy imitating Hunter S. Thompson. This year’s winners will be announced today.

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In 1958, the great Hunter S. Thompson applied for a reporter spot at the Vancouver Sun. The paper reprinted his cover letter, reminding us all that even the most original writers were once looking for work.

Here’s more from the cover letter: “I’ve taken some writing courses from Columbia in my spare time, learned a hell of a lot about the newspaper business, and developed a healthy contempt for journalism as a profession. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a damned shame that a field as potentially dynamic and vital as journalism should be overrun with dullards, bums, and hacks, hag-ridden with myopia, apathy, and complacence, and generally stuck in a bog of stagnant mediocrity. If this is what you’re trying to get The Sun away from, then I think I’d like to work for you.”

Last year, this GalleyCat editor took Thompson‘s novel, The Rum Diary, along on a vacation to Puerto Rico. The video essay embedded above traced Thompson’s footsteps around 1959, when he struggled as a reporter at a Puerto Rican newspaper–one year after his Vancouver application.  (Via Bud Parr)

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