In February 2004, the San Francisco Chronicle began printing an enigmatic feature called “All Over Coffee.” Almost immediately, letters of love and hate, confusion and praise poured in. Accustomed to the familiar formats of comic strips and cartoons, some readers struggled to understand a creation that seemed to live both within and beyond those boundaries.
 All Over Coffee blends the timing of comics with the depth of poetry. Artist and writer Paul Madonna has fused art, literature, and comics by pairing timeless cityscapes with philosophical musings and poignant stories in masterfully rendered ink-wash drawings that surpass the art of Ben Katchor in elegance and architectural detail. His work has been compared to “a meeting of the tone of Edward Gorey, the uniqueness of Chris Ware, and the artfulness of Raymond Pettibon.”
Quirky, whimsical, and often profound, All Over Coffee’s stunning imagery and thoughtful writing combine to create a conceptual world, both dreamlike and familiar. This selection will delight anyone who has ever lived in or visited San Francisco—or dreamed of doing so—with its original, off-the-beaten-path view of the city and its inhabitants.
 Paul Madonna moved to San Francisco and began to self-publish comics after graduating from Carnegie Mellon University’s fine arts program and an internship at MAD magazine. In 2002 he launched his incredibly popular website, www.paulmadonna.com, posting a new cartoon each week. In 2004 the San Francisco Chronicle and SFGate.com picked up his strip “All Over Coffee,” which continues to appear weekly.

All Over Coffee

Arts & Photography

Madonna, Paul

History & Criticism

City Lights Publishers

The third and final volume of All Over Coffee presents some of the most beloved and never-before-collected pieces from the weekly series. Originally published in the San Francisco Chronicle, this timeless work, which includes collaborations with many prize-winning authors, is now collected for the first time into a new gorgeous hardcover edition. 
"[Paul] Madonna, Bayview-based artist, illustrator, writer and award-winning author, is renowned for his long-running city-inspired comic strip series ‘All Over Coffee.’ Once described by Madonna as ‘a comic strip without the comic,’ the series paired intricate sketches of The City—a street corner, a view of Alcatraz or a deserted alleyway—with poignant, poetic text. The infusion of art and literature challenged typical comic strip conventions, attracting a regional cult following and setting Madonna on a path of artistic discovery. The third and final installment [of the series], You Know Exactly, launched this month." 
—San Francisco Examiner 
"All Over Coffee was in many ways a gift to the city. It immortalized the San Francisco that locals see every day; not the one most commonly depicted in movies and on TV. Because of its grounding in familiar corners, sidewalks and liquor stores, Madonna's art can also ask viewers to explore their own psyche, or to suspend their disbelief, or to go on a journey with him they weren't expecting. And sometimes, just sometimes, it'll be so close to home, you'll think he's made a personal visit." 
—KQED Arts & Culture 
"[A]n impressive coffee-table style volume, You Know Exactly, the Third Collection of All Over Coffee is an inherently fascinating book to browse through." 
—Midwest Book Review 
You Know Exactly enigmatically melds art, story, and travel to capture the profundity reflected outside and resting deep within the soul. With original writings plus collaborations with award-winning writers including Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Cheryl Strayed, Andrew Sean Greer, Robert Olen Butler, Kristen Tracy, Daniel Handler (otherwise known as Lemony Snicket), and more, artist and writer Paul Madonna pairs words with exquisitely rendered cityscapes to create a poignant, thought-provoking showpiece. Each page offers something unique: short stories, poems, fleeting thoughts, and one-liners displayed alongside pen and ink drawings that travel from San Francisco to New York, from Paris to Tokyo. The effect coalesces into a mesmerizing work that you’ll want to return to again and again.

You Know Exactly, the Third Collection of All Over Coffee

Individual Artists

West Margin Press

The Commissions (Emit Hopper Mysteries, 3)

Get ready for a rollicking and irresistible new mystery from award-winning artist and author Paul Madonna. 
Amsterdam, 2019—following the conclusion of Come to Light. Former rock star-turned-artist Emit Hopper’s life has taken yet another strange turn. His old friend, the legendary San Francisco private detective Ronnie Gilbert, is dead, and his killer has just been acquitted. But when a disheveled acquaintance from Ronnie’s past walks into Emit’s shop, a puzzling mystery resurfaces, twenty years cold. 
We’re transported back to San Francisco, 1999, when Emit and Ronnie first met. Emit has returned to taking commissions drawing people’s houses, only to be strong-armed by a shady police lieutenant into acting as her off-the-books spy. On top of that, a strange young woman claiming to be his daughter refuses to leave him alone. From there unfolds an intricate tale of corruption and murder that leads to an explosive scandal, with consequences that, two decades hence, are finally revealed. 
From the world of the Emit Hopper Mystery series, The Commissions kicks off the origin story of what promises to be an unforgettable new eccentric detective, Ronnie Gilbert. In a mystery filled with suspense and surprises around every corner, Paul Madonna brings to life the last days of San Francisco before the turn of the millennium with dozens of his signature pen-and-ink drawings.

Come to Light (Emit Hopper Mystery Series)

<ul> <li>Come to Light is three volumes of secrets, deceit, murder, and above all, a pursuit of whisky, art and books. Paul Madonna has taken No Reservations, The Goldfinch, and the classic detective novel, thrown them into a blender, and whipped up an addictive and memorable cocktail of a book.</li> <li>A quick-paced fiction murder mystery (Elmore Leonard style) full of memorable, eccentric characters.</li> <li>Not a graphic novel, rather an illustrated novel, with a museum quality package that is a portable and collectible keepsake.</li> <li>Of interest and the perfect gift for fans of: art; lit; noir; detective fiction; travel fiction; and mysteries.</li> <li>Author is very popular and has a devoted fan base who will be supportive of this new work. Paul's distinctive art can be seen on packaging and promos for popular brands like Tacolicious and Anchor Steam.</li> <li>Each volume works independently, and each volume's art helps to tell the story and plunges the reader into the story in real time. The first volume's art is sketches, the second's is sketches of another artist's sculptures, and the third's art is finished drawings from the first volume, tying the stories together.</li> <li>Includes scenes in Lisbon, Barcelona, Rome, Venice, the South of France, and Amsterdam. Images unfold as we watch them being made--a new and interesting approach to the illustrated novel.</li> <li>Part of a growing series and a fictional "world" that will include serialization and numerous spinoff storylines.</li> <li>True historical events, as told to the author/artist, were woven into the story. These include: a landowner smuggling Jewish people out under the nose of the Germans, and of the landowner who was killed by locals for informing on him, and a story of the last days of Saigon, of the underground railroad to get south Vietnamese civilians visas into the states, as well as Ambassador Martin's being thrown onto a transport because he wouldn't leave.</li> </ul>

Comics & Graphic Novels

Manga

Literature & Fiction

Genre Fiction

Emit Hopper was a one-hit wonder—twice. First as a rock and roller in the 80s, then as a literary darling in the 90s. Now it's twenty years later, and despite his desire to remain a simple laundromat owner, stardom has found him once again. As he’s drawn back into the limelight he meets Julia, a former celebrity chef with a dark past. But when she disappears while hiking with two other women, Emit finds himself chasing down a mystery that promises to leave him forever changed. With his signature blend of drawing and storytelling, Paul Madonna (All Over Coffee, Everything is its own reward) delivers a beautiful and entertaining novel filled with suspense, surprise, and humor. Paired with over a hundred lush and haunting drawings from Thailand to Japan, Close Enough for the Angels is a profound visual and narrative ride.

Close Enough for the Angels

Petty Curse Books

From award-winning artist and author Paul Madonna comes an electrifying mystery novel full of unexpected plot twists, lively characters, and over one hundred lush drawings. Presented in an innovative three-volume boxed set, Come to Light is a gripping page-turner that weaves an intoxicating tale of love, murder, books and art. Featured as a CrimeReads "Daily Thrill" "Almost any book is sure to please the bookish, but a book that can pique the interest of bibliophiles is as precious as a padparadscha sapphire. Here are some such gems. . . Artist and author Paul Madonna pens a mystery novel full of unexpected plot twists and lively characters accompanied by more than 100 strikingly rendered drawings that bring this novel to life. This tale of love, murder, books, and art is presented in a three-volume box set. --Publishers Weekly "Blown away by Paul Madonna's new book Come to Light. [Madonna] blends a mystery novel with his usual stunning artwork--highly recommended." --Mike Krieger, co-founder and former CTO of Instagram Come to Light is a fresh and original mystery with an unusual detective: Emit Hopper, a former rock star turned author and artist. Six years ago, Emit's wife, Julia, went missing. Now the remains of her two hiking companions have been found buried in the California wilderness. But the discovery raises more questions than answers, so with his love for classic detective books and rye whiskey, Emit sets out across Europe chasing down clues, sketchbook in hand. Quickly, Emit finds himself embroiled in a plot far larger than he could have imagined: he becomes a target of a State Department investigation, gets entangled in an international ring of art thefts, and discovers his own artwork stolen. He meets an exuberant French nobleman, a murderous five-year-old, and a bohemian Roman heiress. From the Venice Biennale to the flooding of Piazza Navona, you'll find yourself laughing, gasping, and drawing right alongside Emit as he travels through some of the most beautiful regions of Europe, unraveling a suspense-filled and surprisingly tangled mystery. Replete with strikingly rendered drawings that bring this exquisite and intriguing novel to life, Come to Light is the thrilling follow-up to the adventures of Emit Hopper, which debuted in Close Enough for the Angels.

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Madonna, Paul. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by Madonna, Paul

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by Madonna, Paul. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

All Over Coffee

You Know Exactly, the Third Collection of All Over Coffee

The Commissions (Emit Hopper Mysteries, 3)

Come to Light (Emit Hopper Mystery Series)

The Commissions (Emit Hopper Mysteries, 3)

Close Enough for the Angels

Come to Light (Emit Hopper Mystery Series)