"Both Kurosawa and Scott are storytellers who can work on an intimate scale or on grand epics, but the focus is always on the individual, on characters, and that is what makes them succeed." -- Stan Sakai, from the introduction


"The union of a biography about a master filmmaker [Akira Kurosawa] to a story about a family learning to let go is just genius. The levels of emotion and mood that intertwine in this brilliant story sandwich are mouth watering and intoxicatingly fulfilling. I am blown away. Scott's unique graphic style is a joy to ponder, as is his prose. His sense of color affectively evokes emotions that compliment his writing effortlessly and prophetically." -- Mark Andrews, Annie Award winning storyboard artist of THE IRON GIANT, SPIDER-MAN THE MOVIE, and SAMURAI JACK


"As a fan of Kurosawa and Morse and movies and comic books, this is about all I could ask for." -- Scott Mosier, Producer of CLERKS, CHASING AMY, GOOD WILL HUNTING, JERSEY GIRL


A heartwarming story of a young girl befriended by an extraordinary boy, as her family recovers from a tragedy while on vacation in Hawaii. Their lives are forever changed as they explore the island and themselves. Swimming in themes of loss and loneliness, as well as happiness and hope, this genuinely touching tale is book ended by a full-color rumination on the life and work of legendary Japanese filmmaker, Akira Kurosawa. In this unique format, the central story’s themes reflect those of the filmmaker -- told through B&W half-toned, fully-painted art -- creating an absolutely beautiful and powerful masterpiece of contemporary biographical fiction. THE BAREFOOT SERPENT will be offered as a 128-page graphic novel, in the same size and format as The Little Golden Books of old, and features an introduction by Stan "Usagi Yojimbo" Sakai, and an afterword by the author. This is without question Scott’s most unique and ambitious graphic novel to date, and Top Shelf is honored to be the chosen publisher. -- 128 pages with two full-color sections, Diamond: STAR19511