La Perdida

Jessica Abel is the author of "Soundtrack" and "Mirror, Window, " two collections that gather stories and drawings from her comic book "Artbabe, " which she published between 1992 and 1999. She also collaborated with Ira Glass on "Radio: An Illustrated Guide, " a nonfiction comic about how the public radio program This American Life is made. Abel won both the Harvey and Lulu awards for Best New Talent in 1997; "La Perdida" won the 2002 Harvey Award for Best New Series. Abel's young adult novel, "Carmina, " is forthcoming in 2007, and she is currently collaborating on another graphic novel, "Life Sucks, " and a textbook about making comics. "From the Hardcover edition."