99 Problems: Superstars Have Bad Days, Too

By: Ali Graham

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Synopsis: Poor Superstar. All the money and fame in the world won&’t prevent him from having a bad hair day. Or stepping in gum. Or not being able to fit into skinny jeans, or watching helplessly as a scoop of ice cream falls from its cone. Or so an unnamed Superstar&’s life is ingeniously imagined in this very funny book. Inspired by but not based on Jay Z&’s monster hit &“99 Problems,&” illustrator Ali Graham riffs on what might be the real problems afflicting a world-famous music mogul who also happens to be married to the foremost diva of our time. Begun as a Tumblr, which went viral almost instantly, 99 Problems is a highly conceptual gift book showcasing 99 full-color illustrations of a cartoon character who looks just like a certain legendary rapper, and the often ordinary and sometimes fantastical things that happen to him. And that&’s where the book finds its hilarious, compulsive hook—in an age that worships celebrity and assumes, somewhat enviously, that fame and fortune can protect one from life&’s travails, what if that just weren&’t true? There&’s a surprising, underlying warmth here. Even when the author dips into flights of pop culture fantasy—Superstar on the bow of the Titanic; Superstar whipping up a bad batch alongside Walter White from Breaking Bad—the recognition of shared kinship is strong. It&’s a cartoon version of celebrity, but like the best cartoons, it&’s edgy and knowing, yet sweet, too.