The Woman with Fifty Faces: Maria Lani & the Greatest Art Heist That Never Was

A revelatory biographical graphic novel chronicling the elusive life and tumultuous times of Maria Lani.

Publisher Marketing: Its craft is impeccable, especially illustrator Pinson's invocation of the grotesque when depicting horrors and his presentation of some of the styles in which Lani was immortalized.-- "AIPT Comics" Review Quotes : A clever artistic conceit is Lani's full face never being fully revealed except in the drawings of artists. It's in keeping with Zachary J. Pinson's offbeat approach. His characters are glorious exaggerations, each given a distinct visual identity, prime among them his lumpy Abramowicz, and there's no respecting celebrity.-- "Slings & Arrows Graphic Novel Guide" Review Quotes : One of the great art heist or schemes to become famous or fake celebrity that's come out over the years is put together in this beautiful graphic novel. This is an amazing story that would make a great Netflix documentary, but I think looks even better as a comic book and graphic novel.-- "Taylor Talks Comics" Review Quotes : The Woman with Fifty Faces, while a fascinating work of art and history, also touches on the conversation around creative collaborations. The book was an idea 10 years and 5,000 hours in the making - Maria Lani's story finally came together from bits and pieces of info after years of Jonathan's research then brought to life for our eyes by Zachary's visual talent.-- "Art Slice" Review Quotes : Writer Lackman and artist Pinson have transformed Lani's life into a graphic biography. Vivid black-and-white images illustrate the hardships of the Polish Jewry of her birth. They boldly limn the world of 1920s Paris. They give us nightmarish and unforgettable faces. The whole book has the feel of the musical Cabaret , as if illustrated by R. Crumb, or as if Art Spiegelman's Maus were told by Mr. Natural.-- "Kirkus" Review Quotes : Lackman's elegiac narrative pairs beautifully with Pinson's heavily crosshatched drawings, which twist into grotesquery in scenes of bigotry and bloodshed. This tale of ambition, art, and deception sheds light on a fascinating figure and her era.-- "Publishers Weekly" Review Quotes : Mr. Pinson's detailed monochromatic illustrations pair well with Mr. Lackman's evocative text... Most of the renderings of Lani present a partial view or an obscured face--fitting for an enigma in both art and life.-- "Wall Street Journal" Review Quotes : Sometimes graphic biography works to give us an encapsulation of lives familiar to us. Sometimes it broadens our knowledge of its subjects. And sometimes it introduces us to a fascinating story of which we have no prior knowledge.-- "Broken Frontier" Review Quotes : The B/W images that cascade through " The Woman With Fifty Faces " are stunningly beautiful, deeply compassionate, and farcically grotesque, capturing the essence of Lani's life...The result is a masterful collaboration about identity and the power and limits of reinvention.-- "Midwest Book Review" Review Quotes : Jonathan Lackman and Zachary J. Pinson have investigated and illustrated an extraordinary slice of art history here, which I can't wait to discover.--Paul Gravett Review Quotes : Quite engaging, it brings back recognition of a woman once a phenomenon whose life ended sadly and forgotten.-- "The American Jewish World" Publisher Marketing :

Format: Hardcover | Pages: 232 | Publication Date: 2025-07-22