in this dynamic, nonfiction graphic novel, Jon Chad illustrates
the little-known story of pinball--how it works and why it all matters
in an age of special effects and on-screen gaming.
In 1976, champion player Roger Sharpe stepped up to a pinball machine in
a Manhattan courtroom. The New York City Council had convened to
consider lifting the city's ban on pinball--a game that had been
outlawed since 1942 for its supposed connections to gambling and
organized crime. Sharpe was there to prove that, unlike a slot machine,
pinball wasn't a game of chance designed to fleece its players--it was a
game of skill that required a measure of patience, coordination, and
control. To prove his point, he proclaimed that he would launch his ball
into the center lane at the far end of the playfield--much like Babe
Ruth famously pointing to the fences. Sharpe pulled back the plunger and
released, and the fate of this industry and art form hung in the
balance.
Thus opens Jon Chad's comprehensive graphic novel to the history of the
captivating, capricious--and at times infuriating!--game of pinball.
Tracing pinball's roots back to the Court of King Louis XIV, through the
immigrant experience of early 20th century America, the post-War boom
and bust, right up to the present day, Chad charmingly ushers readers
through the myriad facets of this most American of pursuits--capturing
not just the history but also the artistry, cultural significance, and
even the physics of the game.
