The Back Pain Avenger: Heal Chronic Back Pain and Destroy it Forever (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9780964432376)

Joe Chiappetta is an American author and cartoonist, grateful to be happily married with three children. Currently living in Chicago, Illinois, his formal education was from Northern Illinois University, where he received a Bachelor of Fine Arts, with an emphasis in painting. While trained in the more traditional visual arts, his lifetime creative focus has been in writing and cartooning. As one of the key members of the Independent Comics Movement of the late 1980s and 1990s, Chiappetta's work is respected around the globe. He is best known as the man behind one of the longest-running autobiographical comics, Silly Daddy, which has been a rewarding creative endeavor since 1991. The series has received the following professional recognition: -Xeric Award Winner -Ignatz Award Nominee for Outstanding Story -Harvey Award Nominee for Best New Series While the bulk of Chiappetta's work has been within autobiographical comics, he has also maintained a focus on science fiction writing. Silly Daddy plots are notorious for taking off on sci-fi themed subplots. As a natural progression, Joe's 2010 release, Star Chosen, is a science fiction space opera for the whole family. That book was his first full-length novel without pictures. In 1998 Joe became a Christian, which is often evident in the more hopeful world-view represented in his writings and comics thereafter. Due to personal experience with a number of health impairments, Joe also writes about disability issues in his work, combining humor with the intent to help others have more compassion for those in need. Living life to the full despite health challenges is a recurring theme in his stories. For his work on The Back Pain Avenger, Joe won an Illinois Arts Council award in 2012. From his stories, one can tell that Joe enjoys spending time with God, family, other people with disabilities, science fiction geeks, and corny jokers. Also, at a moment's notice, he's usually up for a good game of chess, bike-riding, building forts in the woods, wrestling, foam sword fighting, and Bible study.