photo & text by nacrowe
BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS (DRAWN & QUARTERLY, 2009) is a FRENCH GRAPHIC NOVEL that is absolutely TWISTED in a decidedly ABSURDIST manner that i did not anticipate entering into this FANTASY narrative. written by MARIE POMMEPUY & FABIEN VEHLMANN and lovingly illustrated by KERASCOËT, the namesake of COLLABORATIVE HUSBAND-AND-WIFE team POMMEPUY and SEBASTIAN COSSET, BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS is very much a CASE STUDY in STARK contrasts with seemingly ENCHANTING ILLUSTRATIONS of DIMINUTIVE DWELLERS in a LUSH forest acting out a BRUTAL NARRATIVE that is as NIHILISTIC as it is CHAOTIC and ANARCHISTIC. it should be stated the particular STYLE of these ALLURING ILLUSTRATIONS seem ripped straight from that INNOCENT MODE of CLASSIC children's LITERATURE read and presented and preschools and kindergartens the world over.
the only difference is that these PIXIES and SPRITES inhabit a world of RANDOM DEATH and WANTON CRUELTY that they seem OBLIVIOUS and UNPREPARED for in terms of IMAGINATION and basic COMPREHENSION. seeking food and shelter the take advantage of the ROTTING CORPSE of a YOUNG CHILD inexplicably lying PROSTRATE on the ground from some UNREVEALED ailment or condition that led to her untimely passing. these woodland figures seek refuge in her eye socket and opportunisticly steal from her lunch pack as they go about their day. death follows everyone, where some are eaten by TOADS or a COLONY OF ANTS or even harassed by BIRDS and passing INSECTS. NATURE in this context is an equal opportunity destroyer. that being said, the plot feels very LORD OF THE FLIES (FABER AND FABER, 1954) with these NAIVE INHABITANTS being subject to the RUTHLESS DARWINIAN CODE OF NATURE in a HOSTILE ENVIRONMENT, both INTERNALLY as a social community and EXTERNALLY against the UNFORGIVING elements. my sense is that BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS is attempting to present a WORLDVIEW that is weary of APPEARANCES, which are UNREPRESENTATIVE and consciously deceiving us of the TRUE NATURE OF REALITY. such could also be said about much of what we take for granted about our own EXISTENCE and LIMITED sense of SELF-IDENTITY, which may be rooted in bedrock that is looser and less defined then we'd hoped or imagined. especially now given that BASIC concepts of EQUALITY, FAIR PLAY and even DEMOCRACY seem up for grabs in a world run by those with a REGRESSIVE and REDUCTIVE ZERO-SUM MENTALITY. better to be on guard and CONSCIOUS of said THREATS. not get lulled into APPEARANCES as is the case with BEAUTIFUL DARKNESS, whose WHIMSICAL ILLUSTRATIONS belie the true intent of the NARRATIVE and its DARK take on EXPERIENCED REALITY.
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photo & text by nacrowe
the ROCK N ROLL CULTURAL PHENOMENON that was GUNS N' ROSES is on full display and CELEBRATED in STUNNING detail in the RECKLESS LIFE: GUNS N' ROSES (OMNIBUS, 2015) graphic novel by BRITISH AUTHOR JIM MCCARTHY and ARTIST MARC OLIVENT. through its STARK black-and-white IMAGERY and direct PROSE, this team was able to provide and CONTEXT and DEPTH to the NARRATIVE of this NOTORIOUS LOS ANGELES band with all of its REQUISITE DANGER, VOLATILITY, DEBAUCHERY, PARANOIA and GUTS.
in particular, their treatment of the pre-FAME lives of each MEMBER just proves what a collection of MISFITS the band actually were. in particular the ERUPTIVE UNPREDICTABILITY that is VOCALIST AXL ROSE, with all of his PUNCTUALITY issues and UNSTABLE TEMPERAMENT, makes total sense when you consider his RURAL midwestern INDIANA UPBRINGING and the CLOSETED MINDSET he was attempting to break out of that was related to the OVERBEARING RELIGIOSITY of his community and the HYPOCRISY of the adults in his life who provided him no EMOTIONAL SECURITY. the graphic novel does not excuse his later behavior, of which was quite MISOGYNISTIC and even RACIST at times, but rather places it in context. likewise you have the figure of MULTI-INSTRUMENTALIST DUFF MCKAGAN and his fervent love of UNDERGROUND PUNK ROCK and involvement in the NASCENT pre-ALTERNATIVE scene in SEATTLE being overshadowed by the rise of heroin that affected multiple FORMER BANDMATES. for him LOS ANGELES represented a clean start and a NEW IDENTITY as a BASSIST ready to chase his ambitions in the belly of the beast. in SLASH, being BIRACIAL and the only son of BOHEMIAN artists involved in the MUSIC INDUSTRY, was garnered a certain OUTSIDER status from the jump and viewed ROCK N ROLL and his NEW IDENTITY as a GUITARIST as a means of expressing his ANGER and FRUSTRATION at his parents' seemingly ABRUPT DIVORCE as a teenager. for all of the key MEMBERS of GUNS N' ROSES, as presented by MCCARTHY and OLIVENT, you get the sense of the TRUE VALUE of the collective and what it meant for their own TROUBLED PSYCHES and COMPLICATED SELF-IDENTITIES, and why such ballooned and/or deconstructed once FAME, FORTUNE and all the ATTENDANT BENEFITS (LIMITLESS SEX and DRUGS) of their labour came to fruition. you get the REAL SENSE that for ROSE in particular, having never been given LOVE, AFFECTION or MEANINGFUL ATTENTION as a child, there was no amount of MONEY, FAME or public outcry of DISGUST or display of LOVE that would fill that INITIAL VOID. such also plays into the MANIC PARANOIA of the late USE YOUR ILLUISION-era when he bought the rights to the band name and attempted to re-employ the ORIGINAL BAND MEMBERS as effective HIRED GUNS. for him LOVE was about CONTROL. and CONTROL of the SUFFOCATING and CONSTRICTING variety. it isolated him and was the reason the CULTURE, as well as myself, largely revolted and went over to support the commercially and artistically SUCCESSFUL SCOTT WEILAND-fronted rival VELVET REVOLVER camp in the early 2000s. most of this INFORMATION is known to dedicated GUNS N' ROSES fans, but the PACKAGING and PRESENTATION of the RECKLESS LIFE: GUNS N' ROSES graphic novel was a delight to engage with and reconsider the INTERWOVEN NARRATIVES of the band once again. it provides INSIGHT into the PSYCHOLOGICAL and SOCIO-ECONONOMIC BACKGROUNDS of all the main MEMBERS and makes you consider ALTERNATE outcomes and possibilities that never came to pass because of such. it is all terribly INTRIGUING and well worth checking out for anyone interested in MODERN ROCK N ROLL history. photo & text by nacrowe
with the OMNIPRESENCE of SOCIAL MEDIA in our lives and COLLECTIVE ATTENTION SPACE, it is DIFFICULT to not be deceived into comparing and potentially judging one's own life and career trajectory to that of others. if not entirely IMPOSSIBLE. massively POWERFUL corporations quite literally base their stock VALUE on their ability to garner your attention and the BEST, QUICKEST route is through cultivating NEGATIVE EMOTIONS. some call it ENRAGEMENT ENGAGEMENT. but it is a starkly RELEVANT and very TOPICAL CULTURAL DYNAMIC that is playing out quite literally in this GENERATION of GUINEA PIGS, i mean USERS.
in his graphic novel SELF-ESTEEM AND THE END OF THE WORLD (DRAWN & QUARTERLY, 2024), IRISH CARTOONIST LUKE HEALY through his NAMESAKE character explores the consequences of internalizing the QUALITY and MEANING of one's life through the VALIDATION, or lack thereof, of others. it follows a character who falls into a DEEP spiral of DESPAIR, SELF-DOUBT and DEPRESSION when his TWIN BROTHER does not ask him to be his best man at his wedding. for two that share so much, HEALY finds himself SOCIALLY, SPIRITUALLY and PSYCHICALLY DISCONNECTED from his FAMILY. his ISOLATION finds him UNPRODUCTIVE both at work and in life, where he seems to be more of an OBSERVER than that of an ACTIVE PARTICIPANT. ROMANTIC and CAREER OPPORTUNITIES present themselves in life over the years, but nothing effectuates meaning or growth in his BEHAVIOR or MINDSET, which seems STAGNANT and hopelessly SELF-INVOLVED. at times he even conflates supposed AWARENESS for pressing GLOBAL concerns (CLIMATE CHANGE, INTERNATIONAL TRADE WARS, etc.) with that of his own problems. this latent NARCISSISM again seems to be a result of how our SELF-PERCEPTIONS have been rewired in the age of readily available, instantaneously globally published information via the INTERNET. it is seemingly INEVITABLE that one will project themselves onto that which garners so much of their TIME and ENERGY (this blog included). SELF-ESTEEM AND THE END OF THE WORLD never really provides any ADEQUATE answer to this conundrum, outside of HEALY's RELATIONSHIP with his MOTHER, who both pokes and confounds him, knowing him all too well. it is the type of relationship that is UNCOMFORTABLE yet somehow REASSURING, the idea that she knows him and accepts him for who he really is WARTS-AND-ALL. maybe finding CONNECTION in one another OFFLINE is what is going to get us through this rough patch where MANIPULATIVE ONLINE ALGORITHMS and UNFETTERED (and rather UNHELPFUL) access to one another's PRESENTED lives has ISOLATED us as a SOCIETY. maybe just walking outside, breathing the air and just taking it all in with a big sigh will help us relax and find peace and respite. i doubt it. this BRUTAL online HELLSCAPE is here to stay. so glad i was fortunate enough to grow up in a PRE-INTERNET age. photo & text by nacrowe
there is this ENDURING FALLACY regarding CHILDREN'S STORIES probably due to everyone being raised and effectively INDOCTRINATED on DISNEY ANIMATED films, that plot-wise they have to be structurally SIMPLISTIC with UNAMBIGUOUS moral messaging. such is why i usually seek out FAIRY TALES and ORAL TRADITIONS from abroad, especially when such is meant for consumption by kids. the GRAPHIC NOVEL THE LITTLEST PIRATE KING (FANTAGRAPHICS, 2010) is a collaboration of sorts between the renowned MODERN FRENCH ILLUSTRATOR DAVID B, best known for his CELEBRATED, AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL GRAPHIC NOVEL EPILEPTIC (PANTHEON, 2005), and the LONG-DECEASED 20th century FRENCH NOVELIST PIERRE MAC ORLAN.
in essence, this COMIC is an ENGLISH translation of DAVID B's ADAPTATION of a PIERRE MAC ORLAN SHORT STORY about a YOUNG KIDNAPPED BOY being raised on a PIRATE SHIP manned and operated by a DECEASED CAPTAIN and CREW. such are DOOMED in a REPETITIVE, DOLDRUM EXISTENCE of ETERNAL DAMNATION where they are HUNGRY but cannot eat, are THIRSTY but cannot drink and have no way of offing THEMSELVES to make such end. every time they attempt to KILL THEMSELVES in one MASSIVE gesture, FATE or NATURE gets involved and alleviates them of that SWEET embrace of DEATH. for they are DAMNED for ETERNITY to just wander and SUFFER endlessly across the ocean. in this STORY, the YOUNG boy functions as an OPPORTUNITY for the CAPTAIN and his CREW to showcase and project a hitherto lost sense of HUMANITY towards a JELOUS god that has left them with this ABYSMAL FATE. what is INTRIGUING to me is that there is no CONCLUSION in the PLOT as to their success in this SCHEME. it is basically up to the reader to JUDGE the MERITS of their actions. i was raised catholic and attended (briefly) parochial school and i can remember how SIMPLISTIC the MORALIZING was during religion classes and mid-day mass lectures from the pulpit. i never bought in, it all seemed so easy placing JUDGEMENT and BLAME on others, as well as ourselves. when i have learned since then is that LIFE is COMPLICATED and people do the best they can IN-THE-MOMENT more or less. sometimes if pushed to a brink, people can make all sorts of decisions they later come to REGRET. just like there was no RESOLUTION stated in THE LITTLEST PIRATE KING with regard to the FATE of the CAPTAIN and CREW, there are no guarantees in our lives either. when one thinks back to their own MISTAKES, MISGIVINGS and MISADVENTURES, one quickly realizes the power of INTENTION. how they were feeling and what OUTCOMES they intended to effectuate at the moment of a decision. JUDGEMENT may occur down the line, but at least being SELF-REFLECTIVE will help possibly prevent RECIDIVISM in the future. for me that is the message of this GRAPHIC NOVEL. be in the moment. learn from your MISTAKES and move forward with a sense of GRACE and try not to consider outcomes. be KIND and CHARITABLE with no reward in mind, ETERNAL DAMNATION or not. at least that was my take from reading THE LITTLEST PIRATE KING. photo & text by nacrowe
INTERPLANETARY COLONIES, NURSE CLONES and SPACE PIRATES? QUEENS cartoonist KATIE SKELLY in her debut offering NURSE NURSE (SPARKPLUG, 2012) seemingly has all that covered and more in an OPAQUE but thoroughly ENTERTAINING SCIENCE FICTION NARRATIVE about an INQUISITIVE, WELL-INTENTIONED and SELF-SACRIFICING NURSE named GEMMA who is thrown into a MAD ADVENTURE as she INNOCENTLY goes about her duties on VENUS battling a MYSTERIOUS SPACE VIRUS.
right off the jump this GRAPHIC NOVEL had MAJOR BARBARELLA (PARAMOUNT, 1968) vibes with its EPISODIC PLOT STRUCTURE and LOVABLE INCOHERENCE. it very much felt like SKELLY intentioned us to enjoy the ride and admire the PSYCHEDELIC DEPICTIONS of FAR-OUT, FUTURE worlds, space travel and INTERPLANETARY COLONIES than get to mired down in the PLOT or deeper meanings. GEMMA, a NURSE straight out of school, is thrown into a vortex of CHARACTERS and SITUATIONS that confront and challenge her sense of SELF-IDENTITY and PURPOSE, but ultimately when such gets too HEAVY she outsmarts her adversaries and finds DELIGHT in being in the moment. no TRAUMA. no deep-seated MOTIVATION. no WISDOM gained. its almost like an EPISODE of SEINFELD (NBC, 1989-1998) or IT'S ALWAYS SUNNY IN PHILADELPHIA (FXP, 2005-present) in the sense that the EPISODIC nature of SITCOM TELEVISION PROGRAMS has each segment a SELF-CONTAINED NARRATIVE world unto itself. this way they can be scheduled interchangeably with no CONFUSION to the viewer. i almost feel like GEMMA and her ADVENTURES functioned in a SIMILAR fashion. yes the space pirates reoccur a few times, but their reoccurrence doesnt elicit any DEEP-SEATED FEAR, ANGER or TRAUMA in GEMMA, more as a PLAUSIBLE VEHICLE or PLOT DEVICE to alter the SETTING. my FAVORITE thing about this GRAPHIC NOVEL are the EMOTIVE, SIMPLY DRAWN ILLUSTRATIONS that to my eyes had a DISTINCT PETER MAX feel to them. in that sense there is an almost CHILD-LIKE AMORALITY to them, as if GEMMA's EXPERIENCES are almost DREAM-LIKE and SURREAL, which is not far from the VAGUENESS and IMPRESSIONISTIC manner in which the NARRATIVE unfolds and concludes. i definitely enjoyed the INVENTIVE RIDICULOUSNESS that was NURSE NURSE and look forward to seeking out other SKELLY titles in the FUTURE. definitely worth checking out. photo & text by nacrowe
both volumes of the much REVERED graphic novel PERSEPOLIS (PANTHEON, 2000-2003) by FRANCO-IRANIAN cartoonist MARJANE SATRAPI are a masterclass in NARRATIVE STORYTELLING and the INTERPLAYING POWER of ILLUSTRATIONS to further an AUTHORIAL PERSPECTIVE. of course i am completely biased as i have taught the first volume on more than one occasion during my former teaching career, once to freshman at BROOKLYN TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL as a student teacher and then later to my eighth graders at a private international school in EASTERN VENEZUELA. the fact that its subject matter faces head-on the STRUGGLE for IDENTITY and AGENCY in that of developing YOUNG WOMAN in IRAN during the ISLAMIC REVOLUTION in the late 1970s didnt deter my students in both countries from being totally engrossed by the story and the PARALLELS in their lives as YOUNG PEOPLE. you never really know what KIDS will respond to and PERSEPOLIS was a consistent hit.
in both environments, BROOKLYN and RURAL VENEZUELA, i had students that were intimately familiar with the IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE and the inner TURMOIL that comes when your country's POLITICAL ORDER / ECONOMY / SOCIAL CONTRACT shifts dramatically beneath your feet. at BROOKLYN TECH many students were either the SONS and DAUGHTERS of IMMIGRANTS or immigrants themselves, which my VENEZUELAN students were acutely aware that the then-IMPLODING economy of their HOMELAND was going to alter everything about their lives in relative short order. most of them now are living permanently abroad in GERMANY, ARGENTINA, PANAMA, CHILE or the UNITED STATES (i.e. FLORIDA) as EFFECTIVE REFUGEES. as i mentioned before, the EXTENDED graphic novel PERSEPOLIS is all about a YOUNG WOMAN 's journey into ADOLESCENCE and later ADULTHOOD while dealing with the extensive PERSONAL and SOCIETAL TRAUMA that was the IRANIAN ISLAMIC REVOLUTION. the privileged EGALITARIAN and COMMUNAL order of her youth virtually overnight shifted into something of a REAL-LIFE ORWELLIAN fever dream with MASSIVE restrictions on her SPEECH, APPEARANCE and BASIC FREEDOMS. more than than that the TIGHT-KNIT, mutually SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY of which she was raised under and which her FAMILY enjoyed for GENERATIONS turn in on itself, with PEOPLE unsure of who or what action would leave them VULNERABLE before the state. people escaped. people disappeared. everything changed including SATRAPI and he relationship with herself. in the second volume she is older, living in VIENNA as a REFUGEE and making her way through the FRENCH education system and again, dealing with the aftermath of her CHILDHOOD TRAUMA and its LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES on her sense of IDENTITY as a YOUNG WOMAN of PERSIAN descent. the message is sent that even those that survive TRAUMA are somewhat still TRAPPED by such thereafter. even going back and visiting IRAN years later is an act of REVERSE CULTURE SHOCK and immense PERSONAL STRUGGLE due to the delta of what once was to what now has been undoubtedly IRREPARABLY LOST. you are with the idea that our sense of AGENCY and IDENTITY are intertwined with MEMORY and the PERSONAL HISTORY and EVOLVING NARRATIVE we tell OURSELVES about OURSELVES. i think that for KIDS who are the brink of adjusting into YOUNG ADULTHOOD, that message is a CONSEQUENTIAL and SELF-EMPOWERING one. that you are part of a COMMUNITY, but that in the end YOU DEFINE YOURSELF. you write your own NARRATIVE by the LIFE DECISIONS you make. that even severely TRAUMATIC events can be overcome with EMPATHY and LOVE, especially with regards to one's self. i adore both volumes of PERSEPOLIS and consider them ESSENTIAL graphic novels that should be read by everyone. also the film aint half bad either. photo & text by nacrowe
the GRAPHIC NOVEL BEZIMENA (FANTAGRAPHICS, 2018) by SERBIAN cartoonist NINA BUNJEVAC is a HARROWING quasi-PARABLE that deals with the FRAGMENTED MINDSET and WARPED SELF-DELUSIONS of a serial SEXUAL PREDATOR. with full page panels lovingly depicted with almost DRAFTSMAN-LIKE PRECISION in STARK black-and-white that almost seems more indebted to early PHOTOGRAPHY than subsequent COMIC BOOK visual traditions. it similarly relates a sort of CRISP REALISM and TANGIBLE AUTHENTICITY that effectively invites the reader to take in the situation as fact, regardless of the FANTASY gender-switching and inter-dimensional time-and-space traveling elements that bookend the NARRATIVE.
the crux of the STORY is manner in which the MAIN CHARACTER devolves from a SOCIALLY INEPT, SELF-INVOLVED child to the sort of VOYEURISTIC, MALIGNANT NARCISSIST that has lost all touch with REALITY and any sense of MORAL CLARITY. finding a SKETCHBOOK outside when peeking in on a FORMER CLASSMATE taking a bath, the main character sees SEXUALLY EXPLICIT DRAWINGS therein the showcase a series of events in which he has sex with her FRIEND and household MAID on separate nights. for him such a BOOK bypasses the realm of PERSONAL RESPONSIBILITY or FREE WILL and goes straight to carrying out its DESCRIPTIONS word-for-word in REAL-LIFE. only later do we find out that his VICTIMS were NOT CONSENSUAL, but FEMALE CHILDREN he brutally MURDERED after SEXUALLY ASSAULTING them. the SKETCHBOOK nothing more than a child's RUDIMENTARY drawn DEPICTIONS of a trip to the zoo, where he worked. that SKETCHBOOK was the key to a SELF-PERPETUATED PERMISSION STRUCTURE that enabled him to move forward his DARK IMPULSES without risking PSYCHOLOGICAL DAMAGE to his INNERMOST sense of IDENTITY and MORAL CONSCIOUSNESS. BUNJEVAC explains in the afterward about her PERSONAL EXPERIENCE with the DISTRESSING TOPIC of SEXUAL ASSAULT, having gone through it twice back in SERBIA, including once with someone that was entrusted as a GUARDIAN. BEZIMENA is told from the PERSPECTIVE of the PERPETRATOR, but the DAMAGE is MUTUAL regarding the VICTIM. that lost sense of PERSONAL AGENCY and PHYSICAL AUTONOMY. or TRUST. perhaps the EXPERIENCE of seeing the situation from the other-side is a means of coming to terms with her LOSS. as lyrically written and beautifully depicted as this GRAPHIC NOVEL was conceived, such only made the TRAUMA inflicted that much TORTUOUS and DEPRAVED to consume as a reader. and maybe that was part of the point, that people who inflict this sort of HEINOUS MORAL OUTRAGE on others are by definition involved in a double con on both the VICTIM and themselves. hard to make sense of the truly DEPRAVED and IRRATIONAL. i found BEZIMENA to be a PROFOUND GRAPHIC NOVEL. definitely worth checking out but i advise that it does hold some ADULT CONTENT with GRAPHIC SEXUAL DEPICTIONS inside so probably should be not viewed by minors. up to parental discretion regarding that i suppose. photo & text by nacrowe
i absolutely adored CANADIAN ARTIST and HUMORIST JESSICA CAMPBELL's HILARIOUS takedown of the ACADEMIC and CULTURAL PATRIARCHY inherent to the ART WORLD in her HOT OR NOT: 20th CENTURY MALE ARTISTS (KOYAMA, 2016) graphic novel. the comic finds CAMPBELL herself as an instructor leading a group of people through an ART GALLERY, hitting on the finer points of the cultural INNOVATIONS, TECHNIQUES and LEGACIES of various ARTISTS and, well, whether or not they were HOT. inevitably, as it usually is, all of the ARTISTS discussed were MEN as WOMEN through the generations were not respected by the ELITE ACADEMIC and PATRON CLASS due to what can only be described as outright MISOGYNY.
what CAMPBELL is doing here by reducing the CELEBRATED contributions of SEMINAL ARTISTS like MARK ROTHKO (NOT), HENRI MATISSE (NOT), GUSTAV KLIMT (NOT), PIET MONDRIAN (HOT), PAUL GAUGUIN (NOT) and AMEDEO MODIGLIANI (HOT) to their PHYSICAL APPEARANCE is the height of ABSURDITY, but that is the point. she is counteracting what has been referred to as the IMPLIED and INTENDED MALE GAZE of the viewership. it is beyond PREPOSTEROUS that WOMEN have long been subject to such AWFUL SCRUTINY in order to accumulate and broadcast VALUE both in the ARTISTIC and ECONOMIC MARKETPLACE, past and present. historically this is a concern most MEN dont even consider or remotely think about, so PERVASIVE is this WARPED MINDSET. CAMPBELL is bringing such a culturally sanctioned PERSPECTIVE to its LOGICAL conclusion by including MEN, but such naturally feels UNNATURAL and out of place. that FRICTION and UNBALANCE we perceive is a showcase of how acculturated said messaging has been to our internalized sense of SELF and our place within the WIDER COMMUNITY. the tone is LIGHT, HUMOROUS and AIRY but the implications are BRUTAL, PENETRATING and quite CONSEQUENTIAL as we have been handed down BEDROCK MISINFORMATION that informs our basis for RELATIONSHIPS and OPINIONS regarding one another, especially with regards to GENDER. it is also just FUNNY to read and take in. this graphic novel doesnt discount the contributions of said MALE ARTISTS, but the inference is that there is a whole body of work missing in the ether of HISTORY from CREDIBLE FEMALE ARTISTS that never received a fair shake at a legacy due to MALIGNANT ATTITUDES and OPINIONS culturally handed down the generations and reinforced by GENDER REDUCTIVE JUDEO-CHRISTIAN VALUES in THE WEST. HOT OR NOT: 20th CENTURY MALE ARTISTS places such an EVOCATIVE and CONTROVERSIAL conversation in its PROPER PERSPECTIVE: with humor, wit and UNBRIDLED CLARITY. much as with other works from her catalogue, this work by CAMPBELL is definitely worth checking out. photo & text by nacrowe
i always felt INDIGNANT whenever encountering RELIGIOUS ZEALOTS and HOLY ROLLERS growing up and i especially felt for their kids. in a very REAL sense they were innocently trapped in a FANTASY WORLD of bullshit MAGICAL THINKING. case in point, a friend of my brother's lost a FATHER because his mother's HARDCORE CHRISTIAN BELIEFS precluded him from getting brain surgery for an operable tumor. the POWER OF PRAYER or something. dude lost a FAMILY MEMBER over this type of STUPIDITY.
in that sense, reading the RAVE (DRAWN & QUARTERLY, 2022) graphic novel by JESSICA CAMPBELL was viscerally PAINFUL to take in due to its NARRATIVE examining that same PSYCHIC TERRAIN of the socially ADVERSE ramifications of AGGRESSIVE RELIGIOSITY on IMPRESSIONABLE minors who are still DEVELOPING and exploring their sense of identity. the plot centers around a young girl in secondary school dealing with the AWKWARD HARDSHIPS of being a NORMAL TEENAGER with the added burden of choosing whether or not to internalize the OUT-OF-TOUCH LESSONS from her nearby EVANGELICAL PASTOR and his EXTREME SERMONS that advocate a DOOMED world full of SINNERS and US-VERSUS-THEM THINKING. the NARRATIVE follows this QUEER girl as she comes to challenge that CLOSETED MINDSET through exploring her own SELF-DETERMINED EXPERIENCES, FEELINGS and SEXUALITY independently from what her FAMILY and COMMUNITY seemingly advocate so forcefully. thankfully i never had to deal with that sort of MENTAL PRISON at the behest of SOCIALLY-ADVOCATED, RELIGIOUS or POLITICALLY-INFORMED MAGICAL THINKING. but i intimately know people that had to deal with such HURDLES and it took much PERSEVERANCE and heartache to transcend such. it meant leaving people behind, including FAMILY MEMBERS. RAVE gets at the very heart of that CENTRAL MANIPULATION at play in CULT-LIKE BEHAVIOR and the social PERILS and outright COURAGEOUSNESS of breaking away from GROUPTHINK and SELF-ADVOCATING your INDIVIDUAL PERSPECTIVE, SEXUALITY or IDENTITY against an UNSUPPORTIVE BLOB. this story took me right back to the day i found out that this father passed on, the one who coached little large baseball teams i played against growing up overseas and was always WELCOMING and CHARMING. a dude that seemingly did walk in the path of JESUS CHRIST in how he treated others but seemingly took it a few steps too far and DIED for his mistake in not trusting MODERN SCIENCE in the face of FAMILY-imposed MAGICAL THINKING. but he was an adult who made his own DECISIONS and his sons abandoned the FAITH thereafter. and have maintained a STRAINED bond with their MOTHER ever since, whom they personally blame for his PERMANENT ABSENCE from their lives. i think CAMPBELL is very much on to something PROFOUND with RAVE in that all BELIEF SYSTEMS that impose BLIND FAITH are DANGEROUS. it is a form of COERCION and thankfully the main character sees her way out of it when the curtain of her life sheds light on the INSANITY, lack of EMPATHY and outright HYPOCRISY at the heart of her PASTOR's MESSAGE. she moves on. i absolutely adored this graphic novel and will likely seek out other titles by CAMPBELL moving forward. RAVE is definitely worth checking out. photo & text by nacrowe
its always INTERESTING to investigate the CREATIVE PROCESS of ARTISTS, whether that be EXPLORATORY SKETCHES used by PAINTERS or NOTES and ROUGH DRAFTS of short stories by NOTEWORTHY AUTHORS. such is the case with cartoonist ADRIAN TOMINE's 32 STORIES: THE COMPLETE OPTIC NERVE MINI-COMICS (DRAWN & QUARTERLY, 2002) which is a compilation of his entire early series of (mostly) NON-INTERRELATED and (mostly) SEMI-AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL vignettes concerning post-adolescent life in the 1990s.
originally SELF-PUBLISHED, these mini-comics were sold on consignment as TOMINE began his career as a CARTOONIST and there is a definite PALPABLE sense of EXPERIMENTATION going on with the presentation and execution of that INTRIGUING ALCHEMY that happens between TEXT and IMAGERY. over time the drawn lines in each panel become more CONFIDENT and STYLIZED while the DIALOGUE likewise showcases less EXPOSITION and become more EVOCATIVE and psychologically IMMERSIVE in nature. in essence you are becoming acquainted with an ARTIST learning their CRAFT in REAL-TIME, even including DUDS, HALF-MEASURES and outright FAILURES. some of these brief vignettes just end, which is FINE and VALID, but comes off less determined and artistic and more just the result of outright ABANDONEMENT. in my opinion the most COMPELLING of these 32 stories include those that examine the DISCOMFORTING relationship between SOLITUDE and LONELINESS, where one can be in a relationship yet feel ABANDONED and ALONE with no sense of SECURITY or COMPANIONSHIP. likewise their is the PECULIAR vein of LONELINESS that come with feeling REJECTED or TIRED and FALLING OUT OF LOVE with a romantic interest. those COMPLICATED feelings that come with both being in and out of relationships are what make some of these short narratives really click, irrespective of the quality of the ART. and that is the other major point observed through reading this compilation, that the quality of the story trumps that of the ART. its what separates great ART from a more visually STUNNING but VACUOUS and PREDICTABLE PLOT presented that unveils little of SUBSTANCE and relies on spectacle, which is how i feel about SUPERHERO COMICS versus that of the more PERSONAL ALTERNATIVE COMICS movement. i'd definitely recommend his later WORK over this OPTIC NERVE series, but that is kind of the point. this is in essence a primer to help contextualize his later PROJECTS and witness the EVOLUTION FIRSTHAND. an absolutely INTRIGUING and BRAVE PRODUCT to release to the world given TOMINE's embedded admission of FALLIBILITY. too bad other ARTISTS dont follow suit more often. photo & text by nacrowe
HICKSVILLE (BLACK EYE COMICS, 1998) by DYLAN HORROCKS is quite the unusual graphic novel in that it is a FICTIONALIZED META-NARRATIVE about the MEDIUM itself and its potential of both transporting and mesmerizing the READER into a different state of CONSCIOUSNESS. HORROCKS does this through an interweaving plot surrounding an INVESTIGATIVE REPORTER for a comic publishing company coming out to a NEW ZEALAND called HICKSVILLE in order to run the background and attempt to understand the origins of a MEGA-SUCCESSFUL WRITER back in the states. what this REPORTER doesnt comprehend initially is that HICKSVILLE is the literal spiritual home for COMIC BOOK WRITERS going on centuries and that his subject, DICK BURGER, has broken their OPERATING CODE OF ETHICS.
the effect of this plot is a CODED discussion about the wider industry itself and what truly defines SUCCESS and ARTISTIC INTEGRITY in an environment where the participants are constantly biting off one another and self-cannibalizing their own MATERIAL in the hopes of an EXPANDED READERSHIP and potential revenue stream. the town of HICKSVILLE and its GOOD-NATURED but OPINIONATED inhabitants represents a GREEK chorus of sorts for the higher IDEALS of the READERSHIP of GRAPHIC NOVELS writ large, many of whom are unconcerned with ECONOMIC CONCERNS beyond BASIC SELF-SUFFICIENCY. for some background, HICKSVILLE was written a few years after the INDUSTRY-ALTERING founding of IMAGE COMICS by several HIGH-PROFILE ILLUSTRATORS, formerly of DC and MARVEL. the revolution that was IMAGE initially was that each of these CREATORS maintained control of their INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY (essentially leasing such to IMAGE), which was not the case with DC or MARVEL. while SMALL comic book PUBLISHERS had long been a thing, this new INDEPENDENT company was competing at scale in the big leagues. it also announced the arrival of CREATORS maintaining control of their CREATIONS, even at the more SUBTERRANEAN level. i wonder how much of the character of BURGER and his UNFETTERED FINANCIAL ASPIRATIONS, lack of ORIGINALITY and lack of MORAL CLARITY surrounding the UNATTRIBUTED PLAGIARIZING of other artists is a stand-in for the ECONOMIC AMBITION similar gripes against some of those ORIGINAL founding members of IMAGE including JIM LEE (who went back to run DC), ROB LIEFELD and TODD MCFARLANE. i would not be surprised. what i appreciated about HICKSVILLE is how it uses the MEDIUM and VOCABULARY of graphic novels to create a MULTI-LAYERED storyline with INTENTION that adroitly plays with big IDEAS surrounding the EMOTIONAL core of the MEDIUM itself. the town of HICKSVILLE is the physical personification of this ONGOING discussion and village of IDEAS regarding best practices and what BUDDHISTS would refer to as RIGHT INTENTION. the wealth of the industry is thus understood not to be located in the ECONOMIC GAINS of its PARTICIPANTS, but in the QUALITY of the CONTENT and PRODUCT itself. that this was all conveyed in a LYRICAL and ARTISTIC manner is what renders HICKSVILLE such an ASTOUNDING achievement that is well worth checking out for anyone interested in REVOLUTIONARY ART constructed with INTEGRITY. photo & text by nacrowe
the graphic novel CYCLOPEDIA EXOTICA (DRAWN & QUARTERLY, 2021) by AMINDER DHALIWAL is an AFFECTING PARABLE about the negative societal outcomes that come from ARBITRARY IN-GROUP/ OUT-GROU DYNAMICS. the PLOT itself deals with a world where two anatomically COMPATIBLE but DISTINCT beings (i.e. CYCLOPES and two-eyed people) live contemporaneously, where one (the two-eyed people) CULTURALLY, ECONOMICALLY, POLITICALLY and even PHYSICALLY DOMINATES the other. the concept of the eye (one of many anatomical differences between the two) as being a DISTINGUISHING FEATURE that projects "OTHERNESS" and is the focus of SCORN and RIDICULE, is a METAPHOR for all types of likewise arbitrary physical features and attributors of IDENTITY that serve as the basis for HATRED and INEQUALITY in our own experience (i.e. RACE, SEX, GENDER, SEXUAL ORIENTATION, GENDER IDENTITY, CLASS and so on).
DHALIWAL does an INCREDIBLE job of providing a window into how NORMATIVE CONCEPTIONS of BEAUTY and "NORMALCY" are internalized and affect the victim's own sense of IDENTITY. it seems OBVIOUS, but those groups advocated for in the DOMINANT CULTURE are unaffected by NEGATIVE TROPES and thus dont think twice about said CULTURAL PRESCRIPTIONS and their inherent ARBITRARINESS. to them that sense of SUPERIORITY and PATERNALISM is so complete that anything that competes with said NORMATIVE CULTURE is viewed with SKEPTICISM and often DISDAIN, as if something is threatened to being taken away. it is an INTRIGUING and quite POWERFUL SOCIOCULTURAL DYNAMIC to play with in a graphic novel in an often LIGHT-HEARTED, HUMOROUS and yet POIGNANT TONE. and yet there is also a spectrum of experience which DHALIWAL expertly portrays. her characters run the gamut in GENDER, AGE, SEXUALITY and ECONOMIC STATUS and each feels trapped by this CULTURAL WEIGHT put on them related to their IDENTITY as CYCLOPES in different ways. some confront it aggressively while others take it in stride and yet others feel imprisoned by such. some even have the UNSAVORY experience of being "EXOTICIZED" by the dating pool as a SEXUAL ANOMALY that is either DOMINANT / SUBMISSIVE based on the UNFOUNDED PROJECTIONS of the two-eyed partner. founding POST COLONIAL STUDIES academic EDWARD SAID spoke at length about this sort of dynamic in ORIENTALISM (PANTHEON, 1978) where WESTERN SOCIETY looked to the EAST for EXOTIC "OTHER" cultures that they could enforce HEGEMONIC influence over and ECONOMICALLY, POLITICALLY and even SEXUALLY DOMINATE. thus all those tired COLONIALIST TROPES about ASIAN women rooted in BRITISH IMPERIALISM. i thought it was very CLEVER of DHALIWAL to hint at all these ALLEGORICAL NARRATIVES with a basis in REAL-WORLD HISTORIES without ever being explicit about it. CYCLOPEDIA EXOTICA was quite a revelation and is well worth checking out for anyone interested in the root, limits and negative outcomes that come from a NORMATIVE CULTURE and its indelible effects on the IDENTITIES of all participants, DOMINANT and SUBMISSIVE. fascinating and an incredible achievement. i look forward to seeking out other titles by DHALIWAL in the future. photo & text by nacrowe
LET'S HIT THE ROAD (FANTAGRAPHICS, 1997) by NEW JERSEYAN graphic novelist RICH TOMMASO is a SEMI-AUTOGRAPHICAL comic that focuses on two college art school dropouts / ASPIRING cartoonists coming to terms with the ARDUOUS and INEVITABLE transition of accepting ADULT RESPONSIBILITY. this transformation is expressed and manifested in an IMPROMPTU roundtrip weekend road trip from their apartment in FLORIDA to one of their childhood homes in MAINE under the auspices of getting some supposedly much needed ART SUPPLIES. the rationale for this journey is less about the official conceit and more about being temporarily alleviated from the HARSH REALITY that awaits them (DEAD-END JOBS, BAD PAY, REGULAR RENT, COHABITING WITH ROOMMATES) back in the BORING post-college REAL WORLD of SUBURBAN FLORIDA. along this long JOURNEY this pair of friends navigate not just the interstate highway system and the effects of sleep deprivation, but more importantly their RELATIONSHIP to one another. over time they realize that such is organically FRAGMENTING and even DIVERGING based on differing GOALS and VALUES.
it is DIFFICULT to take in this graphic novel and not consider one's own LIFE TRAJECTORY, the people encountered along the way and how such EXPERIENCES illuminate some aspect of your PERSONALITY in retrospect. part of the AWKWARD transformation into ADULTHOOD is recognizing and coming to terms with your own sense of SELF and deciding on NEEDS and PRIORITIES that are specific to you. often such information is revealed naturally by situations and relationships encountered along the way. its a PAINFUL process to take HONEST PERSONAL STOCK and evolve away from HARMFUL past patterns and INTERPERSONAL behavioral cycles by separating yourself from an UNPRODUCTIVE or TOXIC situation. what i think TOMASSO in LET'S HIT THE ROAD ingeniously depicts is that GUT-WRENCHING process of INTERPERSONAL ESTRANGEMENT that gradually degrades often subconsciously in real time. i can recall during my early twenties hanging out with certain people because of shared INTERESTS (MUSIC, CINEMA, BOOKS, ART, POLITICS, etc.) and then realizing over a period of months that these people were in fact quite NOXIOUS and not particularly HEALTHY to be around. my default has always been to locate the CULPABILITY within myself and overanalyze my INTENTIONS and PAST CHOICES. usually after much deliberation over a period of time and much INTERNAL strife id come to the conclusion eventually that it wasnt me after all. it was them and i needed to remove myself from the situation in order to maintain my own sense of MENTAL HEALTH and overall WELL-BEING. it is a process that is never not AGONIZING in nature. but i think that such is necessary and part of becoming MATURE, COMFORTABLE and CONFIDENT in your own skin. it is that theme of SELF-REVELATION id argue that is at the very core of this graphic novel, despite the IMMATURE and often CHURLISH banter of the two protagonists. i enjoyed LET'S HIT THE ROAD and look forward to reading other titles by TOMASSO down the line. definitely worth checking out. photo & text by nacrowe
life comes at you fast sometimes with MAJOR CHANGES that arent necessarily desired or planned for in advance. such is the case in THE FALL OF HOMUNCULUS (DRAWN & QUARTERLY, 1998) comic by FINNISH graphic novelist PENTTI OTSAMO with a NARRATIVE that centers around the PSYCHIC and INTER-RELATIONAL REPERCUSSIONS that come with an UNEXPECTED PREGNANCY for a YOUNG couple.
not that id know firsthand since ive never had a CHILD. the very idea of it, especially of the UNPLANNED variety is the stuff of PERSONAL NIGHTMARES. just the UNBRIDLED RESPONSIBILITY of it all and the gravity of bringing another HUMAN into the world. i figure that if circumstances dictated at some future point that i participated in that entire enterprise, id at the very least like to be PREPARED in advance as much as possible. or is that NAIVE? in THE FALL OF HOMUNCULUS you have a YOUNG woman who is intuitively in touch with her NATURAL SURROUNDINGS as she loves to garden and explores THEMES surrounding such in her figurative artwork. even after her MISCARRIAGE she maintains a GENERAL FAITH in the JUSTICE of a GREATER COSMIC ORDER. in her way of thinking, that PAINFUL EXPERIENCE was not a complication of her life's trajectory, but rather a TEACHER providing INSIGHT into how NATURE operates and earning her some HARD-WON SELF-KNOWLEDGE. this is complete contrast to her male partner who views the pregnancy as an OBSTACLE to maintaining a CAREFREE lifestyle in which he can get blackout drunk at parties and have ANONYMOUS sex while in said stupor. just the height of IMMATURITY and RECKLESSNESS in the face of ADULT RESPONSIBILITY. its an INTRIGUING inter-personal dynamic that doesnt seem particularly NOVEL or UNBELIEVABLE. you really wonder how many couples maintain a SIMILAR TOXIC DYNAMIC. you also realize quickly the SOCIETAL WEIGHT put on women during this period and the cultural expectations that dont always pressure men to account in a similar manner. in ALCHEMY there is a notion of creating a HOMUNCULUS of oneself, that is, manufacturing a fully formed DIMINUITIVE version which often reveals some UNKNOWN ASPECT OF ONESELF. often a SHADOW VERSION or one with EXAGGERATED features and behaviors that lend to the creator learning more about their own human frailties. this feels like an apt METAPHOR for the unborn child at the center of OTSAMO's NARRATIVE. up until its MISCARRIAGE, this fetus provided VALUABLE INSIGHT into the TRUE NATURES and personalities of the couple and their STRAINED relationship to one another. its fall and demise reveals their MISGIVINGS and INABILITIES to function as a COHERENT UNIT. THE FALL OF HOMUNCULUS is a bit OBLIQUE and NARRATIVELY CUMBERSOME in places, but i felt it was a highly AFFECTING PARRABLE about the DUAL NATURE of human SELFISHNESS and ALTRUISM. definitely worth checking out. photo & text by nacrowe
the POIGNANT graphic novel OIL AND WATER (FANTAGRAPHICS, 2011) which examines the CUMULATIVE DESTRUCTION of both HURRICANE KATRINA in 2005 and the DEEPWATER HORIZON oil spill in 2010 on the ECONOMY, ECOSYSTEM and WAY-OF-LIFE of NEW ORLEANS and the surrounding marshes and wetlands of the bayou is a COLLABORATIVE effort between JOURNALIST STEVE DUIN of THE OREGONIAN and ILLUSTRATOR SHANNON WHEELER of THE NEW YORKER. its narrative centers around a group of WELL-MEANING ACADEMICS, OFFICIALS and REPORTERS from OREGON who visited the LOUISIANA COAST in august 2010 in the immediate aftermath of the DEEPWATER HORIZON CALAMITY (which ended in september 2010) to bear witness to the DEVASTATION as well as document the response.
what becomes all-too OBVIOUS in the midst of this cataloguing is the MONUMENTAL scale of the PROBLEM and the ABJECT FUTILITY in both attempting to repair the DAMAGE and addressing the GREED that spurred it into being in the first place, not just by BRITISH PETROLEUM, but by the greater POLITICAL and BUSINESS INTERESTS of the REGION over GENERATIONS. the FRUSTRATING INTRACTABILITY of the PROBLEM is just STUPEFYING and our COLLECTIVE CULPABILITY in incentivizing such CAVALIER risk-taking is clear as day. this will prove to be a continuing ENVIRONMENTAL SCOURGE for GENERATIONS to come as the unleashed oil continues to silently adversely affect FRAGILE WILDLIFE ECOSYSTEMS. i believe DUIN and WHEELER made an ADROIT decision in presenting this material through the first-hand accounts of not only the visiting OREGONIANS, but also the local RESIDENTS and FISHERMAN who lived through both DISASTERS. in this manner you get an outside and inside perspective on the depths of how these NATURAL and MAN-MADE CALAMITIES profoundly alter WAYS-OF-LIFE and LOCAL CULTURE that previously spanned GENERATIONS. you also get the sense that we are all SUSCEPTIBLE to such given the changing state of the climate that is rooted in our collective INSATIABLE ADDICTION to fossil fuels. in LOUISIANA, that MASSIVE REVENUE generated by the PETROLEUM INDUSTRY is the root of the PROBLEM and there are no easy solutions. walking away from this graphic novel, it just feels like and INDICTMENT on humanity's INABILITY to find balance with the NATURAL WORLD. we extract RESOURCES and create value for our SHAREHOLDERS, but at who's expense? our own and the VOICELESS future generations that have to wade through this SHIT. and oil if you live near the DELTA. OIL AND WATER is a MISERABLE but POIGNANT graphic novel well worth checking out. photo & text by nacrowe
a 17th-century SAILOR is abandoned at SEA on an EFFECTIVE DEATH SENTENCE when he comes in contact with a MERMAID, an ALLURING harbinger of his own impending DEMISE. JULIA GFRÖRER's AFFECTING graphic novel BLACK IS THE COLOR (FANTAGRAPHICS, 2013) explores the SEDUCTIVE possibilities equated with DEATH and one's own MORTALITY.
for the ship's captain, faced with dwindling supplies, the CRUEL solution of abandoning two of his crew to their DOOM at SEA is an easy decision made on purely UTILITARIAN LOGIC. their SACRIFICE will effectively allow others to live. such are the HARSH REALITIES of life on the water. lost alone at SEA on a dinghy (his partner died shortly thereafter to the elements), the SAILOR is confronted by a MERMAID who visits him at nighttime and eventually seduces him shortly before his DEATH. somewhere else the ship he left catches fire from lightning killing all on board. what is INTRIGUING is not the narrative of all this DESTRUCTION itself, but the BLASE, JADED manner in which a gaggle of MERMAIDS discuss the victims and their IMPENDING DOOM. they treat the victims at a distance and talk of them almost as if they were part of a police lineup, discussing their physical features and their relative value to them based on such. this is an INVERSION of how SAILORS are portrayed in literature speaking of SIRENS and their SEDUCTIVE PROWESS. here the victimized SAILORS are just potential trysts to be used and discarded. rinse and repeat. this dynamic seems to be a METAPHOR of both the UNFORGIVING NATURE of the PHYSICAL WORLD and its ABSOLUTE INDIFFERENCE to the collective efforts, trials and tribulations of humanity. the MERMAIDS in this narrative represent that sense of DETACHMENT, both PHYSICAL and EMOTIONAL, of the NATURAL ORDER from the needs of mankind. by the example of the lost SAILOR at SEA making love to MERMAID, we see that such distance is truly only traversed in the throngs of passing along into another plane of existence, of departing the NATURAL REALM in DEATH. the REAL INTIMACY is the reclaiming of one's physical remains back into the grip of NATURE and utilized to her own ends in the NEVER-ENDING chain system of atoms being REPURPOSED, REORGANIZED and RE-CONTEXTUALIZED in PERPETUITY. the idea that we are not separate from NATURE, but a manifestation of it. too often mankind identifies itself in contrast to the ENVIRONMENT and its processes, but such is SHORT-SIDED and WRONG. NATURE is always in control and back to her embrace we will inevitably return, on her terms not ours, much like the RUINOUS and DESTRUCTIVE AMOROUS advances of a MERMAID. BLACK IS THE COLOR is quite the achievement. even in this translated version (original is in FRENCH), the narrative implications of the theme surrounding DEATH is PROFOUND and deeply THOUGHT-PROVOKING. definitely worth checking out. photo & text by nacrowe
loving stylized to evoke the MODERNIST ARCHITECTURE, GRAPHIC and INDUSTRIAL DESIGN of the first half of the 20th century, the POIGNANT graphic novel WHITE RAPIDS (DRAWN & QUARTERLY, 2007) by FRENCH-CANADIAN illustrator/graphic novelist PASCAL BLANCHET depicts the REAL-LIFE rise and fall of a company town created to oversee the maintenance and day-to-day operations of a nearby private HYDRO-ELECTRIC POWER STATION well north of MONTREAL on the SAINT-MAURICE RIVER. conceived and built in the 1920s when the area was largely wilderness, the town of RAPIDE BLANCHE by the late 1960s due to INFRASTRUCTURE efforts was integrated into MODERN society to the point that its existence was deemed OUTMODED, closing its doors by the early 1970s after CANADA nationalized its electric grid and consolidated the parent company into its fold.
the romance of the period is evocatively portrayed with lyrical references to BIG BAND JAZZ and streamlined illustrations of BUILDINGS, ROADS and CARS that evoke the work of ED RUSCHA and his REVERED ADVERTISING-influenced depictions of GAS STATIONS. with BLANCHET's illustrations you get a VIVID sense of the PALPABLE OPTIMISM of this halcyon era when new TECHNOLOGY, of both the INDUSTRIAL and CONSUMER VARIETY, provided improvements in lifestyle that allowed for an appreciation of life and nature that ironically dovetailed with the latter being rained in by such. over time what was once NOVEL became ROUTINE and then rendered IRRELEVANT. this self-contained village was made an ANACHRONISM by the forward march of TECHNOLOGICAL PROCESS that allowed the operations of the dam to be conducted by REMOTE AUTOMATION and maintenance through day trips to the site. RAPIDE BLANCHE was a victim of its own SUCCESS. that OPTIMISM in essence fed on itself in an act of SELF-CANNIBALIZATION. its difficult to take in the example of the COMMUNITY of RAPIDE BLANCHE and not expand such out to our present day when new TRANSFORMATIVE TECHNOLOGIES ranging from MRNA VACCINES, ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE, CRISPR GENE EDITING, ELECTRIC VEHICLES and even PRESCRIPTION WEIGHT LOSS REMEDIES like OZEMPIC and WEGOVY are set to radically affect not only the future trajectory of our economy, but also our COLLECTIVE RELATIONSHIP to one another and our basic individual sense of IDENTITY. when emerging new technological capacities are inevitably rendered PEDESTRIAN and UNREMARKABLE, something about ourselves quietly dies along with that PROCESS and WHITE RAPIDS strikingly details such. OPPORTUNITY and INNOVATION leads inescapably to expectation and ultimately AUTOMATION. i am not convinced that BLANCHET is necessarily NOSTALGIC for the cultural trappings of the period so eloquently evoked in WHITE RAPIDS, but maybe he is slightly for that sense of buoyant CONFIDENCE and CAMARADERIE that came with exploring and leveraging COMMUNITY and big ideas to affect change (in this case, taming a river and its HAZARDOUS rapids for the public good). by comparison today the scale of our TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATIONS seem more PAROCHIAL and MARKET-DRIVEN, which allows for more excuses concerning value creation on the behalf of the interests of SHAREHOLDERS and an INVESTMENT CLASS rather than the betterment of a COMMUNITY at large. progress moves forward but with the advent of the INTERNET and SOCIAL MEDIA our sense of AGENCY in the mix seems DIMINUTIVE and ever more PRECARIOUS. paradoxically we seem to live in a smaller world as TECHNOLOGY expands ever outward. WHITE RAPIDS is most definitely a COMPELLING graphic novel that deals with deep issues in an EFFICIENT manner that parallels its STREAM-LINED illustrative style. definitely worth checking out. photo & text by nacrowe
published on a faux notepad complete with graph paper, ADRIAN TOMINE's graphic novel THE LONELINESS OF THE LONG-DISTANCE CARTOONIST (DRAWN & QUARTERLY, 2020) is a personal narrative about coming to grips with life's SLIGHTS and HUMILIATIONS and appreciating the greater picture of securing MEANING and DIRECTION in FAMILY.
TOMINE recounts how being an OBSESSIVE comic book fan from a very early age informed not only his IDENTITY but the manner in which he engaged with the OUTSIDE WORLD. in a sense, the WORLD of literature and graphic novels from the author's PERSPECTIVE is likened to that of an INTERNAL dialogue in a waking DREAM-LIKE WORLD of one's own creation. its comforting to spend time in such a place, even as a reader, that has recognizable rules of engagement, unlike the real WORLD. being HAZED and effectively OSTRACIZED as an ASIAN-descent kid in RURAL WHITE-BREAD FRESNO didnt help matters either. if anything it intensified the need to escape into the welcoming FANTASY realm of comics. what is INTERESTING about THE LONELINESS OF THE LONG-DISTANCE CARTOONIST is how it collapses that childhood narrative arc related to survival with his TOMINE's career post-success and his CONFLICTED need for approval, ADMIRATION and ACCEPTANCE by the greater comic book COMMUNITY as an adult. at times it felt like an activity that was so PERSONAL for him was utilized as a cudgel to bat him over the head with by naysayers and the industry itself. much of this graphic novel is a catalogue of sorts related to these SLIGHTS and HUMILIATIONS, some private, others public, that TOMINE took the brunt of as a MATURING ADULT with MARRIAGE and CHILDREN to think about. thinking that he is about to die, he learns that nothing related to the craft or OBSESSIVE goal projecting of his career as a comic book writer and illustrator mattered to him. at all. his thoughts were purely about his two DAUGHTERS and his WIFE. ive had the pleasure of working overseas in ALBANIA, JAPAN, VENEZUELA and MYANMAR as an international school teacher instructing secondary language arts classes. being abroad for over a decade gave me time to think about my home country at a distance and how so much of our IDENTITY is tacked on to our economic success, i.e. our perceived ATTRACTIVENESS as a potential romantic partner, our VALUE as RESPECTED member of SOCIETY; all seems to be established by our economic status. much like how TOMINE allows himself to be personally defined by the FLUID and FICKLE (and largely INCORRECT) perceptions of others, such is also how ive experienced life as a former lowly paid secondary teacher. it was a war i fought by myself as it was a DEHUMANIZING VALUE SYSTEM that i did everything to not internalize even if it felt that the outside WORLD had. being an EMPATH and a NURTURER who EMPOWERED his students was what i VALUED in myself, even if such wasnt how i was being evaluated by superiors. this book took me back to how we all have to find our own CORE sense of SELF and a VALUE SYSTEM that works for us and cannot be invaded by the OUTSIDE WORLD. i think TOMINE found such in THE LONELINESS OF THE LONG-DISTANCE CARTOONIST with his love of FAMILY. in the same way that writer ALLAN SILLITOE a generation or two before found in the INCARCERATED character COLLIN SMITH in his screenplay for the film THE LONELINESS OF THE LONG-DISTANCE RUNNER (BRITISH LION, 1962), who counteracts the BORSTAL SYSTEM of JUVENILE DETENTION wreaked on the WORKING CLASS in ENGLAND at the time. his rebellion is as much about one of asserting their personal autonomy as it is about countermining the equally PUNITIVE mental prison that is class consciousness in BRITISH SOCIETY. in both examples a PALPABLE sense of PERSONAL IDENTITY is rooted in an ALTERNATIVE VALUE SYSTEM that emboldens the INDIVIDUAL and deflects against SOCIETAL forces. THE LONELINESS OF THE LONG-DISTANCE CARTOONIST is an INCREDIBLE read and a THOUGHT-PROVOKING examination of what motivates as CREATIVE individuals tying to find LOVE and ACCEPTANCE in a seemingly COLD and INDIFFERENT environment, both PHYSICAL and MENTAL. photo & text by nacrowe
HELL IS FULL (ONI PRESS, 2020) is a QUIRKY collection of individual WEBCOMICS written and illustrated by BROOKLYN-by-way-of-WASHINGTON DC comedian BRANDON REESE. these MINIMALIST panels feel very SPONTANEOUS and IN-THE-MOMENT both CONCEPTUALLY and ARTISTICALLY, as if REESE was improvising both on the spot. that being said, i dont feel that it is fair to judge their lack of sophistication or intent as a negative since it appears they are meant to be consumed immediately with no extended aftertaste or reason to linger. WELL-ESTABLISHED INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY and FAMOUS CHARACTERS, both in CORPORATE MARKETING and WESTERN FOLKLORE are fair game, and are utilized in a manner that draws IDIOSYNCRATIC mention to some inane or UNEXPECTED aspect of their existence (such as their gender or motivation as a character).
going through this collection i am convinced that a book is not even the proper venue for this material as there is no narrative arc or conceptual fasciae that binds them together. it is pretty much just STREAM-OF-CONSCIOUSNESS ANARCHY with all RANDOM CHARACTERS subject to the unpredictable churn. given that REESE is a full-fledged veteran of the famously IMPROVISATIONAL UPRIGHT CITIZEN'S BRIGADE THEATER in NYC, i wonder if writing and illustrating for him is just another vehicle for creating MATERIAL from the ether with no prolonged previous engagement in the topic. there is only a RUDIMENTARY CONCEIT and a LUKEWARM, AD LIBBED PUNCH LINE, maybe. that's essentially how i chose to read HELL IS FULL, the first frame hastily establishes CHARACTER(s), LOCATION and a PREMISE while the next few contextualize and payoff such (maybe) in rapid succession. some work and others dont, but as a reader you move on immediately UNDAUNTED regardless. HELL IS FULL is an INTERESTING read, but if you are into CONCEPTUALLY RICH or ARTFULLY RENDERED GRAPHIC NOVELS then this is definitely not for you. can't say id recommend it, but i did find the implied process of its creation INTRIGUING. photo & text by nacrowe
originally published as issue #22 in the EIGHTBALL series, the graphic novel ICE HAVEN (PANTHEON, 2005) by CELEBRATED ALTERNATIVE COMICS cartoonist DANIEL CLOWES is a compelling KALEIDOSCOPIC depiction of an AMERICAN small town's inhabitants with interweaving personal narratives that sometimes resolve and other times continue onward unabated such as is the case in real life. LOVE, DEATH, LOSS, MARRIAGE, SEX and DIVORCE find their way into one's life trajectory much as JEALOUSY, PRIDE, ART, PARANOIA, HISTORY and PREJUDICE do as well. CLOWES' makes CLEVER use of differing art styles in his panels to represent the UNIQUE worldview and perspective of different said inhabitants, whether they be INNOCENT children or SCHEMING adults.
in many ways, this narrative experiment at the heart of ICE HAVEN reminds me of the IDIOSYNCRATIC DAVID BYRNE film TRUE STORIES (WARNER BROS, 1986) and how said film juxtaposes various aspects of RURAL TEXAN life and CULTURE without editorializing or passing judgment on the subject. BYRNE throughout is just a PASSIVE observer providing brief glimpses on the then rapid industrial expansion of the microchip industry and its effects on the landscape and how such informed how inhabitants viewed and identified themselves. with ICE HAVEN, CLOWES has a comic critic embedded in the mix who acts as a GREEK chorus, providing UN-AUTHORITATIVE insight and commentary on the action at hand. this is a distracting device of sorts and CLOWES' actual opinion is never elucidated specifically to the reader. it is just another voice to add to the mix. and that is ultimately how i see this graphic novel in general, as in INTERESTING composite shot of a community, warts and all. there are some people with AMBITION with good intentions and others set to EXPLOIT circumstances to their own benefit in completely BAD FAITH, just like in real life. i dont get the feeling that CLOWES is making any META-COMMENTARY on specific aspects of modern AMERICAN LIFE, more just attempting to showcase the mechanizations of it and for the reader to get a sense of how the pieces potentially fit together. ICE HAVEN is an INTRIGUING achievement and well worth checking out. |
NICHOLAS ARCHIVES
July 2024
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