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.
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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. photo & text by nacrowe
CECIL AND JORDAN IN NEW YORK STORIES (DRAWN & QUARTERLY, 2009) is a collection of graphic short stories by BRITISH-AMERICAN ALTERNATIVE cartoonist GABRIELLE BELL. most of these narratives deal with the INTERIOR LIVES of young women as they navigate the ADULT WORLD and the pressures of maintaining friendships and the looming threat of INDEPENDENCE and RESPONSIBILITY. at times this is expressed through the realistically-depicted REBELLIOUS actions of characters while at others wild and FLABOYANT IMAGININGS and SPRAWLING IDEATIONS of fancy that fly far from any NATURAL depiction of REALITY. the through line that roots and connects the narratives together is a EMOTIONAL grounding in the characters' reactions. even if the plot is in essence quite a bit FANTASTICAL. it should also be noted that parts of CECIL AND JORDAN IN NEW YORK STORIES were the basis for the MICHEL GONDRY section in the anthology film TOKYO! (COMMES DE CINEMAS, 2008), himself no stranger to all CREATIVE things WONDROUS and ABSURD.
i think for anyone that survived adolescence it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to not remember a time when one's IMAGINATION could serve as a distraction from the COLD, SOBER REALITIES that surrounded them. for me that vehicle of escape was film, travel, art and especially music. for others it is the wondrous capacity of literature that can allow for a temporary respite from reality while also helping one redefine such in an ALTERNATE UNIVERSE and HEADSPACE. it is that TRANSCENDENT power that individual EXPRESSION provides which helps us SELF-IDENTITY and modify our working BELIEF STRUCTURE. for me listening to SKINNY PUPPY, MASSIVE ATTACK or THE CARS allows me to channel different aspects of my IDENTITY and helps alleviate STRESS and provide CLARITY on a current situation. or perhaps distract me from such temporarily. reading through BELL's short stories gives me that same sense of individual adventure in enjoying the process of BECOMING. that sense when one is an adolescent of transitioning into a person you are not familiar with just yet as your introduction to your FUTURE SELF is just beginning. i think BELL very much brings that feeling of emerging IDENTITY come to life throughout these short narratives. definitely recommended. photo & text by nacrowe
to experience a MICHAEL DEFORGE graphic novel is to be submerged in a PHANTASMAGORIC VISION that plays within its own STRUCTURES and MECHANISMS and is visually a feast that has an INTERNAL LEXICON all its own. his graphic novel ANT COLONY (DRAWN AND QUARTERLY, 2014) is no disappointment on either front. he presents ARRESTING DEPICTIONS of GENOCIDAL VIOLENCE on a micro scale between an ANT COLONY and its local competition in PUGNACIOUS SPIDERS, AMORAL CENTIPEDES, UNAWARE HUMAN CHILDREN with magnified sunlight that is almost ZEUS-like in its arbitrary DESTRUCTIVE capacity and especially ULTRA-MILITANT RED ANTS. its a CONFRONTATIONAL VISION of life as a succession of THREATENING NEIGHBORS and the potential for WIDE-SCALE WANTON ANNIHILATION around every corner.
what is INTERESTING is how DEFORGE provides the ants with highly individualized and ANTHROPOMORPHIZED personalities with dreams and objectives, yet MYSTICAL outside forces such as pheromones ultimately govern their FATE. you cannot read this narrative and not come away with the fact that our lives are conducted under a similar thread of WIDESPREAD VIOLENCE and annihilation at the hands of a small number of politicians with access to nuclear codes and the like. all our physical and creative efforts at securing a future and providing for the next generation is just window dressing for a far more SEEDY and UNSTEADY REALPOLITIK that is churning just outside of our VISION that is constantly in TENSION and never not at play. the DEFORGE visuals are so BIZARRE and so EVOCATIVE that there is a certain VIOLENCE against our own senses of BEAUTY that is under attack when taking in and sussing out the narrative. id argue that the illustrations are so confrontationally VIVID that they effectively endear the story with a PALPABLE REALISM and AUTHENTICITY that is seemingly counterintuitive on paper. it should take you out of the narrative but it draws you further in. i very much feel it is quite an achievement that has MORAL IMPLICATIONS beyond one's sense of AESTHETICS. it makes that graphic novel have a sense of MORAL WEIGHT and GRAVITY, as if these warring tribes whose JARRING sense of INSATIABLE BLOODLUST is normal and justified by their very nature as SMALL INSECTS. the MORAL IMPLICATIONS to our own sense of justification around STATE VIOLENCE is STAGGERING and ultimately UNSETTLING. i cant wait to seek out more of his catalogue. i am intrigued by how DISCONCERTING the experience of reading ANT COLONY was for my personal sense of individuality. i want more! definitely worth checking out. photo & text by nacrowe
HEADS OR TALES (FANTAGRAPHICS, 2012) is a FANTASTICAL collection of INTIMATE short fiction stories by the UNCONVENTIONAL LOS ANGELES-based MULTI-DISCIPLINARY visual artist LILLI CARRE. currently instructs at CAL ARTS in EXPERIMENTAL animation department.
what i appreciate about her cartoons is their ability to evoke a passing TRANSITORY EMOTIONAL STATE, sometimes even multiple ones, at the same time. in life we are often looking for external cues to help navigate us through what is in essence an INTERNAL EXPERIENCE of being alive. her stories often populated by characters that are either OVERWHELMED or UNINHIBITED by said guideposts which allows the reader to consider what the trajectory of their own sense of IDENTITY would be like devoid of such external cues. all those small choices we make every day concerning AESTHETICS or GEOGRAPHY or people we surround ourselves with shape our lives in totality, but what if we were INDIFFERENT or not in control of such. how would our sense of SELF be affected? would it? i think about this sort of thing all the time given that since i left SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA at age twelve ive had a pretty PERIPATETIC existence ever since, traveling to over sixty countries and living in eight over five continents. i wonder all the time how id have turned out if id never left ORANGE COUNTY as a pre-teen. would i be a DIFFERENT person? a BETTER VERSION of myself? the work of CARRE seems to be focused on TRANSITORY expressions of IDENTITY and how one transitions from a TEMPORAL EMOTIONAL STATE to the next while maintaining a core sense of SELF. its an INTRIGUING METAPHYSICAL DYNAMIC to consider. is there a core ESSENCE to any of us or are we just reconfigured atoms in a never ending state of FLUX and TRANSITION. id argue the latter but its FUN to consider. regardless, HEADS OR TALES is well worth checking out. photo & text by nacrowe
its hard to describe culture shock to people that have not experienced such. its a level of DEPENDENCE and outright VULNERABILITY that is difficult to verbalize for those that have never ventured out of the confines of their native country. ive been lucky enough to have experienced such a few times during my years spent in AFRICA, THE MIDDLE EAST, EASTERN EUROPE, SOUTH AMERICA and ASIA and thing about it is that it never gets any easier. you are basically HUMBLED by the fact that processes and procedures you took for granted dont exist and you are forced to confront your own HELPLESSNESS in a foreign land. in essence you need to adapt to them, not the other way around. it very much is a situation that makes you value the immense cultural and personal hardships that make up the IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE.
SHENZEN: A TRAVELOGUE FROM CHINA (DRAWN & QUARTERLY, 2000) is a graphic novel memoir that FRENCH cartoonist GUY DELISLE wrote about his three-month stay in SHENZEN as part of a temporary position overseeing an animation studio. much like his other illustrated memoirs, this graphic novel is less about his work and more about the CULTURAL DIFFERENCES one comes across as a foreign national in a new country, even for a short stay. SHENZEN is just due north of HONG KONG, but culturally and political is more indicative of mainland CHINA than THE WEST. it is a major business city which means that much of its population is TRANSITORY in nature, with heavy traffic and dense daily geographic population shifts. DELISLE is often confronted with a culture that yields for nobody and has SPECIALIZED RITUALS that dont make run for niceties such as privacy or the celebration of the individual. making friends or acquaintances is difficult due to the LANGUAGE BARRIER, as even ENGLISH-speaking natives are GUARDED and PERIPHERAL with their opinions. there is an unspoken sense of hesitation at saying the wrong thing to the wrong person by his new colleagues, both in and out of work. this never subsides. even DELISLE' learning of a colleague's deep artistic appreciation for the celebrated DUTCH painter REMBRANDT, which he utilizes in finding a book for said acquaintance in HONG KONG as a gift, results in no acknowledged, feedback or verbalized appreciation. the joy of SHENZEN: A TRAVELOGUE FROM CHINA is experiencing that dilemma anew through the eyes of DELISLE. its impossible to not put yourself in that same space and wonder how you would react to all of these scenarios, in and out of a professional setting. i can say from experience that it is absolutely EXHAUSTING and EXHILARATING at the same time, something you dont fully appreciate until you are back home in more familiar confines. or at least you think such. after a two year PEACE CORPS stint in ALBANIA it took me at least three months to fully be back mentally stateside after a serious bought of REVERSE CULTURE SHOCK. that totally took me by SURPRISE. i always wonder when reading and pondering over any of DELISLE's illustrated travel memoirs what he took back with him to FRANCE and if REVERSE CULTURE SHOCK ever reared its ugly head on him. its interesting to consider and explore what aspects of foreign cultures manage to grab hold of one's PYSCHE and SELF-IDENTITY and dont let easily go. i know after living in JAPAN for a year, it took me 6-8 months to stop bowing. just became second nature. photo & text by nacrowe
FRENCH cartoonist DAVID B through his HALLUCINATORY and vividly PHANTASMAGORIC drawing style depicts a series of impenetrably PSEUDO-RELIGIOUS, MYTHOLOGICAL ALLEGORIES within the graphic novel THE ARMED GARDEN AND OTHER STORIES (FANTAGRAPHICS, 2011). based loosely on PERSIAN and CENTRAL EUROPEAN TRADITIONS, the narratives within convey man's inability to discern and appreciate matters related to the DIVINE.
all three narratives depict the search for DIVINE PROVIDENCE and esteem as a potent cudgel to be utilized for POWER and INFLUENCE in the physical realm. its hard not to read into such and deduce that with matters of the METAPHYSICAL REALM, our daily struggles and squabbles are beyond MEANINGLESS. DIVINITY and the concept of PARADISE is seen in these narratives to be beyond constraints of space and time, or even earthly bodily forms for that matter. it is a DEGRADATION of sorts to even involve such in our psychodramas related to POWER and INFLUENCE, but that is what the characters repeatedly do to their own peril. the highlight of these graphic novels is not the plot or the subtext of the narrative, but just the INCREDIBLE artwork DAVID B provides that seems to split the difference between ESOTERIC MYSTICISM, ISLAMIC FOLKLORE and more than a little AUBREY BEARDSLEY. it is very much a visual treat, even if the narrative itself feels a bit CLUTTERED and UNFOCUSED in comparison. as a former secondary english teacher i love wading in the pools of OBTUSE references and deliberate OPAQUENESS. but if you dont definitely check out DAVID B's more traditionally written and depicted graphic novel EPILEPTIC (review linked HERE) which is a memoir related to his family's experience living with his older brother's UNCONTROLLABLE and DANGEROUS bouts with epilepsy. that is probably a better starting point than this lovingly depicted yet largely INCOMPREHENSIBLE historical narrative. photo & text by nacrowe
the graphic novel EMBROIDERIES (PANTHEON, 2003) by celebrated FRENCH-IRANIAN cartoonist MARJANE SATRAPI sheds insight on the often TABOO and often UNDISCLOSED and UNDISCUSSED SEXUAL ATTITUDES and personal lives of IRANIAN WOMEN. the graphic novel revolves around the remembered gathering of SATRAPI's GRANDMOTHER with her DAUGHTER as well as close friends and relatives, all WOMEN, for an evening samovar tea and PRYING discussion.
and that talk centers around SEX. at times SALACIOUS, these cascading tales of the physical and emotional disappoints and cultural DOUBLE STANDARDS of being a WOMEN are both SOBERING and INSIGHTFUL. they depict a GENDER SOCIAL LANDSCAPE that doesnt seem much different from WESTERN CULTURE, where woman are still prized for their physical attributes and MEN still hold much INSTITUTIONAL POWER. the title even references the lengths WOMEN will go to reestablish their untouched VIRGINAL state through PAINFUL, INVASIVE surgeries aimed at pleasing their MALE PARTNER, as well as the INTERWOVEN tapestry and mutually SUPPORTIVE network of experience witnessed in this all-FEMALE gathering. though these PERSONAL narratives that the WOMEN share with one another often depict past selves in LESS EMPOWERED circumstances, what they all share in common is a SUBVERSION to GENDER EXPECTATIONS surrounding FIDELITY. often this is shown through a leveraging of their DOMESTIC duties or SEXUAL DOMINANCE over an OLDER, SLUGGISH and wholly INEPT MALE PARTNER. even the ending shows the PATRIARCH of the SATRAPI family pushed back to his room with no input or fight of his behalf in the matter. its an INTERESTING metaphor for the lives of WOMEN in IRANIAN culture that although their public lives are STRICT and PREDETERMINED, the inner dynamics on the home front are not up for discussion. and none of this should be any surprise to anyone. GENDER DYNAMICS are a manifestation of a much larger conversation regarding one's ability to self identify and public express one's INDIVIDUALITY. generations of WOMEN in IRAN brought this state of affairs regarding CONSERVATIVE GENDER RELATIONS and SEXUAL MORES to fruition through either SUBMISSION, COLLABORATION or quiet acquiescence to AUTHORITY. i question whether these closed circles of INTERGENERATIONAL FEMALE networks have the potential to change the state of affairs. such is definitely currently in play in IRAN in the wake of the police custody death of 22 year-old student MAHSA AMINI and the PROTESTS that have followed. interestingly, MEN have joined their ranks. its a dynamic still being played out and the discussions elucidated in EMBROIDERIES definitely seem PRESCIENT to that movement. photo manipulation & text by nacrowe
i found the documentary WARREN ELLIS: CAPTURED GHOSTS (SEQUART, 2012) about the NOTORIOUS BRITISH graphic novel writer to be quite a bore. my interest for watching this film came from reading his work in TRANSMETROPOLITAN (VERTIGO, 1997-2002), RED (WILDSTORM, 2003-2004), and THE AUTHORITY (WILDSTORM, 1999), all three are INTENSE, THOUGHTFUL comic book series that utilize TRANSGRESSIVE scenarios as a means of prodding the reader's sense of HUMAN DECENCY. in essence, WARREN ELLIS is producing MODERN ALLEGORIES and MORALITY PLAYS, utilizing familiar narrative forms while pushing them to their ethical limits. in contrast with his creative work, which i found to be quite CONTEMPLATIVE and entirely THOUGHT-PROVOKING, this documentary which follows him basking in his own TIRESOME attempts at SELF-MYTHOLOGY just came off TRITE and BANAL. to be perfectly honest, i had a difficult time staying awake throughout.
it is important to state that this film came out years before reports of SEXUAL COERCION allegations were brought on by multiple women in the summer of 2020. since then he has been something of a PARIAH within the industry and has effectively been BLACKLISTED in the wake of said claims. i think this documentary is interesting in how it presents a REVERED cultural figure and the lengths to which peers and acolytes rationalize and contextualize aggressively DEVIANT and unapologetically DEBASED behavior. i found the BRAZENNESS of these justifications by lackeys to be pretty SHOCKING, even in the wake of DONALD TRUMP. its a situation entirely reminiscent of MARILYN MANSON and how his public and private persona fed into one another and led to his DOWNFALL, which likewise included SEXUAL COERCION as well as false-imprisonment and grooming allegations. none of it felt like a surprise in that an army of misguided apologists attempted to justify such as part of his art in some VILE and absolutely WARPED perspective. its truly BIZARRE in that you even have JOSS WHEDON (BUFFY THE VAMPIRE SLAYER, TOY STORY, THE AVENGERS) expressing opinions on said behavior, himself someone in just a few short years after the recording of this film will be publicly alleged to have utilized his authority on set to coerce sexual favors from subordinates. just proves the power of celebrity and the gender power imbalance that is still very much a feature of western society, despite our attempts to point fingers at other parts of the globe. it should be noted that ELLIS has since come out and apologized from what reports i could gather, but the documentary i am interested in would be the 2022 version of his personal narrative, not this 2012 version. especially given the nature of his work and the SAD legacy of his personal choices, he may be an ideal candidate to eloquently shed light and poignant insight into the CORROSIVE mindset of TOXIC MASCULINITY and the societal structures that encourage such to metastasize and flourish. or not. photo & text by nacrowe
YOU ARE THERE (FANTAGRAPHICS, 2009) is a KIM THOMPSON english translation of the deeply SATIRICAL FRENCH serial ICI MEME, which was a legendary 1978 collaboration between notable FRENCH illustrators JACQUES TARDI (IT WAS THE WAR OF THE TRENCHES) and JEAN-CLAUDE FOREST (BARBARELLA). it is often credited with spearheading the modern EUROPEAN graphic novel movement in the 1980s.
the narrative deals with the PECULIAR protagonist ARTHUR THERE, who ODDLY lives on the INTECONNECTED walls that divide the land of his ancestors. generations before they have had it stolen by the antecedents of the current landowners and the unusual arrangement is that THERE opens the gates that give these families access to their properties. in return he charges a small toll for the effort. a consistent theme throughout includes the INTERACTION that borders on PLAY in HUMAN CONNECTION and ISOLATION. THERE by definition provides access and CONNECTION for the inhabitants of the region but he himself is situated ALONE OUTSIDE SOCIETY. he is paradoxically an inert gas as well as an enzyme at the same time, figuratively. THERE is in the middle of a lawsuit over his stolen lands which ABSURDLY finds the region caught up in a national PSYCHODRAMA/POWER STRUGGLE by a leader with low poll numbers before an ELECTION. since technically the land THERE controls is its own self-determined state, this POLITICIAN seeks to reinstate him as a ploy to rally voters to support him. its an ABSURD plot with ABSURD characters, many of whom i am glancing over, but at the heart is a FATALISTIC, almost EXISTENTIAL, view of the FRAILTY and IMPOTENCY of humans to AFFECT CHANGE in the world. ABSTRACT concepts like DEATH, LOVE, JUSTICE, MONEY, COMMUNITY and even HEALTH are seen as distractions that dont provide meaning in a cosmos that has no rhyme or reason to it, even for a CONFUSED, HALF-MAD protagonist. the whims of HISTORY is seen as a wave that carries us all with it and we have no capacity to alter or fundamentally affect change in any meaningful manner beyond the fringes. this DIRE perspective feels incredibly OF-THE-MOMENT given the FRAIL STATE of global democracy (ala JANUARY 6TH INSURRECTION), threatened nuclear war (with RUSSIA) and the collapse of trust in the AMERICAN JUDICIAL SYSTEM given the recent DOBBS V. JACKSON WOMEN'S HEALTH ORGANIZATION decision. i feel like THERE. i escape to my own REALITY. that is probably why i read books at the rate i do. i think its hard not read this graphic novel and think about the gatekeepers to our own INTERACTIONS with each other (SOCIAL MEDIA PLATFORMS, POLITICIANS, INTERNET SERVICE PROVIDERS) and their own AGENDA in that exchange. |
NICHOLAS ARCHIVES
March 2024
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