the BUBONIC PLAGUE PANDEMIC of the MIDDLE AGES was a DEPLORABLE time of UNTOLD, WANTON AGONY, PAIN and DEATH with no PALPABLE SENSE of REASON or PURPOSE, just UNADULTERATED OLD TESTAMENT JUSTICE.  yet the REAL SUFFERING, as made CLEAR and examined in JULIA GFRÖRER's MINIMALIST but highly EVOCATIVE GRAPHIC NOVEL LAID WASTE (FANTAGRAPHICS, 2016), was a BURDEN of the LIVING.  finding CONNECTION and COMMUNITY in a FRAUGHT LANDSCAPE of INCREDIBLE DESPAIR and DISRUPTION is what makes us HUMAN and defines our SPIRIT as a SPECIES.

in LAID WASTE we are met with AGNES, a YOUNG WIDOW who is tasked with tending to her SIBLINGS after both of her PARENTS PASS AWAY from the BLACK DEATH.  those PATERNAL BINDS of DUTY and RESPECT dont disperse with the EXASPERATION of one's MORTAL COIL, if anything such CONTINUED HARD WORK and DILIGENCE  is a TESTAMENT to their ENDURING LEGACY as a FAMILY UNIT.  no REWARD, no HIGHER MEANING, just SURVIVAL.  and in this SCENARIO CONTINUED SURVIVAL equates to CONTINUED SUFFERING.

and the AUSTERE ARTWORK and MINIMAL DIALOGUE in MULTIPLE PANELS  throughout LAID WASTE showcases by GFRÖRER a PRETERNATURAL LEVEL of CONTROL over TONE that results in exposing the EMOTIONAL GRAVITY of what it must have felt like to survive the BLACK DEATH.  it had to have seemed quite ABSURD and even ARBITRARY to be ALIVE as if it was all up to HAPPENSTANCE and BALD, RANDOM CHANCE, which only further inflames the RESULTING TRAUMA and PIERCING SENSE of SURVIVOR's GUILT for all those who PERISHED.  also, with FAMILIAL, COMMUNAL and ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS now newly cut off, there is an OPPORTUNITY and RISK for the DEVELOPMENT of NEW CONNECTIONS.  and this seems to be GFRÖRER's BROADER POINT in this DARK, VOLATILE and largely APOCALYPTIC NARRATIVE, that even in a SITUATION rivaling that of an EFFECTIVE ARMAGEDDON the PROSPECT is always there to rebuild FRESH and ANEW.  again, it is part of our very COLLECTIVE MAKEUP as HUMANS.

GFRÖRER is a supremely TALENTED WRITER and VISUAL ARTIST and LAID WASTE is a SUBLIME GRAPHIC NOVEL well worth checking out.  id dare say it is GENUINE ACHIEVEMENT in achieving a NARRATIVE of RARE OPTIMISM and HOPE for the FUTURE in spite of its AGGRESSIVELY BRUTAL THEMATIC ELEMENTS.

ADOLESCENCE is BRUTAL.  even those of us that got through such relatively UNSCATHED are no doubt transformed and INEXTRICABLY marked by the EXPERIENCE.  and i am hard pressed to think of another GRAPHIC NOVEL that has so VIVIDLY expressed the PATHOS and INTERNAL STRIFE of that DEVELOPMENTAL STAGE than LIZ SUBURBIA's DEBUT EFFORT SACRED HEART (FANTAGRAPHICS, 2015) which follows a young WOMAN named BEN on a CULT COMPOUND sans PARENTS and ADULTS dealing with the HARDSHIPS of high school SOCIAL CLIQUES, the RESPONSIBILITY of RELATIONSHIPS and the UNCONDITIONALLY accepting of one's FAMILY in spite of their MISGIVINGS and TRESPASSES.  minus the RELIGIOUS OVERTONES and APOCALYPTIC ENDING, this NARRATIVE really hones in on the SELF-CRITICAL REFLECTION that comes with growing into ADULTHOOD and accepting ONESELF for whom they actually are.

the CHOICE to have such a TEEN DRAMA sans PARENTS, TEACHERS, RELIGIOUS LEADERS, POLICE OFFICERS and any ADULT PRESENCE is an INTRIGUING STYLISTIC and STORYTELLING DECISION, as it frees the PLOT to veer away from CLICHE TERRITORY centered around OUT-OF-TOUCH ADULTS chastising and patronizing those under their TENTATIVE CARE.  instead we effectively are presented with an ALTERNATE REALITY in which WANTON VIOLENCE, DEATH and (we find out) MURDER are COMMONPLACE with no RECOGNIZABLE ORDER or CODE OF ETHICS imposed on by a LARGER ESTABLISHMENT.  there is is a sort of UNDERSTOOD UTOPIAN ANARCHY in its stead which only further heightens the IMPASSIONED DRAMA of the STORY.  so much so that everything seems relatively MUNDANE and TRITE despite its completely ODD NATURE.  its an INCREDIBLE ACHIEVEMENT that showcases SUBURBIA's STRENGTH as both a VISUAL ARTIST and WRITER.

in my mind's eye when reading this SACRED HEART, i could not help but think back to my time visiting my GRANDPARENTS as a TEENAGER out in RURAL NEVADA.  INEXPLICABLY they chose to effectively leave SOCIETY and relocate from MARIN COUNTY just OUTSIDE SAN FRANCISCO for a TINY DESERT TOWN literally in the middle of NOWHERE called HAWTHORNE.  this PLACE was literally the LOCATION of GOVERNMENT MISSILE SILOS during the COLD WAR so OUT-OF-THE-WAY it was from CIVILIZATION.  sadly ive been there MULTIPLE TIMES and saw its LISTLESS RESIDENTS, especially ADOLESCENTS, walking around  BORED and AIMLESS. there was literally nothing in TOWN outside of a CASINO, which was just so beyond DEPRESSING.  GRAFFITTI understandably littered the PLACE EVERYWHERE and in the distance you could see mountains that likewise were written up with VULGARITIES and EVIDENCE of PAST RELATIONSHIPS and MAKESHIFT GANG TAGS long gone by.  that END-OF-THE-WORLD vibe was PARAMOUNT to the HAWTHORNE EXPERIENCE and reading SACRED HEART took me right back to that SADE LOCALE.  when i learned that SUBURBIA HERSELF hailed from NEVADA, such made me think that she must have been well acquainted with that VIGORLESS LIFESTYLE that only comes with DELIBERATELY being far OUTSIDE the CONFINES of SOCIETY writ large.  thank god or whomever that i didnt have to stay in HAWTHORNE that long.  can only imagine what it must be like to grow up in that ISOLATED SITUATION.

i got out.

HARK! A VAGRANT! (DRAWN AND QUARTERLY, 2011) is a COLLECTION of COMIC STRIPS written by CANADIAN CARTOONIST KATE BEATON that is a LIGHTHEARTED yet POIGNANT take on the IMPLICIT BIASES in the INHERITED NARRATIVES and ASSUMPTIONS perpetuated down through the GENERATIONS about LITERATURE, HISTORY and WESTERN CULTURE writ large.  given the SPECIFICITY of these BARBS, it makes PERFECT SENSE that many of these were written for the STUDENT NEWSPAPER while BEATON was in college pursuing a degree in HISTORY and ANTHROPOLOGY.  most of the CRITIQUES deal with CHAUVINISM and GENDER ROLES, COLONIALIST PRESUPPOSITIONS of SUPERIORITY and the simultaneous BOUNDLESS DULLNESS and INNATE DECENCY of CANADIANS (even when deeply PERTURBED, usually by AMERICANS).

what i appreciate most about HARK! A VAGRANT! is its HUMOR.  give the NATURE of these CONSIDERED and THOUGHTFUL CRITICISMS, which deal with seemingly DOUR ISSUES surrounding INEQUITY and INEQUALITY, the TONE could very easily be SUBDUED and even willfully DEFEATIST being that such have remained UNCHECKED seemingly in PERPETUITY.  but BEATON really lays into the INHERENT ABSURDITY of it all and castigates the PROPONENTS and PERPETUATORS of MISOGYNY and COLONIALIST SUBJUGATION and EXPLOITATION largely by allowing THEMSELVES to dig their own grave by the ACTIONS of their own HAND or TONGUE.  the SUPPOSED LOSERS of HISTORY in this SPACE are seen to be giving a KNOWING GLANCE or SIGH of total CONTEMPT and EXASPERATION for the WICKED and SELF-INTERESTED BEHAVIOR of WHITE MEN from time immemorial. 

and im all here for it.

when dealing with the OVERPOWERING POLITICAL, ECONOMIC and CULTURAL FORCES that beat us down into SUBMISSION, either by the gravity of their POWER and INFLUENCE, or the LONG-RUNNING NARRATIVE ECOSYSTEM that has effectively DEFINED such down the line, the seemingly best way to counteract such is through HUMOR.  HISTORY is ABSURD, POLITICAL SYSTEMS are ABSURD, LEADERS are ABSURD, PEOPLE are ABSURD, LIFE is ABSURD.  best to just admit such and deep dive into HUMOR in it all.  at least its much better than the other OPTION of mindlessly internalizing such TERRIBLE ASSUMPTIONS and further perpetuating them down the line as so many of our PREDECESSORS have down before.

HARK! A VAGRANT! is definitely worth checking out, even if find yourself looking up nearly half of these OBSCURE CANADIAN HISTORICAL FIGURES (at least for an AMERICAN).

GRIEF is a POWERFUL EMOTION.  the HUMAN PSYCHE is a BATTLEFIELD were CONTENTIOUS MEMORIES and the WOULDA, COULDA, SHOULDA MOMENTS and EXPERIENCES of LIFE are endlessly replayed, with UNDERSTANDABLE SHAME and GUILT leading to USELESS EMOTIONS like REGRET.  part of being HUMAN is dealing with CONSEQUENCES of having a CONSCIOUS and a DECENT MEMORY.  it molds you.  it defines your SELF-IDENTITY.

in the abundantly LYRICAL and POIGNANT GRAPHIC NOVEL THE RETURN OF THE HONEY BUZZARD (SELF MADE HERO, 2016) by DUTCH CARTOONIST AIMÉE DE JONGH, a STRUGGLING BOOK SHOP OWNER under immense ECONOMIC STRESS in the AFTERMATH of the GLOBAL FINANCIAL CRISIS finds himself coming to terms with the EMOTIONAL and PSYCHOLOGICAL REPERCUSSIONS of a series of TRAUMATIC EVENTS from his CHILDHOOD.  a CHILDHOOD FRIEND who was MERCILESSLY BULLIED, ACCIDENTALLY FELL from an ELEVATED SCHOOL ROOFTOP before our PROTAGONIST and DIED before being able to exact REVENGE on his REPEATED TRANSGRESSORS with a STOLEN GUN.  as an ADULT bearing witness to a WOMAN in a WOODED RAILROAD CROSSING COMMITTING SUICIDE by an ONCOMING TRAIN in his IMMEDIATE PRESENCE.  in both cases he did the RIGHT THING, but the GUILT still took on a life of its own.  in the AFTERMATH of his FATHER's PASSING, the SHOP OWNER unable to make such financially VIABLE MOVING FORWARD is TRIGGERED into another PANIC ATTACK.

this time with HALLUCINATIONS.

the NARRATIVE EXPLICITLY makes REFERENCE to the LITERARY GENRE of MAGICAL REALISM, which utilizes FANTASTICAL NARRATIVE ELEMENTS that effectively blur the line between ILLUSION and REALITY, FACT and FICTION.  DE JONGH in this GRAPHIC NOVEL utilizes said ELEMENTS and provides a completely PROJECTED and SELF-AFFIRMING, SELF-HEALING DELUSION that consoles the SHOP OWNER into coming to terms with his TRAUMA and its ASSOCIATED GUILT and REGRET.  part of this is done through the ORNITHOLOGICAL EXAMPLE of the HONEY BUZZARD, a MIGRATORY BIRD that during the NORTHERN WINTER MONTHS will travel to a DIFFERENT PART of AFRICA than its PARTNER returning the NEXT SPRING to their COLLECTIVE NEST.  if one DIES than the other moves on, fiding a NEW PARTNER.  the DIFFERENT AFRICAN DESTINATIONS is a SURVIVAL MECHANISM so that both are not KILLED by the SAME NATURAL DISASTER.  there is an INSTINCT to acknowledge the PRESENT and MOVE FORWARD despite the pain without CLINGING to the PAST.  it is a CONCEPT that the SHOP OWNER is seeking to RESOLVE.

i think most of us are.

COMING-OF-AGE NARRATIVES are always COMPELLING because their very FUNCTION is to uncover and impart a VITAL ASPECT of the STRONGLY-HELD VALUES and IDEALS a SOCIETY holds DEAR.  in BATTLE BOY (FIRST SECOND BOOKS, 2013) by the CELEBRATED PHILADELPHIA-based INDEPENDENT ALTERNATIVE CARTOONIST PAUL POPE such a VISION of MASCULINITY is thoughtfully considered whereby INGRAINED NORMATIVE STEREOTYPES regarding the PROTECTIVE DUTIES of RIGHTEOUS MALE FIGURES is QUESTIONED.  BATTLING BOY is the ASSUMED MONIKER of a TEENAGE DEMIGOD from an ETHEREAL OUTER DIMENSION placed in a WAR-RAVAGED PLANET overrun by GHOULISH MONSTERS as part of a RIGHT-OF-PASSAGE RITUAL.  his FATHER being an INTERGALACTIC DESTROYER of all-things EVIL BEHEMOTHS and GNARLY MONSTROSITIES, represents a HYPER-AGGRESSIVE yet SUPPORTIVE ARCHETYPE of MASCULINITY, one that has UNCOMPROMISING MORAL CLARITY as well as UNWAVERING SELF-CONFIDENCE that his SON is DESPERATELY attempting to assume and mimic, armed with a POWERFUL CLOAK and MAGICAL T-SHIRTS.

the NARRATIVE itself is one as old as time, but the REAL STAR on display is the signature EVOCATIVE and truely PHANTASMAGORICAL ARTWORK of POPE, which absolutely jumps of the page with ATTITUDE and ENERGY.  normally i am not the TARGET DEMOGRAPHIC for anything VAGUELY SUPERHUMAN-related as such seems LAZY and overtly REDUCTIVE regarding FORCED SCENARIOS with often INAUTHENTIC HUMAN INTERACTIONS.  not the case with POPE as his CHARACTERS seem to manifest as VIABLE REPRESENTATIONS of HUMAN FRAGILITY put in often OVERWHELMING SCENARIOS in which their OPEN VULNERABILITIES are laid BARE and confronted directly.  with the CHARACTER of BATTLING BOY, there seems to be a SUBTEXT regarding the MODE of MASCULINITY he wishes to embody as he seeks to bring a POLITICAL and overtly MILITARISTIC SITUATION to a RESOLUTION.  a SCENARIO that necessitates STRATEGIC THINKING and COMMUNITY-BUILDING as much as BRUTE FORCE and BRAVADO.  the fact that a YOUNG WOMAN, the SCION of a recently departed SELF-MADE HERO from this PLANET devoid of SUPERPOWERS but brimming with INTELLIGENCE, COURAGE and GUSTO, is presented as a CONSEQUENTIAL ALLY intriguingly calls into the question of BATTLING BOY's very PRE-EMINENCE as the MAIN CHARACTER in his own STORY, and consequently our COMPLICITY for assuming such.

BATTLING BOY is the first in a MULTI-PART SERIES that seemingly expands on AURORA WEST and the INTERNAL MYTHOLOGY surrounding her FALLEN FATHER and VERITABLE FOLK HERO HAGGARD WEST, bringing COMPLEXITY to this EVER-EVOLVING NARRATIVE that examines and questions normative notions surrounding MASCULINITY. 

i am here for it.  BATTLING BOY is just an ABSOLUTE STUNNER of a read both in CONCEPTUAL and ARTISTIC TERMS.  most definitely RECOMMENDED.

more than twenty years into this CARNIVALESQUE FREAK-SHOW that is SOCIAL MEDIA, we are all pretty much too intimately FAMILIAR with the CONCEPT of having an AVATAR or ALIAS that represents us ONLINE via SOCIAL MEDIA, CHAT ROOMS, COMMENT SECTIONS and the like.  such is a VEHICLE for DUPLICITY, DELUSIONS OF GRANDEUR and general HORRIFIC BEHAVIOR due to the lack of ACCOUNTABILITY that comes with having your NAME and LIKENESS attached to your WRITTEN OPINIONS.

cartoonist PETER BAGGE's presents in his COMPELLING GRAPHIC NOVEL ​OTHER LIVES (VERTIGO, 2010) a variety of CHARACTERS that blur the line between their REAL-LIFE IDENTITIES and online SECOND-WORLD PERSONAS as well as PERSONAL and PROFESSIONAL LIES, SECRETS and OBFUSCATIONS that DIVIDE and ISOLATE them from EACH OTHER as well as THEMSELVES.  its an INTRIGUING SUBJECT considering that all of us hold a SELF-PERCEPTION that GUIDES and INFORMS our DAILY BEHAVIOR and sense of EXPERIENTIAL CONTINUITY as a UNIQUE INDIVIDUAL.  through SOCIAL MEDIA we allow ourselves a WARPED MIRROR to CURATE a WIDELY-DISSEMINATED PUBLIC PROFILE that presents us as we see OURSELVES and not necessarily as we are perceived by OTHERS. 

through BAGGE's CHARACTERS we can observe a SIMILAR NARRATIVE based on such self-initiated DISTORTIONS that devolves into CHAOS and HARMFUL SELF-DESTRUCTIVE ACTIONS.  these CHARACTERS act out of a variety of motives from DESPERATION, LONELINESS and DESPAIR to AMBITION, SURVIVAL and an INTENSE need to BELONG.  its ironic that such use of AVATARS and ONLINE MONIKERS only makes such PROBLEMS more AGONIZING and SEVERE, since such INCENTIVES the very MOTIVES that manifest in such EMOTIONAL and PSYCHOLOGICAL ruination.

BAGGE seemingly offers no way out of this DEVASTATING DILEMMA outside of HONEST COMMUNICATION with both ONESELF and their IMMEDIATE COMMUNITY.  ONLINE FORUMS where one's OPINION is habitually SELF-REINFORCED does little to MITIGATE that LONG and PAINFUL DOWNWARD SPIRAL.  makes me reconsider the PERILS and/or BENEFITS or writing a BLOG.  seriously.

​OTHER LIVES is definitely an INTRIGUING READ well worth checking out.  much RECOMMENDED.  i look forward to seeking out more from BAGGE's CATALOGUE include HATE (FANTAGRAPHICS, 1990-2011) and NEAT STUFF (FANTAGRAPHICS, 1985-89) in the future.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

FRIENDSHIPS and ROMANTIC RELATIONSHIPS are prone to change and ultimately ATROPHY, much like the universe and its accelerated cosmic expansion that leaves us all ISOLATED and devoid of meaningful interaction.  or such is the underlying guiding principle at play in the graphic novel OUR EXPANDING UNIVERSE (TOP SHELF PRODUCTIONS, 2015) by ALEX ROBINSON, which follows the changes that CHILDBIRTH brings to the FRIENDSHIP of three men in their late thirties as they navigate RESPONSIBILITY and the quickly changing demands put on them by their PARTNERS.  what feels like a DRIFTING APART and reordering of priorities is actually just the natural evolution of a healthy functioning adult.

in this narrative there are two extremes presented. 

one of the three male FRIENDS is a confirmed bachelor with no long term ROMANTIC PROSPECTS on the horizon.  TALKATIVE with numerous pet theories and prone to OVER-INTELLECTUALIZE just about anything, this dude does not have to implement his concepts into actual practice through any kind of MEANINGFUL RELATIONSHIP and is basically reliving a younger version of himself who smokes pot and seemingly plays XBOX all day.  he never has to be truly VULNERABLE and thus make any meaningful GROWTH as a person.

another of the three males is married with two CHILDREN but has cheated on his wife at least twice.  this is due to his perceived sexual needs that cannot be provided by a PARTNER who has physically CHANGED due to the EXTREME demands of childbirth.  though economically stable as a teacher and nurturing and THOUGHTFUL as a supposed model of adult RESPONSIBILITY, his HYPOCRISY showcases the DOUBLE STANDARD of how men and women perceive their POWER in RELATIONSHIPS and how such alters over time and with the addition of CHILDREN in the mix.

its an interesting mix since the third male friend is basically navigating the impending birth of his DAUGHTER with his PARTNER with these two DYSFUNCTIONAL models of TROUBLED MASCULINITY.  seemingly the glue in this close-knit group of friends, he is EMOTIONALLY AVAILABLE and somewhat NONJUDGMENTAL about their SHORTCOMINGS.  he is EMPATHETIC to a point and makes his own life decisions related to his FAMILY informed but INDEPENDENT of their opinion.  and i think such a dynamic is HEALTHY.  its not indicative of a loss of supposed INTIMACY over time or the atrophying of the cosmic order as our collective FATE, it is a man growing into his own decision-making process as his PERSPECTIVE and RESPONSIBILITIES expand.

i personally have never had a CHILD but have been around people my age who have going back twenty years.  i can only begin to imagine and appreciate the significance of such a TRANSFORMATIVE experience as CHILDBIRTH and the manner in which such an UNCONDITIONAL RESPONSIBILITY responsibility must have for one's sense of IDENTITY and relationship to the outside world.  i have witnessed FRIENDS and FAMILY transition gracefully into such a role and others struggle.  but at its core i never felt that such a transition was indicative of my stature being minimized.  if anything it just meant more LOVE, more COMPASSION, more LIFE in the mix.  if at all this expanding community was MOVING FOWARD together, albeit slightly REDEFINED.

i really enjoyed how much this graphic novel thoughtfully illustrated how navigating these tense waters of ADULT RESPONSIBILITY was a manifestation of owning one's own SHORTCOMINGS and addressing them head on.  if anything we are all on that same trajectory whether we choose to accept such or not.  OUR EXPANDING UNIVERSE is a THOUGHTFUL comic book well worth checking out.

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.

with MUDBITE (FANTAGRAPHICS, 2018) and its two stories "MUD RIVER" and "BUG BITE" find DAVE COOPER's EDDY TABLE character at the center of ABSURD PLOT-LINES and phantasmagorically SEXUALLY-CHARGED imagery that feels like the id run WILD.  making sense of both PLOTS seems besides the point as if COOPER is more interested in a sort of anything goes, FREE-ASSOCIATIVE approach to STORYTELLING, where his CHARACTERS are pulled into their deepest urges and oddly unconcerned with the consequences of such ADVENTURISM and SELF-DISCOVERY.

that being said the ILLUSTRATIONS are astonishingly LURID and deliciously DEBASED with a muted palette that RUBANESQUE, PILLOWY FLESHY figures with wide EXPRESSIVE eyes in DREAMY LANDSCAPES that meld into one another.  im hesitant to refer to the IMAGERY as DRUG-LIKE but that is more than an apt description of such.  in fact the whole EXPERIENCE of consuming MUDBITE feels akin to an ILLOGICAL and HALLUCINATORY MISADVENTURE with NO MEANING embedded or lessons learned.  it just starts and ends in a seemingly endless loop of MISCHIEVOUS and consciously PERPLEXING GOBBLEDYGOOK.

do i recommend MUDBITE?  not really.  even for me this publication was a prime example of someone being WEIRD solely for the sake of being WEIRD.  its OPAQUE NARRATIVE and LUSCIOUS ILLUSTRATIONS seemed to be a distraction from the fact that NOTHING MEANINGFUL was being communicated. 

at least i didnt get it.  but then maybe i am not the right audience for this.  thats probably it.

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.

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.