the VAST MAJORITY of the GRAPHIC NOVELS i tend to write about are LOOSELY attributed to what is KNOWN as the ALTERNATIVE COMICS MOVEMENT (think GILBERT & JAIME HERNANDEZ, CHARLES BURNS, GABRIELLE BELL, JHONEN VAZQUEZ, ADRIAN TOMINE, ALISON BECHDEL, JOE MATT and DANIEL CLOWES), which ITSELF was CONSCIOUSLY an EVOLUTION of the UNDERGROUND COMIX MOVEMENT of the 1960s and 70s (ROBERT CRUMB, TRINA ROBBINS, GILBERT SHELTON, KIM DEITCH, WILLIE MENDES, GARY PANTER, ART SPIEGELMAN and SPAIN RODRIGUEZ), all of which are INDEPENDENTLY-RELEASED COMICS meant for a KEY DEMOGRAPHIC of the COUNTERCULTURE VARIETY with NARRATIVES that carry an often PERSONAL, GONZO-like INTIMACY.  

such is not the CASE with SCOTTISH ILLUSTRATOR / CARTOONIST TOM GAULD.

his HEADY, THOUGHT-PROVOKING SINGLE-PANEL WORKS are recognized for their FUN-LOVING and lightly MISCHIEVOUS ABILITY to CRITIQUE COMMON LITERARY TROPES, HISTORICAL BLIND SPOTS, NORMATIVE CULTURAL BELIEFS, SOCIO-POLITICAL THEORIES and other MODERN INTELLECTUAL CONCEPTS that are often found in ELEVATED PUBLICATIONS like THE NEW YORKER, THE GUARDIAN, THE NEW YORK TIMES and NEW SCIENTIST among MANY OTHERS.  in essence, to make SENSE of his WORK there is a PRESUMPTION of FAMILIARITY with MAJOR LITERARY, PSYCHOLOGICAL, HISTORICAL, ECONOMIC and POLITICAL CONCEPTS from the PAST CENTURY.  without that BASE CONTEXT most of the PUNCH from his JABS are EFFECTUALLY NEUTERED before they even had time to provide IMPACT.  his PANELS are DECIDEDLY catering to a more LITERARY-MINDED and ECONOMICALLY / POLITICALLY-ENGAGED SET.

being a FORMER ENGLISH TEACHER i am sadly aware that for MOST OBSERVERS of the WRITTEN WORD via NEWS, MEDIA and the LITERARY WORLD often dont take into ACCOUNT the IMPORTANCE of the AUDIENCE in the EQUATION of transmitting an IDEA.  it is INTEGRAL to consider that SOME STUFF is just not meant for MASS CONSUMPTION based wholly on MERIT. and it goes BOTH WAYS.  i know PEOPLE who cannot stand ADAM SANDLER's SOPHOMORIC HUMOR in BILLY MADISON (UNIVERSAL, 1995) or HAPPY GILMORE (UNIVERSAL, 1996) while OTHERS feel the same way about EXPERIMENTAL CINEMA like ALEXANDR SOKUROV's RUSSIAN ARK (WELLSPRING, 2002) or EARLY SILENT EPICS epics like D.W. GRIFFITH's INTOLERANCE (TRIANGLE, 1916).  certain things are just not for EVERYONE including GAULD' s TAKEDOWN of early MODERNIST BRITISH HIGH-SOCIETY in the CELEBRATED VEIN of VIRGINIA WOOLF and others. 

​it is what it is.

BAKING WITH KAFKA (DRAWN & QUARTERLY, 2017) is a COLLECTION of such STAND-ALONE PANELS, MOSTLY from THE NEW YORK TIMES.  it is as GOOD a PRIMER or INTRODUCTION to an ERUDITE THINKER and CLEVER SATIRIST that is GAULD.  and how our CONTEMPORARY LIFE filled with the JOYS and SPOILS of and SCIENTIFIC and TECHNOLOGICAL ADVANCEMENTS that have EFFECTIVELY gained us NOTHING in TERMS of WISDOM or USEFUL KNOWLEDGE.  if anything, we are all COLLECTIVELY just as MISERABLE now as we ever were.  which in MY MIND is distinctly REASSURING.

GROWING UP SUCKS.

thats still the CASE even if you have SUPERHUMAN POWERS that allow you to MAGICALLY control the NATURAL WORLD, you still need to survive HIGH SCHOOL.  such is the FUNDAMENTAL CONCEIT of JILLIAN TAMAKI's COMPILED WEBCOMIC published in TOTALITY in her SUPERMUTANT MAGIC ACADEMY (DRAWN AND QUARTERLY, 2015) GRAPHIC NOVEL. as a FORMER ENGLISH TEACHER i was often REGULARLY confronted with VARIOUS LITERARY SERIES that i thought were UNINSPIRED and downright CORNY, namely the HARRY POTTER and TWILIGHT SERIES.  i just had a DIFFICULT TIME resonating with CHARACTERS that seemed ALOOF or ABOVE-THE-FRAY in TERMS of developing COPING MECHANISMS as they grow older to deal with REAL HUMAN DOUBT and INSECURITY.  never mind FANTASTICAL SPELLS and WEREWOLVES, surviving SCHOOL intact would be an IMPRESSIVE SUPERPOWER enough to win me over.

with SUPERMUTANT MAGIC ACADEMY, that INSIGHTFUL ATTENTION-TO-DETAIL regarding CORE EMOTIONS surrounding the TYPE of UNBALANCED SELF-CRITICISM, APPREHENSION and sometimes ANGST that defines being a YOUNG PERSON is where TANAKI really shines as an AUTHOR.  the fact that these CHARACTERS had POWERS related to TELEKINESIS, CLOAK, TELEPATHY and FLIGHT were SECONDARY if not INCONSEQUENTIAL to the STRUGGLES surrounding SELF-IDENTITY and SELF-ACCEPTANCE at hand.  having a SUPERHUMAN CAPABILITY is NICE and all, but is rather WORTHLESS in the LONG RUN if one doesnt have the ABILITY to communicate AFFECTION and COMPASSION.  you find CHARACTERS throughout SUPERMUTANT MAGIC ACADEMY that define THEMSELVES not by their INHERITED POWERS, but instead by their INTERESTS (i.e. SPORTS, ART, DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS, MUSIC, LITERATURE and so on) and IMMEDIATE COMMUNITY of FRIENDS and ALLIES, sometimes UNEXPECTED.   

what ultimately transpires is the PRESENTATION of VARIOUS VIGNETTES of ADOLESCENT LIFE and the idea that growing up is an ESPECIALLY AWKWARD, DIFFICULT and CONFUSING PHASE that EVERYONE just tries to survive somewhat INTACT with a minimum of RESIDUAL TRAUMA to carry for the REST of your TIME in this IMPERMANENT CORPOREAL REALM.  doing so with GRACE and EMPATHY is a SUPERPOWER in and of itself.

is a TOUCHING EXAMINATION of MODERN late ADOLESCENT LIFE through the PRISM of a DIVERSE GROUP of MUTANTS mirroring that same RACIAL and GENDER MULTEITY that defines.

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.

growing up i never was a FAN of COMIC BOOKS dealing with the FANTASTICAL EXPLOITS of SUPERHERO CHARACTERS with their ABSURD POWERS and RESPONSIBILITIES the mostly i found i couldnt relate to the PREMISE.  seemed RIDICULOUS and a bit UNREALISTIC.  and i dont meant the FANCIFUL FLYING, TELEPATHIC, TIME-MANIPULATING, SPACE-BENDING or REALITY-WARPING ASPECTS of it all, but the UNDERLYING SUGGESTION that such PRETERNATURAL ABILITIES would be utilized with an equal measure of CALM RESTRAINT just didnt seam BELIEVABLE.

which is why i find THE DEATH-RAY (DRAWN & QUARTERLY, 2004) by DANIEL CLOWES such a COMPELLING GRAPHIC NOVEL.  originally a part of his EIGHTBALL (FANTAGRAPHICS, 1989-2004) series of COMIC BOOKS, this now STAND-ALONE NARRATIVE is based on the RELATABLE PREMISE that the ORPHANED, UNWANTED, TWICE-DIVORCED UNDERDOG who has been gifted EXTRAORDINARY ABILITIES of STRENGTH and even an HONEST-TO-GOD DEATH RAY GUN that only he can use does not have BENEVOLENCE in his heart for HUMANITY but a DEEP-SEATED RESENTMENT and almost SOCIOPATHIC COMPULSION to selectively ERADICATE those that make him ANGRY.  or at the very least he is a MISANTHROPE with pronounced NARCISSISTIC TENDENCIES.  gaining his INCREDIBLE POWERS in his late teens, its difficult not to read his TRANSFORMATION ALLEGORICALLY about that CONSEQUENTIAL TRANSITiON from ADOLESCENT to YOUNG ADULT and the PHYSICAL, EMOTIONAL and PSYCHOLOGICAL RESPONSIBILITIES that come with such that largely define one for the rest of their lives.  to me at least it makes sense that despite wanting to shield SOCIETY from his POTENTIAL WRATH, the ITCH ultimately becomes to much and he falls into the TEMPTATION of wreaking VENGEANCE on the WORLD for his TRAUMATIC CHILDHOOD EXPERIENCES.

you really wonder why most SUPERHERO COMICS hardly have CHARACTERS that continually fail to measure up the INHERENT RESPONSIBILITIES of their SUPERNATURAL ABILITIES.  ADOLESCENCE is an especially BRUTAL PERIOD in an INDIVIDUAL's DEVELOPMENT and DIFFICULT if not IMPOSSIBLE to transcend as an ADULT, especially regarding TRAUMATIC EVENTS.  it is not even CLEAR within the WORLD presented in THE DEATH-RAY whether ANDY, the MAIN CHARACTER, is definitively a PROTAGONIST or ANTAGONIST.  CLOWES left it deliberately AMBIGUOUS.  its literally up to the READER to decide whether SOCIETY is better off sans BULLIES, DRUG DEALERS, ADULTERERS and the like that ANDY flawlessly zapped out of EXISTENCE without a trace.  the GRAPHIC NOVEL ends with a CHOOSE-YOUR-OWN-ADVENTURE STYLE ending with MULTIPLE SCENARIOS to choose from, each not particularly SATISFYING no matter how you view ANDY as a CHARACTER.

in SUMMATION, that UNRESOLVED AMBIGUITY seems to suggest that LIFE is COMPLEX.  we are all simultaneously the VICTIM and the AGGRESSOR.  we harness DEEPLY-FELT EMOTIONS based on PERSONAL EXPERIENCE and GRIEVANCES therein while also individually perpetuating SYSTEMS that promote ETHNIC, RACIAL, GENDER and ECONOMIC DISPARITIES with REAL WORLD IMPLICATIONS for SOCIETY at large.  INEQUITY and INEQUALITY is just a part of LIFE and EVISCERATING PEOPLE, including ONESELF, out of EXISTENCE doesnt change that DYNAMIC one iota.  and it is definitely not a VIABLE SOLUTION.

​such is HUMANITY.

growing up for the most part OVERSEAS, i was never an NPR LISTENER (or for that matter was even aware of the EXISTENCE of PUBLIC RADIO).  i recall discovering RADIOLAB (WNYC, 2002-present) during my time in grad school at TEACHERS COLLEGE COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY through a FRIEND who used IDEAS from the PROGRAM as the basis for a series of lesson plans that setup a project revolving around SCRIPTWRITING for use on the RADIO.  what struck me immediately about RADIOLAB was how it presented these massive CONCEPTUAL IDEAS in an immediately APPROACHABLE, TACTILE and entirely IMMERSIVE MANNER.  the POWER and MAGIC of the RADIO PROGRAM was how VISCERAL the STORYTELLING was, which made the INTELLECTUAL CONCEITS all the more ACCESSIBLE to a complete LAYMAN like myself.

i was hooked.

what JESSICA ABEL constructs in her AMBITIOUS OUT ON THE WIRE: THE STORYTELLING SECRETS OF THE NEW MATERS OF RADIO (CROWN, 2015) GRAPHIC NOVEL, with CONTEXT and INSIGHT from ASSISTING NARRATIVE CO-PILOT IRA GLASS, are the myriad of CONSIDERATIONS, PROCESSES and CREATIVITY that go into manufacturing such ENVELOPING, WELL-CONSIDERED THOUGHT PIECES.  PARTICIPATING PROGRAMS include not only RADIOLAB, but also THIS AMERICAN LIFE, SNAP JUDGMENT, PLANET MONEY, THE MOTH RADIO HOUR, 99% INVISIBLE and RADIO DIARIES.  in a very PALPABLE SENSE, as one is presented with the UNIQUE ASPECTS of the WRITING, TRACKING and EDITING PROCESSES of these VARYING PROGRAMS, there is a META-NARRATIVE that pervades throughout through the distinctly VISUAL MEDIUM of a GRAPHIC NOVEL.  it is never lost that she is translating the CREATIVE ROCESS of one MEDIUM (AURAL) through that of another (VISUAL), the INTERPLAY of which i found endlessly FASCINATING throughout my READING EXPERIENCE.
 
due to the fact that RADIO PROGRAMS are a completely AURAL EXPERIENCE, there are DISTINCT LIMITATIONS that must be considered.  unlike a TEXT that one can reread or a MOVIE / TELEVISION PROGRAM that provides a whole host of INFORMATION (BODY LANGUAGE, MICRO-EXPRESSIONS, SOCIAL CUES, CULTURAL DIFFERENCES) outside of the WORDS spoken that a VIEWER can infer, AUDIO is EPHEMERAL by NATURE.  the MEDIUM itself is comparatively BRUTAL in that if a LISTENER becomes CONFUSED or LOST its almost IMPOSSIBLE to have them fully IMMERSE once again.  the POTENTIAL for FAILURE is very REAL and making RADIO PROGRAMS is by definition a RISKY ENDEAVOR.  it is a HIGH WIRE ACT.  such is why when it works, it is often a TRANSFORMATIVE EXPERIENCE beyond that of other MEDIUMS as the CINEMATIC AURALS are entirely SELF-GENERATED in the UNIQUE mind's eye of each LISTENER.

as a FORMER ENGLISH TEACHER i find this all ENTHRALLING, since there is much overlap with attempting to spur EVOCATIVE IDEAS in one's own CREATIVE WRITING.  given that the MEDIUM is SOUND there are additional TECHNIQUES like SIGNPOSTING, SOUND DESIGN, REPETITION, CALLBACKS and even EXPLICIT EXPOSITION.  take too long on one ASPECT and you bore the listener but push the TEMPO too much and you lose CLARITY.  as i was reading OUT ON THE WIRE, i kept thinking about the CONCEPT of AUDIENCE and who THEY see as such.  DIFFERENT CULTURAL PERSPECTIVES (POLITICAL, GEOGRAPHICAL, ETHICAL, SPIRITUAL and so on), EDUCATIONAL LEVELS, FAMILIARITY with the TOPICS presented and ease with VOCABULARY (especially TECHNICAL JARGON) could dramatically affect one's ABILITY to grapple with the NARRATIVE being presented.  but maybe such INNATE COMPLEXITY is what makes INVESTIGATIVE NARRATIVE RADIO PROGRAMMING so INTRIGUING in the first place.

if anything, OUT ON THE WIRE just explodes the CONCEIT that WELL-CONCEIVED, WRITTEN and EXECUTED RADIO PROGRAMMING, especially this recent WAVE of EXTENDED NARRATIVE THINK PIECES, is anything but an INTENSIVE LABOR OF LOVE conducted by COMMITTED TEAMS of WRITERS, PRODUCERS, SOUND DESIGNERS, EDITORS and even VOICE ACTORS.  it definitely makes me more aware of the ACTUAL PEOPLE behind the PRODUCT moving forward and the levels of INTENTION involved with CONTENT that is consumed so seamlessly as if such always existed.  the PROCESS and MENTAL EFFORT is anything but the TRANSITORY NATURE of the MEDIUM itself, that is for sure.  definitely a WELCOME and INQUISITIVE read for anyone interested in RADIO and the CREATIVE ROCESS.  much recommended.

there is this ENDURING FALLACY regarding CHILDREN'S STORIES probably due to everyone being raised and effectively INDOCTRINATED on DISNEY ANIMATED films, that plot-wise they have to be structurally SIMPLISTIC with UNAMBIGUOUS moral messaging.  such is why i usually seek out FAIRY TALES and ORAL TRADITIONS from abroad, especially when such is meant for consumption by kids.  the GRAPHIC NOVEL THE LITTLEST PIRATE KING (FANTAGRAPHICS, 2010) is a collaboration of sorts between the renowned MODERN FRENCH ILLUSTRATOR DAVID B, best known for his CELEBRATED, AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL GRAPHIC NOVEL EPILEPTIC (PANTHEON, 2005), and the LONG-DECEASED 20th century FRENCH NOVELIST PIERRE MAC ORLAN.

in essence, this COMIC is an ENGLISH translation of DAVID B's ADAPTATION of a PIERRE MAC ORLAN SHORT STORY about a YOUNG KIDNAPPED BOY being raised on a PIRATE SHIP manned and operated by a DECEASED CAPTAIN and CREW.  such are DOOMED in a REPETITIVE, DOLDRUM EXISTENCE of ETERNAL DAMNATION where they are HUNGRY but cannot eat, are THIRSTY but cannot drink and have no way of offing THEMSELVES to make such end.  every time they attempt to KILL THEMSELVES in one MASSIVE gesture, FATE or NATURE gets involved and alleviates them of that SWEET embrace of DEATH.  for they are DAMNED for ETERNITY to just wander and SUFFER endlessly across the ocean.

in this STORY, the YOUNG boy functions as an OPPORTUNITY for the CAPTAIN and his CREW to showcase and project a hitherto lost sense of HUMANITY towards a JELOUS god that has left them with this ABYSMAL FATE.  what is INTRIGUING to me is that there is no CONCLUSION in the PLOT as to their success in this SCHEME.  it is basically up to the reader to JUDGE the MERITS of their actions.  i was raised catholic and attended (briefly) parochial school and i can remember how SIMPLISTIC the MORALIZING was during religion classes and mid-day mass lectures from the pulpit.  i never bought in, it all seemed so easy placing JUDGEMENT and BLAME on others, as well as ourselves.  when i have learned since then is that LIFE is COMPLICATED and people do the best they can IN-THE-MOMENT more or less.  sometimes if pushed to a brink, people can make all sorts of decisions they later come to REGRET.  just like there was no RESOLUTION stated in THE LITTLEST PIRATE KING with regard to the FATE of the CAPTAIN and CREW, there are no guarantees in our lives either.  when one thinks back to their own MISTAKES, MISGIVINGS and MISADVENTURES, one quickly realizes the power of INTENTION.  how they were feeling and what OUTCOMES they intended to effectuate at the moment of a decision.  JUDGEMENT may occur down the line, but at least being SELF-REFLECTIVE will help possibly prevent RECIDIVISM in the future.

for me that is the message of this GRAPHIC NOVEL.  be in the moment.  learn from your MISTAKES and move forward with a sense of GRACE and try not to consider outcomes.  be KIND and CHARITABLE with no reward in mind, ETERNAL DAMNATION or not.  at least that was my take from reading THE LITTLEST PIRATE KING.

both volumes of the much REVERED graphic novel PERSEPOLIS (PANTHEON, 2000-2003) by FRANCO-IRANIAN cartoonist MARJANE SATRAPI are a masterclass in NARRATIVE STORYTELLING and the INTERPLAYING POWER of ILLUSTRATIONS to further an AUTHORIAL PERSPECTIVE.  of course i am completely biased as i have taught the first volume on more than one occasion during my former teaching career, once to freshman at BROOKLYN TECHNICAL HIGH SCHOOL as a student teacher and then later to my eighth graders at a private international school in EASTERN VENEZUELA.  the fact that its subject matter faces head-on the STRUGGLE for IDENTITY and AGENCY in that of developing YOUNG WOMAN in IRAN during the ISLAMIC REVOLUTION in the late 1970s didnt deter my students in both countries from being totally engrossed by the story and the PARALLELS in their lives as YOUNG PEOPLE.  you never really know what KIDS will respond to and PERSEPOLIS was a consistent hit.

in both environments, BROOKLYN and RURAL VENEZUELA, i had students that were intimately familiar with the IMMIGRANT EXPERIENCE and the inner TURMOIL that comes when your country's POLITICAL ORDER / ECONOMY / SOCIAL CONTRACT shifts dramatically beneath your feet.  at BROOKLYN TECH many students were either the SONS and DAUGHTERS of IMMIGRANTS or immigrants themselves, which my VENEZUELAN students were acutely aware that the then-IMPLODING economy of their HOMELAND was going to alter everything about their lives in relative short order.  most of them now are living permanently abroad in GERMANY, ARGENTINA, PANAMA, CHILE or the UNITED STATES (i.e. FLORIDA) as EFFECTIVE REFUGEES.

as i mentioned before, the EXTENDED graphic novel PERSEPOLIS is all about a YOUNG WOMAN 's journey into ADOLESCENCE and later ADULTHOOD while dealing with the extensive PERSONAL and SOCIETAL TRAUMA that was the IRANIAN ISLAMIC REVOLUTION.  the privileged EGALITARIAN and COMMUNAL order of her youth virtually overnight shifted into something of a REAL-LIFE ORWELLIAN fever dream with MASSIVE restrictions on her SPEECH, APPEARANCE and BASIC FREEDOMS.  more than than that the TIGHT-KNIT, mutually SUPPORTIVE COMMUNITY of which she was raised under and which her FAMILY enjoyed for GENERATIONS turn in on itself, with PEOPLE unsure of who or what action would leave them VULNERABLE before the state.  people escaped.  people disappeared.  everything changed including SATRAPI and he relationship with herself.  in the second volume she is older, living in VIENNA as a REFUGEE and making her way through the FRENCH education system and again, dealing with the aftermath of her CHILDHOOD TRAUMA and its LONG-TERM CONSEQUENCES on her sense of IDENTITY as a YOUNG WOMAN  of PERSIAN descent.  the message is sent that even those that survive TRAUMA are somewhat still TRAPPED by such thereafter.  even going back and visiting IRAN years later is an act of REVERSE CULTURE SHOCK and immense PERSONAL STRUGGLE due to the delta of what once was to what now has been undoubtedly IRREPARABLY LOST.  you are with the idea that our sense of AGENCY and IDENTITY are intertwined with MEMORY and the PERSONAL HISTORY and EVOLVING NARRATIVE we tell OURSELVES about OURSELVES.

i think that for KIDS who are the brink of adjusting into YOUNG ADULTHOOD, that message is a CONSEQUENTIAL and SELF-EMPOWERING one.  that you are part of a COMMUNITY, but that in the end YOU DEFINE YOURSELF.  you write your own NARRATIVE by the LIFE DECISIONS you make.  that even severely TRAUMATIC events can be overcome with EMPATHY and LOVE, especially with regards to one's self.  i adore both volumes of PERSEPOLIS and consider them ESSENTIAL graphic novels that should be read by everyone. 

also the film aint half bad either.

i absolutely adored CANADIAN ARTIST and HUMORIST JESSICA CAMPBELL's HILARIOUS takedown of the ACADEMIC and CULTURAL PATRIARCHY inherent to the ART WORLD in her HOT OR NOT: 20th CENTURY MALE ARTISTS (KOYAMA, 2016) graphic novel.  the comic finds CAMPBELL herself as an instructor leading a group of people through an ART GALLERY, hitting on the finer points of the cultural INNOVATIONS, TECHNIQUES and LEGACIES of various ARTISTS and, well, whether or not they were HOT.  inevitably, as it usually is, all of the ARTISTS discussed were MEN as WOMEN through the generations were not respected by the ELITE ACADEMIC and PATRON CLASS due to what can only be described as outright MISOGYNY.

what CAMPBELL is doing here by reducing the CELEBRATED contributions of SEMINAL ARTISTS like MARK ROTHKO (NOT), HENRI MATISSE (NOT), GUSTAV KLIMT (NOT),  PIET MONDRIAN (HOT), PAUL GAUGUIN (NOT) and AMEDEO MODIGLIANI (HOT) to their PHYSICAL APPEARANCE is the height of ABSURDITY, but that is the point.  she is counteracting what has been referred to as the IMPLIED and INTENDED MALE GAZE of the viewership.  it is beyond PREPOSTEROUS that WOMEN have long been subject to such AWFUL SCRUTINY in order to accumulate and broadcast VALUE both in the ARTISTIC and ECONOMIC MARKETPLACE, past and present.  historically this is a concern most MEN dont even consider or remotely think about, so PERVASIVE is this WARPED MINDSET.  CAMPBELL is bringing such a culturally sanctioned PERSPECTIVE to its LOGICAL conclusion by including MEN, but such naturally feels UNNATURAL and out of place.  that FRICTION and UNBALANCE we perceive is a showcase of how acculturated said messaging has been to our internalized sense of SELF and our place within the WIDER COMMUNITY.  the tone is LIGHT, HUMOROUS and AIRY but the implications are BRUTAL, PENETRATING and quite CONSEQUENTIAL as we have been handed down BEDROCK MISINFORMATION that informs our basis for RELATIONSHIPS and OPINIONS regarding one another, especially with regards to GENDER.  it is also just FUNNY to read and take in.

this graphic novel doesnt discount the contributions of said MALE ARTISTS, but the inference is that there is a whole body of work missing in the ether of HISTORY from CREDIBLE FEMALE ARTISTS that never received a fair shake at a legacy due to MALIGNANT ATTITUDES and OPINIONS culturally handed down the generations and reinforced by GENDER REDUCTIVE JUDEO-CHRISTIAN VALUES in THE WEST.  HOT OR NOT: 20th CENTURY MALE ARTISTS places such an EVOCATIVE and CONTROVERSIAL conversation in its PROPER PERSPECTIVE: with humor, wit and UNBRIDLED CLARITY.  much as with other works from her catalogue, this work by CAMPBELL is definitely worth checking out.

these days in our MODERN DIGITAL ECONOMY we are absolutely bombarded with SLEEK, OMNIPRESENT MULTI-MEDIUM ADVERTISING CAMPAIGNS that are positively INESCAPABLE and the concept of "CORPORATE BRANDING" is so UBIQUITOUS that it now applies to our individual selves and what we project on SEARCHABLE SOCIAL MEDIA FEEDS, BLOGS and CAREER WEBSITES.  but back in immediate postwar AMERICA when the HEGEMONIC POLITICAL INFLUENCE and ECONOMIC POWER arguably took off, this concept regarding EFFECTIVE BRANDING was more NEBULOUS and UNDEFINED in the MARKETPLACE. in a sense, that is what makes ART PAUL, the FAMED initial art director of PLAYBOY, such a REVOLUTIONARY figure since he corralled GRAPHIC DESIGN, TYPOGRAPHY, PAINTING and ILLUSTRATION into a CORPORATE LIFESTYLE BRAND that blurred the line between COMMERCIAL and FINE ART.   that is before mentioning that his LOGO for PLAYBOY and its MINIMALIST BAUHAUS-inspired AESTHETIC is arguably the most INFLUENTIAL CORPORATE BRANDING of all-time, directly inspiring that of NIKE, MCDONALD'S, AUDI, SPOTIFY, UBER, TARGET, VOLKSWAGEN, FACEBOOK, MASTERCARD, TWITTER, AIRBNB, PEPSI, LOUIS VUITTON,  STARBUCKS, NASA, ADIDAS and so on.

the recent documentary ART PAUL OF PLAYBOY: THE MAN BEHIND THE BUNNY (AMERICAN DREAM, 2020) very much gets into the origins and career of PAUL as well as CONTEMPORARY pushback regarding his legacy promoting a company that effectively exploited FEMALE SEXUALITY as another CONSUMERIST COMMODITY. as aforementioned, PAUL was a student of the BAUHAUS and attended the SCHOOL OF THE ART INSTITUTE OF CHICAGO as well as the INSTITUTE OF DESIGN (founded as THE NEW BAUHAUS but today is part of the ILLINOIS INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY) under LAZSLO MOHOLY-NAGY.  for MOHOLY-NAGY, design principles were both EXPERIMENTAL and rigorously UTILITARIAN, with the key objective being the AESTHETIC elevation of COMMON household, MASS-PRODUCED objects to in turn promote the well-being of society.  its INTRIGUING to consider how DESIGN was viewed in this manner as an OPTIMISTIC EXPRESSION of the new AMERICAN century of dominance and cultural superiority along UTILITARIAN and AESTHETIC grounds.  such was how PAUL viewed GRAPHIC DESIGN when he took his meeting with HUGH HEFNER early in his career and effectively created the LOOK of one of the LANDMARK PUBLICATIONS in MODERN AMERICAN history. 

dont believe me? 

under PAUL's supervision the MAGAZINE promoted and included the WORK of REVERED CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS such as FRANK GALLO, LEROY NEIMAN, BRAD HOLLAND, KINUKO Y CRAFT, ROY SCHNACKENBERG and BOB LOSTUTTER as well as NOTABLE local CHICAGO ARTISTS such as ED PASCHKE, ROGER BROWN, KARL WIRSUM, SEYMOUR ROSOFSKY and SHEL SILVERSTEIN.  likewise CELEBRATED CONTRIBUTING WRITERS included the likes of JOYCE CAROL OATES, JACK KEROUAC, MARGARET ATWOOD, ALEX HALEY, KURT VONNEGUT, NELSON ALGREN, RAY BRADBURY, VLADIMIR NABOKOV, RICHARD HUNT and JOHN CHEEVER.  just on the exposure of such talent alone to a wider audience places the PUBLICATION in UNIVERSAL high regard, never mind the UN-REDACTED and highly CONTROVERSIAL interviews with HISTORICAL CIVIL RIGHTS LEADERS like MALCOM X and MARTIN LUTHER KING JR at the height of COINTELPRO (who were often victims of the POLITICALLY-MOTIVATED editorialization that came with the highly EDITED transcripts of their interviews with national LEGACY PUBLICATIONS).  

but one of the great counter-arguments of the film is that of GRAPHIC DESIGN legend PAULA SCHER and her contention that PAUL was not a practitioner of GOOD GRAPHIC DESIGN since such promoted what amounts to a MORALLY BANKRUPT operation.  she disagreed firmly with the ETHOS of the MAGAZINE and its depiction of WOMEN in their nude pictorials.  its an INTERESTING commentary because it very much gets at the base INTENTION of DESIGN and ART itself.  what is it that you are actually promoting and how ethically grounded is such? 

back when i was taking film class in college i remember similarly IMPASSIONED adn FIERCE debates regarding the WORK of NAZI PROPAGANDIST LENI REIFENSTAHL and the STATE-SPONSORED films she directed promoting the IDEOLOGY of the THIRD REICH.  it is without question that she innovated the MEDIUM using all sorts of newly constructed CRANE SHOTS and DOLLY MOVEMENTS with the INTENTION of adding to the GRANDEUR and SPECTACLE of ADOLF HITLER and his WARPED vision.  did that make such quote unquote GOOD CINEMA?  its a debate as old as time at this point, but very much gets at the relationship between the ART and the ARTIST that taints how we view the CREATIVE WORK of several severely MORALLY-COMPROMISED CREATIVES from KANYE WEST, TERRY RICHARDSON, R KELLY, SALVADOR DALI, PHIL SPECTOR, RICHARD WAGNER, CHUCK BERRY, PAUL GAUGUIN, P DIDDY, ROMAN POLANSKY, MORRISSEY, CARAVAGGIO, MICHAEL JACKSON, PABLO PICASSO and so on.  but does it make their WORK any less GREAT? 

i dont know.

the film doesnt equate PLAYBOY with any of the EXTREME behavior of those aforementioned MUSICIANS, DIRECTORS, ARTISTS, COMPOSERS and PROPAGANDISTS who undoubtedly transgressed clear societal moral lines, but an argument could be made that through its GENTLE PROMOTION of CONSUMERIST and SEXUALLY RISK-TAKING activity it laid the groundwork for a base MISOGYNY that has seeped and become metastasized into our COLLECTIVE NATIONAL PSYCHE to the point that a charlatan like DONALD TRUMP (who is the LOGICAL albeit CARTOONISH version of those principles) can run for national leadership with no SEVERE pushback. 

that is the rub as i see it.

i dont blame HEFNER or PAUL for TRUMP, but the connection is there and the ART PAUL OF PLAYBOY documentary seemingly points the way albeit unintentionally.  this is a TERRIFIC film that is definitely worth checking out, whatever your politics regarding SEX.

COCHLEA & EUSTACHIA (FANTAGRAPHICS, 2014) by the MASSACHUSETTS-based HANS RICKHEIT is bar-none one of the more BIZARRE and outright OPAQUE GRAPHIC NOVELS i have ever come across.  its PHANTASMAGORICAL depictions of what appear to be two IDENTICAL twins in a future DREAM-LIKE, DYSTOPIAN LABYRINTH of DEMENTED yet IMAGINATIVE HORRORS is nearly IMPOSSIBLE to discern much of anything NARRATIVE-wise.  the first thought that immediately came to mind as an analogue was the WORK of early SURREALISTS like MAX ERNST or the DADA COLLABORATIVE CINEMATIC EFFORTS of LUIS BUNUEL and SALVADOR DALI, but with RICKHEIT there seems to be no sense of an UNDERGIRDING, LOGICAL CONSTRUCT to anything. 

things just happen.

no ORIGIN STORY.  no CHARACTER DEVELOPMENT.  no EXISTENTIAL questions raised.  no desire expressed for searching out a DEEPER MEANING.  seemingly nothing gained or lost.  even what appear to be TRAUMATIC events that include the BRUTAL depictions DISMEMBERMENT and DISEMBOWELMENT of what are assumed to be our TWIN PROTAGONISTS, merely is just another TRIVIAL step to absolutely NOWHERE.  just a PERPLEXING and consciously UNDECIPHERABLE GRAPHIC NOVEL, much like the similarly CODED work of CHILEAN filmmaker ALEJANDRO JODOROWSKY.  although i didnt understand what i was experiencing, the starkly VIVID ARTWORK of RICKHEIT is the main attraction here, with depictions of HUMANOID beings and VINTAGE CYBERPUNK technology a PLEASURE to envelope ones senses that only adds to the COMPOUNDING MYSTERY of it all.

i cant make heads or tales about what i just read, but that may be an endorsement for some else out there to make a better, more INFORMED attempt than i did.  ive never been on an LSD or DMT PSYCHEDELIC experience so maybe i am severely missing the BIG PICTURE here.  all ears to others' opinions because i am LOST and CONFUSED when it comes to the COCHLEA & EUSTACHIA GRAPHIC NOVEL.

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.

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.

ACID NUN (SILVER SPROCKET, 2022) by CORINNE HALBERT is not a conventional comic book by any stretch of the IMAGINATION.  instead it is more of a TRANSGRESSIVELY-conceived, highly ALLEGORICAL EXORCISM of past REAL-WORLD TRAUMA in a vividly-depicted PHANTASMAGORIC  world of the OCCULT with the DEVIL, DEMONS, BAPHOMET and ACID-TRIPPING NUNS aplenty.  reading this SUBVERSIVE graphic novel very much reminded me of the latin quote [that some have attributed to the 16th century ENGLISH playwright / poet CHRISTOPHER MARLOWE] "quod me nutrit, me destruit" which roughly translates to "what nourishes me also destroys me."  there is a real sense that the DEEP-SEATED PERSONAL EXPERIENCES HALBERT is attempting to PURGE and RESOLVE through the creation of this graphic novel have led to hard-gained WISDOM and CONFIDENCE.   in a sense the APPALLING actions depicted in this ADULT-THEMED ALLEGORY can be understood to be the valley needed to be traversed in order to make it to the SUMMIT.

that being said, all the FRANK depictions of RANDOM COPULATION,  BRUTAL SEXUAL VIOLENCE and COPIOUS DRUG USE that HALBERT employs seem geared not towards generating SHOCK VALUE per se, but more of an unimaginably INTENSE expression of the depths of PAIN and SUFFERING that come from surviving SEVERE CHILDHOOD TRAUMA.  its a WARPED reality with a WARPED MORAL CODE in which the figureheads of the underworld are the protagonists despite their REPETITIVE, HEDONISTIC behavior.  given that there are several guest artists that have provided their take on the ACID NUN character and her ugly voyage towards SELF-DISCOVERY, makes me consider that HALBERT has a SUPPORTIVE community that supports this DEBAUCHED endeavor to plumb the depths of DEPRAVITY and basic human decency. 

i find the whole thing quite LIBERATING.  that idea of sublimating all that RAGE, FRUSTRATION and SELF-EVISCERATING FEELINGS into a POSITIVE ARTISTIC EXPRESSION that will likewise hit home for likewise AFFECTED individuals out there.  this graphic novel is definitely not for everyone, but neither is the creative work of KATHY ACKER, WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS, ROBERT MAPPLETHORPE, G.G. ALLIN, FRANCIS BACON, J.G. BALLARD, LYDIA LUNCH, HUBERT SELBY JR, LOU REED or ANDRES SERRANO. 

to HALBERT's audience i think this work is a godsend.  pun intended.  definitiely worth checking out if you are into more extreme fair and gloriously pseudo-religious, vibrant depictions of the sublime and the unspeakable.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.