so-soI think they call that surrealist? Experimental. Tidbits of sci-fi and horror but also much searching for family/identity. Vintage adventure story/comic art style, largely set in previous decades, starting with the '60s. Lots of rambling introspection. Not my vibe.
This was the year that I discovered the wonderful & weird works of Richard Sala who unfortunately died just a few years ago. Blending elements of mystery & horror in a pulp style, the first work I read by Sala I read this year was Poison Flowers & Pandemonium. However, it was when I read “The Chuckling Whatsit“ in July that completely won me over with the sinister & bizarre storytelling. It was as if David Lynch & Charles Burns (cont)
pickDeadpool meets Lumberjanes, R-rated yet plucky, and totally off the chain. Loved the art, the heart, and the fact the author/artist managed to make crude and violent also silly-funny. ⚠️ Gratuitous everything
The style and the originality and the colours. Gorgeous.
Honestly, who doesn't love cheesecake?
[Thank goodness for good vegan versions. 😋]
pickI‘m still processing this graphic novel but it is the story of an abandoned child and how she makes sense of this through the whole arc of her life. I am a gen x‘er child of a teen mother so some of this resonated with my experience of the 70s. These are some panels that grabbed me but note they are not in order
pickJunot Diaz wrote a rave review of this comic which is how I came across it. Having now read this hard to categorize book, I get it. Clowes weaves together a history of comics as a medium for storytelling in this comic of interconnected stories about a woman trying to understand & track down the mother who abandoned her. Mystery, horror, counterculture, the apocalypse, & so much more. The art style isn‘t my favorite but the story lingers.
pickStand-out graphic novel. We follow Monica from the 1960s to present day. Told through intersecting narratives/stories. Strange, emotional, otherworldly. Highly recommend!
