Murder School

I was going for a bunch of scary books this month, and what could be scarier than middle school? Despite the title, there is very little about murder in Murder School, though there is a disturbing amount of corporal punishment. This book is a memoir about Paul B. Rainey's middle school days. It begins with a fictional school reporter talking about a murder mystery but quickly turns to Rainey's tales of ephemeral friendships, trying to fit in, casual violence, and the capriciousness of parents and teachers. My own schooling took place in the USA under different circumstances, but I found a lot I could relate to and empathize with in the many episodes he shares.

The artwork is colored in a muted way, which highlights the mundane qualities of the insanity that occurs. People appear to emotionally restrained, trying to keep a stiff upper lip even in extremely strange or unusual circumstances. And the routine, resigned affect makes for an interesting effect when paired with schoolyard rumbles, bullying, and major life decisions, like parents deciding to move. 

What kicks this book beyond a good collection of remembrances is what follows the school memoir, which is a series of comics set in more contemporary times where Rainey tries to catch up with some old classmates and ends of visiting and revisiting a teacher who was one of the great terrors of his childhood. These entries really bend notions of human relations and what we determine is really important at the end of the day. I found myself transfixed by these comics overall, and I cannot recommend this book enough.

Paul B. Rainey has been making comics for decades, and has a number of graphic novels to his credit, including There's No Time Like the Present and Why Don't You Love Me?.  He speaks about his work on Murder School in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been positive. Publishers Weekly summed it up as "spiky and emotionally weighty, yet full of verve." Frank Plowright wrote, " If you thought 1980s schooling was The Breakfast Club and Ferris Bueller, the British reality is a jaw-dropping contrast."

Murder School was published by Drawn & Quarterly, and they offer a preview and more info about it here.