Happy Will Eisner Week, Day 2: Get Over It!

Day 2 of Will Eisner Week has me reading a graphic novel from a creator whose works in mini-comics are among my favorites.

I am a big fan of Corinne Mucha's publications, and I have featured her first graphic novel Freshman on this very blog. Her second one, Get Over It, is aimed at a more adult audience. It is about dealing with the fallout of a break-up, and it is at once bittersweet and entertaining. Part of what makes it work as well as it does is Mucha's sense of humor and her unique way of depicting the jumble of emotions and behaviors that follow. For instance, parts of the narrative turn into small vignettes or quizzes that highlight some pretty horrible moments.

And the proceedings are further highlighted in a series of dialogues between body parts that dramatize many of the feelings but also are pretty ridiculous and hilarious in their literalness. I know that much of the subject matter in this book could be seen as hackneyed or cliched, but I felt that the artistic execution, insight, and comedic timing elevated the enterprise into something special. Case in point:

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been positive. Megan Kirby commented, "Mucha’s constant use of wordplay, gags, visual metaphors, and childlike flights of fancy give her a self-aware edge." Tim O'Neil summed up that she "managed to turn her pain into something heartfelt and compelling, which is no small feat." Zainab Akhtar called her a "well-kept secret" and wrote that "Mucha maintains the auto-biographical sweet-spot, maintaining a balance between the personal and involved, without descending into narcissism, whilst hilariously dredging through the universal impulses and emotions of the post break-up period."

Get Over It was published by Secret Acres, and they provide a preview and more info here.

Because I love Mucha's work so much, I also bought and read this mini-comic, The Girl Who Was Mostly Attracted to Ghosts. It is also focused on relationships, in particular on a woman with a peculiar love-life problem: she apparently only wants to date unavailable guys. Mucha takes things one step further and just turns them into phantoms.

Certainly, there is a lot of metaphor going on here, but I love the playful way that the narrative is fast and loose about shifting from fiction to reality and back. This comic is not just a one note comedy, but a human story that is deeper than it would seem at first glance. I really admire how Mucha can make me alternatively laugh, think, and feel with her works. The illusion of simplicity in her work relies much on craft and forethought. Personally, I am very into her works. If you would like to learn more about her, Mucha speaks extensively about her works and comics career in this interview.

The Girl Who Was Mostly Attracted to Ghosts was also published by Secret Acres, but it is now out of print.

Freshman: Tales of 9th Grade Obsessions, Revelations, and Other Nonsense

Like most freshmen, Annie is nervous about the beginning of her first year in high school. Her older, geeky brother has gotten it into her head that this year will define the rest of her life, so she is worried she will make bad choices.

And she has to make lots of choices to deal with shifting circumstances. Her old friend Beth has become distant, almost surly, and is avoiding her. She has to come to terms that she is not a very good field hockey player. She makes friends with Katrina, who is a great field hockey player, and her brother Luke, whom she thinks is just dreamy. Seeking an alternative to sports, she goes on to score a part in the school play and then has to deal with cast drama as well as a conniving rival. And these are just some of the things Annie tackles over the course of the school year.

The premise of Freshman: Tales of 9th Grade Obsessions, Revelations, and Other Nonsense may seem familiar to many. But the execution of this graphic novel makes this possibly cliched tale into a vivid look at adolescent life. All in all, I felt that these were very realistic and relatable scenarios that made me think of my own time in high school without cloying, nostalgic overtones. I appreciated the episodic qualities of the story, and I liked how it was divided up according to the seasons. It gave the sense of gradual progression, letting the characters develop over the course of the book. As we get to know them, they take lives of their own, and their individual personalities become more realized.

This graphic novel was created by Corinne Mucha, whose work I have to admit has been a recent obsession of mine. Her comic book The Monkey in the Basement and Other Delusions made me laugh out loud so much I visited her site and bought everything she had for sale, including this book. Her work is largely autobiographical, with her unique focus on specific episodes and social situations. I think her observations and admitted hangups are simultaneously hilarious, insightful, and provocative. Her comics are the best kind of comedy, the kind that is both funny and thoughtful.

Reviews I have seen of this book have been very positive and receptive. Snow Wildsmith at the School Library Journal praised, "Mucha brings to life the pain and the joy of freshman year. She writes with an immediacy that doesn’t feel like an adult reminiscing about her teen years." Jennifer de Guzman wrote, "What is refreshing about Mucha’s work is that it captures all the charm of a John Hughes film without what have become teen movie cliches... Mucha depicts adolescent life for what it is: baffling, messy, and, at times, unexpectedly awesome." Ricki Marking-Camuto summed the book up as "fresh, fun, and totally realistic."

This graphic novel is published by Zest Books, a publisher focusing on adolescent nonfiction and that seems to pay careful attention to their Teen Advisory Board. There is a preview of the book at Amazon.com.