Teaching Artfully

Earlier this year I reviewed Alex Nall's Are Comic Books Real?, and one of the things that struck me about that book was just how viscerally it made me feel about teaching. Teaching Artfully is another wonderfully, painfully honest looks at education from the perspective of an art teacher. There was a lot about this book that I could relate to, the feelings of being overwhelmed, the amounts of grading, the effort that goes into planning, and the wondering about what you are doing with your life. But this book also delves into a bunch of academic and theoretical work, citing major scholars like Maxine Greene and Elliot Eisner, which feeds into my scholarly interests. This is a complex, multi-faceted work, one that I took a long time to read, because I wanted to take time to reflect and pore over each chapter.

Teaching Artfully is a terrific long-form visual essay about the enterprise of education that expertly meanders and offers insights along the way. It mixes in scenes of teaching, intellectual commentary, one panel gags, lists, metaphors, static images, and abstract visuals in exploring multiple dimensions of the profession/calling, and I loved the mix of narrative/expository/aesthetic forms that it employs. It is a great treasure chest for educators, showing her teaching, some of her activities, and how she approaches planning. It also shows scenes from her life that give context to the whole enterprise. 

This is not a linear work, but that is also part of its point. Teaching is not as simple as one would imagine, and it requires all sorts of lenses to bring it into some sort of focus. I think this graphic novel is a clever for its commentary and its loose structure where it is divided into seven chapters that mirror the major components of art, including line, color, shape, space, and form. I loved its vibrant colors, and the way that it frequently took off into flights of whimsy. It is also a very contemporary book, commenting on our present moment when technology and social media loom large in people's lives, and the role of art is perhaps more nebulous but necessary than ever. I feel that Teaching Artfully is an important work linking education and visual literacy using comics to its best capabilities.

This debut graphic novel was written as a Master's thesis, and author Meghan Parker is an art teacher who works in Vancouver. She speaks about her work and this book in this interview.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been positive. Kay Sohini called it "a timely reminder of the expansive future of comics scholarship, of what comics practitioners can do with comics as medium and as method, and of the importance of storytelling as humanistic inquiry." Publishers Weekly wrote, "Educators will appreciate heady musings about art-as-process and prompts to “design a new home for a snail,” though creative young readers may prefer passages on self-expression, identity, and inclusion." In a starred review from School Library Journal Thomas Maluck called it " a manual and call to arms for creative perspectives." And I agree with Melissa N. Thompson who wrote that it "does not have to apply solely to art teachers but can foster ideas on how to create meaningful discussions and connections with students by thinking outside of the (report card comments) box."

Teaching Artfully was published by Yoe Books, and they offer more about it here.

Frogcatchers

 

Frogcatchers is a brief but memorable book about memory, aging, and second chances. It begins with an older man waking up in a strange room, attached to medical equipment. As he gets untangled and disconnected he begins to wander; then he finds he is in a strange hotel building. When he goes outside, he finds himself in a tunnel where a young boy is hunting for frogs. As he gets his bearings, he finds more mysterious items and learns about the ominous being known as the Frog King, who runs the place. 

I don't want to describe much more about the plot of this book, because of spoilers but also because it is more based on tone and sensation than narrative. There are extended passages without words, where the scratchy images establish context or feelings. Sometimes the imagery also complicates to the overall enigma that is this place and setting. I know that it does not always look polished, but I feel that is what makes it exceptional. The lines are expressive and capture so much feeling with their kinetic energy. 

When I called this book brief I meant that it goes by quickly, but it also invites multiple re-readings and opportunities to suss out just what happened. It is a quiet, introspective book that offers interesting insights into what makes a life worth living.

This book's author Jeff Lemire is one of the most prolific comics creators in the field today. He has a huge list of comics credits and has won a few major awards along the way to boot. He is best known for The Essex County Trilogy, Black Hammer, and Sweet Tooth. He speaks about his work on Frogcatchers in this interview.

All the reviews I have read about this book have been raves. Irene Velentzas called it "a visually and narratively rich tale that suggests the key to navigating life and the self is to remain amphibious, to see under the surface of things, to grasp at opportunities, and to remain open to the constant change found within life’s current." John Seven commended the emotional work in this book, opining that it is "more like a visual poem than a character drama." Kevin Apgar gushed, "Unlike so many other graphic novels that sometimes overstay their welcome, I didn’t want Frogcatchers to end. Ever."

Frogcatchers was published by Gallery 13, and they offer more information about it here.

The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt: A Tyranny of Truth

Hannah Arendt is a writer/thinker whose work on totalitarianism has come back into popular demand these days of "interesting times." The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt is a biographical chronicle that gets at her private and public lives in interesting fashion. It follows chronologically, beginning with her precocious and troubled childhood. As you can read from the following excerpt, her father's descent into syphilitic insanity was only part of the experience:

 

 

I got these preview images from Tablet Magazine

She was also a brilliant thinker who worked and studied with contemporary movers and shakers of the time, most notably Martin Heidegger, who was both her teacher and lover for a number of years. Over the course of this book, she escapes twice from the Nazis, once from Germany and the second time from Paris, and the third escape more has to do with how she reconciled her own thinking with Heidgger's, even as he was a Nazi sympathizer. She was a complicated woman who lived in complicated times, and I feel that her thinking is vital for dealing with thoughts of personal responsibility and justice, especially today.

In many ways, this book is dense with events, ideas, and the past. There is some built-in support in the footnotes, which helped the reader keep up with all the various historical figures, provided context, and served as further avenues for reading and research for those inclined. The art style is on the sketchy side, but I feel it is still rather evocative and energetic. Overall, this book provided me a compelling and very informative reading experience.

Ken Krimstein created this book, and his extensive research is apparent from the plotting and footnotes. His comics work has appeared in the Chicago Tribune, The New Yorker, and other high profile venues. He has a collection of cartoons called Kvetch as Kvetch Can, and he also teaches at DePaul University. His prose writing has been published in McSweeney's. Krimstein speaks about his work on The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt in this print interview, this podcast interview, and in this comic.

The reviews I have read about this book have been largely positive. Kirkus Reviews gave it a starred review that concluded, "A compelling performance with great pacing that makes abstruse political theory both intelligible and memorable." Publishers Weekly called it a "fascinating if cluttered biographical portrait." Bookmunch summed up, "Krimstein’s artistic style may not be to everybody’s tastes but the story he tells, of a woman who fought for the importance of thought itself, is one that needs telling and retelling."

The Three Escapes of Hannah Arendt was published by Bloomsbury, and they offer a preview and more here.

The published provided a review copy.

In the Future, We Are Dead

I got this book as part of backing Birdcage Bottom Books' Kickstarter for 2018. In the Future, We Are Dead is a collection of nine short stories about death. They are rendered in black, white, blue, and red, via color pencils, and I was quite taken with the artwork. It is mostly done in a realistic style, which combined well with the prose to create great effects. In the excerpt below, for example, it punctuates a thoughtful, philosophic moment with a hilarious, if dark, counterpoint.

This book explores a topic that touches all of our lives, and I feel that Müller's comics are at once deeply personal and also surprisingly universal. I felt with her as she described the deep fears she felt as a child about death and the potential afterlife. Not only was she preoccupied by the potential terrible causes of death, including sickness, nuclear war, or grave injury, but she also wondered about what would happen after.

These various stories touch on different periods of her life, and it was fascinating for me to see just how her thinking transformed over the course of the book. She began to imagine the ghosts of her relatives in her grandparents' living room, which had formerly been used a place for viewing the recently deceased.

She pondered the fate of mummified Buddhists while she practiced  yoga and struggled with the corpse pose (Savasana). She thought about her relationship with an elderly neighbor and how personal and distant it was. She also explored her familial relationships, particularly at her father's funeral, and when she attempted to view her own life through the eyes of her brother. I found this book to be profoundly thoughtful, relatable, and personable. It is an impressive North American debut, a graphic novel that explores both life and death in excellent fashion.

You can learn much more about this book's creator Eva Müller and her work by visiting her website. I am looking forward to checking out more of her comics as they become available in the US.

All of the reviews I have read of this book have been glowing. Publishers Weekly concluded, "This reflective graphic novel looks the Grim Reaper in the face—and sees that he isn’t an enemy, after all." John Seven called it "a work of self-scrutiny that finds profundity by finding the commonality in what can seem so personal and singular to us." Robin Enrico called it "a strong North American debut for Müller as it showcases her artistic abilities and the breadth of her storytelling."

In the Future, We Are Dead was published by Birdcage Bottom Books, and they offer a preview and more information about it here. I also found another preview, featuring different pages here.

Fran

Today, the last stop on my Comixology Unlimited tour (for now).

Why I chose it: I have been reading Jim Woodring's comics for decades now. They are all extremely well rendered, dreamy, surprisingly complex, philosophical, and full of life. Weathercraft, Frank, and all his other works are well checking out. How could I not read this latest book of his?

An excerpt:

 

The Bottom Line: This book is simply fantastic. It is a wordless adventure that follows Fran and Frank's relationship, which is complicated when they find a gizmo that projects past experiences as a movie. Frank is enamored with it, and Fran hates it. After she wrecks the device, Frank loses his mind in anger, and she sets off on her own. Everything that follows can be read as a search for forgiveness or some larger allegory about love, relationships, and finding one's identity/place in the world. I loved this book, cannot recommend it enough, and really need to find and read its prequel/sequel The Congress of Animals.

Don't just take my word for it: Joe McCulloch wrote a great meditation about how this book comments on love, identity, and cycles. Derek Royal called it "a very enjoyable and approachable book." Henry Chamberlain wrote that this book only adds to the fact that "Jim Woodring is one of our greatest cartoonists."

Fran was published by Fantagraphics, and they have a preview and much more available here.

Thank you for checking in on me this week as I wrote about my borrowing habits of late. I will review more of these books in the future.

The Art of Running

Steve Prefontaine died in 1975 at the age of 24, but he left behind a legacy rare for a modern track and field athlete. He attended college and ran track for coach Bill Bowerman, a hugely influential figure and co-founder of the massive athletic shoe company Nike. He also competed at the 1972 Olympic Games and did not win a medal, but what he did was capture many people's attention with his approach to running and outspoken ways. He became a celebrity of sorts, almost like a rock star, but a car accident cut his life and career short. His rise to fame and untapped potential have fascinated people for decades, and his life has been portrayed in not one but two bio movies released as major motion pictures.

The Art of Running is in part another telling of his biography, done this time as a graphic novel, but it is also a look at his life and beliefs in a way that get at the man and his motivations. I can tell from the well detailed artwork, the attention to specific life episodes, and the way his thoughts are delineated that this book is a real labor of love. I appreciated how the book focused on various aspects of his life, not just his later successes and international presence but also his early days where he learns to run and encounters many interesting personalities, chief among them his coach at the University of Oregon.

I felt that overall the book succeeded in showing a reader (even one who did not know who Prefontaine was) much about his life and times as well as what it was about him that made such an impression. The quotations that kick off each chapter went a long way in establishing a definitive line of thought that unified the narrative. This biography was not just a dry portrayal of facts but a fleshed out, compelling portrait of an extraordinary person.

The only drawback for me about this book lay in the way it ended, and I am uncertain if the creators quite stuck the landing. The scene where he died was a little bit vague for my tastes, with an abrupt transition from a scene of a car crashing to a magazine cover tribute. If I did not know his story I don't think I would have understood quite what was going on. In a way, his death was accidental and somewhat nebulous because of contrasting accounts, so perhaps that vagueness was intention. I think that it certainly creates enough curiosity that an interested reader would seek out more information, but I could also see it leading to some disappointment at the unclear ending of what has been up to the that point a very well crafted set of events. I won't way that the book was ruined by any means, because I quite enjoyed it; I just felt that one key sequence came off a bit wonky.

This book was funded as a Kickstarter project by the husband/wife team of Matthew J.J. and Megan Crehan. Matthew is a running enthusiast, author, and comics creator who is best known for his revival of the British "Tough of the Track" character Alf Tupper. Megan is a photographer and, as far as I can tell, has no other comics credits. The artwork, done in pleasing, realistic, and simple painterly style, is by Sigit Nugroho.

All of the reviews I have read about this book have been positive. Jonathan Gault called it "a fitting tribute to the man and a nice resource for anyone looking to learn (or re-familiarize themselves with) the story of Steve Prefontaine." Matt Rasmussen wrote, "The storytelling is solid and I found the artwork mesmerizing." Richard Bruton opined that this book hit "that happy medium of storytelling and fact, and doing it with style, picking the best elements and presenting them well."

The Art of Running is available directly from Matthew Crehan here (he is in the UK, so international shipping rates to the US would apply).  He also has preview pages and more information on his website.

A review copy was provided by the authors. Thank you!

Unflattening

I have to admit that I am good friends with the author of this book, Nick Sousanis, and also that I am lucky enough to be mentioned in the acknowledgements. We have presented at conferences together, hung out, and talked a lot about comics and life. Even so, I feel that if I did not know Nick I would still be saying that Unflattening is a remarkable achievement. It is a book about thought, expression, philosophy, art, understanding, and being in the world. And I am going to have a difficult time talking about, to the point where I will certainly be doing it a disservice. Probably the best way to wrap your head around what it is is to go get a copy (or two, that'd be better for Nick) and read it.

This book does so many things and collects diverse influences such as Maxine Greene, Flatland, Monty Python, John Dewey, The Wizard of Oz, Deleuze and Guattari, Alice in Wonderland, René DeCartes, and Scott McCloud. It combines myth, autobiography, philosophy, art, art criticism, popular culture, and narrative in weaving together a complex tapestry of thought, a reflection on how we enter into the world, relate to it, process it, and try to represent it. He depicts this conversation in 10 chapters, each a visual essay drawn in an attractive, mostly realistic style that reminds me of a combination of Scott McCloud and MC Escher.

Just look at this page where Sousanis gets into explaining how our senses and thinking are both linked and limiting:

Or this one where he gets into how symbols shape how we think, create, and sense the world:

My initial response to this work was simply, WOW. Although I feel that today my words are not up to the task of describing the book, this discussion and response to one of Nick's talks at MIT does a great job of touching on the its aims, background, and ideas.

Sousanis is currently a postdoctoral fellow at the University of Calgary. He blogs about his work here, and he also has a new website here. This book was Nick's doctoral dissertation project, and he speaks about it in much depth in this article from The Chronicle of Higher Education.

All of the reviews I have read about Unflattening have been full of praise. Publishers Weekly gave it a starred review and called it "Essential reading for anyone seeking to create, critique, or consider the visual narrative form." Brian McGackin concluded his review, "Some people aren't interested in learning, so this book wouldn't be for them, but anyone who is curious, who faces their admitted ignorance with excitement at the possibility of the constant education it implies, they will find joy in Unflattening. We should encourage this type of teaching, because learning should always be this fun." As for my own views, I think that Unflattening is a complex and beautiful book that demands to be read and re-read.

Unflattening was published by Harvard University Press.  They have all kinds of information about the book here.

Daytripper

This year's Life of the Mind book for incoming first-year students (formerly called freshmen) at The University of Tennessee, Knoxville is Daytripper. It is the first time a graphic novel has been selected for this reading, selected to go with the general theme of Creativity for the year. In a horrible twist of fate, for the first time in six years I did not get to be a discussion leader for this book, even though it was a graphic novel, and by now you have surely realized I am very much interested in teaching with and talking about them. Instead I was in The Hague for a conference presentation. Ah well, timing, right? In any case, I did have a part in the initial assignment incoming students had to do and also in trying to demystify reading a graphic novel for first-time readers. If you are interested in hearing what I sound like, you can find an introductory video for this book where I go through the basic mechanics of reading comics here.

In any case, this book was originally published as individual comic books, and it won the Eisner Award for Best Limited Series. Its plot follows Bras de Olivias Dominguez, an aspiring author who writes newspaper obituaries. He is described as a "miracle baby" who was born under unusual and difficult circumstances. His father is an internationally acclaimed and awarded novelist who casts a large shadow. We get to see multiple moments in Bras's life, and each chapter is set at a different age, and in magic realistic fashion, at the end of each chapter Bras meets an untimely (and often surprising) end. Unlike the multiple deaths of Kenny, these events only highlight the themes of life and love in the main narrative. 

This book could easily be described as nostalgic or melodramatic, but I think that its emotional nuances and fantastic artwork raise it beyond treacly sentimentalism. It is a beautiful and evocative book, full of relatable moments and fantastic imagery. It hits on multiple ages, as well, and there is something in here that speaks to the innocence and realizations of childhood, the trials and tribulations of romantic relationships, the worries and joys of parenthood, and the awareness and (hopefully) acceptance that comes with old age.

This book's creators, Fábio Moon and Gabriel Bá are twin brothers who have been making comics together since childhood. Moon is probably best known for his collaboration with writer Matt Fraction, Casanova, a science fiction spy story, and his Eisner Award winning webcomic Sugarshock. Bá also collaborated on Casanova and is well known for drawing The Umbrella Academy, a celebrated tale of super-powered siblings written by rocker Gerard Way. The brothers collectively blog about their works here.

As might be expected from an award-winning graphic novel, its reviews are excellent. The Comics Alliance's Chris Murphy called it "one of those books we should set aside specific adjectives for, to be used only when a book this incredible is created." NPR's Glen Weldon summed up that it "invites repeated, even recursive reading, as elements in early chapters find themselves echoed or entirely inverted as the book comes to a close. It's a book with the subtle intelligence to deal with death in a way that affirms, and delineates, life." comicrevolution wrote that it consisted of "magnificent storytelling and artwork that is equally stellar."

Daytripper was published by Vertigo.

Fantastic Life

(Warning: Today's blog contains adult language and is more Rated R than usual, but we are all adults here, right?).

A book about art, sex, postmodern theory, drinking, donuts, zombies, and art school, you say? Sign me up, I say!

Fantastic Life is a book that treads some familiar ground for me. In part it's  a depiction of art school as depicted in other works, like Dan Clowes's Art School Confidential, but it's also an examination of art, theory, and reality. Set in 1982 in Winnepeg, this book follows the travails of Adam, an art student looking to express himself, get laid, and figure out his life (not necessarily in that order). Sometimes he gets in over his head when it comes to hanging around intellectuals, and he is not always the smoothest individual.

Adam is pretty focused when he is drunk, but does not always grasp the situation. Or language.

His major issue for the most part is that he is confusing dream and reality. Sometimes he is rough and uneducated. Sometimes he knows what he is talking about. Sometimes he is in command of his artistic abilities. Other times he is totally making everything up as he goes along. Sometimes he is enjoying a donut at a Tim Horton's, and sometimes he is being tormented by flesh-eating zombies.

Like I said earlier, much of the territory in this book seems familiar, but what sets it apart for me is its execution. Set in the 1980s, it contains many cultural and musical references of the day, which along with the dialogue and situations indicate that this book is thinly veiled autobiography to some degree. I did not go to art school, but this book strongly conveys the feelings of being a young person in college and the anxieties that attend that period for many. Also, the artwork is excellently visceral, and not just in the zombie parts. The storytelling is clear and strong but there is also a painterly quality that drew me into this book as if it were another world. Taking everything in, I felt like I was in the smoky, dank bar drinking with friends, that I was in that house party winding through a labyrinth of stairs and rooms, and that I was engulfed by adolescent lust for naked models and other bodies.

The person behind all this artistry and craft is Kevin Mutch, a graphic novelist, digital artist, and painter. He received a Xeric Award in 2010 and is known for his webcomic The Moon Prince. He also has a career in design and was a long time art director the Canadian musicians The Crash Test Dummies (known by old folks like me for their hit Mmm Mmm Mmm Mmm, but I seriously love their first two albums). Mutch speaks about his influences and career here.

An excerpt from this book was featured in the 2011 Best American Comics anthology, and in general the book has received much praise. The reviewer at comicsbubble praised "its multi-layered content, fresh and bold line illustrations and well thought out characters." The Comic Journal's Sean T. Collins commented positively on the "way Mutch’s attention to detail, from the tits on down, solidifies and strengthens this book," and summed up, "It’s horny, heavy shit." He meant that as a compliment, I believe.

Fantastic Life was published by Blurred Books. About half of the book is available here for reading from the author.

Sounds like the perfect book for me. Target audience acquired.

Red Handed: The Fine Art of Strange Crimes

Red Handed: The Fine Art of Strange Crimes was created by the same person who made Mind MGMT, my favorite graphic novel collection from last year. This book is similarly excellent, exploring similar themes about what defines crime and art while spinning a masterfully complex narrative full of quirky details and insanely compelling short tales.

The strange crimes that occur in the town of Red Wheel Barrow are myriad. There is a woman who steals only chairs, a thief who steals artwork so he can cut it into 100 pieces and sell them off individually, a magician who moonlights as a pick-pocket, a struggling author who steals street and building signs so she can create a warehouse-sized novel, and a photographer who creates personal conflicts and then profits from the images of them she captures.

There are two common threads connecting these capers: Detective Gould, who is infinitely perceptive and deductive, and who has never let a case go unsolved, and a mysterious Moriarty-type mastermind who tests him. Gould is a riff on Dick Tracy and named for his creator Chester Gould; he is a super-cop who always gets the culprit. He may have an excellent track record at work, but we catch glimpses into his personal life and see that his work obsessions have created distance at home from his wife, an art gallery owner.

This distance turns out to be a vulnerability where his enemy tests him, and in the process the areas of crime and art are blurred. The main conflict between Gould and his opponent is played out via a series of dialogue pages where the reader does not really know who is speaking. These sequences are text heavy and fraught with philosophical questions.

This existential, multidimensional, detailed, and addictive book was written and drawn by the  prolific Matt Kindt. He has created numerous graphic novels, including Super Spy and Revolver, worked on his own series Mind MGMT, and written a good number of titles at DC Comics, including Frankenstein, Agent of S.H.A.D.E., Justice League of America, and Suicide Squad. He also has written a few comic books series at Marvel of late, including Infinity: The Hunt and Marvel Knights: Spider-Man. He has been nominated for multiple Eisner and Harvey Awards. Kindt speaks extensively about his work on Red Handed in this interview.

This book has perhaps been overshadowed by Kindt's many other works, but it has also been praised highly. CBR's Greg Burgas named it his favorite original graphic novel of 2013 and summed it up as "brilliant." NPR's Glen Weldon likened it to a mind trap that "snaps shut on the reader in a way that's ruthless, irrevocable and entirely satisfying." Booklist honored it with a starred review, and Kirkus Reviews called the book "elegant scribbles from an electric mind," "told by way of Socratic dialogue and pulp homage."

Red Handed was published by First Second, and they provide a preview and more information here.

Dante's Divine Comedy

Seymour Chwast has had a long and distinguished career in art. In 1954 he co-founded the famous and influential Push Pin Studios with the all star artist team of Milton Glaser, Edward Sorel, and Reynold Ruffins. He has won numerous honors over his career, including the Augustus Saint Gaudens Award from The Cooper Union School of Art, a Gold Medal from the American Institute of Graphic Arts, and an Honorary Doctorate from Parsons School of Design. He was inducted into the Art Directors Hall of Fame in 1983. He has art pieces in many major museums, and in 2010, he published this book, his first graphic novel, an adaptation of Dante's Divine Comedy.

Typically seen as the pinnacle of Italian literature, The Divine Comedy is an epic poem from the 14th century consisting of three parts, Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. Dante himself is the main character in the poem, traveling through the afterlife with the help of a number of guides along the way. As they go through Hell and rise up through Heaven they encounter a number of figures, from well known mythical characters like Odysseus to historical ones like Emperor Constantine and St. Thomas Aquinas. Also, we see a number of Dante's contemporaries, with the tensions and pettiness involved in his exile from Florence cropping up in their final fates.

This adaptation highlights this work as both an allegory and a satire that combines theology and philosophy in an artful, provocative manner. In presentation it takes a few liberties, such as depicting the poet/guide Virgil wearing a bowler and Dante Aligheri wearing a trenchcoat and fedora like some kind of hard-boiled detective, but it all works stylistically and economically.

Reviews I have read about this book have been overwhelmingly positive. G. Chiaramonte from The Literateur offered that this book is not something to replace reading Dante's works but acts more like "a visual accompaniment, something to be enjoyed and sometimes even consulted in conjunction with the poem." In a starred review, Kirkus Reviews wrote that Chwast "makes the Divine Comedy irresistibly comic and inspirationally transcendent." In another starred review, Publishers Weekly praised the craft in this book, "With his signature mix of humor, artistry, and high-level design, he conveys a breathtaking amount of information in clear black and white line drawings."

This graphic novel was published by Bloomsbury. A preview page is available here from The New Yorker. A few more preview pages are available here from The Huffington Post.

What It Is

We are getting metaphysical with today's entry on Not Quite A Graphic Novel Month.

A mediation on drawing, memory, art, thinking, and imagination as well as autobiographical scrapbook, What It Is is an evocative, intriguing, and thought-provoking work. In some ways it is difficult to describe: There are threads of ideas tying the book together, leitmotifs that resurface and offer a coherence. There are snippets of a life history. There are images that repeat in variations throughout the book, like ghosts of thoughts haunting the author as well as the reader. There are collages of old textbook and magazine images combined with handwritten letters, envelopes, and postmarks. There are so many emotions and feelings expressed throughout, from creative breakthroughs to isolation to epiphanies to alienation to small, significant moments where things suddenly make sense. It is a sad, beautiful, and hopeful book.

Author/artist Lynda Barry has been an active creator for decades now, and she is the eponymous "Funk Queen of the Galaxy" to whom Matt Groening dedicates every volume of his Life in Hell collections. She has published many books, including 100! Hundred! Demons! and Picture This, which is a companion piece to this volume. More recently she conducts writing workshops especially aimed at non-writers. Barry also shares videos, art, and news about her work on her official site, The Near-Sighted Monkey.

Some readers will find a familiarity in the autobiographical stories, as they resemble the ones in her long-running comic strip, Ernie Pook's Comeek. Barry speaks extensively about her life, work, and teaching in this interview with the Paris Review.

Reviews of this book have been very positive. Jeff VanderMeer praised it as "one of those rare books that offers solace for the soul and brilliant commentary on the artistic impulse." elisa ludwig called it "both a window into Barry’s mind and a brilliant representation of creativity at work." Michael Moon concluded that it is "an amazing achievement."

The book's publisher, Drawn & Quarterly, offers a preview here.

Why it is not quite a graphic novel: Although it does use sequential art sequences, What It Is also is a piece of art in and of itself. It is interspersed with aphorisms, collage images, and pages that can stand by themselves. As a whole, this book uses various media produces a great number of effects, inspirations, feelings, and thoughts. I am not quite sure what I would call this type of book, but I do know that reading it is an experience not to be missed.

Persepolis: The Story of a Childhood

Marjane Satrapi was in elementary school when the Shah was ousted from power in Iran and a conservative Islamic regime took control. Because her family had communist and socialist leanings as well as a distant familial relationship to the deposed Shah, they had to navigate a perilous political landscape. During this time, Marjane struggles to find meaning in the vast changes, the many injustices, and the specter of martyrdom and war that hung over her country. She wrestles with religion, school, and the authorities who place restrictions on clothing, make-up, and popular culture. Being questioning and rebellious, Marjane has to deal with seemingly mundane situations that suddenly deteriorate into danger.

This volume contains the first two chapters of the books originally published in France. It is followed by a sequel where we follow what happens to Marjane as she becomes a young adult. This volume is very episodic and provides many scenes from a country in conflict where one family is struggling to get by. Incidentally, the title of the book comes from the Greek name for Parsa, an ancient capital of the Persian Empire.

Satrapi has become internationally famous and lauded for her graphic novel work. This article by Paul Gravett speaks to her life and work on this first volume of the series as well as its movie adaptation. This interview with Sean Axmaker also gets at her thoughts and intentions about making this graphic novel.

Persepolis has been almost universally accepted as a classic. Johanna Draper Carlson wrote that this "memoir is a must-read for a unique perspective on current events." Sarah Tan wrote that "Persepolis is a novel of the importance of being aware of ourselves and understanding the consequences of change." Offering a slightly contrary opinion, Christopher Skokna noted that Satrapi's storytelling chops could use some attention and he concluded that "for Satrapi to reach the front of the autobiographical comics library — and to deserve the attention this book is receiving — she must improve her skills and lengthen her perspective."

Some preview pages are available here from the book's publisher Pantheon.

Weathercraft

Weathercraft is a 100-page long journey into Jim Woodring's dreamlike world, and the book practically defies description. The all but wordless tale may be read as a philosophical or spiritual journey. It mostly follows the plights of Manhog, a pig/man hybrid who lives in a rubbish pile and is ruled by his basest appetites. He encounters many strange creatures in this tale, including devils, carnivores, paisley-shaped critters, and Frank, a cartoon animal who resembles a dog or a bear. In this world creatures typically eat or are eaten; they go through transformations, see visions, are imprisoned, and are magically transported across time and space. Over the course of the strange and fantastical events a kind of logic starts to emerge.

Jim Woodring is a Seattle artist who has been drawing comics for decades now. He gained some notoriety lately for making a functional, seven-foot-long ink pen. He is best known for his independent comics series Jim which featured the adventures of Frank. He won two Harvey Awards in 1993 for his work on the series. He also won the Inkpot Award in 2008. This interview with the Onion AV Club as well as this one with Shaun Manning lend insight into his work on Weathercraft.

Woodring's first graphic novel has been almost universally praised. Reviewer Jason Michelitch wrote that "Weathercraft paints small moments of beauty and mystery on a huge canvas of twisted wonder. If you've never ventured into the deranged world of Woodring, take it from a belated first-timer that this book is as good a starting place as any." Henry Chamberlain and Brian Heater also have great things to say in their detailed reviews of the book.

A video preview is provided here from the book's publisher Fantagraphics. They also provide a great number of links and images here.

Paul Auster's City of Glass

The first book in Paul Auster's New York Trilogy, City of Glass is an exploration of identity and theology clad as a detective story. The tale begins when a crime novelist named Quinn begins receiving a series of calls at night, mistakenly trying to hire him as a private investigator. Eventually the author decides to just pretend to be a P.I. and take the case. His client is a strange, awkward man, the son of a theology professor who thought if he raised his boy without any human language that he would end up speaking the original language of God as spoken by Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. When the professor is released from prison, the man and his femme fatale wife suspect he will try to seek vengeance, so Quinn is supposed to keep tabs on the old man. This being a detective story, of course not everything is as it seems.

This graphic adaptation manages to take a complex, intricate story and add even more dimensions with graphic representations and fantastic interpretations of the narrative. It was done by Paul Karasik and David Mazzucchelli, both Eisner Award winning creators who have been making avant garde comics for decades. Karasik is known for cartooning for a diverse range of publications, from The New Yorker to Nickelodeon Magazine, a memoir comic about living with autism done in collaboration with his sister Judy, The Ride Together, and his collections of the works of Fletcher Hanks. Karasik blogs about his life and work here. Mazzucchelli is best known for his landmark works with Frank Miller on Batman: Year One and Daredevil: Born Again as well as his original graphic novel, Asterios Polyp.

Reviewers have acknowledged that this graphic novel is something to be contended with. Carl Doherty praised this adaptation as being as good as its source material while cautioning, "If you’re the kind of reader who needs to know the answer to a riddle, then this might not be the book for you." Tom Bernard wrote that the book "is something like a waking dream; even though the artists keep showing possible avenues of escape, the reader ends up feeling trapped in the story." Dealing with many complex questions, Darren was left feeling "perplexed" but "with the feeling a second read-through would definitely be rewarding."

Published by Picador, a preview for this edition is available at Amazon.com.