Love and Politics Go Awry in James Sturm’s ‘Off Season’
There's a pleasant "off-ness" about the not really reality within reality of James Sturms' graphic fiction, Off Season.
Chris Gavaler
Chris Gavaler is an associate professor of English at Washington and Lee University. His books include On the Origin of Superheroes (Iowa 2015), Superhero Comics (Bloomsbury 2017), Superhero Thought Experiments co-authored with Nathaniel Goldberg (Iowa 2019), and Creating Comics co-authored with Leigh Ann Beavers (Bloomsbury forthcoming 2020). He is the comics editor at Shenandoah magazine, and he blogs weekly at thepatronsaintofsuperheroes.wordpress.com.
Rikke Villadsen’s Idiosyncratic ‘The Sea’ Sets the Imagination Adrift
Danish artist Rikke Villadsen appears to be spinning a circular tale-within-a-tale with no origin or end points and only tragic escapes in his graphic fiction work, The Sea.
Graphic Fiction Collaboration ‘Hobo Mom’ Merges Artistic DNA
Charles Forsman and Max de Radiguès' graphic fiction collaboration, Hobo Mom, is successful both in its minimalistic visual approach and its realistic treatment of the emotional dynamics of an estranged but well-intentioned family.
Michael DeForge’s ‘Brat’ Challenges the Act of Reading Comics
While dimension-deforming environments are normal in cartoon worlds, few wander as far to the edge of pure abstraction—let alone cross it -- as Michael DeForge does in Brat.
Michael Cho’s ‘Shoplifter’ Showcases What He Does Best
Existential loneliness and small comforts are perfectly conveyed in three simple colors in Michael Cho's graphic novel, Shoplifter.
Nathan Gelgud’s ‘A House in the Jungle’ Plays with Perception
Nathan Gelgud's image-within-an-image work in his latest, A House in the Jungle, echoes a larger world-within-a-world meta-context.
Zacchilli Sketches the Future One Day at a Time in ‘Space Academy 123’
Mickey Zacchilli's scribbled artistic and literary style undermines expectations.
The (Almost) Complete Julie Doucet
Doucet's creative id, whether awake or asleep, knows few boundaries—or rather seeks out boundaries to challenge.
‘Tumult’ Is a Graphic Fiction Noir Thriller Viewed Through a Surreal Lens
As a viewer, you're never quite sure where you're standing—let alone if it's on solid ground.
Laughing on the Inside with Graphic Memoir ‘Chlorine Gardens’
Graphic memoirist Keiler Roberts never cracks a smile in her latest, but that doesn't mean you won't.