Graphic Novel Monday: Kaspar, by Diane Obomsawin

Kaspar, by Diane Obomsawin. Published 2008 by Drawn & Quarterly. Graphica.

Kaspar tells the story of one Kaspar Hauser, a German man who showed up out of the blue and claimed to have been raised in a cellar with nothing but a toy horse for a companion. Diane Obomsawin bases her telling on Hauser's own memoir, and recounts his story up through his strange death by stabbing in 1833 at the approximate age of 21.

Obomsawin's style of both art and prose is bare and simple; the same black and white line drawing style is used throughout the book, characterized by simple panels and iconic, stylized figures. Kaspar is taken in by different people who try to variously educate and exploit him as the truth behind his claims remains a mystery. The book eschews any sense of the controversy that surrounded Hauser's life and claims in favor of a plain retelling of the story from his point of view. The simple artwork is a fitting accompaniment to the unadorned storytelling.

I enjoyed reading Kaspar; it's such a strange little story and a very unusual window in the world of early 19th century European culture. It contains some sexual references that probably render it unsuitable for children but I think teens would enjoy it. If I say too much more, my review will be longer than the book itself, so if you're interested in short, off-the-beaten-path graphic novels, go check out Kaspar.

Rating: BACKLIST

FTC Disclosure: I did not receive this book for review from the publisher.

Graphic Novel Monday: Maybe Later, by Philippe Dupuy and Charles Berberian

Maybe Later, by Philippe Dupuy and Charles Berberian. Published 2006 by Drawn & Quarterly.

Click here to buy Maybe Later via IndieBound.org. I'm an IndieBound affiliate and receive a small commission on sales.

Maybe Later is a charming volume by French artists Philippe Dupuy and Charles Berberian, whose normal modus operandi is to collaborate on both the art and writing of their famous Mr. Jean series. In this series, they separate and create individual journals in which they talk about their lives and their art.

I'm not familiar with Mr. Jean but I enjoyed reading this book. It wasn't spectacular or anything, but the I found the art funny and light and thought their self-deprecating humor was infectious. My eye isn't really good enough to distinguish the two styles and both journals are characterized by a similar style of loose line drawing. I found the yellow paper the comics are printed on a little hard on my eyes. As far as content, a running joke is their relationship- they're strictly business partners but they often discuss how people assume that because they work so closely that they must be close in other ways. They talk about how they collect stories from all over, how people tell them their stories and make assumptions about them.

As you might be able to tell, the stories contain some humor and sexual references that make the book appropriate for older teens and adults. Overall it's a fun book, not one of my favorites but worth a look if you're familiar with Dupuy and Berberian (or even if you're not) or want to get to know more about the French comics scene.

Rating: BORROW

FTC Disclosure: I did not receive this book for review from the publisher.

Note: After this week Graphic Novel Monday will be on hiatus until I catch up on my backlog of books. See you back here in 2010!

Graphic Novel Monday: What It Is, by Lynda Barry

What It Is, by Lynda Barry. Published 2008 by Drawn and Quarterly. Nonfiction. Graphica.


What It Is, Lynda Barry's latest, is a treat and a feast for the eyes and the spirit. Part memoir, part writing manual and part daydream, it's a beautiful piece of work.

The book is a colorful, large format volume and just about every page is filled with collage, sketches, paintings and writing. Barry starts out alternating passages about her childhood with pages of inspiration and whimsy; her memories are painful and difficult to read at times, but she writes with a great deal of honesty about life and I think many people will be able to relate to her. If anything, I wish she had written more in this vein. I love how you can look at these pages over and over and keep finding something new. Barry's visual style is very distinctive- loose, informal and fluid- and the pages really show off her sense of composition and color. She pours everything but the kitchen sink into her artwork- papers, pen-and-ink, paint, different kinds of clip art and found art- and creates some really gorgeous and absorbing tableaux.

But the real purpose behind What It Is is to inspire readers to write and create art of their own. For the last half or so of the book, Barry intersperses a variety of writing exercises into her memoir and inspiration pages, to nice effect. She suggests timing the exercises, and doing them without stopping the pen and without re-reading; the idea is to write in uninterrupted stretches, and to keep writing, to just see what comes out, and to avoid self-censorship or inhibition.

She has some good tips and ideas- actually really good tips and ideas- and I think What It Is would be great as a manual or textbook for a writing class, and great to use on one's own as well. But even if you don't use the book, it's a pleasure to look at and read. Nearly squeaky-clean (except for some very mild profanity) What It Is is absolutely fine for most teens. I don't know how happy some parents would be with Barry's portrayal of a dysfunctional, uncaring family, but I think many young people would find validation and hope in her story. And I think it's just a great book for any graphic novel- or graphic art- fan.

Rating: BUY

FTC Disclosure: I did not receive this book for review from the publisher.

Graphic Novel Monday: Milk Teeth, by Julie Morstad

milk teeth, by Julie Morstad. Published 2007 by Drawn & Quarterly.

Click here to buy milk teeth from your local IndieBound-affiliated independent bookseller.

milk teeth is one of the stranger little things I've picked up lately- a small, slight, wordless collection of sketches arranged into silent stories. I find something about Morstad's surrealistic images to be arresting and unforgettable.

There is no dialogue in the collection, and barely a narrative. What there is instead is several series of miniature drawings, executed in a dense, detailed style that appear to me to be pen and ink and watercolor. Morstad's visual style resembles Edward Gorey to no small degree; her pictures of children and animals in fantastical situations and poses is slightly macabre and Victorian, although her pictures are not as dark as Gorey's. There is something of the fairy tale in her pictures. Common motifs include faces, animals and especially hair- long hair that binds, connects, contorts and overflows. Morstad's penstrokes flow in rivers of hair. She also draws elaborately-patterned clothing and detailed animal fur.

Many of the drawings could be seen as disturbing; there is little real violence or sexual content but there is a certain sensuality to her style. The book is most likely appropriate for older teens and adults. I wouldn't recommend milk teeth to the graphic-novel newcomer but for those interested in unusual and dream-like visions it's an interesting book to peruse. For me it is a quick read to which I'm sure I will return.

Rating: BACKLIST

FTC Disclosure: I did not receive this book for review.

Graphic Novel Monday (Late!): Burma Chronicles, by Guy DeLisle

Burma Chronicles, by Guy DeLisle. Published September 2008 by Drawn & Quarterly. Nonfiction. Memoir. Graphica, Translation.

Burma Chronicles is an autobiographical account of the time French-Canadian cartoonist Guy DeLisle spent in that country in 2005 with his wife, an administrator in Medecins sans Frontiers (Doctors Without Borders). Previously, DeLisle published two graphic novels documenting his travels in Asia, Shenzhen (2000) and Pyongyang (2003).

This book is a somewhat lengthy collection of cartoons spanning their year in Burma, from the couple's departure to the isolated Asian country, till their departure from it.

In between, DeLisle covers a lot of ground. He talks about day to day life- shopping, taking care of his infant son while pursuing his comics career while his wife works- in country where censors cut articles out of newspapers before the public can read them and you can go to jail just for knowing the wrong people. Although DeLisle has the opportunity to witness many of the peculiarities of life in Burma, including the hard political and social realities he comes up against at every turn, I got the feeling that he only ever really skimmed the surface of Burmese life. As a foreigner, and an unemployed one at that, he saw a lot, certainly, but his life also came across to me as privileged and somewhat sheltered. Even the cover drawing- DeLisle walking by with his baby while Burmese people interact in the background- speaks to his status as an outsider. To his credit, he seems to be aware of his position and plays with it in self-deprecating, humorous ways.

For the most part, DeLisle's observations are succinct but emotionally neutral, almost reporterly in their preference of fact over emotion. Much of what he sees- and he witnesses tragedies and travesties and injustices- seems to leave him untouched. Strong emotions are centered around issues of creature comforts, like the misery of a long hot bus ride or the relief of a cool shower. The style of the artwork echoes this sense of detachment. Presented as line drawings in washed out black and white, his characters are simple and iconic. He is a distinct character himself, but his face is more a series of lines than a distinctly human visage. His Burmese characters are also more collections of features than individuals. DeLisle's background drawings are sometimes quite detailed and lovely, but the lack of color prevents the reader from experiencing the landscape as exotic or glamorous, and instead focuses the attention on the nitty-gritty of the Burmese people's difficult, impoverished lives. I wonder if this choice doesn't represent his politics showing through just a little. His writing is simple, clear and strong, but he tells stories just as well through silent panels too.

Burma Chronicles would be of interest in particular to people with an interest in southeast Asia, a part of the world that receives little attention in American popular culture. DeLisle includes quite a bit of material on political life in Burma/Myanmar insofar as its effect on everyday people- everything from government censorship to tacit complicity in growing heroin addiction and HIV epidemics. It's actually quite horrifying and DeLisle's matter-of-fact tone brings the horror home in a understated fashion. I would place DeLisle's work here alongside that of Joe Sacco and other journalistic comics artists- although it has its funny moments, Burma Chronicles is I think intended to be on the serious side. It's a good read if you're up to it.

Rating: BACKLIST

FTC Disclosure: I received this book for review from the publisher.

Graphic Novel Monday: Exit Wounds, by Rutu Modan

Exit Wounds, by Rutu Modan. Published 2007 by Drawn & Quarterly. Graphica. Fiction.

Exit Wounds is a deceptively simple graphic novel by Israeli artist and writer Rutu Modan, set in modern-day Tel Aviv and focusing on a young man named Koby Franco and his search for his missing, enigmatic father, Gabriel.

As the story opens, Koby's relationship with Gabriel has been strained for some time, and it has been months since the two last spoke; Koby meets a young woman soldier, Numi, who had had a relationship with Gabriel and believes he may have been killed in a roadside bombing. Their search takes them on a journey through Gabriel's secrets, and leads them to a place neither expected.

But Exit Wounds isn't just a love story or a story about secrets; it's about identity, about reconciling with your past and being able to move on to a future. Mostly it's about learning when to let someone in, and when to let someone go. The artwork is spare and simple; clean, simple lines define unshaded washed colors, and faces and bodies have just enough definition to transmit emotion and mood. Commentaries about social and political inequalities in Israeli society are interwoven into the story, which is broken up into four neatly defined chapters.

It took me a few pages to get into the story. The beginning felt abrupt, like I'd just been launched into Koby's life, and I think that's the point. He meets Numi unexpectedly, and all of a sudden his whole world is turned inside out. Modan does a great job providing the reader with a little of that feeling of disorientation. The story picks up steam, and although I could never call it brisk it moves along at a good clip. The ending is inconclusive but sweet and optimistic; the mysterious Gabriel is never revealed. Exit Wounds is a very satisfying read; it's definitely an older teen-to-adult story as it has some violence and sexual content. If you're interested in Israel or just want a good story with complicated characters I think you'll like Exit Wounds.

Rating: BUY

FTC Disclosure: I did not receive this book for review from the publisher.

Graphic Novel Monday: Aya, by Marguerite Abouet and Clement Oubrerie

Aya, by Marguerite Abouet; illustrated by Clement Oubrerie. Published 2007 by Drawn &Quarterly. Hardcover. Graphica. Fiction. Translated from the French by Helge Dascher.


It was the artwork that first grabbed my attention about Aya, a funny story about young girls having fun in 1970s Ivory Coast, during a brief period of prosperity following the end of French colonial rule. It's illustrated by French artist Clement Oubrerie in a charming, humorous style reminiscent of fellow French artist Joann Sfar (who edited the Gallimard Jeunesse French edition)- so reminiscent that I really had to look twice at the credit. But Oubrerie's style is definitely different- looser, more relaxed.

And his style befits the story, a fun romp through a vibrant era of optimism and a flourishing economy, focusing on the fun and games of a group of girlfriends as they run around with their boyfriends while their parents fret about jobs and marriages. But it's really about the girls- studious good-girl Aya, who wants to be a doctor, and her friends Adjoua and Bintou. They're typical teenage girls- they love clothes and boys and parties, and they're trying to do the right thing even when they don't quite know what that is. And when one of the girls gets pregnant- well, then things really get going.

It's a cute story, not one of my favorites but cute. I found all the stories a little hard to follow, but I loved the twist at the very end- at the very last panel, actually. The dialogue is fresh and believable, and although I haven't read the original French, Helge Dascher's translation is very smooth. The girls and the boys are both portrayed as equally silly and irresponsible, and their parents are just clueless and wrapped up in their own problems. The book includes a very helpful preface summarizing the recent history of Ivory Coast which really helps situate the reader, and author Abouet has included a fun chapter at the end with a glossary and some recipes and fashion advice; the political content is minimal and Aya would be great for teens interested in a fun story or anyone interested in positive stories about Africa. Personally though, I'm glad I only checked it out from the library and didn't buy it. But I still liked it.

Rating: BORROW

FTC Disclosure: I received this book for review from the publisher.